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

Recruiting a PhD Researcher for a project on Adolescents, Social Network Sites & Privacy
by Walrave Michel 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

Dear colleague, The research group MIOS, University of Antwerp, is currently soliciting applications for a doctoral fellowship within a research project on adolescents, social network sites and privacy. More information can be found below and online on: http://www.ua.ac.be/main.aspx?c=.DEPTPERSONEEL&n=108899&ct=108899&e=323218 Best regards, Michel ________________________________ The Faculty of Political and Social Sciences is seeking to fill the following full-time (100%) vacancy in the Department of Communication Studies. Doctoral Grant by the University Research Fund (BOF) in the area of Communication Studies Job description · You prepare a doctoral thesis in the field of Communication Studies, focusing on adolescents, social network sites and privacy. More specifically, you will conduct a longitudinal study on the self-disclosure of adolescents on social network sites, along with their (privacy) protective behaviours. You will investigate why adolescents disclose information about themselves online, which relational opportunities and risks such disclosure entails and how they cope with these risks. · You contribute to teaching and research in the Research Group MIOS (Media and ICT in Organisations and Society). Profile and requirements · You hold a master degree in the social or human sciences, preferably communication studies, psychology, educational sciences, sociology, political sciences or another relevant degree; · You can submit outstanding academic results; · You have a working knowledge of quantitative research methods and statistical analytic techniques; · You have a good command of English; · You like to take initiative, are able to work independently and enjoy accepting responsibility; · You are strongly motivated to conduct high-level quantitative research on adolescents, social network sites and privacy; · You are driven to publish your research results in scientific articles; · Your academic qualities comply with the requirements stipulated in the university’s policy (http://www.ua.ac.be/research) · You are quality-oriented, conscientious, creative, customer-oriented and cooperative; · Also students in the final year of their degree can apply; · Foreign candidates are encouraged to apply; We offer · Collaboration within a dynamic and stimulating research group, with good support from your advisors; · The opportunity to participate in high-quality training and international conferences; · A doctoral scholarship for a period of two years, with the possibility of renewal for a further two-year period after positive evaluation; · The start date of scholarship will be October 1st 2013, November 1st 2013, December 1st 2013 or January 1st 2014; · A monthly grant amount ranging from € 2.124,11 - € 2.265,67; Interested? · Applications may only be submitted online<http://solliciteren.ua.ac.be/Default.aspx?vid=323218&fac=4&empl=100&type=ba…>, until the closing date August 11th 2013; · A pre-selection will be made from amongst the submitted applications. The remainder of the selection procedure is specific to the position and will be determined by the selection panel; · The interviews will take place from August 19th until September 13th 2013; · More information about the application form can be obtained from Robin Wynants (+32 (0)3 265 31 41) or Ellen Huijer (+32 (0)3 265 31 45); · For questions about the profile and the description of duties, please contact: prof. dr. Michel Walrave (Michel.Walrave(a)ua.ac.be ; +32 (0)3 265 52 62 ) and/or prof. dr. Koen Ponnet (Koen.Ponnet(a)ua.ac.be; +32 (0)3 265 55 30). The University of Antwerp strives to contribute to an open, democratic and multi-cultural society. We are a family friendly environment and follow an equal-opportunities policy.

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Re: [Air-L] Corporate censorship of political discourse?
by Seda Guerses 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

