August 2025 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Call for book chapters: visual AI politics/ politics of visual AI
by Adi Kuntsman 04 Aug '25

04 Aug '25

Editors: Jessica Elias and Adi Kuntsman, for considerationwith Bristol University Press This edited volume is a first important step in creating aspace for theoretical and empirical considerations of visual AI politics andthe politics of visual AI. The volume builds on the Digital Politics summerschool which took place in June 2025 and extends the call to established andearly career scholars, artists and media professionals. We invite contributionsby academics from media and communication studies, journalism, human rights,politics, sociology and anthropology, cyberfeminism, Black cyberculturestudies, visual criminology, art, and computational science. Wewill also consider alternative formats such as reports and poetic essays. To beconsidered, please send a 500 word detailed abstract of your chapter and a veryshort bio of up to 100 words by 1st of September 2025 to digitalpoliticsmanmet(a)gmail.com. Ful details of the call, including topics of interest,and publication timeline, are here: https://digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk/2025/08/04/call-for-book-chapters-visual-a… -------- DrAdi Kuntsman,Reader in Digital Politics Head of Ethics, Faculty of Arts andHumanities Co-Lead, Digital Society Research Group Director, Digital Politics Summer School Department of History, Politics and Philosophy Manchester Metropolitan University

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The New Digital Divide - Shane Greenstein
by Joly MacFie 03 Aug '25

03 Aug '25

https://pulse.internetsociety.org/blog/the-new-digital-divide The New Digital Divide [image: Picture of Shane Greenstein] Shane Greenstein <https://pulse.internetsociety.org/blog?author=127> Guest Author | Harvard Business School <https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpulse.int…> July 15, 2025 In short - A new study offers an unprecedentedly granular look at digital usage in the United States, including how people browse the Internet, use social media, create documents, and code software. - Areas with higher household incomes and greater educational attainment consistently showed higher digital engagement. - These findings challenge the assumption that digital divides disappear once basic broadband infrastructure is widely available. The digital divide is typically understood as the gap between those with access to Internet infrastructure and those without. My colleague’s recent research, though, reveals that the real story goes deeper, highlighting stark differences in how digital technologies are used. This ‘new digital divide’ has significant consequences for social equality, as it exacerbates existing disparities and creates new ones. It also alters economic opportunities, as those with limited digital skills may be left behind in the job market. Furthermore, it affects civic participation, as those who are less digitally literate may struggle to engage in online civic activities. A Substantial Divide Exists Between Urban and Rural Communities Our research (see paper <https://ssrn.com/abstract=4957386>), conducted in partnership between the Microsoft AI for Good Lab, Harvard Business School, and the Wharton School, offers an unprecedentedly granular look at digital usage in the United States. We used anonymized telemetry data from 40 million (non-business) Windows devices in homes, collected during software updates. These data extend far beyond traditional metrics, such as Internet connectivity or computer ownership, delving into how people interact with technology. This includes activities such as browsing the Internet, using social media, creating documents, and coding software. What emerged from our analysis is that a substantial divide exists between urban and rural communities, not just in infrastructure, but