January 2013 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

CfP ECPR Conference Panel on Young Citizens and Social Media
by Brian Loader 11 Jan '13

11 Jan '13

Brian Loader, Ariadne Vromen and Mike Xenos are currently organizing a panel entitled 'Young citizens’ socially mediated voice in a cold economic wind: bringing ‘old’ concepts of political inequality back in?' for the forthcoming ECPR General Conference to be held in Bordeaux, 5th-7thSeptember 2013. If you would like present a paper at the panel we invite you to submit a proposal online at * http://ecprnet.eu/Events/SectionList.aspx?EventID=5* under the section on Internet & Politics : towards new concepts in political science ? * * Abstract: Recent protests and campaigns undertaken predominantly by young citizens in Europe, the Middle East and North America, have focused attention on the elective affinity of social media, unconventional political youth cultures and the alienation of a new generation of citizens. The early hyperbole and simplistic accounts of ‘Twitter revolutions’ have been appropriately critiqued by political scientists. However more general discussion of social media still retains a largely unchallenged set of assumptions about its inherent democratic properties and socialising capabilities for engaging young people. Yet such optimism either ignores the well established negative relationship between socio-economic inequality and levels of political participation or it discounts the importance of traditional political concepts such collective action, social justice, participation and the public sphere for democratic governance. Set against a context of high youth unemployment in many countries (e.g. 50% in Spain and Greece, 19% in the UK, 17% in Ireland) and skilled graduates increasingly entering precarious occupations, this panel seeks to explore how socially differentiated (class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality) young citizens interact with social media and are politically influenced by it in pluralistic ways. It will reflect on whether social media use for political engagement ameliorates young people’s political inequality in a distinct period of time when they are experiencing increased social and economic precarity. The panel also seeks papers that will consider the value of research into social media as a means of informing our understanding of both contemporary normative values of young citizens and as evidence for emerging alternative models of political engagement. Discussant: Michele Micheletti (University of Stockholm) -- Brian D. Loader, Associate Director SATSU, Editor, Information, Communication & Society Programme Director, SPS Chair Sociology BoS Department of Sociology, Wentworth College, University of York, YORK YO10 5DD UK. Tel: +44(0)1904 432639 Fax:+44(0)1904 433043 www.york.ac.uk/satsu www.informaworld.com/ics www.york.ac.uk/sps

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Re: [Air-L] Electronic Tribes
by Mathieu ONeil 11 Jan '13

11 Jan '13

The tribal metaphor has been popular since the counter-culture of the 1960s as a reaction against technocracy / industrial society. Re online tribes, I was inspired by "pomo" sociologist Michel Maffesoli and his concept of neo-tribalism on the one hand and by 1970s radical anthropologist Pierre Clastres and his ideas around non-leadership in amazonian tribes (?) on the other to use the term - a bit later than Jeremy says though ;-) First in a collection edited by Ty Adams, Electronic Tribes (U of Texas Press) I wrote about people who actually want to return to their understanding of a "tribal", non-industrial way of life, i.e. primitivists, yet they have websites etc. Then I wrote a book about leadership/authority in anti-authoritarian online environments such as FLOSS, blogs, wikis called Cyberchiefs (Pluto Press). Tribes as stateless and anti-authoritarian forms of collective organisation. However I have found that the term is ambiguous and evokes very strong reactions from anthropologists for a variety of reasons so I now only use sociological / org science terminology to analyse online forms of organisation. hth, cheers Mathieu On 01/10/13, Jeremy hunsinger <jhunsinger(a)wlu.ca> wrote: > I've used the sociological literature by Zymunt Bauman and others to > talk about tribes and neo-tribes in online environments in a > forthcoming book, but that is a very specific argument about > governance that I'm making, but I think both tribes and neo-tribes > were fairly well known concepts to be applied in cyberculture in the > mid '90s to early 2000's then they fell out of favor. > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > > -- ***

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2013 Summer Internship Program, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Application Deadline Feb. 10
by Rebecca Tabasky 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