dear charles, chilling effects may provide you with extensive documentation on corporate take downs (ironically, often for corporate interests): http://chillingeffects.org/topics.cgi best, s. On Jul 4, 2013, at 12:00 AM, air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org wrote: > Send Air-L mailing list submissions to > air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > air-l-owner(a)listserv.aoir.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Air-L digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Corporate censorship of political discourse? (F. Mutlu Binark) > 2. Re: Corporate censorship of political discourse? (Gianluigi Negro) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2013 02:08:17 +0300 > From: "F. Mutlu Binark" <binark(a)baskent.edu.tr> > To: "Alex Leavitt" <alexleavitt(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Air list <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Corporate censorship of political discourse? > Message-ID: > <397c1b3ba7950644994a72c4a0db53f2.squirrel(a)www.baskent.edu.tr> > Content-Type: text/plain;charset=utf-8 > > Dear Charles Ess > You can use the example of Faz?l Say, a famaous Turkish pianist, received > a jail penalty because of retweeting a poem from Omer Hayyam. He was sued > according to Penalty Code. In deed his tweet/retweet in thiscase was just > expression of idea. > > -- > Prof.Dr. Mutlu Binark > Baskent Universitesi > Iletisim Fakultesi > Radyo-Tv. ve Sinema Blm. > Bagl?ca Kampusu > Eskisehir Yolu 20.km. > 06530 Ankara > Tel: (312) 246 6652-53 > Fax: (312) 246 66 57 > www.yenimedya.wordpress.com > www.dijitaloyun.wordpress.com > alternatifbilisim.tv > >> I guess one good parallel could be Weibo censorship. There was a good >> empirical paper published to First Monday last year that documented >> deletions: http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3943/3169 >> >> >> >> On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 8:48 PM, Charles Ess <charles.ess(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Dear AoIRists, >>> >>> I've been asked to develop a presentation on the future of freedom of >>> expression in online environments, including discussion of multiple ways >>> in >>> which - in addition to whatever governments may be up to in different >>> contexts and ways - the private enterprises that increasingly dominate >>> and >>> control much of our online spaces and infrastructures censor political >>> speech and expression. >>> >>> One example passed on to me was of a well-established professional in a >>> European country (i.e., not fitting the profile of terrorist, anarchist, >>> or >>> even leftist) who posted comments on his/her SNS page critical of the >>> U.S. >>> These comments disappeared from the page without notice or explanation. >>> >>> I would be very grateful for: >>> 1) recommendations for careful studies of such events and phenomena >>> which >>> include reliable documentation of their occurrence? (Yes, I realize that >>> documenting and studying such episodes would be extremely tricky and >>> difficult.) >>> And/or >>> 2) well documented anecdotes or examples (e.g., as reported in a >>> reliable >>> newspaper of record) of such episodes? >>> >>> Please send these along offlist. I will, of course, more than happily >>> credit the sources and authors of any examples and resources collected >>> and >>> used for the presentation (unless anonymity is requested instead). >>> >>> Many thanks in advance, >>> - charles ess >>> >>> Professor in Media Studies >>> Department of Media and Communication >>> Director, Centre for Research on Media Innovations >>> <http://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/center/media-innovations/> >>> >>> University of Oslo >>> P.O. Box 1093 Blindern >>> NO-0317 >>> Oslo Norway >>> email: c.m.ess(a)media.uio.no >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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/ >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/ >> >> -- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> >> > > > > -- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 3 Jul 2013 10:53:14 +0000 > From: Gianluigi Negro <gianluigi.negro(a)usi.ch> > To: 'Alex Leavitt' <alexleavitt(a)gmail.com>, Charles Ess > <charles.ess(a)gmail.com> > Cc: Air list <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Corporate censorship of political discourse? > Message-ID: > <6C8A981706A5F64BBAFBCF64410926E73C371786(a)usimbox02.usilu.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > I totally agree. Sina Weibo is a very interesting case. The way how the Chinese online censorships is developing in China sounds very close to the case presented by Prof. Ess. > > I take the chance to forward these readings that could be useful for the research > > 1) the expression/phenomenon of beihecha (take a tea) is particularly interesting because fits perfectly between online and offline activities http://advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org/2013/02/19/china-bloggers-forced-to-… > 2) the recent unblock activity on Weibo appreciated by international media like Reuters and The Daily Telegraph, should not be considered a real, good step forward http://www.tealeafnation.com/2013/06/its-confirmed-weibo-censors-are-treati… > 3) A new paper published on American Political Science Review perfectly describes how "the [Chinese] censorship program is aimed at curtailing collective action by silencing comments that represent, reinforce, or spur social mobilization, regardless of content. Censorship is oriented toward attempting to forestall collective activities that are occurring now or may occur in the future-and, as such, seem to clearly expose government intent". http://gking.harvard.edu/files/censored.pdf > > Please let me know you were looking for this kind of material otherwise I will try to define better my research > Regards > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > Gianluigi Negro > PhD Student > Universit? della Svizzera italiana > Via Giuseppe Buffi 13 > CH-6900 Lugano > (w) www.usi.ch > (p) +41 (0)58.666 4511 > Twitter giginegro > Academia: http://chinamediaobs.academia.edu/GianluigiNegro > Linkedin gianluiginegro > Website cineresie > ------------------------------------------------------------ > China Media Observatory > http://www.chinamediaobs.org > ------------------------------------------------------------ > Leggi le ultime notizie sull'USI su USI-Flash > > , TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS: SAVE PAPER, THINK BEFORE YOU PRINT? > , VERSO UN ATENEO SOSTENIBILE: NON SPRECARE CARTA, RIFLETTI PRIMA DI STAMPARE > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Alex Leavitt > Sent: marted?, 2. luglio 2013 22:53 > To: Charles Ess > Cc: Air list > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Corporate censorship of political discourse? > > I guess one good parallel could be Weibo censorship. There was a good empirical paper published to First Monday last year that documented > deletions: http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3943/3169 > > > > On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 8:48 PM, Charles Ess <charles.ess(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Dear AoIRists, >> >> I've been asked to develop a presentation on the future of freedom of >> expression in online environments, including discussion of multiple >> ways in which - in addition to whatever governments may be up to in >> different contexts and ways - the private enterprises that >> increasingly dominate and control much of our online spaces and >> infrastructures censor political speech and expression. >> >> One example passed on to me was of a well-established professional in >> a European country (i.e., not fitting the profile of terrorist, >> anarchist, or even leftist) who posted comments on his/her SNS page critical of the U.S. >> These comments disappeared from the page without notice or explanation. >> >> I would be very grateful for: >> 1) recommendations for careful studies of such events and phenomena >> which include reliable documentation of their occurrence? (Yes, I >> realize that documenting and studying such episodes would be extremely >> tricky and >> difficult.) >> And/or >> 2) well documented anecdotes or examples (e.g., as reported in a >> reliable newspaper of record) of such episodes? >> >> Please send these along offlist. I will, of course, more than happily >> credit the sources and authors of any examples and resources collected >> and used for the presentation (unless anonymity is requested instead). >> >> Many thanks in advance, >> - charles ess >> >> Professor in Media Studies >> Department of Media and Communication >> Director, Centre for Research on Media Innovations >> <http://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/center/media-innovations/> >> >> University of Oslo >> P.O. Box 1093 Blindern >> NO-0317 >> Oslo Norway >> email: c.m.ess(a)media.uio.no >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/ >> > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > > End of Air-L Digest, Vol 108, Issue 3 > *************************************

