September 2011 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Inclusion of short links in academic publications?
by yana breindl 21 Aug '12

21 Aug '12

Thank you all for your comments! The reason I asked is not because of a word limit but because one of my committee members suggested I'd use short links to ease access for readers of the print dissertation. I do have quite a lot of electronic sources as footnotes in some of the chapters and he mentioned he'd have typed a shortened url but not a long one. An alternative would be to include short urls in the footnotes and add an appendix with corresponding long links. I'm not sure it's worth the hassle though. On 22 July 2011 16:39, Sharon Haleva Amir <sharon(a)trebcon.com> wrote: > > Yana, the only advantage I can think of regarding the usage of shortened > URL > is if you're writing an article and there is a words' limitation (as long > as > the limitation refers to the bibliography/footnotes as well as the article > itself), as sometimes the URLs can be quite long. > > I think that the need to shorten texts (for twitting etc.) was the basic > rational for establishing such services. > > > Best Wishes, > Sharon Haleva Amir, HCLT Fellow > (PhD Candidate) Faculty of Law, > University of Haifa, ISRAEL. > -------------------------------------------------- > http://www.coolcite.com/user/1694 > http://weblaw.haifa.ac.il/en/research/resstudents/pages/sharonha.aspx > > -----Original Message----- > From: air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org > [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of yana breindl > Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 11:27 AM > To: Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org > Subject: [Air-L] Inclusion of short links in academic publications? > > Hello all, > > I was wondering what your thoughts were concerning the use of shortened > URLs > (e.g. tinyURL, bit.ly etc.) to reference electronic sources in a > dissertation or other academic publication (along with the title, date, > etc. > possibly an annexe with the long URL). Has this been done already? Is it > acceptable? Are there important differences between various shortening > sites? > > Thank you, > > Yana > > > --------------------- > Yana BREINDL > > Ph.D Candidate > Dépt des sciences de l'information et de la communication (SIC) > Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) > > Tél.: + 32 (0)2 650 44 46 > E-mail: ybreindl(a)ulb.ac.be > _______________________________________________ > The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list > is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org > Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > > Join the Association of Internet Researchers: > http://www.aoir.org/ > > -- Yana BREINDL Doctorante Dépt des sciences de l'information et de la communication (SIC) Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Tél.: + 32 (0)2 650 44 46 E-mail: ybreindl(a)ulb.ac.be -- Yana BREINDL Doctorante Dépt des sciences de l'information et de la communication (SIC) Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Tél.: + 32 (0)2 650 44 46 E-mail: ybreindl(a)ulb.ac.be

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Special Issue Media and Migration: Learning in a globalized World
by Haan, M.J. de (Mariette) 29 Nov '11

29 Nov '11

Dear all, *Apologies for cross-posting* This call for proposal for a special issue on Media and Migration: Learning in a globalized world might be of interest to some of this list. Learning, Media and Technology Call for papers - special issue Media and migration: learning in a globalized world Learning, Media and Technology is acknowledged as one of the learning academic journals in the fields of educational technology and educational media. Proposals are invited for papers for a special issue of the journal on the theme of "Media and migration: learning in a globalized world". The special issue will be edited by Mariëtte de Haan (Utrecht University) and Kevin Leander (Vanderbilt University). This special issue will bring together studies located at the intersection of migration, media and learning. The change in the mobilities of people, media, material goods that allow new connections between 'global' and 'local' life marks contemporary migration as well as social life more generally. >From the perspective of how young people's lives are formed and develop, these developments provide differently distributed resources from which youth can draw, and different processes through which identities, social networks, and knowledge may be constructed. In this issue research is brought together that considers how learning practices of youth in migration are shaped by new media. See here http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/cfp/cjemcfp3.pdf for more information Hope some of this community will contribute! best, Mariette de Haan Prof. Mariëtte de Haan Utrecht University I Faculty of Social Sciences I Langeveld Institute, Heidelberglaan 1, 3584 CS Utrecht I The Netherlands I M.deHaan(a)uu.nl<mailto:M.deHaan@uu.nl> I http://staff.fss.uu.nl/mdehaan I http://www.uu.nl/wiredup I http://www.uu.nl/pedgemeenschap

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CFP: iConference 2012 | Culture * Design * Society
by Sara Grimes 18 Nov '11

