April 2024 - 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.

5 7

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

2 1

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

15 14

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/>

11 12

Call for papers - 10th Annual Conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics (University of Edinburgh, UK, 17-18 October 2024)
by Cristian Vaccari 30 May '24

30 May '24

Call for papers for the 10th Annual Conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics University of Edinburgh, UK, 17-18 October 2024 Deadline for abstracts: 14 June 2024 via https://bit.ly/IJPP2024 Also available at https://cristianvaccari.com/2024/04/04/call-for-papers-for-the-10th-annual-… On 17-18 October 2024, the University of Edinburgh will host the 10th annual conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics, focused on academic research on the relationship between media and political processes around the world. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 14 June 2024. Attendees will be notified of acceptance by 1 July 2024. Registration fees will be due 30 August 2024 and full papers based on accepted abstracts will be due 4 October 2024. A selection of the best papers presented at the conference will be published in the journal after peer review. An editorial discussing the selection and review process for conference special issues can be found at https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1940161219869063. The conference brings together scholars conducting internationally oriented or comparative research on the intersection between news media and politics around the world. It aims to provide a forum for academics from a wide range of disciplines, countries, and methodological approaches to advance knowledge in this area. Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the political implications of changes in media systems; the importance of different types of media for learning about and engaging with politics; the factors affecting the quality of political information and public discourse; media policy and regulation; the role of entertainment and popular culture in how people engage with current affairs; relations between political actors and journalists; how emerging applications of Artificial Intelligence affect key political communication processes; the role of visuals and emotion in the production and processing of public information; the role of different kinds of media during conflicts and crises; and political communication during and beyond elections by government, political parties, interest groups, civil society organizations, and social movements. The journal and the conference are particularly interested in studies that represent substantial theoretical or methodological advances on these issues in an international perspective, especially by adopting comparative approaches and/or focusing on parts of the world that are under-researched in the English-language academic literature. Titles and abstracts for papers (maximum 300 words) are invited by 14 June 2024 via the online form available at https://bit.ly/IJPP2024. Abstracts should clearly describe the key questions, the theoretical and methodological approach, the evidence presented, and the wider implications of the study for understanding the relationship between media and politics in an international perspective. Authors are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible about the spatial and temporal context of their study, the research design and methods employed, the data collected, and the main results of the analyses. The registration fee for the conference will be GBP 300, to be paid by 30 August 2024. The fee covers two conference dinners on 16 and 17 October, lunches and coffee breaks on 17 and 18 October, and farewell drinks on 18 October. The conference will take place at the University of Edinburgh’s John McIntyre Conference Centre. A limited number of registration fee waivers will be available for early career scholars and scholars from countries that appear in Tiers B and C of the classification adopted by the International Communication Association. Applications for fee waivers must be made via the abstract online submission form available at https://bit.ly/IJPP2024. The conference is organized by Cristian Vaccari, Editor-in-Chief of IJPP. Please contact Professor Vaccari with questions at cvaccari(a)ed.ac.uk. More about the University and the journal below. The University of Edinburgh has been influencing history since it welcomed its first students in 1583. Through the many achievements of its staff and students, the University has delivered on its central principles of providing cutting-edge research, inspirational teaching and innovative thinking, attracting some of the greatest minds from around the globe. Politics and International Relations (PIR) is one of the largest and most vibrant subject areas at the University of Edinburgh. It is home to more than 600 undergraduates and 100 postgraduate students annually. Its alumni include government ministers, members of parliament, policy analysts, broadcasters, business leaders, teachers, and social entrepreneurs. Its world-leading research directly informs policymakers, ministers, and NGOs. The International Journal of Press/Politics is an interdisciplinary journal for the analysis and discussion of the role of the media and politics in an international perspective. The journal publishes theoretical and empirical research which analyzes the linkages between the news media and political processes and actors around the world, emphasizes international and comparative work, and links research in the fields of political communication and journalism studies, and the disciplines of political science and media and communication. The journal is published by SAGE Publishing and is ranked 14th in Political Science and 17th in Communication according to Clarivate. Cristian Vaccari, he/him/his ************************* Chair in Future Governance, Public Policy, and Technology, University of Edinburgh Director, MSc Future Governance, Edinburgh Futures Institute Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Press/Politics ************************* Personal website: https://cristianvaccari.com/

