April 2018 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Applying the Capabilities Approach to Media and Communication
by Heather Ford 12 Apr '18

12 Apr '18

The ICA Pre-Conference on "Applying the Capabilities Approach to Media and Communication" is now open for registration. The programme is available here [1] and registration is open at [2]. Please register ASAP as the number of attendees is limited. We look forward to seeing you! [1] https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.icahdq.org/resource/resmgr/conference/2018/pr… [2] http://www.icahdq.org/event/PC34_CapabilitiesApproach INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE 2018 PRECONFERENCE Applying the Capabilities Approach to Media and Communications May 24, 2018 Venue: Main Conference Hotel Recent years have seen a growing interest in the concept of justice in media and communication studies. In the more general literature on social justice, an important contribution has come from the capabilities approach developed by Indian economist Amartya Sen and US philosopher Martha Nussbaum. The theory challenges utilitarian narratives and liberal notions of redistributive justice and has become the cornerstone of the United Nations’ Human Development Index. Despite its potentially great relevance for media industries and production studies, information and communication for development, telecommunications and media policy, and digital media research, there has been limited use of the capabilities approach across the media, communication and cultural studies field. By bringing together for the first time scholars engaged in applying the capabilities approach to media and communications, this ICA preconference advances an agenda to create a new interdisciplinary focus in the field. It aims to build conceptual bridges across emerging frameworks for studying communicative capabilities, media practice, and digital literacies and to engage with normative debates about media justice, creative justice, and data justice. The preconference directly engages with the central theme of the ICA Annual Conference on “Voices” by inviting reflection on the ways we can address inequalities and enhance communicative opportunities for media workers and users in a global context. The preconference will open with a keynote address by Nick Couldry (London School of Economics) and feature panels from speakers applying the capabilities approach to policy debates, development interventions, and normative media theories. Best wishes from the organizing committee and looking forward to seeing you all in Prague, Jonathan Corpus Ong Heather Ford David Hesmondhalgh Robin Mansell Amit Schejter

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Symposium - Face-Off: Facial Recognition Technologies and Humanity in an Era of Big Data
by Sarah Krongard 11 Apr '18

11 Apr '18

*Apologies for cross-posting* Please join us on April 18th from 9:30am - 3:20pm for Boston University's international symposium Face-Off: Facial Recognition Technologies and Humanity in an Era of Big Data. Speakers and panels are as follows: Panel 1: Understanding Facial Recognition How Does the Face Recognition Technology Work? *Margrit Betke, Boston University* The Biology of Facial Recognition *Mark Frank, University at Buffalo* Panel 2: Ethical Concerns and Practical Benefits The Risks and Benefits of Facial Recognition? A New Direction Needed *Vanessa Nurock, Epidapo CNRS-UCLA & Université Paris 8* The Ethical Significance of the Face and AI Facial Recognition *Laura Specker Sullivan, Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics* An Industry Perspective on Facial Recognition Technology *Derek Christensen, Accenture* Panel 3: Historical and Contemporary Uses and Abuses Alphonse Bertillon: Issues in the “Scientific” Identification of Persons by Means of Facial Features at the Turn of the 20th Century *Pierre Piazza, Cergy-Pontoise University* The Perpetual Line-Up: Unregulated Police Face Recognition in America *Clare Garvie and Alvaro Bedoya, the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown LawJonathan Frankle, Massachusetts Institute of Technology* Panel 4: Applications and Perceptions Emotion, Classification, and Race in Facial Recognition Systems *Luke Stark, Dartmouth College* Public Perceptions and Concerns: A View from Chile *Daniel Halpern, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile* Putting a Face to a Name in Clinical Settings: Recognizing Faces in Manifestation and Outcomes of Clinician Anonymity *Lora Appel, OpenLab University Health Network, TorontoYork University, Toronto* For additional details and registration information, please visit the event website <https://www.mellonphilemerge.com/events/face-off>. Be sure to click Read More for full details. Space is limited, so please be sure to register! Contact Sarah Krongard at krongard(a)bu.edu with any questions. -- Sarah Krongard Doctoral Student College of Communication, Division of Emerging Media Studies Boston University 508.361.9304 | krongard(a)bu.edu | @sarahkrongard <https://twitter.com/sarahkrongard>

