December 2005 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Birthday Calendar
by Akhil Kumar Srivastava 08 Dec '05

08 Dec '05

Hi Please click (or copy and paste) the link below and enter your birthday into my calendar. It's quick, easy and you'll be helping me out:-). http://www.birthdayalarm.com/bd1/4037929a6610155b862566941c596827557d904 Akhil Kumar

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cfp: Internationalising Internet studies collection
by Gerard Goggin 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

'Internationalizing Internet Studies' Call for papers for a edited collection by Gerard Goggin (University of Sydney) & Mark McLelland (University of Wollongong) From the mid-1990s onwards, the Internet has shifted fundamentally from its co-ordinates in English-speaking countries, especially North America, to become an essential medium in a wide range of countries, cultures, and languages. . However, communications and media scholarship, especially in the Anglophone world, has not registered the deep ramifications of this shift - and the challenges it poses to the concepts, methods, assumptions, and frameworks used to study the Internet. The vast body of Anglophone scholarship into 'the Internet' is predicated on research on and about English-language websites by academics and other researchers working and publishing in English. Despite the fact that there is also a large body of work being produced by scholars in non-English-speaking cultures and locales, hardly any of this work is being translated and it has had little impact on theorization of the developing fields of Internet and web studies. The purpose of this anthology, 'Internationalizing Internet Studies', is to acknowledge that Internet use and Internet studies take place 'elsewhere' in various national and international contexts. We seek to uncover how non-Anglophone uses of the Internet might challenge certain preconceived notions about the technology and its social impacts as well as the manner in which Internet studies is taken up, valued and taught. Through bringing together researchers whose daily experience of the Internet is mediated through non-Anglophone languages and cultures as well as researchers situated within the Anglophone academy whose work focuses on cultures outside North America and Europe, we hope to promote the visibility of work already being done outside the Anglophone world. Accordingly, we wish to gather together a distinctive collection of contributors who can illuminate the key features of the Internet's internationalization, surveying exemplary Internet language groups and cultures. We are also interested in contributions that reflect upon this cosmopolitan turn in the Internet, and what it signifies for Internet studies. Contributions would be welcomed, but are not restricted to, the following topics: * non-anglophone language communities use of the Internet * Asian countries and communities use of the Internet (especially Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) * mobility and the Internet: how the Internet is deployed by people on the move across borders * use of the Internet by diasporic communities * Internet use by minority language speakers in majority Anglophone and other language contexts * Indigenous use of the Internet * how particular Internet, mobile and wireless technologies have been shaped and are used by different language and cultural groups * how does this change our understanding of Internet cultures and cultural histories? * what the implications of internationalizing of the Internet for debates concerning cultural citizenship and media diversity? * how is Internet studies responding to the internationalizing of the Internet? Timeframe: Please send abstracts of no more than 500 words to both editors outlining your proposed contribution to the edited collection by 31 January 2006. We will advise acceptance by 1 April 2006. We will be holding a workshop on 'Internationalizing Internet Studies' in Brisbane on 27 September 2006 immediately before the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Annual Conference 7.0, and hope that we will be able to invite some contributors to participate. About the Editors: From January 2006, Dr Gerard Goggin (g.goggin(a)uq.edu.au) will be an ARC Australian Research Fellow in the Department of Media and Communication, the University of Sydney. Recent books include Digital Disability (2003), Virtual Nation: The Internet in Australia (2004) and Cell Phone Culture (2006). Dr Mark McLelland (m.mclelland(a)uq.edu.au) is a Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication at the University of Wollongong. Recent Internet-related publications include Japanese Cybercultures (2003) and Queer Japan from the Pacific War to the Internet Age (2005).

