An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Social Media and Peacebuilding from Communication Studies

The primary objective of this chapter is to deepen the dialogueDialogue between the disciplines of communication scienceCommunication science and political sciencePolitical science. To begin with, it has to be mentioned that studies related to conflict-solving in communication scienceCommunication science show a bias in favor of non-violent conflictsConflict in Western democracies. This leaves room for further research, especially with regard to non-Western countriesNon-Western countries. Even comparative media systemsMedia systems research is also only just beginning to take greater consideration of non-Western countriesNon-Western countries. The authors of this volume examine the role of social mediaSocial media in peacebuildingPeacebuilding through the lens of political sciencePolitical science within the broader context of international peacebuildingInternational peacebuilding initiatives. We argue that integrating insights from the field of communication scienceCommunication science could significantly enhance our understanding of this complex process.