June 2023 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Polymedia
by Traci Belanger 11 Jul '25

11 Jul '25

Hi everyone, does anyone have suggestions for articles on "polymedia" or specifically how polymedia interacts with media ecology? Thanks so much! Traci Belanger --- May all winds at your back inspire you, and may you have harmony and peace today.

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For my US colleagues: an 8 minute survey, where your input might make a difference
by Patricia Aufderheide 08 May '25

08 May '25

I know, exactly what you don't need to do at this crazy point in the semester. At AU, Profs. Aram Sinnreich, Joseph Graf and I have been working with Electronic Frontier Foundation and New Media Rights to design a survey about DMCA exemption language and its accessibility. Would you be interested in taking, sharing with your students and networks, including putting on social media the survey link <http://bit.ly/2nEfY8j>? Here it is again: *http://bit.ly/2nEfY8j <http://bit.ly/2nEfY8j>* Your generosity much appreciated! 👏 -- Patricia Aufderheide, University Professor, School of Communication Founder, Center for Media & -- Patricia Aufderheide, University Professor, School of Communication Founder, Center for Media & Social Impact American University 4400 Massachusetts Av., NW American University, Washington, DC 20016-8017 McKinley Hall 323 @paufder @cmsimpact cmsimpact.org paufder(a)american.edu 202-885-2069 office <202-643-5356> 240-643-4805 mobile <202-643-5356> "The world we have received also belongs to those who follow us." --Pope Francis

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Non-software uses of GitHub
by Jim Herbsleb 16 Apr '25

16 Apr '25

I’m looking for GitHub repositories that are used for things other than software, especially where users are actively collaborating rather than just putting together static collections. So far, we have found a few books being written, some musical transcriptions being error-checked, and some policy documents maintained online. Does anyone know of any examples of these or other categories? Any pointers much appreciated. Happy to share what we find with anyone interested. Jim ---- Jim Herbsleb Carnegie Mellon University http://herbsleb.org/ Google Scholar profile: https://goo.gl/sv3p7l

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AOIR Discord?
by Roo S 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

Hello! I'm wondering what AoIR members think of building a Discord? I realize that there are several platforms out there, and ironically we all are probably "too close" to some of the failings and/or opportunities of community, communication and digital space, but I would imagine that this group would probably hold a strong consensus that group email threads and listservs is an outdated way to share, organize, search for, and apply information. I'd love to connect more deeply with anyone who's interested. Here's a brief/simple survey to help me follow up and/or learn from the group: https://forms.gle/zbxmg5433r7LctKf8 Last but not least, here's an interesting article about the applications of Discord for better digital community practice: https://www.newkinco.com/projects/anitya-metaverse-platform Looking forward to connecting! Roo -- Systems Thinking for Digital Products | linktr.ee/roosphere | Work with me <https://www.workwithroo.com/>

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4S 2023 Open panel - Decolonizing Data Infrastructures: Pluralizing Imaginaries and Histories of Datafication (due May 26)
by Yousif Hassan 03 Feb '24