Hi, The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is now accepting applications for our 2013 Summer Internship Program! We are looking to engage a diverse group of students who are interested in studying -- and changing the world through -- the Internet and new communications technologies; who are driven, funny, and kind; and who would like to join our amazing community in Cambridge this summer for 10 weeks of shared research and exchange. Information about the summer program and eligibility, and links to the application procedures, can be found below and at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/internships_summer. * The application deadline for Summer 2013 is Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. ET.** * As ever, thank you for helping to share word of the opportunity to great candidates and developing our network of people working to advance scholarship with impact. All best, Becca ----- *Berkman Center for Internet & Society Summer Internship Program 2013* <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/internships_summer> Each summer the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University swings open the doors of our vibrant yellow house to welcome a group of talented and curious students as full-time interns - Berkterns! <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=berktern> - who are passionate about the promise of the Internet. Finding connected and complementary research inquiries among their diverse backgrounds, students represent all levels of study, are being trained in disciplines across the board, and come from universities all over the world to tackle issues related to the core of Berkman's research agenda, including law, technology, innovation, and knowledge; the relationships between Internet and civic activity; and the intersection of technology, learning, and development. Summer interns jump head first into the swirl of the Berkman universe, where they are deeply and substantively involved in our research projects and efforts. Becoming invaluable contributors to the Center's operation and success, interns conduct collaborative and independent research under the guidance of Berkman staff, fellows, and faculty. Specific roles, tasks, and experiences vary depending on Center needs and interns' skills; a select list of expected opportunities for Summer 2013 is below. Typically, the workload of each intern is primarily based under one project or suite of projects, with encouragement and flexibility to get involved in additional projects across the Center. In addition to joining research teams, summer interns participate in special lectures with Berkman Center faculty and fellows, engage each other through community experiences like weekly interns discussion hours, and attend Center-wide events and gatherings with members of the wider Berkman community. As well, each year interns establish new channels for fun and learning, such as organizing topical debates; establishing reading groups and book clubs; producing podcasts and videos; and hosting potlucks, cook-offs, and BBQs (fortunately for us, people share). The word "awesome" has been thrown around to describe our internships, but don't take our word for it. Interns Royze Adolfo and Hilda Barasa documented the summer 2012 internship experience here <http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/berkmancentersummer2012/>. Former intern Zack McCune had this to say <http://thames2thayer.com/blog/in-the-spirit-of-the-the-olympics-how-i-learn…>: "it has been an enchanting summer working at the berkman center for internet & society. everyday, i get to hang out with some of the most brilliant people on the planet. we talk, we write (emails), we blog, we laugh, we play rock band. and when things need to get done, we stay late hyped on free coffee and leftover food. it is a distinct honor to be considered a peer among such excellent people. and i am not just talking about the fellows, staff, and faculty, though they are all outstanding. no, i mean my peers as in my fellow interns, who are almost definitely the ripening next generation of changemakers." * * *Time Commitment:* Summer internships are full time positions (35 hours/week) for 10 weeks. Our Summer 2013 program runs from Monday, June 3 through Friday, August 9. * * *Payment:* Interns are paid $11.50 an hour, with the exception of certain opportunities for law students who receive summer public interest funds (more about these specific cases at the link for law students below). Please be forewarned that payment may not be sufficient to cover living expenses in the Boston area. No other benefits are provided, and interns must make their own housing, insurance, and transportation arrangements.* * *Commitment to Diversity:* The work and well-being of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University are strengthened profoundly by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We actively seek and welcome applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, and persons with disabilities, as well as applications from researchers and practitioners from across the spectrum of disciplines and methods. The roots of this deep commitment are many and, appropriately, diverse. We are not nearly far enough along in this regard, and we may never be. It is a constant process in which there remains much to learn. We welcome your inquiries, comments and ideas on how we may continue to improve. *Eligibility:* * Internships are open to students enrolled across the full spectrum of disciplines. * Internships are open to students at different levels of academic study including those in bachelor's, master's, law, and Ph.D programs (some flexibility with high school students is possible). Selected positions require that interns be enrolled in a particular kind of academic program. * Summer interns need not be U.S. residents or in school in the U.S.; indeed, we encourage international students to apply. * Summer interns do not need an existing affiliation with Harvard University. * * *To Apply:* We know what you're thinking. /Yes please. I want that. That sounds magical. Did I mention that I have incredible dance moves <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGQbFqH6D4g>//?/ Here's what you should do...* * *Law students:* please find application instructions and important additional information here <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/7314>. *Students from disciplines other than law:* please find more information and application instructions here <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/7315>.* * *The application deadline for all students for Summer 2013 is Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. ET.** * *Selectivity/Opportunity:* We are fortunate to receive a large number of excellent applications each year and go through a dynamic and highly selective process in which we try to find the best match for individual interns and portfolio needs, but limited slots inevitably mean passing on amazing candidates. We are steadfast, however, in our eagerness for you to work in this space and encourage you to explore other related summer opportunities, including these <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/8134>. * * *Questions:* **Please start with our Summer Internship Program FAQ <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/8133>. Have questions not covered in the FAQ? Email Rebecca Tabasky at rtabasky(a)cyber.law.harvard.edu <mailto:rtabasky@cyber.law.harvard.edu>. ---- *Select Expected Summer 2013 Opportunities:* / Chilling Effects/ Summer interns working for Chilling Effects will work on a range of assignments related to Chilling Effects' recent expansion and modernization, including: writing "weather reports" and updating news and research resources for on-site publication; helping with managing and curating the database, including coding metadata and working with source partners to facilitate the ingestion and processing of notices; working on domestic and international collaboration initiatives; event planning and management; and working on research and writing projects centered on the database corpus, either internally or in collaboration with external researchers. More information about Chilling Effects and its work can be found at: http://www.chillingeffects.org/ <http://www.chillingeffects.org/>/ / /Civic Engagement in Developing and Transitioning Countries/ Interns will undertake a variety of research and writing around the use, impact, and design of digital tools for civic engagement in developing and transitioning countries, with