1 1

Zoom seminar sept 19th: How is journalism and publishing affected by constant connectivity? (DIGITOX)
by Trine Syvertsen 29 May '24

29 May '24

Welcome to the digitox seminars this fall: A seminar series on connection and disconnection. Contact me for a zoom link or join the digitox mailing list (below). Tues, Sept 19, 2023, 13-14 CET on how journalists and book publishers handle connection and disconnection. Diana Bossio will present the forthcoming book The Paradox of Connection - How Digital Media Is Transforming Journalistic Labor. (Co-authors: Valérie Bélair-Gagnon, Avery E. Holton, Logan Molyneux) Kari Spjeldnæs will present research on book publishers and disconnection. Details here: https://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/projects/digital-disconnection/e… More seminars this fall: NB: Seminars run on Norway time (CET) and are scheduled in different time slots. Wednesday, Oct 25, 15-16 on AI, sustainability and the environment - and how it connects with disconnection studies. With Benedetta Brevini, author of Is AI Good for the Planet? and Christian Schwarzenegger about sustainable user practices. Tuesday, Dec 5, 2023 14-15 on technological resistance in schools and young people's disconnection, with Katie Day Good and Mehri Agai. Best regards, Trine ------ We run two mailing lists from Digitox/Oslo: DIGITOX MAILING LIST: digitox-info: info from the Digitox-project about our seminar series. To join, write an email to sympa(a)media.uio.no and write subscribe digitox-info in the subject field. To unsubscribe: Write an email to sympa(a)media.uio.no and write unsubscribe digitox-info in the subject field (or let me know that you want to be taken off the list). DISCONNECTION-LIST disconnection-research: to post information about research, publications, events etc. All members can post. To join: write to sympa(a)media.uio.no and write subscribe disconnection-research in the subject field. DO YOU HAVE A NEW PUBLICATION? OR A CFP? NOTIFY PEOPLE USING THE DISCONNECTION LIST; ALL MEMBERS CAN POST ON THIS LIST ------------------------------------------------------- Trine Syvertsen, professor, IMK, UiO Project: Intrusive media, ambivalent users and digital detox (NFR) Author of Digital detox: The politics of disconnecting (Emerald 2020) Recent articles: Framing digital disconnection: Problem definitions, values and actions among digital detox organisers (Convergence 2022); Offline tourism: Digital and screen ambivalence in Norwegian mountain huts with no Internet access (Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 2022)

1 6

CFP: Dialogue in Surveillance & Society on Synthetic Data and Surveillance
by Bryce Newell 15 May '24

