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Distraction and its Discontents--Essay by Geert Lovink
by Geert Lovink 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

---Distraction and its Discontents--- Ebbs and flows in social media sensibility By Geert Lovink http://networkcultures.org/geert/2018/03/27/distraction/ <http://networkcultures.org/geert/2018/03/27/distraction/> (full version) https://www.eurozine.com/distraction-and-its-discontents/ <https://www.eurozine.com/distraction-and-its-discontents/> (short version) German translation of the full version in the new edition of Lettre International Spanish translation here: https://andoenpando.wordpress.com/2018/04/01/https-andoenpando-wordpress-co… <https://andoenpando.wordpress.com/2018/04/01/https-andoenpando-wordpress-co…> Disillusion with social media only stimulates the search for ever more refined techniques of manipulation. Detoxing won’t help: it is collective action, not will power, that can free us from the permanent state of distraction. More later on the strategies of #deletefacebook. Geert

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Vacancy for an Assistant/Associate Professor in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Nottingham's China campus
by Andrew White 06 Apr '18

06 Apr '18

The University of Nottingham’s China campus has the following vacancy in the School of International Communications Assistant/Associate Professor in Media and Communication Studies Closing date: 30 April 2018 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/180085 Informal enquires may be addressed to Professor Andrew White, Head of the School of International Communications, email: andrew.white(a)nottingham.edu.cn. The School of International Communications at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China is advertising an assistant/associate professor post in Media and Communication Studies. The successful candidate will conduct research and teaching broadly in the area of media and communication studies on our BA and MA International Communications programmes. Candidates should have a specialism in one of the following disciplines: film studies; games studies; digital media; creative industries. Some knowledge of or practical experience in media production would also be useful for this role. It would be advantageous to be able to teach film-related modules. Candidates applying for the associate professor post should demonstrate an ability to attract funding for major research projects, several years of experience of teaching/tutorial work in relevant subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate level in an international English speaking institution and a track record of high quality research outputs in media and communication studies. Salary will be within the range of £35,550 – £47,722 per annum for assistant professor and £50,618 – £60,410 per annum for associate professor depending on skills and experience (salary progression beyond these scales is subject to performance). In addition, an attractive package including accommodation allowance, travel allowance and insurance will be provided for international appointments. This post is available from 1 September 2018 thereafter and will initially be offered on a fixed-term contract with the University of Nottingham Ningbo China for a period of up to five years. This contract may be extended on an indefinite basis by mutual agreement, subject to revised terms and conditions. Andrew White Professor of Creative Industries & Digital Media Head of the School of International Communications Director of the AHRC Centre for Digital Copyright and IP Research in China The School of International Communications The University of Nottingham Ningbo China http://ningbo.academia.edu/AndrewWhite

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Transacting Memory in the Digital Age
by Yasmin Ibrahim 05 Apr '18

05 Apr '18

My article below is available as Open Access; Transacting Memory in the Digital Age: Modernity, Fluidity and Immateriality http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40647-018-0222-2 Dr Yasmin Ibrahim, PhD (LSE), FRSA, SFHEA Reader in International Business and Communications (2018) Calais and its Border Politics: >From Control to Demolition, Routledge, https://www.routledge.com/Calais-and-its-Border-Politics-From-Control-to-De… (Forthcoming, 2018) Production of the ‘Self’ in the Digital Age, Palgrave Macmillan, https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319744353

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Symposium - Reframing Media: Objects, Sites, Histories
by Zach McDowell 05 Apr '18