a focus on Nigeria. Inquiries will be broad-based, but particular attention will be given to the study of transparency, governance, accountability, justice, and human rights. As well, research will explore issues related to civil society and innovation./ / /Cyberlaw Clinic/ Interns with the Cyberlaw Clinic contribute to a wide range of real-world litigation, client counseling, transactional, licensing, advocacy, and legislative projects relating to technology and the Internet. The Clinic provides high-quality, pro-bono legal services to appropriate individuals, small start-ups, non-profit organizations, and government entities. The Clinic's work includes counseling and legal guidance regarding complex open access, digital copyright, and fair use issues; litigation, amicus filings, and other advocacy to protect online speech and anonymity; developing legal resources for and offering advice to citizen journalists and new media organizations; licensing and contract advice, especially regarding Creative Commons and other "open" licenses; advising on innovative uses of technology to help courts increase citizens' access to justice; and drafting amicus briefs, motions, and training materials in the areas of child pornography and youth online safety; among other areas. Interns in the Cyberlaw Clinic can expect direct hands-on experience working with clients under the supervision of the Clinic's staff attorneys. More information about the Cyberlaw Clinic can be found at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/teaching/cyberlawclinic./ / /Digital Libraries/ Summer interns working on digital library issues will conduct research related to library users, content, governance, funding, publishing models, and a suite of related issues; stay abreast of developments in the digital library field (including news related to e-publishing, copyright, linked open data, and other areas); and conduct research on the legal aspects and considerations related to these issues. Depending on summer needs, interns may contribute to the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), an all-digital effort to enable broad, free public access to the vast amounts of digital content (and yet-to-be-digitized content) in the United States' libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage institutions. More information about the DPLA can be found at: http://dp.la <http://dp.la/>. This position might also involve assisting with a number of research, writing, and media tracking responsibilities for the Libraries and Data track of the Berkman Center's nascent Information Quality Research Initiative (IQRI) Led by Berkman Executive Director Urs Gasser, the IQRI builds upon numerous publications, including the 2012 report, "Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2005272>", and aims to develop a theory of information quality that reflects fundamental shifts in the information ecosystem in the age of digital media. The Libraries and Data track is expected to be one of the initial substantive areas that the IQRI will explore. In summer 2013, this internship will afford the opportunity to work closely with a small yet dynamic project team to investigate and assess empirical, theoretical and normative dynamics, opportunities, interventions, and challenges that emerge for both information custodians and users of information resources in the contemporary online environment./ / /Digital Media Law Project/ Summer interns at the Digital Media Law Project will work on a wide range of legal research and writing projects relating to media law, intellectual property, and the intersection of journalism and the internet. In past years, interns have updated the Legal Guide <http://www.citmedialaw.org/legal-guide> to media law topics, developed entries for the database of threats <http://www.citmedialaw.org/database> against online publishers, commented on current issues in law and media on the blog <http://www.citmedialaw.org/blog>, and provided research and drafting assistance on amicus briefs <http://www.citmedialaw.org/about/cmlp-amicus-efforts>. Interns may also be asked to assist with the operation and expansion of the Online Media Legal Network <http://www.omln.org/>, an attorney referral service for digital publishers, and with other projects that the DMLP undertakes in conjunction with its partner organizations around the world. More information on summer internships with the DMLP can be found on the DMLP website at: http://www.citmedialaw.org/about/summer-internships./ / /Freedom Of Expression/ The Berkman Center's suite of freedom of expression-related projects, including Internet Monitor, Herdict, the OpenNet Initiative, and others, is seeking a small team of interns to conduct research on Internet filtering, monitoring, and control efforts around the globe; engage in related data gathering efforts using online sources; contribute to report writing; blog regularly about issues concerning online freedom of expression; and manage various projects' Twitter and Facebook accounts. In the past, interns have also supported research on blogospheres and other online communities around the world, contributed to literature reviews, and hand coded online content. Foreign language skills, particularly in Persian, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese, are useful. More information about some of Berkman's work on freedom of expression can be found at the following links: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/internetmonitor ; http://www.herdict.org/web/ ; http://opennet.net/./ / /Geek Cave Software Development/ The Berkman Geek Cave is a great place to work on technical projects over the summer. Interns joining the Geek Cave may extend open source software, build scalable websites, or manage the mixed desktop network that keeps the Center moving. Our team works with ruby, perl, php, bash, jQuery, PostgreSQL, MySQL and a slew of other tools. We have five talented, devoted, fun, full-time developers on staff that can help hone your 1337 coding skilz as well provide fun projects to pair code or geek out on. More info about the projects that we work on can be found on our github organization page: http://github.com/berkmancenter./ / /H2O/ H2O is an online suite of classroom tools developed by the Berkman Center and the Harvard Law School Library. H2O allows, among other things, professors to build, share, and remix digital casebooks under a Creative Commons license. Summer interns typically contribute to the manifold aspects of conceptualizing, assembling, editing, and disseminating digital casebooks for use at Harvard Law School and beyond. The platform was successfully beta-tested in Prof. Jonathan Zittrain's Fall 2011 Torts class, and is slated to be used by four additional Harvard Law School professors during the 2012-13 academic year. Casebooks that might be developed on H2O during the summer of 2012 could include Civil Procedure, Property, Constitutional Law, Legislation and Regulations, Corporations, and International, Foreign, and Comparative Law. Technically proficient law students who have an interest in deepening their knowledge in these subjects, as well as extremely dedicated aspiring law students, will work closely with teachers and the H2O team to deliver freely and publicly available, remixable casebooks at Harvard and elsewhere. More information is available at: http://h2odev.law.harvard.edu and at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/h2o./ / /Harvard Open Access Project (HOAP)/ HOAP fosters open access <http://www.earlham.edu/%7Epeters/fos/overview.htm> (OA) to research within Harvard, fosters OA beyond Harvard, undertakes research and policy analysis on OA, and provides OA to timely and accurate information about OA itself. Interns with the HOAP will add relevant information to the Open Access Directory (OAD), a wiki-based encyclopedia of OA, and/or contribute to the the Open Access Tracking Project (OATP), a social-tagging project organizing knowledge about OA. More information about HOAP can be found at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/hoap/Main_Page and at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/hoap./ / /Internet Robustness/ Interns will contribute to the research, development and testing of technical and social approaches to improve the resiliency and robustness of the Web. Project-related roles and responsibilities will vary according the skills and experiences of the interns. There is need for interns with technical skills and background as well as those with interest in research and writing related to the social architecture