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Re: [Air-L] Corporate censorship of political discourse?
by gus andrews 04 Jul '13

04 Jul '13

What about a discussion of self-censorship in online spaces, Dr. Ess? I am perhaps feeling this a bit much myself at the moment, as someone who is both exploring working as a researcher for companies like Google and LinkedIn, and who also feels inclined to publicly make an educated critique of some of their design and policy decisions. If we are all supposed to manage our online personas as to not give offense, does this have a chilling effect on speech? Gillian "Gus" Andrews, EdD Http://gandre.ws On Jul 3, 2013 7:11 PM, <air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: > > I guess one good parallel could be Weibo censorship. There was a good > > empirical paper published to First Monday last year that documented > > deletions: http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3943/3169 > > > > > > > > On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 8:48 PM, Charles Ess <charles.ess(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > >> Dear AoIRists, > >> > >> I've been asked to develop a presentation on the future of freedom of > >> expression in online environments, including discussion of multiple ways > >> in > >> which - in addition to whatever governments may be up to in different > >> contexts and ways - the private enterprises that increasingly dominate > >> and > >> control much of our online spaces and infrastructures censor political > >> speech and expression. > >> > >> One example passed on to me was of a well-established professional in a > >> European country (i.e., not fitting the profile of terrorist, anarchist, > >> or > >> even leftist) who posted comments on his/her SNS page critical of the > >> U.S. > >> These comments disappeared from the page without notice or explanation. > >> > >> I would be very grateful for: > >> 1) recommendations for careful studies of such events and phenomena > >> which > >> include reliable documentation of their occurrence? (Yes, I realize that > >> documenting and studying such episodes would be extremely tricky and > >> difficult.) > >> And/or > >> 2) well documented anecdotes or examples (e.g., as reported in a > >> reliable > >> newspaper of record) of such episodes? > >> > >> Please send these along offlist. I will, of course, more than happily > >> credit the sources and authors of any examples and resources collected > >> and > >> used for the presentation (unless anonymity is requested instead). > > > -----Original Message----- > From: air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org [mailto: air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Alex Leavitt > Sent: marted?, 2. luglio 2013 22:53 > To: Charles Ess > Cc: Air list > Subject: Re: [Air-L] Corporate censorship of political discourse? > > I guess one good parallel could be Weibo censorship. There was a good empirical paper published to First Monday last year that documented > deletions: http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3943/3169 > > > > On Tue, Jul 2, 2013 at 8:48 PM, Charles Ess <charles.ess(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > Dear AoIRists, > > > > I've been asked to develop a presentation on the future of freedom of > > expression in online environments, including discussion of multiple > > ways in which - in addition to whatever governments may be up to in > > different contexts and ways - the private enterprises that > > increasingly dominate and control much of our online spaces and > > infrastructures censor political speech and expression. > > > > One example passed on to me was of a well-established professional in > > a European country (i.e., not fitting the profile of terrorist, > > anarchist, or even leftist) who posted comments on his/her SNS page critical of the U.S. > > These comments disappeared from the page without notice or explanation. > > > > I would be very grateful for: > > 1) recommendations for careful studies of such events and phenomena > > which include reliable documentation of their occurrence? (Yes, I > > realize that documenting and studying such episodes would be extremely > > tricky and > > difficult.) > > And/or > > 2) well documented anecdotes or examples (e.g., as reported in a > > reliable newspaper of record) of such episodes? > > > > Please send these along offlist. I will, of course, more than happily > > credit the sources and authors of any examples and resources collected > > and used for the presentation (unless anonymity is requested instead). > > > > Many thanks in advance, > > - charles ess > > > > Professor in Media Studies > > Department of Media and Communication > > Director, Centre for Research on Media Innovations > > <http://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/center/media-innovations/> > > > > University of Oslo > > P.O. Box 1093 Blindern > > NO-0317 > > Oslo Norway > > email: c.m.ess(a)media.uio.no > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > 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/ > > > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > 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/ > > End of Air-L Digest, Vol 108, Issue 3 > *************************************

