Publications by Anusua Ganguly
1 publication found • Active 2026-2026
2026
1 publicationThe Paradox of Hyperconnectivity: New Media, Identity and Fragmented Publics
The 21st century has ushered in an era of unprecedented expansion in global interconnectedness, courtesy of the rise of new media and digital communicative technologies. While digital platforms have increased the scope for democratic participation beyond national boundaries, they have also fragmented the public sphere with competing narratives and identities. As a consequence, digital platforms have become more than a mere tool of communication. They have turned into sites of contestation where stories and identities are constructed, mobilized, negotiated and politicized continuously. Keeping in mind these developments, the commentary discusses the relationship between new media, identity formation and pluralism in the age of hyperconnectivity. It also explores how digital storytelling practices and digital platforms operating on algorithms reshape democratic participation and the sense of collective belonging. Deliberating through examples of social movements, anti-immigration mobilizations and extremist digital recruitment, the commentary highlights how digital platforms have enabled transnational solidarities and exclusionary identity politics at the same time. Ultimately arguing for the need to reimagine the plural public sphere to sustain democratic dialogue amid fragmented digital publics.e.