also in our measures of usage and proxies for digital literacy—how effectively and creatively individuals use technology. To capture these differences, we developed two distinct indices: - The Media and Information Composite Index (MCI) measures general computing and media usage, including activities such as browsing, word processing, and emailing. - The Content Creation and Computation Composite Index (CCI) measures specialized activities, including software development and graphic design. Figure 1 demonstrates these geographical disparities, with urban areas generally showing higher levels of usage than rural regions. However, even within major metropolitan areas, such as Chicago (shown in the right panel), substantial variations persist across different ZIP codes, emphasizing that the digital divide is far more severe than infrastructure differences might suggest (broadband availability is much more homogeneous in comparison). <https://pulse-dev-wp.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/maps_in…>Figure 1 — Spatial distribution of media and information composite index, content creation and computation composite index, and broadband availability. (A) Media and information composite index across US countries (left) and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ZIP codes (right). (B) Content creation and computation index across US countries (left) and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-NL ZIP codes (right). (C) Broadband availability across US counties (left) and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ZIP codes (right).What Factors Drive These Divides? These findings challenge the assumption that digital divides disappear once basic broadband infrastructure is widely available. Some areas with good Internet infrastructure still experience surprisingly low digital usage. Conversely, regions with robust digital skills can leverage technology for economic and social advancement despite infrastructural limitations. In our analysis, income and education levels emerged as critical influences. Areas with higher household incomes and greater educational attainment consistently showed higher digital engagement on both indices. This suggests that digital usage is closely tied to socioeconomic status, reinforcing existing inequalities. This approach means moving beyond the traditional policy focus on hardware and connectivity. Policymakers, educators, and community organizations must invest in digital literacy programs that cater to the diverse needs of communities. Furthermore, continuous measurement is critical to ensure that initiatives effectively address real-world needs and reassure the audience about their adaptability to changing technological landscapes. This includes continuously monitoring digital usage trends. By making our detailed indices publicly available <https://github.com/microsoft/Consumption-of-Digital-Applications-Data-Set>, we invite further research and policy formulation. The Digital Divide is Evolving Bridging this new divide requires understanding not just who has Internet access, but how they use it. Our findings (read paper <https://ssrn.com/abstract=4957386>) underscore the need for localized strategies that prioritize education, training, and ongoing support to harness technology’s potential for positive change. Contributors: Mayana Pereira, Raffaella Sadun, Tambe Prasanna, Lucia Ronchi Darre, Tammy Glazer, Allen Kim, Rahul Dodhia, and Juan Lavista-Ferres. *Shane Greenstein <https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-greenstein-30891b6/> is a Martin Marshall Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School*. The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Internet Society. -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Expression of interest/Contribution to a thematic issue proposal on "Quantum Ecology" for Big Data & Society
by Stefano Calzati 02 Aug '25