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The Future of Media, Digital Futures Webinar on July 1Ith, 16.00hrs CET
by Charles Ess 03 Jul '13

03 Jul '13

Dear AoIRists, Some of you may find this of interest - most especially given the opportunity to participate. And many thanks to the several colleagues who have already provided me with invaluable resources and suggestions! - charles On 11 July 2013 (16.00hrs Brussels time / CET), the European Commission's Digital Futures team invites you to a webinar on "The Future of Media", in which Charles Ess, Andrea M. Matwyshyn and Daniel Knapp will probe future norms and values for the media. This webinar is co-organised by the Digital Futures team and DG CONNECT's Converging Media unit. The discussion will be organized around three themes: - Freedom of expression / Censorship: In 20 years' time, will the balance between freedom of expression and protection of the public still be the same? - Child protection: Should children be empowered in 2030, protected or both ? How will we look at child protection? Protection from what and how? - Advertising: Will advertising or paid-for content be part of a natural ecology of the media and no longer be perceived as a potentially intrusive or disturbing element in 2030? There will then also be an opportunity for webinar participants to contribute to the discussion, ask questions and brainstorm about opportunities, challenges and policy implications of the vision during the webinar itself. All this from the comfort of your own computer: webinars take place entirely in an "online virtual room" where you will be able to see and hear Charles, Andrea and Daniel and comment via a live chat. Join us for this extended webinar where Futurizens from across the world will have the opportunity to debate the "vulnerable consumer" theme both with each of the expert who will launch the thematic discussion, and with each other. Register (it's free!) on the event page on Futurium <https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/futurium/en/content/norms-and-values-me dia-2030> , the platform for the co-creation of Digital Futures. Please share this invitation. If you are not able to attend the webinar, you can still share your views and comment on the event. To do this, you need to register <https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/futurium/user/register> (it's also free!) on Futurium. <https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/futurium/en> The Futurium platform <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13347-013-0108-9> is an online space created and used by the EC's Digital Futures project <http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/digital-futures> to facilitate a broad reflection on future European policies and their environment. It looks to engage with stakeholders (i.e. citizens, experts, industries, academia, etc) on the co-creation and voting of futures and policy ideas that matter to them. Futurium. One platform. Your voices. Our future. We look forward to seeing you and hearing from you on the 11th July. Regards, The Future of Media Event Hosting Team (Adam, Anne, Lorena, Franco) PS Those who want to learn all about the technical nuts and bolts of participation in our webinars through the virtual room may download the webinar mini-manual, downloadable from here <https://www.dropbox.com/sh/x8br0aaf8rga56q/SwkQScMLhi> .

