March 2021 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Public Talk: Block. Unfriend. Quit. Selective Avoidance, Social Sanctions, and Political Discussion on Facebook and WhatsApp
by Patricia Rossini 05 Mar '21

05 Mar '21

Dear colleagues, Apologies for the self-promotion :) I was invited to speak at the Public Lecture Series hosted by the School of the Arts at the University of Liverpool about the results of a project funded by WhatsApp on political discussions, social media, and messaging apps in Brazil and thought that the event could be of interest to other AoIR members. The talk is on March 17, at 5:30pm GMT (12:30pm EST / 6:30pm CET) You can sign up for the link here:https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-lecture-block-unfriend-quit-tickets-138733386293 <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-lecture-block-unfriend-quit-tickets-1…> Summary: Growing levels of political polarization around the world have fueled discussions around threats to democratic values posed by an increasingly divided citizenry. What is the role of social media in exposing people to echo-chambers, misinformation, and other types of problematic content, such as uncivil discourse? Do people selectively avoid political content on social media? Dr Patricia Rossini, Derby Fellow in Communication and Media, sheds light on how online discussions affect relationships by investigating social sanctions — the active blocking, unfriending, and quitting of social media because of politics. Using a nationally representative survey of internet users in Brazil (N= 1,615), she examines the relationship between social sanctions and political talk on Facebook and WhatsApp. Specifically, she explores whether negative experiences–e.g. heated discussions, and being attacked–help to explain blocking, unfriending, or quitting social media. Taking a comparative approach, these research questions also examine the extent to which the dynamics around social sanctions are sensitive to different platform affordances. Bio: Dr Patricia Rossini is a Derby Fellow in the Department of Communications and Media at the University of Liverpool. Her research on political talk, incivility, and misinformation has been funded by WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook. I’m looking forward to seeing you there! Best wishes, Patrícia Dr Patrícia Rossini Derby Fellow Department of Communication and Media School of the Arts University of Liverpool @: patricia.rossini(a)liverpool.ac.uk <mailto:patricia.rossini@liverpool.ac.uk> W: patriciarossini.com <http://www.patriciarossini.com/>

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Next week: PublicSpaces conference: towards a common internet [11-12.3]
by Katja Bego 05 Mar '21

05 Mar '21

Hi AoiR, I wanted to let you know about the following event which I think will be incredibly interesting for many in the AoiR community: https://publicspaces.net/conference-2021/ <https://publicspaces.net/conference-2021/> (All online of course! And free). *How do we build the right conditions and community to build a public interest internet*? On March 11 and 12th, Waag, PublicSpaces and Pakhuis de Zwijger are organizing a conference on how to save the internet, powered by the Dutch Ministry of Internal Affairs. "We would like to start a conversation on how to bridge the gap between these public organisations and open source developers. Where to get funding? How to start co-creation with a public organisation? And how to create better designed, user-centric, value driven tools that are easy to implement by broadcasters, museums and festivals? A discussion with developers, investors, politicians and public organisations." *PublicSpaces* is a coalition of over 25 public organisations in public media, cultural heritage, festivals, museums, education and health care. *We are reclaiming the internet as a force for the common good and advocating a new internet that strengthens the public domain.* Have a great weekend, Katja -- Katja Bego | Principal Researcher, Explorations & Futures team, Nesta <https://www.nesta.org.uk/team/katja-bego/> and Project Lead of NGI Forward <https://research.ngi.eu/> | @katjabego <https://twitter.com/katjabego> -- 58 Victoria Embankment London EC4Y 0DS www.nesta.org.uk <http://www.nesta.org.uk/> | Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/nesta_uk> | LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1868227&goback=%2Egdr_1274367066783_1> | Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/pages/NESTA/116788428355432?v=wall&ref=sgm> If you no longer want to receive emails from Nesta, send an email to info(a)nesta.org.uk <mailto:info@nesta.org.uk>. This email and any attachments are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. Any use, copying or disclosure other than by the intended recipient is unauthorised. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately or by email to info(a)nesta.org.uk <mailto:information@nesta.org.uk> and delete this message and any copies from your computer and network. The views expressed in this email are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nesta. Nesta is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 7706036 and charity number 1144091. Registered as a charity in Scotland number SC042833. Registered office: 58 Victoria Embankment, London, EC4Y 0DS. --