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WEBCAST TODAY: Democracia, Transparencia e Internet en las Américas @isocpe
by Joly MacFie 11 Apr '18

11 Apr '18

As you might surmise, today's proceedings will be in Spanish!.Lima is one hour ahead of NYC, so this starts at 5pm EDT. [image: livestream] <https://livestream.com/internetsociety/DemocraciaDigital>Hoy, *miércoles 11 de abril de 2018*, el *Capítulo Perú de Internet Society <https://www.facebook.com/isocpe/>* (ISOC PE) será la sede de *Democracia, Transparencia e Internet en las Américas* <http://democraciadigital.pe/blogs/programa-foro-alto-nivel-foro-alto-nivel-…> en Lima, Perú. Al Foro de Alto Nivel acudirán los representantes y delegaciones de las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil (OSC) de los Estados miembros de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA). Tiene por objetivo incidir en la Agenda de la VIII Cumbre de las Américas respecto de la importancia que cumplen Internet y las TIC´s en el fortalecimiento de la democracia. Durante el Foro se enfatizarán los temas referidos a libertad de expresión online, transparencia, datos abiertos y participación ciudadana. *Qué:* Democracia, Transparencia e Internet en las Américas <http://democraciadigital.pe/blogs/programa-foro-alto-nivel-foro-alto-nivel-…> *Dónde:* Lima, Perú *Cuando:* Miércoles 11 de abril de 2018 4pm PET (21:00 UTC) *Agenda:* http://bit.ly/2GT1ZAB *Transmisión web*: https://livestream.com/internetsociety/DemocraciaDigital/ (sin subtítulos) *Participantes:*: *Alberto Rodríguez*, Director del Banco Mundial para Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Perú y Venezuela *Edison Lanza*, Relator Especial para la Libertad de Expresión de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) *Elaine Ford*, Directora D&D Internacional – Democracia Digital *Elizabeth Salazar*, Periodista de Investigación de Ojo Público *Esmeralda Arosemena*, Comisionada Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos *Gina Romero*, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Red para la Democracia (RedLad) *Gino Costa*, Congresista de la República del Perú *José Ugaz*, ex Presidente Transparencia Internacional y ex Procurador Anticorrupción *Magaly Robalin*o, Representante de Unesco en el Perú *Martiza Agüero*, Representante de Internet Society (ISOC)-Perú *Marta Gaba*, Ciberactivista y Directora de RR.II. de Transparencia Electoral *Michael Camilleri*, Director del Programa de Estado de Derecho, Diálogo Interamericano *Pedro Less*, Director de Políticas Públicas de Google para América Latina *Sebastian Grundberger*, Representante de la Fundación Konrad Adenauer en el Perú *Twitter:* #DemocraciaDigital <http://bit.ly/2IvepyH> | #CumbreAmericas <http://bit.ly/2IvjeIt> Comment <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/10063#respond> See all comments <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/10063#comments> *Permalink* *http://isoc-ny.org/p2/10063 <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/10063>* -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- -

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Reminder: Digital Methods Summer School 2018 -- Call for Participation
by Esther Weltevrede 11 Apr '18

11 Apr '18

*Dear all,The Digital Methods Initiative (DMI) will host its 12th annual Digital Methods Summer School from July 2-13, 2018 at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Below please find the call for participation.This year’s theme is: "Retraining the machine: Addressing algorithmic bias". The deadline for application is May 4, 2018. More information is available at https://bit.ly/dmi18-ss-call <https://bit.ly/dmi18-ss-call> or email to summerschool(a)digitalmethods.net <summerschool(a)digitalmethods.net> .Best regards,Esther Weltevrede* -- Esther Weltevrede | Assistant Professor | Program Director MA New Media and Digital Culture | International Exchange Officer Media Studies | University of Amsterdam | Turfdraagsterpad 9 | 1012 XT Amsterdam | The Netherlands http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/e.j.t.weltevrede | https://www.digitalmethods.net | @esthr