15 May '24

Dear Colleagues, We invite expressions of interest to write short (~2000-word) position papers for an upcoming Dialogue section of Surveillance & Society<https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/index> focused on the promises and perils of synthetic data. The Dialogue will address the surveillance implications raised by the development of synthetic data through machine learning processes, including those which serve as training data for artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI applications. We aim to publish the section in the December 2024 issue of Surveillance & Society<https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/index>. In this Dialogue, we seek contributions that address the following questions: * Is synthetic data, as a concept and technology, a surveillance- and privacy-preserving “solution”? That is, does the development and use of synthetic data as training data for AI technologies, apps, and platforms circumvent or mitigate problems of surveillance, privacy, data protection, hidden labor, and so forth? If so, how and to what extent? If not, why not? * Does the development and use of synthetic data as training data for AI technologies and platforms raise the same concerns implicated by the use of standard (non-synthetic) datasets or does it implicate novel surveillance or privacy concerns? If so, in what ways? What are these novel surveillance implications or concerns? Submissions should problematize the “solution” of synthetic data and offer critical reflection on how and whether synthetic data is a solution, even though proposals may argue for or against the technology as a surveillance- or privacy-preserving technique. Proposals may also address some of the reasons that AI training data have taken the shape they have (e.g., expropriation, racial legacies, tech affordances + channeling, scale, etc.) and how and why synthetic data fit into that reality. Submissions should also speak to how the proposed intervention will inform surveillance-studies scholarship. We are hoping to curate a small set of position papers from scholars in various parts of the world, including in the Global South and areas not as commonly the focus of surveillance studies research. As such, we will prioritize submissions against those criteria, in addition to excellence and fit with the full set of accepted papers, including presenting a range of views and positions on the subject of the Dialogue. If you are interested in proposing a short paper for inclusion in this discussion, please send the following information as an expression of interest to Bryce Newell (bcnewell(a)uoregon.edu<mailto:bcnewell@uoregon.edu>; please use the subject line: “Dialogue Submission”) on or before the end of day on June 1, 2024: * Your name * Details of your institutional affiliation (if applicable) * Link to your online profile, website, etc., with list of your publications (if available) * A title and 300-400 word abstract for your proposed contribution (proposals should connect to the themes identified above and also have a strong normative, critical, and/or argumentative element) Please note that Dialogue pieces are not refereed, but are subject to editorial review and, if (tentatively) accepted, possible requests for revision. We plan to allow authors of accepted papers the chance to read and engage with the other accepted papers prior to publication, to create a real dialogue within the section. We will be selecting only a small number of pieces for inclusion in this special section. We look forward to reading your proposals. Sincerely, Bryce Newell Dialogue Editor, Surveillance & Society Co-Director, Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) Associate Professor, University of Oregon

1 1

AUTHORS ROUNDTABLE: Influencer Books in the Making with Brooke Duffy, Sophie Bishop & Angèle Christin | The Digital Ethnography Collective
by Zoë Glatt 10 May '24