03 Feb '24

*** Please feel free to share and circulate to your networks *** -- - *Submission Instructions*: https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions.php <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions.p…> - *Deadline for Abstract *Submissions: May 26, 2023 (notification of acceptance on June 9) 90. Decolonizing Data Infrastructures: Pluralizing Imaginaries and Histories of Datafication <https://streaklinks.com/BexeNN94uPDoRFUKtAnGHDZl/https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.c…> *Yousif Hassan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Jane Yeahin Pyo, University of Massachusetts-Amherst;** Paola Ricuarte, Tecnologico de Monterrey; Anita Chan, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign* Discourses of decolonization have become salient in the field of AI/Big Data and global circles of responsible innovation. These discourses often take a universalist view of ethics, or imply a vision of AI mono-futurism based on Euro-American centric understandings of the social, political, and economic implications of data-driven developments across different geographies of the Global South and North. This panel attempts to problematize such trends by recovering the pluralistic histories of decolonization across different geographies of knowledge production. We seek nuanced discussions of surveillance, prediction, and segregation economies and resistances to them that are underpinned by alternative ways of knowing and being in the world. We invite methodological, theoretical, and empirical contributions that engage with alternative future imaginations to remake or refuse dominant data-driven imperatives and look for past and present practice from places that have been historically excluded from knowledge-making. This includes work that: - Open up spaces for solidarity and reimagination of shared human futurities that confront and seek to dismantle systems of oppression - Problematize notions of intelligence and ethics based on Western understandings of human difference. - Explore colonial ideologies reproduced through information ecologies and their impacts on marginalized communities - Illuminate Southern epistemologies that contribute to more inclusive and accountable practices or policy around data infrastructures. - Address feminist, racial and social justice approaches to technology to interrogate relations of power across situated data ecologies. - Examine communal approaches to technology and their implications for political economies *Contact: *asaychan(a)gmail.com, yousif(a)illinois.edu, forrain526(a)gmail.com, pricaurt(a)tec.mx Keywords: Social Movements and STS, Decolonial and Postcolonial STS, Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning, decolonization infrastructures, data/AI colonialism, data solidarities, AI mono-futurisms, socio-technical pluri-histories, political economy of technology, datafication, Indigenous STS, Feminist STS, Race/Black Studies and STS, Social Movements and STS, Transnational STS, coloniality, decolonial computing and media technologies, critical race and media studies, infrastructure studies ᐧ

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Job advertisement - Postdoctoral Fellowship "Sonic-Social Genre? - Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
by Christopher Haworth 31 Jan '24

31 Jan '24

The successful applicant for this postdoctoral fellowship will collaborate on a research project focused on new approaches to analyzing and modeling music genres. Located between informatics engineering, music information retrieval, musicology, and music anthropology and sociology, this interdisciplinary project addresses the lack of an adequate theory of genre in existing approaches to music genre recognition. See link for more information: https://www.aesthetics.mpg.de/karriere/jobs/postdoctoral-fellowship.html

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NEW: Research Assistant Position Job Opening
by Martin Sykora 27 Oct '23

27 Oct '23

We have an exciting new Research Assistant job opening in Social Media Analysis Methods at the Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University. The position is full-time, fixed-term for 8 months (£26,396 to £31,411 per annum) - applications close 1st Feb - https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CWS047/research-assistant-social-media-analysis-… It might be a great fit for applicants interested in social media research, data science, and ethical information management, with a background in (computational) social science or related fields within information science. The role will be in support of an existing urban community research project, focusing on digital social platform data collection and analysis approaches, contributing to the development of a mixed methods approach for integrating geo-social media data and other relevant contextual information to help learn about local drivers of chronic stress and resilience, across communities. A particular focus will be the study of vulnerable communities and potential algorithmic biases, to help ensure algorithmic/analytical equity. If this is of intrest, you can find out more details about the role and how to apply at https://vacancies.lboro.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?…<https://vacancies.lboro.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?…> Kind regards, Martin ----------------------------- Dr. Martin Sykora, PhD, FHEA Associate Professor in Information Management Centre for Information Management (CIM) Loughborough Business School (LB) BE.1.32 (Sir Richard Morris Building) Loughborough University, LE11 3TU @martinsykora<https://twitter.com/martinsykora> (on Twitter) @msykora<https://mastodon.social/@msykora> (on mastodon.social) Profile Page: https://socialmedia.lboro.ac.uk/sykora/ Latest Publications: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=lF2XTEEAAAAJ&sortby=pubdate

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Online Talk Series on Platform Governance Research: TUE, July 4 – Catalina Goanta on European Regulation and Platform ToS
by Christian Katzenbach 04 Jul '23