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Reminder CFP Place I Call Research deadline approaching
by Jaime García Iglesias 11 Apr '18

11 Apr '18

*The Place I Call Research: Localizing Sociological Inquiry* *Call for Papers* *Deadline for submissions: April 16, 2018* Due to the impact of UCU strikes, we are extending the deadline for three weeks. Do not miss this opportunity to start building your CV in the most friendly of environments. This conference seeks to engage researchers across the social and medical sciences to discuss the role of place in their work. In particular, we are interested in exploring the ways in which methodologies are contextualized to tackle both new spaces and ‘old’ spaces in the flux of change, as well as the role of place and space within their subject areas. We are also attentive to the role of space and place within our works: the role of space in health and sickness. The conference will take place at the University of Manchester on 15 June 2018. It is an all-day event which will feature both academic papers and public events including a roundtable about sexual health outreach with community members, a public screening, and an exhibition. Attendance is free. We welcome submissions for 15 minute papers from doctoral and masters’ students and early-career researchers across multiple disciplines, especially sociology, nursing, public health, and counseling. Some of the conference’s key themes are: - addressing changing political and social contexts in our research - Spaces in in the body and bodies in space - new and old spaces: queer, postcolonial and online contexts across disciplines - Place ownership, homelessness and place-lessness and its impacts - how social, cultural, and community contexts affect our work; outreach - developing community-specific methodologies and research questions - how theories and knowledges are context-specific, as well as the potential for trans-contextual research - the existence and functioning of spaces of disease and healing - spaces of disability We encourage submissions that address these topics from varied quantitative and qualitative approaches. Abstract submissions should be between 150 and 300 words and include five keywords. Creative research methodologies are welcomed. Scholars are encouraged to reflect on local engagement in their papers. Deadline for submission is April 16, 2018. Website (and submission form): www.placemcr2018.wordpress.com. Inquiries should be directed at placemcr2018(a)manchester.ac.uk -- *Jaime Garcia-Iglesias* The University of Manchester Twitter <https://outlook.manchester.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=A_gZOKKCeUAotWHc_1i3ExusP…> ¦ Academia <https://outlook.manchester.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=Rgjwhvh-Nj7EqjH53AkxYFG26…> ¦ UoM <https://outlook.manchester.ac.uk/owa/redir.aspx?C=KcbFOtK5fr0gpIFVMAiLCtgC_…>

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Extended Deadline ICWSM 2018 Workshop: Bridging the Lab and the Field
by Dominic Difranzo 10 Apr '18

10 Apr '18

Dear Colleagues, We have extended the deadline for abstract submissions to our ICWSM 2018 workshop “Bridging the Lab and the Field <https://sites.google.com/view/icwsmlabfield>”. Deadline for submissions is now April 20, 2018. We’d love to have you join us to explore the methodological middle ground between the field and the lab in social media experiments. We'll discuss innovative techniques that bridge experimental and observational research, the tradeoffs between external and internal validity, and the challenges for designing and running these types of studies. Extended abstracts are needed if you’d like to present or speak, but all ICWSM participants are welcome to attend. The workshop will be a space to brainstorm and collectively discuss these issues and topics, and we’d like to encourage you to contribute regardless of your specific research topic or application. If you would like to join the discussion at the workshop without submitting an abstract, that is great as well. Just let us know if you plan on registering and attending. We hope you'll consider joining us! You can find more information, including deadlines and submission instructions, on our website: https://sites.google.com/view/icwsmlabfield <https://sites.google.com/view/icwsmlabfield> Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions! Dominic DiFranzo Postdoctoral Associate Cornell Social Media Lab

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[reminder] Histories of Computing in Eastern Europe (Poznan, Poland, Sept. 2018; review of papers begins May 1)
by Chris Leslie 10 Apr '18