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James W. Carey Media Research Award
by Mark D. Johns 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

CALL FOR AWARD APPLICATIONS James W. Carey Media Research Award Sponsored by the Carl Couch Center for Social and Internet Research http://www.cccsir.org/ The Carl Couch Center invites self-nominations for works to be considered for its annual James W. Carey Media Research Award. The Couch Center welcomes works on topics that have been central to Carey's scholarship. Among others, submissions might focus on technology, time, space and communications, the nature of public life, the relation between journalism and popular culture. Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of (1) mastery of Carey’s approaches and concepts, (2) originality, (3) organization, (4) presentation, and (5) advancement of knowledge. Evaluation will be administered by a Review Committee of six: Prof. Stuart Adam, Carleton University Prof. Theodore L. Glasser, Stanford University Prof. John Pauly, St. Louis University Prof. Jeff Pooley, Muhlenberg College Prof. Linda Steiner, Rutgers University Prof. Lance Strate, Fordham University Both single and multiple authored works will be accepted. All submissions must be works that have been published/presented or have been accepted for publication or presentation—that is, works that have been accepted for publication in a book or journal, or have been accepted for presentation at a competitive academic conference. To be considered for the 2006 award, works should be published or presented in 2004 or 2005. Those interested please submit a copy of their works electronically to Mark D. Johns, executive director of CCCSIR, at johnsmar(a)luther.edu in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Corel WordPerfect format. If the work submitted is a paper, a 100-word abstract needs to be included. Paper length is limited to 30 pages plus references. If a book is submitted, a copy of the table of contents and one chapter are sufficient. The application deadline is April 1, 2006. Notification of award application will be sent out by June 15. The Award winner will receive the Carey Award plaque to be presented at the winner’s choice of the 2006 annual convention of the International Communication Association (ICA), Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), or National Communication Association (NCA). Questions and comments about the Carey Award, please contact: Mark D. Johns Dept. of Communication Studies Luther College Decorah, IA 52101 Tel: (563) 387-1347 E-mail: johnsmar(a)luther.edu OR Shing-Ling S. Chen Dept. of Communication Studies Univ. of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50614 Tel: (319) 273-6021 E-mail: chen(a)cccsir.org

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Antw: air-l Digest, Vol 17, Issue 6 (Absence - Carl-Markus Piswanger)
by Carl-Markus Piswanger 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

I am out of office. I will be back on December 14. Carl-Markus Piswanger

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Inquiry by LSE Masters student re e-dieting
by David Brake 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

"I am curently researching the e-dieting phenomena, specifically, online slimming clubs, such as weightwatchers.co.uk. This is a new topic and as such I have had difficulty finding scholarly research on the topic -- do you have any ideas of where I might look?" I believe there is some literature on the negative aspects of 'extreme' slimming clubs - pro-ANA sites for example but none of it comes to my hand. He's particularly interested in the commercial aspects but would also be interested in diet/nutrition articles. Please email a.a.macdougall(a)lse.ac.uk or this list with any references you have. --- David Brake, Doctoral Student in Media and Communications, London School of Economics & Political Science <http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/media@lse/study/ mPhilPhDMediaAndCommunications.htm> Also see http://davidbrake.org/ (home page), http://blog.org/ (personal weblog) and http://get.to/lseblog (academic groupblog) Author of Dealing With E-Mail - <http://davidbrake.org/ dealingwithemail/> callto://DavidBrake (Skype.com's Instant Messenger and net phone)

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Re: [Air-l] wikipedia and defamation
by David Brake 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

On 6 Dec 2005, at 20:03, Ulf wrote: > these statements are only harmful on a significant scale > if anyone looks at them, believes them (and - in some cases - repeats > them). The Seigenthaler episode is a good example. Being rather > ignorant about the Who's Who in the media business I wouldn't have > known of Seigenthaler and would never have connected him with the > Robert Kennedy assassination It is exactly people like Seigenthaler or you and I who are most at risk from defamation both on Wikipedia and blogs etc. The danger comes if you are just known enough to be a target to some people but not well-known enough to have either PR professionals or 'allies' who are aware of the truth about you and could deal with attacks or let you know about them. Why should someone like Seigenthaler have a new responsibility to scan the Internet every so often just to make sure someone with a grudge hasn't defamed them? It's true that people should take what they read online with a pinch of salt but empirically I think you would find most people don't (could someone with the relevant information science pop in here and give us some relevant citations on this point?) I am not a big David Brin supporter but I do think one of his proposals in The Transparent Society has some merit - that even people contributing online 'anonymously' should have as a backstop some way to be traced if they abuse that facility. IP addresses help here but don't provide a complete remedy. --- David Brake, Doctoral Student in Media and Communications, London School of Economics & Political Science <http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/media@lse/study/ mPhilPhDMediaAndCommunications.htm> Also see http://davidbrake.org/ (home page), http://blog.org/ (personal weblog) and http://get.to/lseblog (academic groupblog) Author of Dealing With E-Mail - <http://davidbrake.org/ dealingwithemail/> callto://DavidBrake (Skype.com's Instant Messenger and net phone) --- David Brake, Doctoral Student in Media and Communications, London School of Economics & Political Science <http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/media@lse/study/ mPhilPhDMediaAndCommunications.htm> Also see http://davidbrake.org/ (home page), http://blog.org/ (personal weblog) and http://get.to/lseblog (academic groupblog) Author of Dealing With E-Mail - <http://davidbrake.org/ dealingwithemail/> callto://DavidBrake (Skype.com's Instant Messenger and net phone)