02 Aug '25

Hi, please find below the advertisement for a call for interest/contribution to a (yet to be submitted) thematic issue proposal for the journal Big Data & Society, Proposal Thematic Issue for the journal Big Data & Society Guest Editors Stefano Calzati, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Brussels; email: stefanocalzati(a)hotmail.com Robert Braun, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna; email: braun(a)ihs.ac.at Untangling the Quantum Ecology: Charting the Impact of Quantum Theory and Quantum Technologies on Technoscience and the Digital Transformation At the intersection of Critical Data Studies (CDS), Science and Technology Studies (STS) and societal-oriented readings of quantum theory, this guest issue aims to unpack the tensions of the emergent “quantum ecology” (Calzati & de Kerckhove 2024), intended as both an onto-epistemological framework leveraging key principles and phenomena of quantum physics – e.g., nonlocality, uncertainty, entanglement, discreteness – to make sense of today’s technoscientific condition, as well as a technological paradigm on its own right – pivoting around quantum technologies (QTs)1 – which intersects, builds on, and disrupts the digital transformation, including AI. Over the last decade, CDS has significantly exposed data’s imbrications with power relations, social (in)justice, and value-laden biases (e.g., Dencik et al. 2016; Eubanks 2018; Hepp et al. 2022; Medrado & Verdegem 2024). At the basis of CDS is the acknowledgement that data, intended as complex “assemblages” (Kitchin & Lauriault 2014), are not neutral or raw but embed, (re)produce, and extend various sociotechnical framings posited on the binary formatting – a proper techno-rationalization – of social and physical reality. One of the core concerns of STS is to reflect on how specific methods – broadly understood as collective practices of worldmaking – enact representations and/of realities, that is, how technoscience actualises realities that both (re)produce its routinized endeavours (Law 2008) and inevitably cling on the mapping of ever new spaces, temporalities and matterings. In doing so, STS questions the fabric of science and technology as two sides partaking (and contributing to) an always-in-the-making ontopolitical reality (Oksala 2010). This is also reflected in the dictum by quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg, according to which “we have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning” (Heisenberg 1958). In this respect, societal-oriented readings of quantum theory (Barad 2007; Wallace 2010; Wendt 2015; Carroll 2019) have gone a long way in challenging the Cartesian rationalism and Newtonian determinism on which our imaginary and enactment of the social and physical world are traditionally based – including the techno-rationalization at the basis of the digital transformation. In fact, the digital transformation might be said to be a captive enactment of the Newtonian determinism and Cartesian rationalism, with data assumed as geometrical atoms bearing and logically building information. Already today, the field of quantum social sciences host contributions reworking the “classical” assumptions (in the sense of classical physics) underpinning various disciplines, such as international relations (Fierke and Mackay 2020), economics (Orrell 2018), decision theory (Busemeyer & Bruza 2012) and responsible research and innovation (Braun 2024). However, currently no work has been done in connection with CDS and STS. Hence, on the one hand, through quantum theory a space opens for a critical reframing of technoscientific practices and the sociotechnical effects of the digital transformation which challenges rationalism, binarism, determinism, and networkedness (among others). In this respect, the contributions to this issue are encouraged to explore these practices and effects from/through the onto-epistemological teachings of quantum theory, advancing alternative ways to think, represent, and enact physical, social, scientific, and digital worldmakings, their spaces and temporalities, as well as individual and collective governmentalities. For instance: How can issues of digital self-determination and sovereignty be rearticulated via a quantum onto-politics? In which ways might discourses and initiatives of (physical and digital) sustainability be restructured around social quantum theory? To what extent could the onto-epistemology at the basis of quantum theory ground an alternative to (data) scientism? How can human and technological agencies be rethought through the quantum ecology? How could we reimagine the digital transformation (i.e., its rationalism and determinism) through a relational quantum ontopolitics? How might a genealogy of the “datum” beyond its natural givenness be critically sustained by/though quantum theory? On the other hand, a favoured object of enquiry become QTs. Indeed, by embedding the engineering of quantum phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement – which are fundamentally probabilistic – into their workings, QTs have the potential to reconfigure the scope of the possible., i.e. what is scientifically and technologically graspable and how to process it (i.e. physical, social, and digital phenomena). While work investigating the ethical, legal, policy and social implications (ELPSI) of QTs already exists (de Jong 2022; Kop 2023), as well as studies that call for responsible research and innovation in relation to QTs (Coenen & Grunwald 2017), here contributions are encouraged to explore the impact of QTs in various fields, with particular regard to QTs’ innervation with and disruption of the digital transformation. For instance: What are the (political and ethical) implications of mapping the physical and the social world through quantum sensing devices that introduce ever new in/visibilities? How can new forms of metrology sustain new forms of design of physical, social, and digital spaces and temporalities? How can quantum computation converge with AI and generate a mutual reinforcement, for better or worse? How is the sharing of data and its security be impacted by/through quantum communication? To what extent and with which effects can quantum simulation enact alternative worldmakings to the nD digital modellings, posited on rationalistic and deterministic accumulation of data? What might quantum computation tell us about the potentialities and limits of generative AI? Please submit your expression of interest by 15 August and submit abstracts (300 words) and short bios by 1 September to: Stefano Calzati (stefanocalzati(a)hotmail.com) and Robert Braun (braun(a)ihs.ac.at) The decision from the journal about the thematic proposal will be in October 2025. All best Dr Stefano Calzati

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Fwd: Call for Participants: “Walking through the Platform” Winter School (Naples, Nov 26–28)
by Adam Arvidsson 02 Aug '25