10 May '24

Hello all! Are you curious about how social media content creators navigate the challenges and opportunities of platform-dependent work? Do you want to know what goes into writing and publishing an academic monograph about influencer industries and culture? The Digital Ethnography Collective are delighted to invite you to a virtual authors roundtable at 1pm EST on Friday 10th May, where the wonderful Brooke Erin Duffy, Sophie Bishop and Angèle Christin will be in conversation about their eagerly awaited upcoming books! We’ll hear about each of these fascinating projects and discuss the many productive points of overlap between them, including how each author approached this volatile and ever-changing topic to come to their rich accounts of creator labour, cultures and industries. We’ll also peak behind the curtain into the mechanics of writing an academic monograph: starting with the proposal and contract stage, through those painful writing hurdles, right up to publication day. This will be followed by an audience Q&A. As usual, our events are designed to be interactive and generative of ideas and conversation, so we hope you'll come with questions! The event will be chaired by The Digital Ethnography Collective Co-Founder Zoë Glatt. BOOK A FREE TICKET HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authors-roundtable-behind-the-scenes-of-influe… ~~~ THE BOOKS: Influencer Creep, Sophie Bishop (under contract, University of California Press) This book uncovers influencer culture as a hypocentre of pressures to be ‘always on’, share more ‘authentically’ and to be responsive to ‘black boxed’ algorithmic whims. Through reviewing the political economy of influencer cultures, I show how influencers and intermediaries such as platforms, talent managers and brands contributed to foundational influencer practices, conventions, and experiences. Now, pressures and practices originated with influencer economies are central to the lives of creative workers such as artists and makers. Influencer creep thus helps us understand how platform power users’ dynamics have informed participation and representation within culture, as social media platforms become increasingly central to the professional and personal lives of creative workers, and beyond. Influencer creep reveals important context for contemporary cultural lives and experiences of labour, showing how platformised promotional culture has informed responses to hierarchies of (in)visibility along the lines of class, gender and race. The Visibility Bind: Platforms, Power, and Precarity in the Creator Economy, Brooke Erin Duffy (under contract, Chicago University Press) With much of the tech sector reeling from layoffs and financial strife, platform companies—from Meta and YouTube to TikTok and Twitch—are doubling down on their idealistic framing of the digital “Creator Economy.” But the image of social media as an entrepreneurial Promised Land is belied by the precarious, even perilous realities of platform-dependent labor. Drawing upon more than 80 interviews with digital content creators, influencers, and streamers, I illuminate the source of their plight: a platformed visibility bind. In a labor market where algorithms are considered key arbiters of success—and failure—creators struggle to defy the imminent threat of invisibility. But they must also reckon with the risks of hypervisibility, from burnout and cultural appropriation to trolling and targeted harassment. The conditions and consequences of this bind are amplified for marginalized creators—including women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. A necessary rejoinder to creator economy boosterism, The Visibility Bind disentangles the promises from the precarities of the new world of creative work. And while the book foregrounds the experiences of social media creators, it has lessons for anyone roused to comply with the siren song to “put yourself out there.” Follow Me: Influencers, Platforms, and the Rise of the Follower Economy, Angèle Christin (under contract, Chicago University Press) Existing research on social media platforms often emphasizes the role of algorithmic sorting and platform failure to explain the proliferation of misinformation and hate speech online. In this project, I switch the focus from distribution dynamics to the social contexts of production to understand where problematic content comes from. Drawing on interviews and observations with social media influencers and marketers, I find that social media platforms and brands create precarious structures and problematic incentives for individuals seeking to make a living from their online production. Over time, many influencers end up engaging in drama—highly publicized interpersonal conflicts—or producing extreme and inflammatory content in an attempt to cement the loyalty of online followers. I analye these dynamics as part of the rise of a follower economy that is reshaping many domains of public debate. I conclude by discussing the relevance of this framework for the study of the online public sphere more broadly. MEET THE AUTHORS: Sophie Bishop is an Associate Professor in Media and Communications at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on promotion within platformisation, and has been published in journals such as Social Media + Society, New Media & Society and the Sociological Review. Sophie was Specialist Advisor to the UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Influencer Culture and has contributed to EU Policy on the impact of influencers on advertising. Brooke Erin Duffy, Ph.D., is a social media researcher, author, and Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Cornell University. Her books include ‘(Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love: Gender, Social Media, and Aspirational Work’ (Yale University Press, 2017)—which was recognized as one of the "Top Tech Books of 2017” by Wired—and Platforms and Cultural Production, with Thomas Poell and David Nieborg (Polity, 2021). Angèle Christin is an associate professor of Communication and the faculty director of the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University. She studies how algorithms and analytics transform professional values, expertise, and work practices. Many thanks, looking forward to seeing some of you there! Zoe ________________________ Dr Zoë Glatt www.zoeglatt.com<http://www.zoeglatt.com/> Postdoctoral Researcher: Microsoft’s Social Media Collective Co-Founder: The Digital Ethnography Collective @DigECollective<https://twitter.com/DigECollective> Twitter<https://twitter.com/ZoeGlatt> | YouTube<https://www.youtube.com/user/Zedstergal> | Mastodon<https://aoir.social/@ZoeGlatt>