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CFP Digital Games
by Mark D. Johns 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

- Please distribute, apologies for cross posting - Call for Papers: Open Session "Cultural Studies and the Research of Digital Games" at: Crossroads Conference at Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey) http://www.crossroads2006.org 20-23 July 2006 The investigation of computer games still is a field seldomly considered in academic research. In contrast to this, a large public interest in the possible "effects" of computer and video games exists, which seems understandable since this "leisure time activity" plays an increasingly central role in the life of many young people and adults. Thus game research has to examine potentials of meaning, patterns of interaction and readings contained in the representations of the game and their influence on the player's "lifeworld". The actual forms of appropriation of this "new" medium vary widely e.g. different forms of identity construction and community building, therefore the following session search for papers that address a wide range of topics and focus especially on the relationship between Cultural Studies and game research. To submit a paper to this session, please send an abstract of maximum 150 words to the Session Organizer Markus Wiemker (markus(a)wiemker.org) The deadline for the submission of papers is January 18, 2006. Best wishes, Markus Wiemker --- Markus Wiemker Lecturer for New Media University of Applied Sciences Media Management, St. Pölten, Austria Heinrich-Schneidmadl-Str. 15 lbwiemker(a)fh-stpoelten.ac.at Tel.: +43 2742 313 228 416 Fax: +43 2742 313 228 409 www.fh-stpoelten.ac.at markus(a)wiemker.org www.wiemker.org

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Oslo PhD grants in participation, games
by Anders Fagerjord 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

Two positions as doctoral research fellows (PhD-stipendiat) are available at the Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo. Enquiries about the posts should be directed at one of the following: • Associate Professor Anders Fagerjord, tel no +47 22850411, anders.fagerjord(a)media.uio.no. • Associate Professor Tanja Storsul, tel no +47 22850405, tanja.storsul(a)media.uio.no. • Head of Administration Niels Christian Hervig, tel no +47 22850474, n.c.hervig(a)media.uio.no. Salary band: 39-45 in the Norwegian state salary system (depending on qualifications and seniority) Organisation: Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, Norway The positions are fixed three-year appointments. Closing date: 20 December 2005 Ref no: 05/17812 and 05/17813 Applicants should submit four copies of their application, including a description of their intended research project (max 10 pages), list of published and unpublished works and CV. One copy of certificates should also be submitted. Applications should be sent to Det humanistiske fakultet, Postboks 1079, Blindern, 03l6 Oslo, Norway. Project: Participation in dialogic mass media Dialogic mass media refers to a number of digital media technologies established over the past ten years, in which the receiver is also a sender and therefore able to engange in a dialogue. Media such as these combine the main features of mass media, where several audiences can observe and participate within the same context. Web and online games are typical examples of dialogic mass media, whereas new applications are being developed for mobile platforms and digital television. By participation we mean audiences who participate in a dialogue exchange by consuming media messages and, based on this, automatically generates new messages. This kind of participation is shaped by various circumstances, some in which promotes participation, others limit the participation. Dialogic media represent a new media development; they give audiences new opportunities while at the same time demanding increasingly financial resources, technical equipment and knowledge. They represent potential new opportunities for a growing participation-based society. However, research shows that the we underestimate the significance of users’ motivation, intentions and opportunities. One view is that the audiences participate differently, in different ways and have different roles when encountering various digital media and genres. Position 1: New political arenas in dialogic media (ref no 05/17812) Dialogic media seek to open new forums for political debate, with a potential to change and strenghten democracy. On one hand, there are discussion forums in online newspapers, weblogs and ’citizen journalism’. These are examples of amateur journalists given coverage in the established media. On the other hand, established political players and governments are opening up to a larger degree of direct communcation with its citizens. We are seeking a doctoral research fellow to explore this topic. Position 2: Online games with high degree of graphic realism (ref no 05/17813) Computer games are an increasingly popular form of media, and to children growing up today, computer games will become a natural part of their media experience. As a consequence, elements of computers games will potentially influence on other media forms. Computer games like Half-life 2 have taken the graphic realism in real-time animation to a new level. Multi-user games are becoming an important social arena for millions of people around the globe. There is a need to enhance our knowledge of games as moving images, of participation in virtual games communities, and of how the design influences the user’s participation in a game. We are seeking a doctoral research fellow to explore this topic. Research fellows are employed as part of the Factulty of Humanities’ research programme. The scientific production aim to complete with a PhD dissertation. Candidates should possess: • University degree equivalent to Master’s degree or Cand.Polit/Cand.Philol (in media studies) on the same level as a Norwegian degree. • Minimum 5 years degree in relevant area of study • Studies abroad need be approved beforehand and a copy of the approval letter must be enclosed with the application letter. Women are encouraged to apply. More details about guidelines and the PhD programme are available from http://www.hf.uio.no/forskning/english/phd-information.html Anders Fagerjord, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Media and Communication University of Oslo P.O. Box 1093 Blindern, N-0317 OSLO, Norway Tel. +47 22 85 04 11 Fax +47 22 85 04 01 http://fagerjord.no