02 Aug '25

Dear all, >> We’re happy to announce the call for participation for the upcoming Winter School“Walking through the Platform: A Winter School on Method, Imagination, and Praxis”, which will take place in Naples, Italy, from November 26th to 28th, 2025. >> Organized by the early scholars Game of Tech collective, and held in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II and the Department of Social Sciences, the Winter School invites early-career researchers and doctoral students to reflect critically and creatively on digital platforms as technopolitical environments. >> We aim to move beyond traditional binaries, such as natural/artificial, human/machine, compliance/resistance, and to explore platforms as ambivalent and affective terrains. This space of inquiry will combine methodological exploration, collective discussion, and artistic experimentation. >> The three-day program will include keynote lectures, workshops, and collaborative sessions designed to foster an open, experimental, and situated research environment. >> We invite PhD students, early-career researchers, artists, and independent scholars who are curious to explore: >> ▪ New ways of studying platform logics from the inside out >> ▪ Tactics of self-visibility and algorithmic resistance >> ▪ Critical and experimental applications of the walkthrough method >> ▪ Situated and post-disciplinary approaches to digital inquiry >> ▪ Artistic, speculative, and collaborative methodologies >> >> The school will combine: >> >> ▪ Morning seminars with scholars and artists >> ▪ Afternoon workshops and platform walkthroughs >> ▪ Collective moments of methodological reflection >> ▪ Performative and artistic re-enactments >> ▪ Informal dialogues and co-theorization >> You can find the full call and application details on our website: www.gameoftech.eu <https://www.gameoftech.eu/> >> Deadline for applications: September 15th >> Please feel free to circulate the call among colleagues and relevant networks. >> We look forward to welcoming you to Naples! >> Warm regards, >> Brigida Orria >> (on behalf of the Game of Tech collective) >> >> >> > > Brigida Orria > Post-doc research fellow University of Naples Federico II > PhD Economic sociology >

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Invitation | NetLab UFRJ Book Launch – August 5th at Rio de Janeiro
by Lu Belin 01 Aug '25

01 Aug '25

Good morning, We are pleased to invite you to the launch event of the book *“*Atingidos pelas Redes Sociais: os impactos da indústria da desinformação nos consumidores brasileiros" (“Affected by Social Networks: the impacts of the disinformation industry on Brazilian consumers”), published by NetLab UFRJ in partnership with Sulina Publishing. The event will take place in person, *next Tuesday, August 5th, starting at 2:30 PM, at the auditorium of the Museu do Amanhã, in Rio de Janeiro*. The program will feature a panel discussion with Prof. Rose Marie Santini (Director of NetLab UFRJ), Marcio Borges (Researcher at NetLab UFRJ, Executive Vice President and General Manager of WMcCann RJ), and Nicolo Zingales (Professor at CTS-FGV). Additionally, there will be video contributions from actress Paolla Oliveira and Dr. Drauzio Varella, with moderation by journalist Guilherme Ravache (Valor Econômico). Printed copies of the book will be distributed during the event (subject to availability), and the publication is also available for free download at this link <https://netlab.eco.ufrj.br/post/atingidos-pelas-redes-sociais-os-impactos-d…> . We sincerely thank everyone who will be in Rio and can join us for this special occasion. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. Thank you -- *Luciane Leopoldo Belin* *Associate Researcher* ________________________________________________________ www.netlab.eco.ufrj.br

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Call for Participants: “Walking through the Platform” Winter School (Naples, Nov 26–28)
by Camilla Volpe 01 Aug '25