1 2

Representology Live Conference
by Panayiota Tsatsou 03 May '24

03 May '24

Representology Live Conference Representology Live conference invites submissions on all aspects of diversity and the media. The event is hosted by the School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC) and it takes place at Cardiff University on the 27th of June 2024. Submissions to representology(a)cardiff.ac.uk<mailto:representology@cardiff.ac.uk> The organisers especially encourage contributions addressing the theme of Media and Representation: Ideas for Changing the World. This includes, but is not limited to, papers addressing themes such as: * Promoting change in media * Media futures: tackling organisational biases * Youth and the media - creating diverse careers * Creating diversity in media leadership Confirmed keynote speakers include Sir Lenny Henry and Dr David Dunkley Gyimah (co-founder of Representology) The conference fee is £50 (£30 for students), which includes a buffet lunch and tea/coffee breaks and networking drinks at the end of the conference. Please do not submit more than one abstract as first author, with no more than two abstracts in total. The deadline for abstracts (250 words maximum) is April 12th, 2024. Abstracts should be submitted online via email Should you have any questions, please contact us at representology(a)cardiff.ac.uk<mailto:representology@cardiff.ac.uk>

1 1

WEBCAST APR 30 – RDRS – How to access WHOIS data today
by Joly MacFie 01 May '24

01 May '24

*** Since April 1 2024 - the ISOC Live community livestream service is no longer funded by the Internet Society - big thanks to our first monthly sustaining sponsor Vint Cerf for his support! *** Those paying attention will recall that the NCSG had an RDRS session back in Feb <https://isoc.live/17326/>, which also included today's speaker Sarah Wyld. It will be interesting to hear if, and how, her thoughts and practices have evolved since then. On Tuesday April 30, 2024, at 3:30pm-4:30pm CEST (13:30-14:30 UTC) eco – Association of the Internet Industry and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will host a webinar 'RDRS – How to access WHOIS data today'. The session… Read on blog <https://isoc.live/17798/> or Reader <https://public-api.wordpress.com/bar/?stat=groovemails-events&bin=wpcom_ema…> Read on blog <https://isoc.live/17798/> or Reader <https://public-api.wordpress.com/bar/?stat=groovemails-events&bin=wpcom_ema…> [image: isoc live] <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=fea21fec18cd6bb43a5383b5…>On *Tuesday April 30, 2024,* at *3:30pm-4:30pm CEST* (13:30-14:30 UTC) *eco – Association of the Internet Industry <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=398d82e8e78a4b7294c4023f…>* and the *Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=849d45219ac03ef51c88d8f7…>* (ICANN) will host a webinar '*RDRS – How to access WHOIS data today <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=777f13386ebf2ebb5a2da87d…>*'. The session will introduce requestors of WHOIS data to the recently launched *Registration Data Request Service <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=4ef4cb73d34dc778e114042c…>* (RDRS), which handles requests for access to non-public registration data related to generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), and answer any questions about the service. *SPEAKERS* *Odeline MacDonald*, Associate General Counsel, European Data Protection, CIPP/E, CIPM, ICANN *Adam Peake*, Global Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN *Sarah Wyld*, Policy & Privacy Manager, Tucows *MODERATOR* *Thomas Rickert*, Director Names & Numbers, eco – Association of the Internet Industry *LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/eco-icann79 <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=9ec7ebbd74f947305ec810e9…>* *PARTICIPATE VIA GOTOWEBINAR https://bit.ly/3TrAFkH <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=777f13386ebf2ebb5a2da87d…>* *REAL TIME TEXT* (see ISOC.LIVE) *TWITTER #rdrs <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=1988b72d1f3df9860da32a94…> @eco_EN @icann @tucows* *MASTODON #rdrs <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=20a000835f3c7c9fb8a3eeeb…>* *SIMULCAST CHANNELS* *https://twitter.com/ISOC_Live <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=9cb3967b796275c6b776168e…>* *https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=36f2448a81e6fd499ff9c0e0…>* *https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=422ecb02ee50996bdcebe5c0…>* *ARCHIVE* *https://archive.org/details/eco-icann79 <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=16b1ed1a81d12008692a8ded…>* *ADD TO CALENDAR https://calndr.link/event/t1fpvXNGBY <http://isoc.live?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=7a6bba3725de9f4669e63c37…>* -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

1 2