04 Jul '23

Dear AoIR-colleagues, This Tuesday we are continuing our online talk series „Behind the Scenes – Conversations on Empirical Platform Governance Research“. This time we are hosting Catalina Goanta from the University of Utrecht with a talk on "How European consumer regulation changed social media platform geographies“. More info below, registration for the online event is here: https://platform-governance.org/online-talk-series/session-3-catalina-goant… Looking forward to see you next week, Christian Paloma Joao #### Online Talk Series "Behind the Scenes – Conversations on Empirical Platform Governance Research“ Session 3: Catalina Goanta – How European consumer regulation changed social media platform geographies Time and Date: July 4, 2023, 15:00 CEST, Online Registration via this form <https://forms.gle/xq2irQb4mnHkLUcD6> Private governance on social media platforms has long been perceived as a unitary phenomenon in a unitary cyberspace, particularly when relating to Terms of Service (ToS) and additional platform documentations that apply to the relationship between platforms and users around the world. In their past, for reasons relating to transaction costs and legal divergence, platforms have imposed the same set of rules, often of US origin, well beyond the physical boundaries of their jurisdiction of establishment. However, this has led to tensions with rules in other jurisdictions, as well as a shift from cyberspace to cyberspaces of legal compliance. For instance, the European Union has a rich history of 50 years of consumer law and policy that reflects a mandatory legal framework curtailing the freedom of contract on which ToS are based. Some of this regulation, such as the Unfair Contract Terms Directive or the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, have been essential instruments of resistance in the face of the unfair clauses and practices exercised by large social media companies onto European consumers. This talk explores the impact of EU consumer law on social media ToS in the context of a comparison between ToS from four platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter) applied in four jurisdictions (US, UK, Germany and Singapore). It analyses the ToS strategies these social media platforms currently deploy in their global governance, and it speculates on the relative power of legal compliance. Catalina Goanta is an Associate Professor in Private Law and Technology and Principal Investigator of the ERC Starting Grant HUMANads, focused on understanding the impact of content monetization on social media and on reinterpreting private law fairness in the context of platform governance. Between 2016-2021 she was Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law at Maastricht University, and during February 2018 – February 2019 a Niels Stensen fellow at the University of St. Gallen (The Institute of Work and Employment) and Harvard University (The Berkman Center for Internet and Society). She is also a non-residential fellow of the Stanford Transatlantic Technology Law Forum. About the Series This talk is part of the series Behind the Scenes – Conversations on Empirical Platform Governance Research <https://platform-governance.org/online-talk-series/> that invites scholars in this field to share their experiences and views, fostering community exchange about how we can study platform governance in this challenging context. It is hosted by the Lab “Platform Governance, Media, and Technology” (PGMT) at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), <https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/zemki> University of Bremen, and the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies <https://www.rug.nl/research/icog/research/research-centres/centre-for-journ…>, University of Groningen. Registration Please register via this form <https://forms.gle/xq2irQb4mnHkLUcD6> shortly with an email-address for the full series or this event only, so that we can share the meeting link with you.

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CFP Deadline Extended to July 10 - Misinformation Village - DEFCON 31 (Aug 11-13, Las Vegas)
by Ahmed Medien 30 Jun '23