of the Web. More information about Internet Robustness is at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/internetrobustness./ / /Media Cloud - Research and Technical Development/ Media Cloud <http://mediacloud.org/>, a joint project of the Berkman Center and the MIT Center for Civic Media <http://civic.mit.edu/>, seeks summer interns to contribute to our team's effort to build new tools and methods that allow us to study and better analyze the shape and dynamics of the networked public sphere <http://www.benkler.org/Benkler_Wealth_Of_Networks_Chapter_7.pdf>. Research interns with Media Cloud will contribute to the research, data collection, and synthesis of case studies developed as part of the Controversy Mapping tool, which allows researchers to use the Media Cloud platform's data collection and network visualization tools to map the evolution of a particular public affair, debate, or policy conversation (such as SOPA/PIPA <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNP9f8geCWA>, Trayvon Martin <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeDDdN8NW_o>, and the 2012 California ballot propositions (forthcoming)). Technical development interns with Media Cloud will help to extend and improve the project's features. We are looking for developers interested in online media research, big data, and natural language processing. More information about Media Cloud is available at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/mediacloud and you can see the project in action at: http://www.mediacloud.org./ / /metaLAB (at) Harvard/ metaLAB is a research and teaching unit dedicated to exploring and expanding the frontiers of networked culture in the arts and humanities, and this year metaLAB is developing three major projects: Teaching with Things, an initiative to explore the use of multimedia to document, annotate, and remix objects in Harvard's libraries and museums for teaching; Library Observatory, a forum to visualize library collections and data and share those analyses with librarians, faculty, and students; and Networks and Natures, a scholarly initiative to explore the impact of networks on our relationship with the natural world. We are looking for interns with multimedia production experience, web design and development, and skills in javascript, python, and other scripting languages. More information about the metaLAB is at: http://metalab.harvard.edu/./ / /Berkman Multimedia Production/ An intern for the Berkman Center's multimedia team will take on the production of video and audio that helps to shed light on the many research areas of the Center in a creative way. Among the responsibilities of the multimedia intern may be: producing and editing several episodes of Radio Berkman <https://soundcloud.com/radioberkman> (the Center's NPR-style podcast); coordinating the production of a summer intern shared multimedia projects <http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL68azUN8PTNhRvFhAVoboM1NY8_AiKUj4>; and generally creating and promoting unique content for the Berkman Center --- in the form of animations, still images, slideshows, audio, and video. This position requires previous experience with multimedia production; a familiarity with cameras and audio equipment, as well as video and audio production platforms (e.g., Final Cut, Adobe After Effects, and ProTools); an energetic flair for the creative; and a demonstrated ability to work independently and with groups. In addition to a resume and cover letter, applicants should share links to any multimedia work for which they are proud to have been responsible./ / /Open Data/Open Government/ The Berkman Center is exploring opportunities at the nexus of efforts that promote open government, transparency, data-sharing, and civic entrepreneurship/co-production/engagement. Recent activities at the Center have built on the excitement generated by a range of related events and projects in the Berkman community, including a workshop on open data, a meeting on innovation for municipal leaders, a gaming platform for civic engagement, and collaboration with the city government of Boston. Interns will contribute to the development of an action-oriented research framework intended to systematically support, add value to, and facilitate innovation and collaboration in government./ / /Privacy Tools for Sharing Research Data/ In fall 2012, this exciting new collaboration between the Center for Research on Computer Science (CRCS) at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Institute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS), and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, kicked off a four-year project to develop computational and legal methods, tools, and policies to further the tremendous value that can come from collecting, analyzing, and sharing data while more fully protecting individual privacy. Faculty director and Clinical Professor Phil Malone <http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/pmalone> leads the Berkman Center's role in this initiative, which brings the Center's institutional knowledge and practical experience to help tackle the legal and policy-based issues in the larger project. The Berkman Center is working with Berkman faculty, fellows, research assistants, and the CRCS and IQSS project team members to distill key definitional issues, explore new and existing legal and regulatory frameworks, and develop legal instruments that take into account the specific needs of researchers, research subjects, and data, while enabling reliable mechanisms for protecting privacy, transparency, and accountability. For 2013, law student interns will work with Professor Phil Malone and provide research and analytical support to the project, including research and analysis on privacy law and policy and specific privacy approaches to the use of large data sets.More information about the project can be found on the Berkman Center website at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/privacy_tools and the CRCS project website at: http://privacytools.seas.harvard.edu/./ / /Special Projects - Jonathan Zittrain/ Summer interns will work on a variety of projects undertaken by Professor Jonathan Zittrain, assisting in a variety of research areas (e.g. human computing, linkrot and internet robustness, platforms, and Internet filtering). Summer contributions include research for conferences and presentations; brainstorming article outlines; fact-checking materials; and reviewing original article or paper drafts. This position requires the ability to find, absorb, critically analyze, and debate large amounts of written and other media materials from sources including scholarly articles, news articles and blogs, and interviews with public policymakers. This intern position is ideally suited for students or others who would like to get a deeper understanding of academic research and the broader world of Internet law. As well, this position may be extended into the 2013-2014 academic year; if you would be interested and available to continue working from Cambridge, MA in this capacity beyond the summer, please indicate so in your cover letter. More information about JZ's research can be found at: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/jzittrain and at: http://www.jz.org/./// / /Youth and Media Project/ During a summer at Youth and Media <http://youthandmedia.org//>, interns will contribute to various research, advocacy, and development initiatives around youth and technology. By researching young people's interactions with digital media such as the Internet, cell phones, and video games, we seek to address the issues their practices raise, learn how to harness the opportunities their digital fluency presents, and shape our regulatory and educational frameworks in a way that advances the public interest. For 2013, we are looking for candidates with strong academic training and experience in qualitative research methods to assist with designing, conducting, and analyzing focus group and one-on-one interviews around topics of privacy, information quality and health information, youth use of the Internet in developing countries, and new ways of learning. We would also consider candidates with expertise in these areas to conduct background research and write literature reviews. More information about the Youth and Media Lab can be found at: www.youthandmedia.org <http://www.youthandmedia.org/>. See what past Youth and Media interns said about their time at Berkman here <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT9RcdbDaCs&list=PL823EFB31F6790E2C&index=6>.