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CFP - Inaugural issue, Journal of Media Innovations
by Charles Ess 02 Jul '13

02 Jul '13

Dear AoIRists, I am very pleased to call your attention to a new publication venue that should be of interest to many of you - namely, the Journal of Media Innovations. Please distribute the following as appropriate. The Journal of Media Innovations explores how changing technologies and changing modes of usage and engagement with media bring about innovations in media. It is an Open Access journal published by Fritt (Frie tidskrifter fra UiO - free journals from the University of Oslo), using the Open Journal Systems. Under this system, authors retain copyright of their work. The Journal emphasizes innovations in the following areas: § New media services § New players in the media landscape § New roles of users § New practices by existing media organizations Users of digital media are becoming increasingly more active as producers (and re-distributors) of content, contributing to new services, new social constellations and new business models. Over the last decade a number of studies have focused on how Internet and mobile communication impact media services, business models and strategies, and user patterns. The Journal of Media Innovations builds on this large body of research, and takes it one step further by explicitly integrating perspectives on the roles of media technology and innovation, with perspectives on the roles users have in generating innovation and transformation in the media sector. We invite submissions to our inaugural issue, Researching Media Innovations: Defining the Fields; Tracing Research Trajectories¹ The aim of this inaugural issue is to bring together articles that explore how interrelations between media technology and users contribute to driving innovation. In doing so, we wish to collate and demarcate overviews of relevant fields, perspectives and trajectories for studying innovations in media. The articles will also facilitate critical reflection of the social, economic and political implications of Media Innovations. Theoretical perspectives may be linked to any field within the humanities or social sciences. These include, but are not limited to: user perspectives; economic perspectives; product perspectives; regulatory perspectives; and, strategic and organisational perspectives. Issue Coordinators Editor: Charles Ess; Editorial Assistant: Karoline Andrea Ihlæbeck Publication Information: Deadline for Submission of Papers: 30 September 2013; Publication Date: 15 January 2014 Articles should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words in length. All articles will be reviewed in a double-blind system. Additional inquiries should be addressed to: Karoline Andrea Ihlæbeck <k.a.ihlebak(a)media.uio.no> Editorial Board: Piet Bakker, Technical University Utrecht, The Netherlands; Axel Bruns, Queensland University of Technology; Pieter Ballon, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium; Sabine Baumann, Jade University, Germany; Niamh Ní Bhroin, University of Oslo, Norway; Terje Colbjørnsen, University of Oslo. Norway; Charles H. Davis, Ryerson University, Canada; Leyla Dogruel, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Rasmus Helles, Institut for Medier, Erkendelse og Formidling, Københavns Universitet; Arne H. Krumsvik, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway; Lucy Küng, University of Jönköping, Sweden; Rich Ling, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Stine Lomborg, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Jérémie Nicey, Université François-Rabelais de Tours, France; Daniel J. Paré, University of Ottawa, Canada; Jo Pierson, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium; Philippe Ross, University of Ottawa, Canada; Eli Skogerbø, University of Oslo, Norway; Tanja Storsul, University of Oslo, Norway; Wendy Van den Broeck, Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Oscar Westlund, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Many thanks in advance for distribution and potential interest. - charles ess Professor in Media Studies Department of Media and Communication Director, Centre for Research on Media Innovations <http://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/center/media-innovations/> University of Oslo P.O. Box 1093 Blindern NO-0317 Oslo Norway email: c.m.ess(a)media.uio.no

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CFP: Hashtag Publics (Edited Collection - 1 Nov. 2013)
by Nathan Rambukkana 02 Jul '13