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ANZCA conference deadline Extension
by Scott Wright 04 Mar '21

04 Mar '21

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let everyone know: *The deadline for submission of abstracts and panel proposals for has been extended until Friday 12 March 2021. * This year’s conference, taking place from 6-9 July 2021 at the University of Melbourne, will centre on the theme of ‘Community, Authority and Power <http://anzca.org/conference/2021/cfp/?mc_cid=a6b35b8b48&mc_eid=UNIQID>’. Abstracts and Panel Proposals accepted for this year’s conference can be presented in person at University of Melbourne, or virtually for those unable to attend. We welcome submissions for abstracts and panels on a wide range of topics in contemporary communication, digital media and cultural studies, as well as related areas such as journalism, political and historical studies, sociology and creative practice. Abstracts submitted for ANZCA 2021 will be considered for potential inclusion as full, peer-reviewed articles in special issues of the two ANZCA-affiliated journals, Media International Australia <https://journals.sagepub.com/home/mia?mc_cid=a6b35b8b48&mc_eid=UNIQID> and Communication Research and Practice <https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcrp20/current?mc_cid=a6b35b8b48&mc_eid=UNI…>, to be published following the conference. *GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS:* *Abstract Submission* - Maximum of 350 words - Indicate which stream you prefer - Nominate how you will attend (in person or virtually) *Panel Proposals* - 3-4 speakers - 150 – 300 words justifying the panel - Additional information (maximum 300 words) Further information, including speaker details, is available on the ANZCA 2021 website, which will be updated regularly in the lead-up to the conference. To submit an abstract or panel proposal, click here <https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/c7c7b0a9-6228-4242-a051-f845286c8c0e?mc_c…> . For abstract & panel submission information click here <https://www.phoenixcreativemanagement.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ANZ…> . Information on the event and registration pricing can be found here <http://anzca.org/conference/2021/?mc_cid=5b3ff528a9&mc_eid=UNIQID&mc_cid=a6…> . We look forward to your submission! *ANZCA Conference Team* E: conference(a)anzca.org <Conference(a)anzca.org> -- Professor of Political Communication and Journalism School of Media, Film and Journalism Monash University https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/scott-wright https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VzWDwiEAAAAJ&hl=en

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Welli
by Barry Wellman 03 Mar '21

03 Mar '21

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Lecturer in Digital Journalism at Birkbeck, University of London
by Scott Rodgers 03 Mar '21