10 Apr '18

Please forward to your colleagues and among your networks … Call for Papers Histories of Computing in Eastern Europe IFIP Working Group 9.7 Part of the 24th IFIP World Congress Poznan University of Technology, Poland 19-21 September 2018 Papers are now being accepted for the history of computing workshop at the next IFIP World Computing Congress, which will be held in September 2018. This is not only fifty years after the so-called Garmisch conference coined the phrase software engineering, but also it was at a place that fifty years before barely was thinkable as a conference location because of the Cold War. Both anniversary and location are useful reminders that computing and informatics rely on the international community for innovation. IFIP’s Working Group 9.7, which is dedicated to international histories of computing, is sponsoring a series of papers on 19-21 September to illuminate this important context as part of the IFIP World Congress in Poznań, Poland. Given the World Congress’s location, we are particularly interested in histories that reflect computing and informatics in eastern Europe. Academic historians and lovers of history, computing and informatics professionals, archivists, museum curators, and others are welcome to submit papers for this workshop. A highlight of the workshop will be a remote demonstration of the Bombe created by Alan Turing that is demonstrated to visitors of The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom. The Bombe was used to find the initial settings for the Enigma machines each day. To celebrate the work of the three distinguished Polish cryptographers – Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski – and the major contribution they made to the reading of Enigma messages throughout the Second World War, a message enciphered using Enigma coding will be transmitted from Poznań to Bletchley Park and be decoded using the replica Turing Bombe after which a reply will be sent back. As has been the working group's past practice, we request submission of draft papers for consideration. Accepted papers will be revised based on comments from reviewers and be distributed to participants before the workshop to ensure a lively conversation. After the workshop, authors will have the chance to incorporate feedback from the audience before submitting their final papers for consideration in the edited volume of selected papers for the proceedings, which will be published by Springer as a volume in the IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology (IFIP-AICT) series. In order to participate, please submit a draft of your paper via the Springer Online Conference Service. The OCS portal for this workshop is available at https://ocs.springer.com/ocs/home/HCEE2018. More information about OCS and the workshop more generally is available on the working group website (http://ifipwg97.org) Review of draft papers will begin May 1 and continue until June 15. Revised versions of accepted papers will be distributed to conference participants on September 1. Enquires in advance of your submission or questions about Springer OCS may be addressed to the chair of the working group, Chris Leslie (chrisleslienyc(a)hotmail.com)

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Reminder: Deadline for Abstracts for VOX-Pol Conference is Friday
by Maura Conway 10 Apr '18