02 Jul '13

(will apologies for cross-posting) Hello All, Please find below a CFP for my proposed edited collection Hashtag Publics. Please feel free to repost this to any of your networks or send to any colleagues you think might be interested. I hope to hear from some of you! All the best, Nathan -- Hashtag Publics: The Power and Politics of Networked Discourse Communities (Edited Collection) Much has been written about the public sphere potential of blogs and microblogs (e.g. Siles, 2011; Papacharrissi & Oliveira, 2012; Bastos et al. 2013), as well as the political potential of online space in general (e.g. Bohman, 2004; DeLuca & Peeples, 2002; Downey & Fenton, 2003). In fact, since the dawn of the Internet age, discussion of the democratic potential of Internet-mediated space has been one of the major top-level conversations. And yet, a lot of that discussion gets mired in an orthodox Habermassian take on what we can—or should—consider a democratic public sphere, i.e., one where rational critical discourse on matters of societal importance (such as, most critically, the actions of the State) can take place by citizens stepping out of their private roles as interested individuals and into a public space where disinterested discussion and debate could occur. While one can argue the merits of Habermas’s public sphere, this collection looks broader, widening its ambit to take in the other kinds of discussion and debate that are facilitated by networked technology. Taking our cue from critical public sphere theorists such as Nancy Fraser and Michael Warner, this collection is interested in those Other publics. More-or-less subaltern, more-or-less rational, more-or-less critical, and almost certainly partial, affective, interested and loud. It’s interested in angry publics. It’s interested in fringe publics. It’s interested in the kinds of publics that do politics in a way that is rough and emergent, flawed and messy, and ones in which new forms of collective power are being forged on the fly, and in the shadow of loftier mainstream spheres. Specifically, this collection will investigate the publics of the hashtag, that piece of twice-repurposed typographical meaning, that rebel punctuation moving to establish itself in new regimes of discourse and communication—beyond its birth as a “pound” or “number” sign; beyond its digital neonacy as a symbol marking out IRC channels in the hay-day of early 90s chatroom enthusiasm (Zappavinga 791); beyond it’s re-appropriation as a ground-up search symbol in tweets; to how it has the potential to organize new structures of discussion, new “potential discourse communities” (Zappavinga 801) where in-line metadata acts as both text and metatext simultaneously (801), drawing entangled discourse together across technologies in a way that is both new and worthy of more sustained study. Hashtags are hybrids in the taxonomy of types of information. They are both text and metatext, information and tag, pragmatic and metapragmatic speech. They are deictic, indexical—yet what they point to is themselves, their own dual role in ongoing discourse. Some have argued that when it comes to the online organization of information there is a tension of type between chronological and contextual modes (Benovitz 124). Chronological organization (for example, a thread) can sometimes fail to address the contextual embeddedness of a conversation; while contextual organization (for example, through a hyperlink) might be able to provide greater context (Benovitz 124), yet itself risks loosing a temporal aspect, how a topic has developed over time. The hashtag, functions in the space between the contextual and the chronological. It’s a node of continued context across media, conversations and locales, and yet it emerges temporally, self-developing through time, pointing to itself as it points to the other texts it marks as within its ambit. In this way hashtags push the boundaries of specific discourses. In their development they are proposed and either sink back into the woodwork or rise to prominence through repetition, through use, through uptake (Bruns, 2011). The hashtag has the ability to mark the discursive boundaries of an event, and are in fact events themselves, striding that dual role as text and metatext. Some previous studies have looked at the role of hashtags in relation to political discourse. Most of these are centred around analyzing how the hashtag operates on Twitter during major—but usually temporally short—political events. Studies of hashtags such as #Jan25 #Tahrir, #Egypt and #spill have been analyzed, for example, with respect to their role in Arab Spring protests and revolutions (e.g., Papacharissi & Oliveira, 2012) and the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico (Bruns & Burgess 2012). On a short timescale, events and studies such as these demonstrate how the hashtag can work as a uniting thread of discourse that allows those who use it to feed into an ongoing and evolving conversation—even to contribute to a critical mass that can be a part of forcing change. This collection will build on this foundational research but will also be interested in looking as political hashtags on longer time scales, and for events that are ongoing. It’s also interested in how these kinds of hashtag can spill beyond Twitter into other spaces of social networking—such as recent uptake of hashtag mechanics on Facebook—and even to other media spaces such as television and print. Topics can include, but are not limited to: ## The role of hashtags in developing spot or ongoing protest movements (e.g., #Iran (Bastos, et al 2013), #occupy (Milberry, 2013). ## The way hashtags can work to assemble critical oppositional theory and politics (e.g., #RaceFail (Rambukkana, 2013), #feminism, #anticapitalism, #homophobia, #equality, #IdleNoMode). ## The use of hashtags to target specific news or political issues over longer time scales (e.g., #climatechange, #robocalls, #shitharperdid, #RobFord). ## The spill of hashtags (especially political hashtags) into other applications and media technologies such as Facebook, blogs, news site comment threads, Pinterest, Flickr, Television, Print. ## The use of hashtags as ways to link and bolter subaltern publics and the identities and communities therein (e.g., #polyamory, #trans*, #desi, #goth, #metal, #comiccon, #fanfiction, #slash). ## The use of hashtags to create both physical and virtual common spaces through practices such as live-tweeting conferences, protests, events, live news, etc. ## Papers focusing on the deep theory of the hashtag along political and public sphere dimensions, especially in relation to topics such as affect and anger, entanglement and networks, virtual/actual space and hashtags as events. ## Papers focusing on the methodologies of researching the hashtag that use political or subcultural examples as case studies. The goal is to assemble a collection of exemplary abstracts and then approach some top-tier academic publishers with social media studies/technology studies/digital studies collections. If interested, please send a 750-word abstract, collection of keywords and a 150-word bio to the editor, Dr. Nathan Rambukkana (n_rambukkana(a)complexsingularities.net) by 1 Nov. 2013. Drafts will be due 1 June 2014 and final versions 1 Dec. 2014. Please also email Nathan at the above address if you have any questions and feel free to repost this CFP to your networks. Project website (with link to hardcopy CFP): http://complexsingularities.net/call-for-papers-hashtag-publics/ -- "We have to be there at the birth of ideas, the bursting outward of their force: not in books expressing them, but in events manifesting this force, in struggles carried on around ideas, for or against them." — Michel Foucault Dr. Nathan Rambukkana Assistant Professor, Communication Studies Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo email: rambukka(a)yorku.ca web: http://complexsingularities.net