03 Mar '21

Birkbeck, University of London is recruiting a new Lecturer in Digital Journalism! Lecturer in Digital Journalism Salary range: £38,594 rising to £53,342 Contract type :Open ended Mode: Full time Grade: Lecturer Department: Department of Film, Media & Cultural Studies Closing date for applicants: 30-Mar-2021 Ref No: 776 Documents: Recruitment Pack 776.pdf<https://cis7.bbk.ac.uk/wd/plsql/wd_portal.view_blob?p_web_site_id=6056&p_we…> The new Lecturer in Digital Journalism will play a key role in developing our expanding portfolio of journalism courses and programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. You will bring a passion for innovative research-led teaching in digital newsgathering and digital news publishing, as well as a clear and cogent strategy for outstanding research in this emergent sub-discipline. The successful applicant will join a growing team of academics with a strong international research and impact profile. The successful applicant will hold a PhD in a related discipline and have an emergent research profile and publications. We are particularly interested in applicants that take a critical perspective on journalism’s evolving social purpose, especially in the context of emerging digital technologies (e.g. social platforms, mobile media, digital interfaces, data visualisation, recommendation systems) and their implications (e.g. digital surveillance, algorithmic decision-making, misinformation, platform power). Remuneration Lecturer Grade of the College's London Pay Scale which is £ 38,594 rising to £53,342 The salary quoted is on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated Weighting/Allowance which applies only to staff whose normal contractual place of work is in the London area. Enquiries If you would like to know more about the role please click on apply below or contact Dr Justin Schlosberg, Assistant Dean for Film, Media and Cultural Studies, via j.schlosberg(a)bbk.ac.uk<mailto:j.schlosberg@bbk.ac.uk> If you have technical issues or difficulties using the recruitment portal please contact jobs(a)bbk.ac.uk, providing your name and the job reference number of the position. While we are happy to respond to all informal enquiries, only formal applications through the online system will be considered. Birkbeck offers a competitive salary and pension scheme, 31 days paid leave, flexible working arrangements and some of the most generous benefits in the HE sector, all while being located right in the heart of Central London. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community. The College is committed to improving the gender and cultural diversity of its workforce, holding an Athena SWAN award, membership of WISE, operating Disability Confident & Mindful Employer schemes. Link to job vacancy ad: https://cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lecturer-in-digital-journalism-435633.html

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CfP: 4S 2021 - "Markets as Data: Knowledge, Automation, Governance"
by Kevin MELLET 03 Mar '21

03 Mar '21

Dear colleagues, We invite your submissions to an Open Panel dedicated to “Markets as Data” at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) annual meeting which will be held in Toronto (and online), 6-9 October 2021. STS scholars have long been interested in the diverse devices that equip markets, from market infrastructures to mundane marketing tools such as shopping carts, knowledge devices, and measuring instruments. As markets are digitized, consumer records, scoring and targeting instruments, trading machines, and so on are key to how markets operate. Data act as a versatile, yet vital, apparatus for markets, playing crucial roles in the form of devices, valuation tools, infrastructures, and assets. This panel will explore these various facets of data, and how they help to bring markets into being. We welcome empirical and theoretical investigations of markets as data. First, with big data technologies, marketing knowledge is increasingly produced from the analysis of large databases that combine heterogeneous arrays of information on consumers, products, firms, and market operations. These data are then stabilized through metrics, dashboards and standards. How do these new “data objects” and knowledge devices reconfigure practices? Second, data streams are fueling automation or decision-making systems: matching algorithms, trade desks, recommendation engines, smart contracts, market screening mechanisms, dashboards. How does automation reconfigure firms’ practices in markets? Third, data are increasingly marketized themselves, harvested from public-facing services such as social media. How do markets for data impact “conventional” markets? Finally, data practices are increasingly subject to specific governance that is often the object of fierce contestation: from regulation such as GDPR in Europe, industry-level self-regulation and labelling processes, to local framing within firms. How does the governance of data, and its contestation shape markets and marketization practices? Convenors: – Thomas Beauvisage, Orange Labs – Donald MacKenzie, University of Edinburgh – Kevin Mellet, Sciences Po – Zsuzsanna Vargha, ESCP The deadline for submitting proposals is March 8, 2021. Open panel link: https://www.4sonline.org/120-markets-as-data-knowledge-automation-governanc… Submission link: https://www.4sonline.org/meeting/call-for-submissions/

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Summer School in Digital Methods for Critical Consumer Studies, Lake Como, 31 May - 4 June 2021
by Alessandro Gandini 03 Mar '21