10 Apr '18

*CfP VOX-POL CONFERENCE – VIOLENT EXTREMISM, TERRORISM, AND THE INTERNET: PRESENT AND FUTURE TRENDS* *Dates: *20 and 21 Aug. 2018 (post-conference workshops 22 Aug.) *Location: *University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands *Abstract Submission Deadline: **Friday, 13 April* VOX-Pol’s third biennial conference will take place at the University of Amsterdam on 20 – 21 August 2018, with post-conference workshops <http://www.voxpol.eu/events/vox-pol-post-conference-workshops/> taking place on 22 August 2018. VOX-Pol’s inaugural two-day conference <http://www.voxpol.eu/events/inaugural-vox-pol-conference-violent-online-pol…> took place at King’s College London on 28 – 29 August 2014, while VOX-Pol’s mid-project conference <http://www.voxpol.eu/events/vox-pol-mid-project-conference-taking-stock-of-…> took place at Dublin City University on 23 – 24 June 2016. ***UPDATE** KEYNOTE * We're delighted to announce that Mina al-Lami, Head, Jihadi Monitoring Unit, BBC Monitoring (BBCM) will deliver a keynote address at the conference. *CALL FOR PAPERS* We are seeking panels and papers describing and discussing in-depth and cutting-edge research on the intersections of violent extremism and/or terrorism and the Internet. Perspectives from all academic (sub-)disciplines are welcome, particularly communications, computer science, criminology, cultural studies, data science, ethnography, international relations, internet studies, law, linguistics, media studies, philosophy, politics, psychology, sociology, and terrorism studies. The following topics are of particular interest: - History and evolution of violent online extremism and/or terrorism and the Internet; - Online radicalisation; - The Internet and recruitment into violent political extremist and terrorist groups; - Instructional (e.g. re. attack types, targeting, etc.) online content; - Children/youth, violent political extremism or terrorism, and online content; - Women/gender, violent political extremism or terrorism, and online content; - Public attitudes to violent extremism and/or terrorism and the Internet and responses to it; - Case studies of particular (sub-)groups’ cross-platform use of the Internet and social media; - Case studies of the use of the Internet by violent extremists and/or terrorists in particular countries or regions; - Case studies of the manifestation(s) and workings of violent political extremism or terrorism on specific online platforms, particularly less-studied platforms (e.g. 4Chan, Internet Archive, JustPaste.It, Reddit, Telegram, VKontakte); - Case studies of particular online mediums or Internet-related technologies (e.g. video, mobile telephones, etc.) and their roles in violent online extremism; - Methodologies, including mixed methods approaches, for violent political extremism and terrorism-related Internet research; - The role of online crowdsourcing in violent political extremism and terrorism and/or countering activity; - The role of user generated content in violent political extremism and terrorism and/or countering activity; - Online audience reception of violent political extremist or terrorist content; - Policy/legislative and other responses to violent online political extremism, including online CVE, takedown activity, etc.; - Future trends in violent extremism and/or terrorism and the Internet and/or in countering the latter, including the use of dedicated platforms and apps, the use of messaging apps, gaming, blockchain technologies, crypto currencies, live streaming, Darkweb, etc. - Ethical issues surrounding online extremism-related research; - Freedom of speech, privacy, and other concerning aspects of online disruption and CVE activity; - Evaluative or ‘taking stock’ analyses. We welcome papers or panel proposals in these and all relevant areas, particularly empirically grounded research and papers reporting significant new results. Papers that are methodologically innovative are also especially welcome. *POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS* Details to be published HERE <http://www.voxpol.eu/events/vox-pol-post-conference-workshops/> shortly, and on Twitter via @VOX_Pol. *ABSTRACT SUBMISSION* Authors of individual papers should submit a 300-word abstract. Panel proposals should include a - 200-word panel abstract, along with individual paper titles; - Confirmed list of minimum four panelists. Submissions are only possible via our conference EasyChair <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=voxpol2018> page. The closing dates for receipt of submissions, is Friday 13 April. We expect to confirm acceptances no later than Friday 11 May. *REGISTRATION FEES* Registration will open during March 2018, and fees will be as follows: - Standard Early Bird (to 1 June 2018): €80 - Student Early Bird (to 1 June 2018): €40 - Standard (2 June 2018 to 20 July 2018): €120 - Student (2 June 2018 to 20 July 2018): €60 Those choosing a Student rate should note that they will be required to supply a valid full-time student ID from their institution at conference sign-in. There will be *no on-site registration*. *TRAVEL FUNDING* The conference organisers are able to provide a limited number of travel grants for PhD students, early-career researchers (within two years of graduation, maximum), end-users, and colleagues from the developing world. Support may be requested towards the cost of registration fees, transportation, and accommodation. Travel awards will be assessed, based on individual need, estimated cost of participation, and overall demand for funding. Reimbursement can only be processed subsequent to travel, via electronic funds transfer, upon receipt of original receipts, boarding passes, proof of participation, etc. Further details regarding the application and reimbursement process will be provided when decisions are made on selected papers. When you register for the event, you will have the option to apply for a travel grant. *FURTHER INFORMATION* Please visit the conference page on our website <http://www.voxpol.eu/events/vox-pol-third-biennial-conference/> or, for specific conference-related queries not addressed on the latter, email us at conference(a)voxpol.eu. *Prof. Maura Conway* School of Law and Government Dublin City University Glasnevin Dublin 9 Ireland Tel. +353 1 700 6472 E-Mail. maura.conway(a)dcu.ie Skype. galwaygrrl Twitter: @galwaygrrl Website: http://doras.dcu.ie/view/people/Conway,_Maura.html ********** VOX-Pol Project on Violent Online Political Extremism Website: http://www.voxpol.eu Twitter: @VOX_Pol -- * *Séanadh Ríomhphoist/Email Disclaimer* *Tá an ríomhphost seo agus aon chomhad a sheoltar leis faoi rún agus is lena úsáid ag an seolaí agus sin amháin é. Is féidir tuilleadh a léamh anseo. <https://www4.dcu.ie/iss/seanadh-riomhphoist.shtml>* *This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are intended solely for use by the addressee. Read more here. <https://www4.dcu.ie/iss/email-disclaimer.shtml>* * -- <https://www.facebook.com/DCU/> <https://twitter.com/DublinCityUni> <https://www.linkedin.com/company/dublin-city-university> <https://www.instagram.com/dublincityuniversity/?hl=en> <https://www.youtube.com/user/DublinCityUniversity>