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International Journal of Internet Science new issue!
by Ulf-Dietrich Reips 02 Jul '13

02 Jul '13

Dear colleague: We are happy to announce the newest issue (Vol. 8, Issue 1) of the International Journal of Internet Science has appeared on June 30, 2013. It is available at http://ijis.net and includes an editorial and four research articles. In our editorial we present an updated calculation of the journal impact factor, and proudly announce it has soared to a minimum of 2.9 (ISI) and 6.1 (Google Scholar). The current issue: Ulf-Dietrich Reips & Uwe Matzat: Article Impact Means Journal Impact (Editorial) Deen Freelon: ReCal OIR: Ordinal, Interval, and Ratio Intercoder Reliability as a Web Service Jorna Leenheer & Annette C. Scherpenzeel: Does It Pay Off to Include Non-Internet Households in an Internet Panel? Galit Nimrod: Challenging the Internet Paradox: Online Depression Communities and Well-Being Constantin M. Bosancianu, Steve Powell, & Esad Bratoviç: Social Capital and Pro-Social Behavior Online and Offline Please find the issue at http://www.ijis.net/ijis8_1/ijis8_1_index.html Kind regards, Ulf-Dietrich Reips / Uwe Matzat Editors, International Journal of Internet Science http://ijis.net Scope The International Journal of Internet Science is an interdisciplinary, peer reviewed journal for the publication of research articles about empirical findings, methodology, and theory in the field of Internet Science. It provides an outlet for articles on the Internet as a medium of research and its implications for individuals, social groups, organizations, and society. Typical articles report empirical results gathered to test and advance theories in the social and behavioral sciences. Submission of manuscripts Manuscripts that are to be published in the International Journal of Internet Science (IJIS) need to be original research contributions. They have to be formatted according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Style Guide, 6th edition, 2nd print). Please visit http://ijis.net and click on "Submit Article" for the online submission of manuscripts. Editors Ulf-Dietrich Reips (University of Deusto and IKERBASKQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Spain), Uwe Matzat (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) Editorial Board Michael Birnbaum (California State University at Fullerton, USA), Tom Buchanan (Westminster University, UK), Don Dillman (Washington State University, USA), Anja Göritz (University of Freiburg, Germany), Adam Joinson (University of Bristol, UK), John Krantz (Hanover College, USA), Han Woo Park (Yeungnam University, South Korea), Chris Snijders (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands), Barry Wellman (University of Toronto, Canada)

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program of Society of the Query #2 (Amsterdam, Nov. 7/8)
by Geert Lovink 02 Jul '13