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Re: [Air-l] wikipedia and defamation
by Dan L Burk 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

Two versions of this theory were bandied about nearly 10 years ago. One version involved some brief speculation as to whether defamation via CMC is more like slander (spoken defamation) than like libel (written defamation). The rules for slander differ slightly, as spoken defamation is less permanent. A second variation suggested that the U.S. NYT v. Sullivan "public figure" standard applies to everyone on-line; i.e., that cheap access to CMC gives everyone access to mass media, making everyone a public figure. In that case, counter-speech would be the preferred remedy. Some of the proprietary ISPs (AOL, Compuserve, Prodigy) adopted this as their internal policy for a time: if you felt you had been defamed on their systems, you got free access to rebut the defamation. Neither of these ideas went anywhere, and CMC defamation nowadays gets (mostly) treated like print defamation. DLB On 5 Dec 2005, Judd Antin wrote: > An interesting side note: the distinction between 'transient' and > 'fixed' communication or media appears to underlay the legal notion of > defamation. Wikipedia doesn't fit cleanly into either of those > categories. Should a work that is universally and indefinitely editable > be subject to the same requirements as traditional slander and libel? It > could certainly have an effect on an individual's reputation, but at the > same time that individual (or any other) is empowered to immediately > remove the offending passage. > > --Judd > > --Judd Antin > School of Information Management & Systems (SIMS) > University of California Berkeley > jantin(a)sims.berkeley.edu > http://technotaste.com > blog: http://technotaste.com/blog Dan L. Burk Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly Professor University of Minnesota Law School 229 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA *************************************** Voice: 612-626-8726 Fax: 612-625-2011 bits: burkx006(a)umn.edu

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Re: [Air-l] wikipedia and defamation
by Dan L Burk 07 Dec '05

07 Dec '05

On 5 Dec 2005, Barry Wellman wrote: > the current AOIR debate about wikipedia highlights another problem. > It is quite easy to make legally defamatory statements on Wikipedia. Or on listservs, or blogs, or Usenet newsgroups, etc., etc. This is not a very new or very unusual problem. > Normally, the remedy is a law suit for civil damages. > > But if the author is anonymous, whom does one sue? Outside the United States, one sues the publisher of the libel -- the website or ISP or carrying the defamation. This at a minimum creates an incentive to remove the material from the system promptly. Inside the United States, there are First Amendment and statutory limitations on that remedy, so you will probably have no damages remedy for online defamation. > And yes, I know that defamation law suits are expensive and hard to do. > But at least the legal remedy is there in principle -- when the author is > known. But the Wikipedia approach is like someone flooding the mail with > anonymous defamatory photocopies. Again, no different than e-mail or newsgroups. This question was mostly worked out about a decade ago. DLB Dan L. Burk Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly Professor University of Minnesota Law School 229 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA *************************************** Voice: 612-626-8726 Fax: 612-625-2011 bits: burkx006(a)umn.edu

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