18 Nov '11

Apologies for cross-postings. Please consider submitting to this upcoming conference, hosted by the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto. It's sponsored by iSchools, but open to all, and this year's theme of "culture, design, society" is particularly relevant to members of this list. It would be great to see a contingent of aoir members participate! Please pass this along to any lists, colleagues or students you think would be interested. Best, Sara --- Sara M. Grimes, PhD Assistant Professor FACULTY OF INFORMATION 140 St. George Street University of Toronto Toronto ON M5S 3G6 Canada Tel: +1 416 978-5269 | Fax: +1 416 971-1399 Email: sara.grimes(a)utoronto.ca<mailto:sara.grimes@utoronto.ca> Blog: http://gamineexpedition.blogspot.com<http://gamineexpedition.blogspot.com/> <please distribute widely> Call for Participation: iConference 2012 Toronto, Canada February 7-10, 2012 http://www.ischools.org/iConference12/2012index/ The iConference is an annual gathering of a broad spectrum of scholars and researchers concerned about critical information issues in contemporary society. The iConference pushes the boundaries of information studies, explores core concepts and ideas, and creates new technological and conceptual configurations -- all situated in interdisciplinary discourses. These issues will be tackled during our four-day event in downtown Toronto, February 7-10, 2012. The conference theme is: Culture * Design * Society. Please join us for a multitude of high quality papers, posters, workshops, along with interactive alternative events that will frame the conversation. In addition to these activities, there will be a Doctoral Colloquium and an Early Career Workshop at the conference, lots of social events, and many opportunities to mingle. The iConference series is sponsored by the iSchools, a growing association of more than 30 Schools, Faculties and Colleges in North America, Europe and Asia -- however, affiliation with the iSchools is not a prerequisite, and we encourage everyone to participate. * Conference: http://www.ischools.org/iConference12/2012index/ * iCaucus: http://www.ischools.org/site/ * Last Year’s Proceedings: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1940761 Submission types: * Papers: We’re looking for original research, six to eight pages; papers will be refereed in a double-blind process, and accepted papers will be published in the ACM Digital Library. Submission deadline: Monday September 12, 2011 Notification: Early November Final version due: Monday December 5, 2011 * Posters: We’re interested in posters presenting new work, preliminary results and designs, or educational projects. Poster abstracts will undergo a blind review, and accepted posters will have their abstracts published in the ACM Digital Library. Submission deadline: Monday September 26, 2011 Notification: Mid November Final version due: Monday December 5, 2011 * Workshops: These can be half- or full-day and can focus on any area within information. Submission deadline: Monday September 19, 2011 Notification: Early October Final version due: Monday October 31, 2011 * Alternative Events: These can include panels, fishbowls, performances, storytelling, roundtable discussions, wildcard sessions, demos/exhibitions, and more. All should be highly participatory, informal, engaging and pluralistic. Submission deadline: Monday September 19, 2011 Notification: Mid November Final version due: Monday December 5, 2011 * Doctoral Colloquium: This year’s colloquium will be organized around the theme of “inquiry.” Applicants will submit a 1,000 word abstract addressing the question, “What is the nature of inquiry in the information field, what makes it similar to or different from other areas of research, and what challenges have you met in your own research in this regard?” Visit our website for details. Application deadline: Friday September 30, 2011 Notification: Late November ORGANIZERS Conference Chair * Jens-Erik Mai, University of Toronto Papers Chair * Jonathan Furner, University of California, Los Angeles Posters Chair * Paul Marty, Florida State University Alternative Events Chair * Philippa Levy, University of Sheffield Workshops Chair * Kelly Lyons, University of Toronto Doctoral Colloquium Co-Chairs * Hamid Ekbia, Indiana University * Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University Keynote Speakers Chair * Brian Cantwell Smith, University of Toronto Publication Chair * Yuri Takhteyev, University of Toronto Social Media Chair * Rhonda McEwen, University of Toronto Program Committee * Alessandro Acquisti, Carnegie Mellon University * Jack Andersen, Royal School of Library and Information Science * Nick Belkin, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey * Jean-François Blanchette, University of California, Los Angeles * Johan Bollen, Indiana University * Geoff Bowker, University of Pittsburgh * Amy Bruckman, Georgia Institute of Technology * Donald Case, University of Kentucky * Chen Chuanfu, Wuhan University * Paul Clough, University of Sheffield * Kevin Crowston, Syracuse University * Ron Day, Indiana University * Melanie Feinberg, University of Texas, Austin * Robert Glushko, University of California Berkeley * Sean Goggins, Drexel University * Sara Grimes, University of Toronto * David Hendry, University of Washington * Steven Jackson, University of Michigan * Jim Jansen, The Pennsylvania State University * Michelle Kazmer, Florida State University * Anita Komlodi, UMBC * Christopher (Cal) Lee, University of North Carolina * Bonnie Mak, University of Illinois * William Moen, University of North Texas * Bonnie Nardi, University of California, Irvine * Heather L. O'Brien, University of British Columbia * Ee-Peng Lim, Singapore Management University * Vivien Petras, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin * Kalpana Shankar, University College Dublin * Elizabeth Shepherd, University College London * Bo Xie, University of Maryland Learn more at http://www.ischools.org/iConference12/2012index/

