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LUMS Faculty Dr. Taimur Rahman Speaks at Social Media Mela
July 16, 2012
LUMS faculty Dr. Taimur Rahman, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Political Science, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), conducted a session titled ‘Music, Resistance and the Internet’ at the second Social Media Mela 2012 (SocMM2012) that took place from July 13-14, 2012 at Avari Hotel in Karachi, Pakistan.
Also known as the Indo-Pak Social Media Mela, the event was one of the most talked about social media events of the year, which was attended by significant speakers and panellists from India along with a plethora of top Pakistani social media activists and innovators.
Dr. Rahman, who is a staunch Marxist himself, demonstrated how Marxism is evolving in the modern and connected world. He spoke about using the power of the internet, social media and music videos to promote a movement. Dr. Rahman emphasised on how social media is utilised as a tool to “modernise the way of conveying Marxism and its message.”
The idea of promoting the rights of the labour class through music at a top-tier five-star hotel hosting a social media ‘mela’ seems contradictory in itself. However, Dr. Rahman of Laal the band quickly nullified the negative notion by adding that today’s socialists like himself need to adopt modern tools and seemingly bourgeoisie inventions such as the internet to promote rights of the lower class.
LUMS Initiative on Internet and Society (IIS) is enthusiastically highlighting such endeavours. The IIS promotes such vibrant social media events and aims to facilitate the cyberspace in its study, and growth. IIS is also making an effort to understand and comprehend cyberspace in Pakistan by taking up similar initiatives that encourage better utilisation of cyberspace for Pakistan's development.
Through IIS various benefits and contributions to civil society, it is working towards a more connected world. Another link of that chain has been established through the cross-university interdisciplinary Research Initiative on Internet and Society (RIIS) initiative.