30 Jun '23

Dear colleagues, This is a reminder to consider submitting a proposal to the Misinformation Village at DEF CON 31, the largest hackers conference in North America. Join us at the Misinformation Village, a 3-day event in Las Vegas. The Misinformation Village is a collaborative of dis- and misinformation researchers, data analysts and computer linguists, cybersecurity and defence professionals, and all like-minded professionals across academia, civil society, government and industry. We seek to establish open and broad-sector frameworks to define, expose, analyze and counter the security challenges of misinformation and disinformation campaigns on democratic regimes, free markets, public trust, and open and progressive societies. Our goal is to stimulate engagement, exchange of ideas, and interactive learning. Here are the kinds of proposal formats we're interested in: 1. Research-Based Talks: Share your research findings on misinformation and cybersecurity. These talks are based on published, peer-reviewed research and should ideally contribute new knowledge or an innovative perspective on the topic. 2. Skills-Based Workshops: Conduct an interactive workshop to help participants develop specific skills or techniques related to combating misinformation and enhancing cybersecurity. 3. Investigative Journalistic Pieces: Present an in-depth exploration of a specific incident or trend related to misinformation or cybersecurity. The piece should shed light on the intricacies and impacts of the situation and offer insights into how similar occurrences can be prevented or mitigated. 4. Movie or Short Film Screening: If you have a film or documentary that discusses misinformation or cybersecurity in an informative and engaging way, we welcome screenings followed by a discussion. 5. Interviews/Fireside Chats: Propose a conversation with a prominent figure in the field. The talk should be engaging, insightful and provoke thoughtful discussion among attendees. 6. Book Talks: If you have published a book relevant to our themes, propose a book talk. Share your key insights and engage with attendees on the topics discussed in your book. 7. New Discipline or Open-Source Frameworks: If you have developed a new approach, tool, or framework for tackling misinformation or enhancing cybersecurity, we would love to hear about it. These presentations should discuss how the tool or approach works, its benefits, and how others can use or adapt it. This year, we're particularly keen on dissecting the following themes: 1. The mechanics of audience segmentation & analysis concerning disinformation targets 2. The propagation of disinformation campaigns across diverse languages and geopolitical landscapes 3. The impact and intersection of AI with fact-checking and disinformation propagation 4. The economic cost of disinformation on society, democratic norms, and free markets 5. The legal adjudication or prosecution of disinformation in the context of elections These broad areas will allow us to delve into specific yet far-reaching issues such as multi-lingual disinformation campaigns, the economic ecosystem of disinformation, the role of AI in fact-checking and more. As for the format, we're pioneering a Red/Blue team exercise this year! This is aimed to encourage dynamic, interactive, and practical discussions on both the creation and mitigation of online threats. Call for Proposals: https://forms.gle/x2GDa3HkdWtgNUuKA Watch our sessions from 2022: https://slideslive.com/misinformation-village-media-library/misinformation-… *Entrance to DEFCON is paid for all participants including organizers. However, we do have a few "speaker" passes. If you do need a pass, please do let us know. Priority will go to researchers still developing their work, possibly still in their early research careers and who would like to continue to engage with the Misinformation Village for further collaborative research, other future sessions, etc. Regards, Ahmed X. Medien Village Chair https://misinfovillage.org

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New Report: How Users Make Sense of Misinformation Warnings on Personal Messaging
by Natalie-Anne Hall 30 Jun '23

30 Jun '23

Hi all, (With apologies for cross-posting) On behalf of the Everyday Misinformation Project at the Online Civic Culture Centre, Loughborough University, we wanted to share our latest report “Beyond Quick Fixes: How Users Make Sense of Misinformation Warnings on Personal Messaging”<https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/online-civic-culture-centre/news-events/ar…>. The report uncovers multiple interpretations users have of WhatsApp’s “forwarded” and “forwarded many times” tags. Based on these findings, it puts forward five key principles for the design of effective misinformation warnings. You can access the report here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/online-civic-culture-centre/news-events/ar… This comes at an important time, as the Online Safety Bill is currently being debated in the UK House of Lords. That bill requires social media providers to take responsibility for harmful content published on their platforms, including misinformation. However, for encrypted apps such as WhatsApp, this could potentially mean compromising end-to-end encryption in order to monitor and censor messages, something Meta says it is not prepared to do. Our report shows that these platforms can protect user privacy, whilst also doing more to tackle misinformation. You can read the Loughborough University press release here: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2023/june/whatsapp-forw… We hope you find the report insightful and useful. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact with any questions. The Everyday Misinformation Project Team Natalie-Anne Hall, Brendan T Lawson, Cristian Vaccari and Andrew Chadwick http://everyday-mis.info<http://everyday-mis.info/> everyday.sharing(a)mailbox.lboro.ac.uk

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