Social Media & Politics in Southeast Asia with Merlyna Lim

Merlyna Lim is the Canada Research Chair in Digital Media and Global Network Society, Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies, and founder/director of the ALiGN Media Lab at Carleton University. Born and raised in Dayeuhkolot-Indonesia, Lim’s research examines the interplay between digital technologies and society, focusing on the Internet, social media, and AI. Her work explores how these technologies and societal dynamics dialectically co-shape each other in areas such as citizen participation, activism, and democratic processes. Grounded in Southeast Asia and the MENA region, Lim advocates for viewing the Global South as a key research hub and addressing real-world issues on its own terms. Notable publications include Social Media and Politics in Southeast Asia (Cambridge UP, 2024), Roots, Routes, Routers: Communication and Media of Contemporary Social Movements (Sage, 2018), and Online Collective Action: Dynamics of the Crowds in Social Media (Springer, 2014). For more, visit: merlyna.org.

Nalini Elumalai is a grassroots and human rights activist. Nalini has been actively involved in grassroots and human rights issues since 2003 as an undergraduate student. She is also actively involved in grassroots movements concerning workers, the rural poor, and plantation workers. Nalini is currently the Senior Malaysia Programme Officer at ARTICLE 19, focusing on countering hate speech and reforming freedom of expression work in Malaysia. Before joining ARTICLE 19, Nalini held an eight-year tenure with human rights NGO Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) as a right to trial Campaign Coordinator, Secretary of Abolish ISA Movement (GMI), and then steering the organization forward as Executive Director.