Digital Media, Soundscapes, and Civic Engagement in a Globalised World

This book examines the transformative role of soundscapes and digital communication technologies in shaping listening practices, cultural identity, social cohesion, and civic engagement. Centred on the concept of Listening as Civic Infrastructure, this book argues that listening—long overlooked in speech-centric models of democracy—is a vital and active form of civic participation in multicultural, digitally mediated societies.

Through ethnographic research with Sri Lankan migrants in Melbourne, this book explores how digital ‘noise’ intersects to influence memory, belonging, and the dynamics of global civil discourse. It bridges sound studies, digital media research, and migration studies, offering innovative methodologies such as sonic ethnography and artography. It provides readers with rich case studies, theoretical insights, and practical frameworks for understanding how to shape individual and collective identities. Through its key concepts—Sonic Citizenship, Mediated Listening Publics, Digital Noise, and Audibility—this book illuminates how sound functions as a civic infrastructure for displaced communities. By linking physical and digital environments, this book highlights the critical role of sound and communication technologies in fostering resilience, cultural preservation, and civic participation.

Designed for scholars, postgraduate students, and practitioners in sound studies, media studies, and migration studies, and democratic theory, this book also appeals to professionals interested in digital communication, cultural preservation, and community-building initiatives. Its interdisciplinary approach ensures relevance for both academic and professional audiences across disciplines. This book includes an accompanying audio artwork created as part of the research project, accessible online. This sonic artefact offers a practical extension of this book’s themes, allowing readers to engage with the auditory dimension of the research firsthand.