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Faculty Opening - Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago
by Steve Jones 12 Oct '11

12 Oct '11

The Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago invites applications for an Assistant Professor, tenure-track position, in game studies and mobile media. We are looking for a faculty member who will engage with scholars in the humanities, social sciences, engineering, education and health sciences around the core interests of the digital humanities. Related areas include social networks, social capital, digital literacies, digital disparities, education, privacy, civic engagement and policymaking. The candidate will also have an earned doctorate or have their PhD completed by August 2012 in Communication or a related field, strong promise of scholarly achievement and teaching success (at the undergraduate and graduate levels) appropriate for appointment as Assistant Professor, good prospects for external research funding, and demonstrated commitment to multidisciplinary scholarship. Located in the heart of Chicago, UIC is a Research I University with 16,000 undergraduates, 6,500 graduate and 3,000 professional students. The Department of Communication has 10 full-time faculty, approximately 150 undergraduate majors, 25 M.A. students, and 30 Ph.D. students in a doctoral program focused on the relationship between technology and communication. The desired appointment date for the position is August 16, 2012. Interested parties should address a letter of interest and submit a full curriculum vitae, samples of relevant scholarly publications, evidence of teaching effectiveness, and names of and contact information for three references to https://jobs.uic.edu. For additional information regarding this position, please contact Steve Jones: Steve Jones, PhD, UIC Distinguished Professor and Search Committee Chair Department of Communication University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL sjones(a)uic.edu Applications will be accepted only at https://jobs.uic.edu. Review of applications will commence October 15, 2011. Applications received by then will receive full consideration. The search will proceed until the position is filled. Women and traditionally under-represented minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. The University of Illinois is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Final authorization of the position is subject to availability of state funding

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Wikipedia survey for the Sztakipedia project
by Mihály Héder 05 Oct '11

05 Oct '11

Dear All, I would like to ask you a little, but important help. I'm doing research on the future of the Wikipedia editor interface. In order to understand better the view of the Wikiepedia users I compiled a survey. With filling the forms you can contribute to the survey, and your view will be taken into account assessing the general requirements of the editors of Wikipedia, and also that of the readers of Wikipedia. Please help me by filling the following form (it takes 3 minutes max): http://pedia.sztaki.hu/survey_en *and* by forwarding this mail to everyone you can think of. The more (and not only tech-savvy) people we reach, the better. So please, do not leave out anyone who has the slightest chance to use the internet (friends, family, students, mailing lists, neighbours, classmates, co-workers, etc.) The results will be available in raw form and explained by 31/03/2011 at: http://pedia.sztaki.hu , and also I will compile a white paper in the subject (strictly for an Open Access journal) (if this letter reaches you more than once it is my fault) Thank you very much: Mihály Héder Computer and Automation Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences + Budapest University of Technology, Philosophy of Science PhD student

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Re: [Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 86, Issue 30
by Jessica Sugimoto 30 Sep '11

30 Sep '11

"From: Jim Parker <drjparker(a)gmail.com> To: air-l(a)aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] Men and the Internet Here is a book that looks at lots of data to see what kind of porn both men and women search. http://www.billionwickedthoughts.com/index.html" That's also a book whose authors got slammed for their misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, also for their unethical (questioning minors about their sexual practices without parental consent among others), biased, and unscientific gathering of data, lack of IRB approval, and pretending to have the blessing of a reputable institution. Sort of representing the worst evolutionary psychology has to offer. Critique of the research the book is based on: http://neuroanthropology.net/2009/09/06/sex-lies-and-irb-tape-netporn-to-su… http://mackle.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/the-curious-case-of-the-game-show-ne… Reviews & tags on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Billion-Wicked-Thoughts-Largest-Experiment/dp/0525952… This is the only book there with a "your sample population hates you now" tag. Jessica