02 Jul '13

Society of the Query #2 Online Search: about 4.720.000.000 results November 7 – 8, 2013 Main Building Amsterdam Public Library (OBA) Amsterdam (NL) This fall the Institute of Network Cultures invites you to the second Society of the Query conference on search and search engines, 7 and 8 November in the OBA (public library) in Amsterdam. Together with René König from the ITAS Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, we are working on putting together the program with different sessions and discussions, that will hopefully be complemented with exciting workshops, an art program and a hackathon. We aim to give new energy to the discussion on search and search engines by bringing together researchers from different disciplines, with artists, programmers and designers. In early 2014 this will also result in the publication of the Society of the Query Reader. Preliminary program: November 7 (afternoon): 1. Google domination Even though it is the aim of the Society of the Query to broaden the scope of search beyond Google, it is nonetheless inevitable to pay attention to the dominance of Google in the search engine market - especially from the perspective of the Netherlands, where Google has a market share of around 95%. Despite the growing diversification of Google in terms of revenue, search is still its main source of income, while users still see Google as a free service. Lately the battlefield has shifted to search on mobile phones - could this change or even end Google's domination? What are the implications of the low resistance of the Google monopoly against PRISM? Has the time come for alternative, independent search engines? With Siva Vaidhyanathan (US), Astrid Mager (AT), Dirk Lewandowski (GE) 2. Search across the border It is little known in the west that elsewhere in the world Google is not a major player. Can we speak of cultural differences in the architecture of search technology? And in the way users search in for example the rural parts of India? In China there is a separate search engine domain, leading to a different political economy of online search - geopolitical, linguistically and culturally. How can we oppose this to the libertarian, North-American values of Google? With Payal Arora (NL), Min Jiang (US) 3. Reflections on search Is it possible to analyze the search engine as a cultural artifact? Does it have a philosophical agenda and how can we read it? Search is often overlooked as an important part in the fast changing field of knowledge production. It is only dealt with in a mathematical and statistical fashion or with a focus on its economic significance as a tool of corporate power. But search did not commence in the late 90s - it has been around for centuries. It's important to stress the media-archeological approach, since the history of search, digital or analogue, offers many insights into its cultural meaning. With Antoinette Rouvroy (BE), Anton Tantner (AT), Kylie Jarrett (IRE) November 8 4. Search in context There is a long-term cultural shift in trust happening, away from the library, the book store, even the school towards Google's algorithms. What does that mean? How are search engines used in today's classrooms and do teachers have enough critical understanding of what it means to hand over authority? We think we find more and in a faster way, while we might actually find less or useless information. The way we search is related to the way we see the world - how do we learn to operate in this context? With Simon Knight (UK), Thomas Petzold (GE), Sanne Koevoets (NL) 5. The filter bubble show Since Eli Pariser's influential book The Filter Bubble appeared in 2011, a range of researchers have empirically tried to validate or debunk the proposition of the filter bubble. Is it truly so that the person sitting next to you gets a different search result while using in the same keywords? What do you actually see when you type ‘9/11’ in the Google autocomplete search bar in Baghdad and in New York? What are the long-term effects of personalization and localization and their tendency to a 'relative truth'? We need to find a way to take our Twitter, Facebook and search engine profiles to burst the bubble and understand society. With Martin Feuz (UK), Noortje Marres (NL), Carolin Gerlitz (NL), René König (GE) and others The Society of the Query project started in 2009 with a conference and research blog, in parallel to the Deep Search series of events, organized by the World-Information Institute in Vienna. While these efforts have contributed to a better understanding of the impact of search engines, many open questions remain. Moreover, dynamics in the field have led to new questions: How does the rise of the social web affect search engines and the practices around them? Which consequences do innovations like personalization, localization or autocomplete have? How can we re-think the established search routines? If you have research, art projects or alternative search engines which might be of interest to Society of the Query, don't hesitate to let us know about it (contact: miriam(a)networkcultures.org) Keep an eye on the website for more information: http://networkcultures.org/query/ You can also subscribe to the [re-search] mailing list: http://listcultures.org/mailman/listinfo/re-search_listcultures.org See you in November!

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Literature tips on online observation
by Gründhammer, Veronika 02 Jul '13

02 Jul '13

Hello everyone, I am very interested in communication processes on the web under the aspect of a varying degree of "observation possibilities" (such as the possibility to observe friends lists on facebook, posts on pin walls, number of twitter followers etc.) and how this being-seen-by-others and seeing-others reflects back on us. I have come across articles like "I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience" by Alice E. Marwick and Danah Boyd which were very intersting for me. I would be grateful for further literature tips. Thanks Veronika

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Studies on Pinterest
by Franklin Yartey 02 Jul '13

02 Jul '13

Hello Everyone: I am interested in studies on Pinterest. Can anyone help with citations? Thank you. Franklin

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