01 Aug '25

Dear all, We’re happy to announce the call for participation for the upcoming Winter School “Walking through the Platform: A Winter School on Method, Imagination, and Praxis”, which will take place in Naples, Italy, from November 26th to 28th, 2025. Organized by the early scholars Game of Tech collective, and held in collaboration with the University of Naples Federico II and the Department of Social Sciences, the Winter School invites early-career researchers and doctoral students to reflect critically and creatively on digital platforms as technopolitical environments. We aim to move beyond traditional binaries, such as natural/artificial, human/machine, compliance/resistance, and to explore platforms as ambivalent and affective terrains. This space of inquiry will combine methodological exploration, collective discussion, and artistic experimentation. The three-day program will include keynote lectures, workshops, and collaborative sessions designed to foster an open, experimental, and situated research environment. We invite PhD students, early-career researchers, artists, and independent scholars who are curious to explore: ▪ New ways of studying platform logics from the inside out ▪ Tactics of self-visibility and algorithmic resistance ▪ Critical and experimental applications of the walkthrough method ▪ Situated and post-disciplinary approaches to digital inquiry ▪ Artistic, speculative, and collaborative methodologies The school will combine: ▪ Morning seminars with scholars and artists ▪ Afternoon workshops and platform walkthroughs ▪ Collective moments of methodological reflection ▪ Performative and artistic re-enactments ▪ Informal dialogues and co-theorization You can find the full call and application details on our website: www.gameoftech.eu<https://www.gameoftech.eu/> Deadline for applications: September 15th Please feel free to circulate the call among colleagues and relevant networks. We look forward to welcoming you to Naples! Warm regards, Camilla Volpe (on behalf of the Game of Tech collective) Camilla Volpe Postdoctoral Researcher University of Milan Department of Social and Political Sciences Via Conservatorio 7, 20122 Milan, Italy Thinking about platforms, AI, and power – with Game of Tech<https://www.gameoftech.eu/> collective *** Il tuo 5x1000 al diritto allo studio Università degli Studi di Milano CF 80012650158

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CfA 2 Research Associate Positions at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS)
by Esther Laufer 01 Aug '25

01 Aug '25

1 CAIS is looking for a research associate, 75% PreDoc TV-L 13 or postdoctoral researcher 100% TV-L 14, for the next two years for the interdisciplinary cooperation project “SocEnRep - Automation of Reproducibility in Economics and Social Sciences https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/551687338?context=projekt&task=showDet… which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). An extension for another year in cooperation with GESIS is possible. Please apply here https://stellenangebote.cais-research.de/de?id=08fd14 by August 21, 2025, with a cover letter, your CV, and your (work) references. 2 Furthermore, we are looking for a research assistant for the Research Data & Methods https://www.cais-research.de/en/research/rdm-research-data-methods/ team with a 75% TV-L E13 contract. The team conducts interdisciplinary research on and with new types of data (especially digital trace data). With its expertise, it supports the other teams in all phases of the research cycle. The contract is initially limited to one year with the option of extension for a further three years. The basis for the fixed-term contract is the German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz). Please apply here https://stellenangebote.cais-research.de/de?id=f50b76 by August 21, 2025, with a cover letter, your CV, and your (work) references.

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SEASON 2025: Registration Now Open (Hamburg, 24-25 Sept) - Early Bird until 1 August
by Rosie Graham 01 Aug '25

01 Aug '25

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the inaugural SEASON conference (Search Engines and Society Network), taking place 24-25 September 2025 at HAW Hamburg. SEASON is a new international forum for researchers, practitioners, and activists critically engaging with the roles of search engines and algorithmic technologies in society. It aims to build community across disciplines and create space for shared reflection on search as both infrastructure and cultural force. The two-day program features: * 2 Keynotes * 20 Long Presentations * 10 Short Presentations * 17 Posters * 2 Interactive Sessions Topics include: • Search engine bias and algorithmic visibility • Generative AI in search • Information disorders and disinformation • Regulation, policy, and platformisation • Everyday search practices and infrastructures • Critical and creative approaches to search • …and much more. Early bird registration (until 1 August): * Regular: €100 * Student: €30 (From 2 August: €150 / €50) Register for SEASON 2025 here: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=season2025 More about SEASON: https://searchenginesandsociety.net<https://searchenginesandsociety.net/> We warmly invite you to join us in Hamburg and be part of the growing SEASON community. With best regards, The SEASON 2025 Organizing Team

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