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save the date: CATaC'12 - June 18-20, 2012 - Aarhus, Denmark
by Charles Ess 30 Sep '11

30 Sep '11

Dear AoIRists, with the usual apologies for cross-posting: On behalf of the CATaC (Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication) Organizing Committee, I am very pleased to pass on to you the first CFP for CATaC¹12: Beyond the digital/cultural divide: in/visibility and new media. The biennial CATaC conference series, begun in 1998, has become a premier international forum for current research on the complex interactions between culturally-variable norms, practices, and communication preferences, and interaction with the design, implementation and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Our 2012 conference, as the title suggests, begins with the recognition that the ongoing issues and challenges clustering around digital divides often involving mutually reinforcing cultural divides extends beyond classic and stubborn problems of access to new media and communication technologies. For example, matters of representation come into play, issuing in a cluster of questions: Whose images and words are seen/presented/promoted and whose aren't? And why? If activists are using new media to represent realities of, say, oppressed indigenous people in a given country, is this better than no visibility at all, even if the people in question do not have access or skills to present themselves as subjects? In particular: Local and indigenous HCI/ID is about making visible the semiotic scripts and political processes of meaning construction that shape the process of technology design and knowledge representation from a sociotechnical perspective. Making visible these scripts enables the assessment of the value of these tools and frameworks from indigenous and/or local perspectives. Key concerns here are (1) to examine the meaning and validity of democratic values that drive participatory design as a discipline, and (2) to question 'exported' representations of what constitutes good usability and user experience. And: How do new practices of cloaking messages in otherwise public or semi-public media; for example, the strategies of online steganography work to create intentional invisibility in otherwise visible spaces? Are there important culturally-variable elements in these practices that, when brought to the foreground, help illuminate and clarify them in new ways? Finally: What are the role(s) of (culturally) diverse understandings and representations of gender in structuring the frameworks and practices of design and implementation. How do these roles foster the visibility of some vis-à-vis the invisibility of ³others² (in Levinas¹ sense, in particular)? Additional submissions are encouraged that address further conference points of emphasis: Theoretical and practical approaches to analyzing ³culture² New layers of imaging and texting interactions fostering and/or threatening cultural diversity Impact of mobile technologies on privacy and surveillance Gender, sexuality and identity issues in social networks Cultural diversity in e-learning and/or m-learning Culturally-variable approaches to online identity management/creation, privacy, trust Copyright and intellectual property rights recent developments, culturally-variable future directions? Culturally-variable responses to commodification in online environments Both short (3-5 pages) and long (10-15 pages) original papers are sought for presentation. Panel proposals addressing a specific theme or topic are also encouraged. Our provisional schedule: Submission of papers (short or full), panel proposals: 17. February 2012 Notification of acceptance: 16. March, 2012 Final formatted papers (for conference proceedings): 19. April 2012 Further details regarding program (including keynote speakers and pre-conference activities), registration fees, travel and accommodations will be available soon on the conference website, <http://www.catacconference.org/>. We look forward to welcoming you to Aarhus next June! Charles Ess (IMV, Aarhus University), Chair Fay Sudweeks (Professor Emerita, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia) honorary chair Herbert Hrachovec (University of Vienna) Leah Macfadyen (University of British Columbia) José Abdelnour Nocera (University of West London, UK) Kenneth Reeder (University of British Columbia) Ylva Hård af Segerstad (Göteborgs universitet, Göteborg, SE) Michele M. Strano (Bridgewater College, Virginia, USA) Andra Siibak (University of Tartu, Estonia) Maja van der Velden (University of Oslo)

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CfP IPSA - RC10 Electronic Democracy (new deadline)
by Stephanie Wojcik 30 Sep '11

