Biographical Information Karlyga Myssayeva started as an assistant professor at al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Fall 2003. Her research focuses on what the influence of Social Media on Society and the role civic journalism plays in social development will help decipher the complex entity, ‘democracy.’  She is also working toward to determine the extent to which social media types has progressed in the development of societies, the measures that should be adopted to enhance the democratic climate.   Myssayeva held the position of Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Journalism on Scientific and Innovational Service and International Relations at al-Farabi Kazakh National University from January 1, 2009. As a researcher she presented more than 20 research papers at international conferences in the U.S., Canada, Russia, China, and in some Central Asia countries.