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Two PhD positions in Information Studies at University of Copenhagen
by Sille Obelitz Søe 10 Apr '18

10 Apr '18

Dear All, In the Department of Information Studies, University of Copenhagen we have two open PhD positions. See the full call at http://jobportal.ku.dk/phd/?show=147020/ PhD Scholarships at the Faculty of Humanities The Department of Information Studies is looking for two PhD fellows to be part of the department's research activities and to contribute to one or more of the department's research agendas. Deadline for applications, 2 May 2018. The three-year position is to be filled by 1 September 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter. Area of research The PhD scholarships are open-area; we are looking for applications in all of the department's areas of strength. We are especially looking for PhD project proposals that augment the department's strong, international research profile in new ways and areas. It is expected that the PhD fellows will take active part in the department's research activities and it is a plus if the proposed research project is situated between multiple areas of research within the department's research profile. We expect that the proposed research project is clearly situated within the department's research strengths and activities and that it is clearly connected to the expertise or interest of individual faculty members or research groups. Please read more about the department at: http://informationstudies.ku.dk/ For any further questions regarding the Department of Information Studies' research profile, please contact the department's PhD coordinator, Associate Professor Laura Skouvig, e-mail: laura.skouvig(a)hum.ku.dk<mailto:laura.skouvig@hum.ku.dk> For all other inquiries please contact the PhD administration at the Faculty of Humanities, e-mail: phd(a)hrsc.ku.dk<mailto:phd@hrsc.ku.dk> Please note that applications which do not adhere to the formal requirements (read more in the two sections 'Admission requirements' and 'Application requirements' below) will not be taken into consideration for the PhD scholarship. Admission requirements Applicants need to hold a two-year Master's degree (120 ECTS) or the equivalent. Applicants must have submitted their thesis at the time of application, to the extent the thesis forms part of their Master program. In case you have not obtained your diploma by the application deadline, you must include a statement (pre-approval) from your university declaring that you have been awarded the master degree. Applicants with a non-Danish Master's degree will have their degree assessed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science in order to establish, if the Master's degree is equivalent to a Danish Master's degree. Please read more at the Ministry of Higher Education and Sciences website: http://ufm.dk/en Excellent communication skills in English is considered essential and applicants must speak and write academic English fluently. The PhD Administration may ask applicants to document their proficiency in English at any time during the recruitment process if this is considered necessary. For application requirements, recruitment process, enrolment, etc. please see the full call http://jobportal.ku.dk/phd/?show=147020/ Best wishes, Sille Sille Obelitz Søe, PhD Post.doc. Department of Information Studies (INF) University of Copenhagen Southern Campus, build. 4 Njalsgade 76 2300 Copenhagen S Denmark sille.obelitz(a)hum.ku.dk<mailto:sille.obelitz@hum.ku.dk>

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CFP: Understanding the spread of misinformation in the Australian and US media fields
by Robert Ackland 10 Apr '18