30 Sep '11

*Call for papers International Political Science Association (IPSA) World Congress - Research Committee 10 "Electronic Democracy"* The 22nd World Congress of the IPSA will take place in *Madrid (Spain) from 8 to 12 July 2012.* *Use www.ipsa.org <http://www.ipsa.org/events/congress/madrid2012> to submit a paper.* NEW DEADLINE ! Deadline for paper proposals and abstracts is*_October 17, 2011_*. The call of paper is avalaible on the RC10 website : http://rc10.ipsa.org/ *Panel 1. Open government* Chairs: Richard Engstrom, Duke University (USA) - richard.engstrom(a)duke.edu Stéphanie Wojcik, University of Paris Est Créteil (France) -- stephanie.wojcik(a)u-pec.fr Discussant: Albert J. Meijer, Utrecht University (A.J.Meijer(a)uu.nl) (TBC) Calls for governments to provide open, easy-to-use and largely free-of-charge access to public data have grown in recent years - such as the 'Transparency and Open Government' programme initiated under Obama's presidency in the US or the Public Data Corporation supported by the UK Cabinet Office (2011) while the European Commission, through the SEMIC.EU platform, is promoting the idea of Linked Government Metadata (2010).Making public information and data more widely available is indeed thought to support democratic citizenship by increasing transparency and accountability in government, allowing individuals and groups to monitor and evaluate particular policies, services, and the performance of government in general. While little systematic research has been done on open government so far, initiatives associated with the term have generated opposing views. This panel issue is concerned with the concrete benefits and the downsides of the various opendata initiatives worldwide. Which public policies and strategies of implementation are known? Are European initiatives adopting such strategies or are there new instruments? Topics of interest include but are not limited to: - Surveillance, data privacy and regulations - Transparency, accountability and civic engagement - Production of services and public goods and changing roles of government, public authorities, business, civil society and citizens - Technological and organizational challenges of open government *Panel 2. E democracy and deliberation* Chairs: Raphael Kies, (University of Luxembourg) - raphael.kies(a)uni.lu Norbert Kersting, (University of Münster, Germany), -norbert.kersting(a)uni-marburg.de Dialogical deliberative instruments are vitalizing democracy. Participatory budgeting, deliberative polls, forums and other participatory instruments are implemented . These instruments are often combined with e-participation tools. Internet conference, open space online, participatory budgeting online, e-petitions, blogs, web forums etc. are implemented to support or to substitute traditional instruments for participation. This raises the question about the quality of deliberation in the internet. The panel will try to categorize, analyze and evaluate the different tools. *Panel 3. Electronic voting re-vitalized?* Chairs: Richard Niemi, (University Rochester, USA) - niemi(a)rochester.edu Josep Reniu, (University of Barcelona, Spain) - jreniu(a)ub.edu Discussant: Alexander Trechsel Electronic voting and internet voting seems to be reinvigorated. This panel discusses strategies of national and supranational institutions such as Council of Europe regarding Electronic and internet voting. New experiments in Mexico, Argentina, new trends in India etc will be presented. Latest developments in Norway in the local election will be analyzed. New experiences in Estonia, Switzerland, USA, Russia evaluated. *Panel 4. e-Revolution and Pluralism in Countries of the 2011 "Arab spring": Egypt and Tunisia This is a joint panel with RC 16 Socio political pluralism and RC 10 e-democracy* Chairs: Rainer Eisfeld (RC 16) (University Osnabrueck, Germany) -rainer.eisfeld(a)uni-osnabrueck.de Norbert Kersting (RC 10) (University of Münster, Germany), -norbert.kersting(a)uni-marburg.de Discussant: Jason Abbott A pluralist alliance of various civil society groups -- workers, women, urban professionals, moderate islamists, underemployed (particularly from among the youth) -- with different, sometimes overlapping, grievances, ousted the previous regimes in Tunisia and Egypt. Largely mobilised via the Internet, these groups have different interests and pursue differing political projects for their countries' post-revolutionary future. The panel will trace sources of several important Egyptian and Tunesian protest groups' politicization and subsequent mobilisation, also attempting to spell out implications of their projects for the post-Ben Ali and post-Mubarak eras. Are there lessons to be learned for the rest of the world? *Panel 5. Scrutinizing mobilisation in networked politics* Convenor: Jorge Luis Salcedo Maldonado (Univ. Autonoma Barcelona) jorgelsalcedo(a)gmail.com Chair: Marta Cantijoch Co-Chair: Mayo Fuster Morell Discussants: Camilo Cristancho, Jorge Luis Salcedo Maldonado Internet use has expanded the mobilisation opportunities of organised political actors (political parties, social movements, interest groups) while giving prominence to non-organised individuals or individuals organised via flexible structures or mainly online-based formats (such as online communities). Digital tools like websites, blogs or social networking sites, among others, are reshaping communicational dynamics and mobilising strategies. This panel calls for papers aiming at expanding our knowledge on the changes in mobilisation processes that are taking place as a consequence of the spread of internet mediated communication. We invite paper proposals addressing any of the following questions: Can we characterize online mobilization as comprising considerably different processes from those used in more traditional channels? What can we learn from differences between online mobilisation strategies by different type of actors in multiple contexts? What are the factors explaining the use of new media for political mobilisation? How can mobilisation effects be assessed in terms of collective outcomes such as turnout, or individual changes in attitudes and behaviours? We encourage proposals that combine conceptual discussion and empirical analysis. We also welcome analyses of the changes occurring in the use of online methods of mobilisation across time and/or countries.