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Final Reminder - CFP: Special session on "Survey methodology and online community research" at the ESRA 2013 Conference in Ljubljana
by Gregor Petrič 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

This is a reminder for the Call for Participation at the session "Survey methodology and online community research," which will be organized at the ESRA 2013 Conference in Ljubljana (15th to 19th of July 2013). Short abstracts of proposed papers are due by 13th January 2013 (Sunday). All abstracts should be sent via the ESRA management system available at:http://www.europeansurveyresearch.org/conferences/register Please do note that in order to submitt an abstract you must first register in the ESRA management system. More information about the session can be found at:http://www.europeansurveyresearch.org/conferences/sessions?meth=Other More information about the ESRA 2013 conference:http://www.europeansurveyresearch.org/conference Please feel free to contact us at gregor [dot] petric [at] fdv.uni-lj.si if you have any question about the session. ********************************************** Online communities have attracted much attention from social scientists over the last two decades. From the early beginnings of the bulletin-board systems in the late 1980s, through discussion boards and web forums in 1990s, to the recent diffusion of social networks sites, researchers have explored social, psychological and cultural aspects of online phenomena. Such variety of research interests has been accompanied with a variety of methods for data collection and analysis, including virtual ethnography, data mining with "big data", social network analysis, and surveys. Looking at this 20-year period and, especially, after the proliferation of web survey tools at the end of 1990s, survey methodology seems to be a commonly used approach in online community research. However, little attention has been given in the literature to the methodological advances in survey techniques for this specific purpose. The session is open for short abstracts of proposed papers that explore the methodological aspects of survey deployment in online community research. These include (but are not limited to) the following issues: - design and implementation of survey recruitment techniques, - unit and item non-response, - non-coverage error, - response reluctance, - sampling of online community participants, - use of incentives, - strategies and methods for surveying participants in special online domains such as online social support or health-related groups. We welcome original and innovative theoretical, empirical as well as case studies that might involve various types of online communities such as discussion boards, news-letters and mailing lists, web forums, virtual worlds, and social network sites, wikis and other online collaborative environments. ********************************* *Workshop Organizers* Andraz Petrovcic, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Gregor Petric, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Katja Lozar Manfreda, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia ********************************* Apologies for cross-postings