10 Apr '18

<on behalf of mathieu.oneil(a)canberra.edu.au> <apologies for multiple posts> *CFP: Understanding the spread of misinformation in the Australian and US media fields* **** *Concepts and Methods Symposium* **** **News & Media Research Centre University of Canberra Friday 7 September 2018 *Networked misinformation* **** **Growing fragmentation in media systems has resulted in dramatically increased choice for media consumers. This process has been accelerated by the growth of digital platforms for news and information which open media spaces not only to a wider diversity of outlets but also to foreign and domestic information operations: strategic actors can sow disinformation relatively covertly, distancing their activities from their foreign or domestic patrons. We distinguish misinformation - the accidental statement of factually incorrect claims - from disinformation, which is strategic or intentional. To what extent are these activities enabled by the affordances of social media such as 'echo chambers' (media environments where people only connect with like-minded others) and 'filter bubbles' (resulting from media content being algorithmically selected to match previous consumer choices)? There has been much empirical debate as to the existence of echo chambers and filter bubbles. To the extent they exist, both phenomena result in media consumers being exposed to information that reinforces previously held beliefs. The disappearance of attitude-challenging content and attendant rise of misinformed opinion is thought to have played a role in the 2016 US Presidential election, where information untethered to reality (see for example ‘Pizzagate’) spread amongst some Republican Party supporter networks. Whether they are used by strategic actors seeking to achieve political objectives or not, echo chambers and filter bubbles challenge the functioning of the news media as a public sphere where the informed confrontation of contrasting viewpoints can lead to common understanding and agreement about what exists, and what matters. The consequences are profound: we may be arriving at a cultural moment where a significant part of the population no longer believes that facts are knowable. *Symposium aims and submissions* **** **Are echo chambers and filter bubbles real? If they are real, to what extent do they contribute to the spread of misinformation? Are ‘filter-bursting’ strategies available? What’s it like in there, anyway? Are journalists part of the problem, or are they the solution? If journalists in the US and UK failed to anticipate Brexit and the election of Donald Trump because of filter bubbles and echo chambers, is the Australian journalistic field similarly afflicted? The Understanding the spread of misinformation in the Australian and US media fields Symposium will bring together journalists and researchers, cutting-edge computational methods and first-hand accounts of actors in the field, to assess to what extent filter bubbles and echo chambers contribute to the spread of misinformation. Please send 500-word abstract of presentations to *mathieu.oneil(a)canberra.edu.au* by 31 May 2018. Suitable presentations will be invited to contribute to a journal special issue. Researchers and journalists are encouraged to address questions including, but not limited to: *Are there echo chambers, filter bubbles and fake-news spreading hubs in the Australian media field? *Comparative approaches: misinformation and disinformation in the Australian and US media fields, and beyond. *How are foreign or domestic strategic actors using media spaces and to what extent and through what mechanisms are they impacting news reporting? *Is Australia at risk of being swamped by ‘fake news’? Why or why not? *Bubbles in the eye of the beholder: when does a belief become a conspiracy? *Do the specific features of the Australian media field (duopolistic structure, late arrival of Cable News, public broadcasting) affect the spread of misinformation? *What steps are journalists taking to counter the impact of social media on meaningful democratic deliberation? *How can confirmation bias (biased information confirming previously held beliefs as plausible) be addressed? *Is the rejection of professional journalism and expertise, common among populists who have emerged in response to neoliberalism, limited to certain sectors of the ideological spectrum? Why or why not? *Does focusing on algorithmic filtering obscures other processes detrimental to democratic politics? Additional factors may have played a key role in the 2016 US election, such as the manipulation of recommendation systems through the exploitation of so-called ‘click-workers’ and ‘like farms’, often located in poor countries (Casilli, 2016). In 2015 it was estimated that 58% of the accounts which ‘liked’ Donald Trump’s Facebook page were fake, for example (Brown, 2015). *Organising committee* **** **Mathieu O’Neil, News & Media Research Centre, University of Canberra Michael Jensen, Institute for Policy and Governance Analysis, University of Canberra Robert Ackland, Virtual Observatory for the Study of Online Networks (VOSON) Lab, Australian National University Amy Remeikis, Political Reporter, The Guardian Australia *Background* **** **The loss of a common political discourse resulting from a fragmenting of the online population into narrowly-focused groups of individuals solely exposed to information confirming previously held opinions and biases was first referred to as ‘echo chambers’ by Sunstein (2001) whilst Van Alstyne & Brynjolfsson (2005) described a process of ‘cyber-balkanisation’. This fragmentation facilitates the seeding of misinformation by strategic actors to sympathetic audiences, who are more likely to believe claims not on the basis of factual predicates, but on that of their resonance to their identity (Miskimmon et al. 2013, Benkler et al. 2017). However, while the concept of the filter bubble is widespread, there is scant empirical evidence for the existence and impact of filter bubbles with many researchers simply assuming that filter bubbles exist, and that something needs to be done about them. Filter bubbles almost bear the hallmarks of a ‘moral panic’, with social scientists, computer scientists and engineers vying to provide solutions to a phenomenon that is yet to be properly explored and understood. The limited research that is relevant to filter bubbles has tended to involve either surveys of social media users (‘where do you get your news?’) or analysis of ‘big data’ collected unobtrusively from social media. Big data studies and network analysis tend to provide support for the filter bubble thesis while survey-based research tends to discount it. Nielsen (2016) uses data from the 2015 Reuters Institute Digital News Report to argue that ‘social media users in fact use significantly more different sources of news than non-users’. Similarly, a more recent study reveals that social media use tend to diversify news consumers’ diet rather than narrow it (Fletcher & Nielsen, 2017). The research on the drivers of networked misinformation such as echo chambers and filter bubbles can be advanced in several ways. First, this research usually pertains to the perils posed by online echo chambers to general users. Less attention has been paid to how such phenomena, when operating in influential sectors of society such as the journalistic field, can be detrimental to the plural public discourse that is essential to democracy. Second, this research deals with very general notions such as ‘the Internet’, ‘social media’, or ‘Twitter’, obviating the fact that not only are there ‘online spaces which develop distinctive and well-ordered cultures’ (Hine 2015: 38), but that these online spaces are frequently embedded in highly distinctive offline locales. Finally, research on filter bubbles has tended to eschew consideration of a key behaviour that contribute to these phenomena: how people engage with news. *References* **** **Benkler, Y., Faris, R., Roberts, H., & Zuckerman, E. (2017). Study: Breitbart-led right-wing media ecosystem altered broader media agenda. Columbia Journalism Review, March 3. Brown, J. (2015). There's something odd about Donald Trump's Facebook page. Business Insider, June 18. <http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trumps-facebook-followers-2015-6?IR=T> Casilli, A. (2016). Never mind the algorithms: the role of exploited digital labor and global click farms in Trump’s election. <http://www.casilli.fr/2016/11/20/never-mind-the-algorithms-the-role-of-expl…> Fletcher, R. & Nielsen, R.K. (2017). Using social media appears to diversify your news diet, not narrow it. Nieman Lab. <http://www.niemanlab.org/2017/06/using-social-media-appears-to-diversify-yo…> Hine, C. (2015). Ethnography for the Internet. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Menczer, F. (2017). Misinformation on social media: Can technology save us? The Conversation. <http://theconversation.com/misinformation-on-social-media-can-technology-sa…> Miskimmon, A., O'Loughlin, B., & Roselle, L. (2013). Strategic Narratives: Communication Power and the New World Order. Routledge, New York. Nielsen, R. K. (2016). <https://rasmuskleisnielsen.net/2016/11/25/is-social-media-use-associated-wi…> Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think, Penguin Press. Sunstein, C. (2001). Republic.com. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Van Alstyne, M. & Brynjolfsson, E. (2005). Global village or cyber-balkans? Modeling and measuring the integration of electronic communities. Management Science, 51, 851–868. -- Dr Robert Ackland Associate Professor, School of Sociology Leader, Virtual Observatory for the Study of Online Networks (VOSON) Lab <http://vosonlab.net> The Australian National University

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