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Arab spring cites
by nativebuddha 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Here's what I sifted out from responses to my call for empirical work on the Arab Spring. Thanks to everyone who responded. -robert *Social Media and the Arab Spring* *General argument about Arab Spring and/or social media:* http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/07/facebook-twitter-revolu… http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/egypt/PMag-1107-Egypt-… http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67812/asef-bayat/the-post-islamist-r… Howard, Phillip "The Digital Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy," http://poliecon.com/2011/09/08/information-manipulation-coordination-and-re… flows and regimes) http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/02/24/facebook.revolution/index.h… http://blogs.taz.de/netizenblog/2011/03/16/netizens_egypt_tahrir_square/(ba… on Egypt) http://www.gnuband.org/files/papers/Ferron_Massa_Collective_memory_building… wikipedia fits in) *Empirical study:* Howard et al = http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12947477/reports/pITPI_datamemo_2011.pdf http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/view/1246/613 (Information flows during Tunisian and Egytian revolutions/Tweets) *Regarding the Internet Shutdown in Egypt:* “New Social Networks with Old Technology - What the Egyptian Shutdown tells us about Social Media” (Dan McQuillan) http://www.internetartizans.co.uk/socnets_with_old_tech_egypt Abstract Egypt is the latest in a series of countries to witness the powerful potential of modern social media to catalyse and mobilise people around social issues. The Egyptian government response was to have the internet and mobile networks completely shut down. This was, however, not the end of the role that social media ideas played in the events that followed. People inside and outside of Egypt collaborated to re-create the missing networks using the still-available technologies of landlines, dial-up and ham radio. This paper argues that this use of pre-digital technologies to form the kinds of infrastructure afforded by modern social technologies is evidence of a radical change in people’s perceptions of their world and its connectedness. Social media has constituted a real change that goes beyond specific technologies. This flies in the face of many sceptical critics who argue that new technologies only reinforce old practices and social structures. This view of the effects of social media presents a challenge to its study. Technological studies and formal analyses of relationships inscribed in social networks will never be able to capture fully the way people understand and interact with these technologically-enabled structures. In this paper, I use the internet shutdown in Egypt to raise issues that I believe need to be considered in analysing the influence of social media on social movements. I discuss how existing models need to become hybridic, heterogeneous and responsive to the grassroots appropriation of technology, especially the future creation of alternatives to the corporate internet. In conclusion, I analyse the phrase 'Egypts Facebook Youth' as the emblem of social media's impact.

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Famous Internet people *not* from North America
by Sue Thomas 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Hi everyone Earlier this year I asked you to send me the names of famous internet people who are *not* from North America. There was a big response and it was quite difficult to separate the resources from private comments and information, but I've got round to it now and it's online at https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1cH7ZwhBXB7H1HMDvozobOdYP72a-eax hbHSTxeVvEOo Please feel free to share and use it in any way you like. And many many thanks for all your contributions. I really appreciate them. Thanks Sue _________ Sue Thomas Research Professor of New Media IOCT/Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities Clephan 1.01d, De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK +44 (0)116 207 8266 w: http://www.thewildsurmise.com <http://www.thewildsurmise.com/> Nature and Cyberspace: stories, memes and metaphors e: sue.thomas(a)dmu.ac.uk <mailto:sue.thomas@dmu.ac.uk> t: @suethomas <http://www.twitter.com/suethomas> g: +suethomas <https://plus.google.com/110733806086330324299/>

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