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CFP The Tablet Symposium
by Kate O'Riordan 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

The Tablet Symposium: Examining New Media Objects 10th April 2013 University of Sussex CFP: Calling for papers, presentations and discussions of tablets, ipads, kindles, e-readers and other new media artifacts. We invite contributions to a one-day symposium at the University of Sussex, hosted by the Centre for Material Digital Culture. The aim of the symposium is twofold. On the one hand it aims to examine questions about the take up of tablets, readers and ipads across many walks of life including academic, artistic, pedagogical, medical, corporate, activist and everyday contexts. On the other hand it aims to create a space of dialogue, discussion and research community across this area. We welcome empirical, theoretical, critical and creative responses to tablets, e-readers and other artifacts. Please send abstracts by 15 January 2013 to: r.burns(a)sussex.ac.uk Further queries to the conference team are very welcome: Ryan Burns, Russell Pearce, Kate O’Riordan Centre for Material Digital Culture: www.sussex.ac.uk/rcmdc/ Dr Kate O'Riordan Reader, Media Film and Music University of Sussex Falmer BN1 9RG k.oriordan(a)sussex.ac.uk

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Tribes
by Katrin Tiidenberg 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

Dear David, Researchers of subculture use the term neo-tribe (Maffesoli). Andy Bennet has written on it a lot. In 2011 Andy Bennet and Brady Robards published an article in Sociology called 'MyTribe: Post-subcultural manifestation of belonging on social network sites'. Perhaps that would help. I am planning to look at my own data from that perspective as well, but unfortunately have nothing that is ready to share yet. Also, from the non-academic variety, Seth Godin has written a book on it http://www.amazon.com/Tribes-We-Need-You-Lead/dp/1591842336 Katrin Tiidenberg Institute of International and Social Studies Tallinn University @katrinoja

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History of Internet and Society
by Barry Wellman 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

I did an hour-long interview this Wed morning with Rob Ferrett on Wisconsin Public Radio. Hitting my familiar memes, but at more length and different ways. FYI http://wpr.org/ideas/noteslist_idcall.cfm?noteslist=160068 Barry Wellman _______________________________________________________________________ S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology, FRSC NetLab Director Department of Sociology 725 Spadina Avenue, Room 388 University of Toronto Toronto Canada M5S 2J4 twitter:@barrywellman http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman fax:+1-416-978-3963 NETWORKED:The New Social Operating System. Lee Rainie & Barry Wellman MIT Press http://amzn.to/zXZg39 Print $19; Kindle $16 Old/newCybertimes http://bit.ly/c8N9V8 It's still rock & roll to me ________________________________________________________________________

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Re: [Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 102, Issue 8
by Denice Szafran 10 Jan '13