03 Mar '21

Hello Aoir folks, with apologies for crossposting, we welcome applications for the Summer School in Digital Methods for Critical Consumer Studies, which will be held in the wonderful setting of the Lake Como between 31 May - 5 June 2021. All information can be found here: https://dmcs.lakecomoschool.org/. The deadline for applications is 15 March 2021. Please share widely in particular among phds or postdocs who have an interest in digital methods and/or consumer research, broadly intended. Feel free to email me for any other information or question. Best wishes to all, Alessandro -- Alessandro Gandini Associate Professor of Sociology University of Milan, Department of Social and Political Sciences via Conservatorio 7, 20122 Milan @afrontiercity

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Call for Papers of Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing Special Issue on “AI Drives Our Future Life”
by Jui-Yi Tsai 03 Mar '21

03 Mar '21

Call for Papers of Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing Special Issue on “AI Drives Our Future Life” SUMMARY While “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) becomes the mainstream of application techniques breakthrough, its impacts to our future life is unprecedented. AI becomes increasingly important for understanding complex data and offering intelligent processing to foster innovative business applications, self-driving cars, voice recognition, drug design, and new medical applications in the future. Recently, new technologies with explainable AI, such as federated learning, meta-learning, active learning, multi-task learning, inductive graph learning, transfer learning, and ensemble learning, have emerged and attracted considerable interests from both academic and industrial communities. Meanwhile, the rising prominence of AI has dramatically transformed a variety of domains. For intelligent wireless networks, due to privacy constraints and limited communication resources, distributed multi-agent reinforcement learning and federated learning are employed to solve complex convex and nonconvex optimization problems and collaboratively learn shared prediction models for user clustering, resource management, and interference alignment. For smart automatic driving, robust deep learning models that are capable to avoid adversarial examples are developed to analyze world state representations and behavior models, as well as forecast and control the car trajectory according to various sensors (e.g., cameras, HD maps, inertial measurement units, wheel encoders, LiDAR). Moreover, for immersive VR and AR, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been widely adopted to address scene segmentation, depth estimation, realistic 3D modeling, image fusion, whereas effective gaze estimation and prediction algorithms are designed to reduce the computation time for immersive view rendering. For health and digitized education, AI is also the cornerstone to infer indicators of disease activities for early detection of emerging outbreaks, and to facilitate knowledge tracing for online courses. To support the above applications, domain-specific software and hardware co-design in DNN accelerators is crucial to boost the performance and energy efficiency for various computation and memory-intensive tasks, making these models usable on smaller devices at the edge of the Internet. Researchers and practitioners are jointly devoting efforts to develop solutions for related problems using various AI methods. Therefore, this special issue aims to bring together recent advances in AI for various domains to share new findings among the community and bridge the gaps between research and practice. SCOPE The topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Artificial Intelligence Learning Theory and Statistics AI for Healthcare and Bioinformatics Artificial Intelligence on Education AIoT Applications AR/VR and Human Computer Interaction Autonomous Driving Algorithms and Computation Theory with AI Big Data Systems and Analysis Image Processing, Computer Graphics, and Multimedia Technologies Intelligent Network Intelligent Manufacturing Web Intelligence and Social Network Cyber Security Computer Architecture, Embedded Systems, SoC, and VLSI/EDA to support AI Parallel, Distributed, and Cloud/Edge Computing for AI SUBMISSION PROCEDURE All manuscripts must be prepared and submitted following to the submission guidelines of Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing that can be accessed at https://www.springer.com/journal/12652/submission-guidelines?IFA. Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described has not been published before, and that it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else. All submitted papers will go through the same review process as the regular Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing paper submissions. Referees will consider originality, significance, technical soundness, clarity of exposition, and relevance to the special issue topics above. IMPORTANT DATES Manuscript submission: June 30, 2021 First Decision: September 15, 2021 First Revision Submission: October 15 2021 Second Revision Submission: October 30, 2021 Final Decision: November 10, 2021 GUEST EDITORS Pau-Choo (Julia) Chung National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan Gary G. Yen Oklahoma State University, USA De-Nian Yang Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan Meng-Hsun Tsai National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

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4S Open Panel: Augmenting Realities: digital-material formations of identity, surveillance, and publics. (Iliadis, Liao, Heemsbergen)
by Luke H 02 Mar '21

02 Mar '21

Please excuse any cross postings of our open call to open panel at 4S: Augmenting Realities: digital-material formations of identity, surveillance, and publics (organised by Andrew Iliadis, Tony Liao, and Luke Heemsbergen) This panel is concerned with how augmented reality is shaping personal identity and public communications, it’s social construction as media technology, and the outcomes of these trends for society. Augmented Reality/Realities creates new kinds of digital relations for the physical world. It does not just layer over physical reality with virtual information (cf Azuma 1997, Kim et al. 2018), but helps us perceive and act in a world of novel personal, professional, and civic experiences. However, a dearth of knowledge on AR’s role in shaping and being shaped by society arrests the ability to steer AR’s social impact. And there is a clear and present need to do so: 2020 iPhones now incorporate novel AR-LIDAR surveillance sensors that map faces and the inside homes; there is growing acceptance of body-dysmorphic ‘lenses’ on social media that modify human appearance in real-time to, narrow, sexualise, add privacy, or otherwise reconfigure identity in public and private communication This panel welcomes contributions across AR’s 1) Conceptualisation: how AR is imagined by those making AR experiences, as well as larger social discourses that enable and encourage its imaginaries; 2) Concretisation: how process of potential imaginaries succumb to market forces, civic pressure, technological limits, that deform any ideals of AR into material systems of media (Flusser, 1999) that design constraints towards specific properties and dynamics that mediate a specific reality; and 3) Contextualisation that reflects on how new media, despite their intended public debut, suffer continued social and cultural appropriation (Gitelman, 2006, p. 27). We are interested in papers including but not limited to: *standards, infrastructures, devices, and policies *historical, sociological, and genealogy perspectives of augmentation technologies *social and spatial perception, presence, and practices *(re)presentation, performance, persona, *lenses, filters and other projections *applied domains of interest including, surveillance, play, sensors, etc. 250 word Abstract Due Date: March 8 via 4S abstract submission platform <https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/ssss/ssss21/> (find a home in open panel #50).

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SIGDOC CFP Deadline Extended to March 12
by Luke Thominet 02 Mar '21

02 Mar '21

Dear Colleagues, The deadline for proposals for SIGDOC 2021: Advocacy, Accountability, and Coalitions Across Contexts is extended to March 12, 2021. The conference will include both online virtual presentations and optional in-person meetup hubs on October 14, 2021. The locations of the 8 worldwide in-person meetup hubs will be Lavras, Brazil; Beijing, China; Limerick, Ireland; Lisbon, Portugal; Tempe, AZ; East Lansing, MI; Raleigh, NC; and Tacoma, WA. The ACM Special Interest Group on Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC) invites you to submit proposals for research papers, industry insight papers, experience reports, posters, panel sessions, and workshops. These proposals should explore the themes of advocacy, accountability, and coalitions in communication design, PTC, user experience (UX) practice, and teaching and learning. For a complete description of the proposal process, please review the full SIGDOC 2021 CFP<https://sigdoc.acm.org/conference/2021/call-for-papers> (sigdoc.acm.org/conference/2021/call-for-papers) Important Dates: * 12 March 2021, 23:59 in your local time zone: Proposals due * 14 May 2021: Drafts of initial papers and extended abstracts due * 01 June 2021: Reviews of/comments on papers and extended abstracts returned * 15 July 2021: Papers and extended abstracts (final version) due * 14 October 2021: SIGDOC 2021 hybrid conference: virtual presentations with in-person meetup hubs across 8 locations worldwide Questions on the CFP or the process described here should be emailed to the Program Co-Chairs, Liz Lane and Halcyon Lawrence, at sigdocconference(a)gmail.com<mailto:sigdocconference@gmail.com>. Best, Luke Thominet, PhD SIGDOC Communications Manager

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