10 Jan '13

Hello David - Alex Golub's information on the term"tribe" is very good. If you would like information on the current use of the terminology to describe the gropings and organization of online cultures, give Steve Wheeler's "Connected Minds, Emerging Cultures" a look. He has a chapter titled "Digital Tribes, Virtual Clans" that goes into a good introduction of his perception of the delineation. While the term is problematic as it arose in anthropology historically, folks in CMC, social networking analysis, and HCI use it quite regularly with a very specific definition. Denice Szafran Visiting Lecturer and Coordinator of the Linguistics Minor Anthropology Department 13F Sturges, 1 College Circle, Geneseo, NY 14454 585-245-5174 >> >> air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org >> >> Hello >> In 1871 Charles Darwin mentioned the notion of tribes in his book >> 'Descent of Man'. >> I am conducting some preliminary secondary research into the nature and >> activities of online, primarily social media based 'tribes'. I am >> looking for: >> 1. sources of literature from a general Social Sciences / Humanities >> perspective >> 2. any research or case studies that exist (preferably qualitative) >> Please note my interest and future focus is Australasian in nature, >> however any sources would be helpful. >> I am also particularly interested in any data on youth based (or managed >> social media) tribal activity. >> Any assistance / guidance at this very preliminary stage would be >> greatly appreciated. >> Regards >> David W Reid >> Lecturer, Advertising >> SCCI, Faculty of Arts >> Charles Sturt University >> Australia >> dareid(a)csu.edu.au >> http://au.linkedi > >

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Social Media PhD Internship at Microsoft Research New England
by Nancy Baym 09 Jan '13

09 Jan '13

A reminder that we are accepting applications for Ph.D. Interns to work with our team (danah boyd, Kate Crawford, Mary Gray, and me) at MSR in Cambridge, MA. The deadline is January 30. If you have any questions (or outstanding students!), please direct them my way. The position is limited to students currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs and who are nearing the end of their degree work. The call is below, please circulate! ** APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 30, 2013 ** Microsoft Research New England (MSRNE) is looking for PhD interns to join the social media collective for Summer 2013. For these positions, we are looking primarily for social science PhD students (including communication, sociology, anthropology, media studies, information studies, etc.). The Social Media Collective is a collection of scholars at MSRNE who focus on socio-technical questions, primarily from a social science perspective. We are not an applied program; rather, we work on critical research questions that are important to the future of social science scholarship. MSRNE internships are 12-week paid internships in Cambridge, Massachusetts. PhD interns are expected to be on-site for the duration of their internship. PhD interns at MSRNE are expected to devise and execute a research project during their internships. The expected outcome of an internship at MSRNE is a publishable scholarly paper for an academic journal or conference of the intern’s choosing. The goal of the internship is to help the intern advance their own career; interns are strongly encouraged to work towards a publication outcome that will help them on the academic job market. Interns are also expected to collaborate with full-time researchers and visitors, give short presentations, and contribute to the life of the community. While this is not an applied program, MSRNE encourages interdisciplinary collaboration with computer scientists, economists, and mathematicians. There are also opportunities to engage with product groups at Microsoft, although this is not a requirement. We are looking for applicants to focus their proposals on one of the following eights areas: 1. Big data, the politics of algorithms, and/or computational culture 2. Entertainment and news industries and audiences 3. Digital inequalities 4. Mobile media and social movement/civic engagement 5. Affective, immaterial, and other theoretical frameworks related to digital labor 6. Urban informatics and critical geography 7. Personal relationships and digital media 8. Critical accounts of crisis informatics and disasters Applicants should have advanced to candidacy in their PhD program by the time they start their internship. (Unfortunately, there are no opportunities for Master’s students or early PhD students at this time.) While this internship opportunity is not strictly limited to social scientists, preference will be given to social scientists and humanists making socio-technical inquiries. (Note: While other branches of Microsoft Research focus primarily on traditional computer science research, this group does no development-driven research and is not looking for people who are focused solely on building systems. We welcome social scientists with technical skills and strongly encourage social scientists to collaborate with computer scientists at MSRNE.) Preference will be given to intern candidates who work to make public and/or policy interventions with their research. Interns will benefit most from this opportunity if there are natural opportunities for collaboration with other researchers or visitors currently working at MSRNE. Applicants from universities outside of the United States are welcome to apply. PEOPLE AT MSRNE SOCIAL MEDIA COLLECTIVE The Social Media Collective is comprised of researchers, postdocs, and visitors. This includes: * Principal Researcher Nancy Baym (http://www.nancybaym.com/) * Senior Researcher danah boyd (http://www.danah.org<http://www.danah.org/>) * Principal Researcher Kate Crawford (http://www.katecrawford.net/) * Senior Researcher Mary L. Gray (http://marylgray.org/) * Postdoctoral Researcher Megan Finn (http://people.ischool.berkeley.edu/~megfinn/) Previous interns in the collective have included Amelia Abreu (UWashington, information), Jed Brubaker (UC-Irvine, informatics), Scott Golder (Cornell, sociology), Germaine Halegoua (U. Wisconsin, communications), Airi Lampinen (HIIT, information), Jessica Lingel (Rutgers, library & info science), Alice Marwick (NYU, media culture communication), Laura Noren (NYU, sociology), Jaroslav Svelch (Charles University, media studies), Shawn Walker (UWashington, information), Omar Wasow (Harvard, African-American studies), and Sarita Yardi (GeorgiaTech, HCI). If you are curious to know more about MSRNE, I suspect that many former interns would be happy to tell you about their experiences here. Previous interns are especially knowledgeable about how this process works. For more information about the Social Media Collective, visit our blog:http://socialmediacollective.org/ APPLICATION PROCESS To apply for a PhD internship with the social media collective: 1. Fill out the online application form:https://research.microsoft.com/apps/tools/jobs/intern.aspx Make sure to indicate that you prefer Microsoft Research New England and “social media” or “social computing.” You will need to list two recommenders through this form. Make sure your recommenders respond to the request for letters so that their letters are also submitted by the deadline. 2. Send an email to msrnejob -at- microsoft-dot-com with the subject “SMC PhD Intern Application: ” that includes the following four things: 1. A brief description of your dissertation project. 2. An academic article you have written (published or unpublished) that shows your writing skills. 3. A copy of your CV. 4. A pointer to your website or other online presence (if available). 5. A short description of 1-2 projects that you propose to do while an intern at MSRNE, independently and/or in collaboration with current SMC researchers. This project must be distinct from the research for your dissertation. We will begin considering internship applications on January 30 and will not consider late applications. PREVIOUS INTERN TESTIMONIALS “The internship at Microsoft Research was all of the things I wanted it to be – personally productive, intellectually rich, quiet enough to focus, noisy enough to avoid complete hermit-like cave dwelling behavior, and full of opportunities to begin ongoing professional relationships with other scholars who I might not have run into elsewhere.” – Laura Noren, Sociology, New York University “If I could design my own graduate school experience, it would feel a lot like my summer at Microsoft Research. I had the chance to undertake a project that I’d wanted to do for a long time, surrounded by really supportive and engaging thinkers who could provide guidance on things to read and concepts to consider, but who could also provoke interesting questions on the ethics of ethnographic work or the complexities of building an identity as a social sciences researcher. Overall, it was a terrific experience for me as a researcher as well as a thinker.” – Jessica Lingel, Library and Information Science, Rutgers University “Spending the summer as an intern at MSR was an extremely rewarding learning experience. Having the opportunity to develop and work on your own projects as well as collaborate and workshop ideas with prestigious and extremely talented researchers was invaluable. It was amazing how all of the members of the Social Media Collective came together to create this motivating environment that was open, supportive, and collaborative. Being able to observe how renowned researchers streamline ideas, develop projects, conduct research, and manage the writing process was a uniquely helpful experience – and not only being able to observe and ask questions, but to contribute to some of these stages was amazing and unexpected.” – Germaine Halegoua, Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison “The summer I spent at Microsoft Research was one of the highlights of my time in grad school. It helped me expand my research in new directions and connect with world-class scholars. As someone with a technical bent, this internship was an amazing opportunity to meet and learn from really smart humanities and social science researchers. Finally, Microsoft Research as an organization has the best of both worlds: the academic freedom and intellectual stimulation of a university with the perks of industry.” – Andrés Monroy-Hernández, Media, Arts and Sciences, MIT Share this: * <http://socialmediacollective.org/2012/12/03/msr-social-media-collective-201…>

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Extended deadline: Social transformations and the Digital Age, Montreal 2013
by Delia Dumitrica 09 Jan '13

09 Jan '13

Call for Panels and Papers WORLD SOCIAL SCIENCE FORUM Montréal, Canada 13-15 October 2013 Social Transformations and the Digital Age http://wssf2013.org/ Deadline extended to February 5, 2013. The International Social Science Councils 2nd World Social Science Forum (WSSF) will take place on 13-15 October, 2013 in Montréal, Canada. The theme and focus for the 2013 Forum is Social Transformations and the Digital Age. The Forum will include plenary presentation/discussion sessions, and parallel panel presentations/discussion sessions. The conference organizers welcome suggestions for alternative or hybrid forms of presentation that take advantage of the features of digital technologies. Queries on procedures and processes should be sent to: info(a)wssf2013.org Deadlines 1. The proposal deadline is 5 February 2013. 2. Applicants will be notified of decisions by April 2013. 3. Successful applicants are expected to provide an extended abstract (2,000 words) to the ISSC no later than 9 September 2013 During the 2013 World Social Science Forum in Montréal, scholars from across the disciplines and across the world will come together to address the ways in which digital technologies are being developed and used, and (First major focus area) how they are transforming different spheres of social life and (Second major focus area) how they are transforming the social sciences. For the full call for papers, visit http://wssf2013.org/ Dr. Delia Dumitrica Department of Communication and Culture University of Calgary

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