05 Apr '18

Sorry for crossposting. In conjunction with the " <http://www.communicationplusone.org/dialogues/cfp-intersectionalities-and-m…>*Intersectionalites and Media Archaeologies" <http://www.communicationplusone.org/dialogues/cfp-intersectionalities-and-m…> *collection we are putting together at *communication +1 <http://communicationplusone.org/>, *we are holding a small symposium in Prague before ICA. *Reframing Media: Objects, Sites, Histories* May 21, 2018 2PM-530PM FAMU in Prague Smetanovo nábřeží 2, room U1 RSVP: http://bit.ly/reframingmedia Media studies has opened up new avenues of research across fields, helping to reframe the objects, sites, and histories of scholarly inquiry, providing a way to challenge accepted historical layers of social and technical arrangements. This symposium draws together critical intersections with media, applying postcolonial and feminist theories to contextualize and frame the mediated landscape, both past and present. Drawing from a variety of entangled theories and methodologies, authors engage with a variety of approaches, providing new insights for scholars from an array of backgrounds. This symposium also engages media itself through a media archaeological approach, reframing and interrogating our media so as to shed new understanding to our hyper-mediated world. Please join us for an engaging symposium. *Speakers and Talks* Reframing Media and Communication Zachary McDowell, University of Illinois at Chicago Media Archaeology from Labs to Landscapes Jussi Parikka, University of Southampton, Winchester School of Art Hello Machine – Hello Human Rachel Hanlon, Deakin University, Australia The Best Sleep of My Life Laura Forlano, Illinois Institute of Technology Filmmakers of the World, Unite! Forgotten Internationalism, Czechoslovak Film and the Third World Tereza Stejskalová, Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague *Schedule* 13:30 Arrive 14:00 Zachary McDowell, Introduction – Reframing Media 14:20 Jussi Parikka, Media Archaeology from Labs to Landscapes 15:00 Short Break 15:15 Rachel Hanlon, Hello Machine – Hello Human 15:40 Laura Forlano, The Best Sleep of My Life 16:05 Tereza Stejskalová, Filmmakers of the World, Unite! Forgotten Internationalism, Czechoslovak Film and the Third World 16:30 Discussion 17:30 Adjourn best Zach -------------------- Zachary J. McDowell, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Communication University of Illinois at Chicago @zachmcdowell Editor, communication +1 www.zachmcdowell.com

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Study Shows Connection of Mobile Devices + Mental Health Among Syrian Refugees
by Caitlin Howarth 05 Apr '18

05 Apr '18

Refugee Connectivity: A Survey of Mobile Phones, Mental Health, and Privacy at a Syrian Refugee Camp in Greece [http://hhi.harvard.edu/publications/refugee-connectivity-survey-mobile-phon…] Key Findings: Evidence of Gender Disparities in Phone Access, Social Media Use by Displaced, and High Rates of Refugee Depression Results of a study conducted amongst Syrian refugees in Greece released today provides new evidence of the critical role internet connectivity and mobile devices may play in the lives and wellbeing of this population (http://hhi.harvard.edu/publications/refugee-connectivity-survey-mobile-phon…) Findings are based on 135 surveys conducted in 2017 of adults amongst the 750 residents at Ritsona Refugee Camp in Greece. The report, Refugee Connectivity: A Survey of Mobile Phones, Mental Health, and Privacy at a Syrian Refugee Camp in Greece [http://hhi.harvard.edu/publications/refugee-connectivity-survey-mobile-phon…] , is the result of 2017 field research by Data & Society, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s (HHI) Signal Program on Human Security and Technology, and Centre for Innovation at Leiden University. Lead authors of the report are Mark Latonero, Ph.D. of Data & Society, Danielle Poole of HHI/Signal and the Harvard School of Public Health, and Jos Berens, formerly of Leiden University. Key findings of the study include the following: Women are less likely to own a mobile phone than men - 94% of men own a phone, compared to 67% of women. Mobile phone access is “important” to over 80% of refugees in this study. Approximately 2 of every 5 refugees participating in this study may be classified as moderately to severely depressed according to the validated depression scale used in the survey. Each additional day an individual used a phone in the past week was associated with a reduction in their probability of being depressed. Ninety-four percent (94%) use WhatsApp, 78% use Facebook, about 38% use Google Translate and Google Maps, and 9% use Skype. Eighty-six percent (86%) said they would not be concerned about giving their personal information to a UN official. Yet for Facebook, 30% expressed concern about giving the social media site their personal information, 52% were unconcerned, and 15% were unsure. - @caitlinhowarth [https://twitter.com/caitlinhowarth] Washington, DC

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help us by sharing your opinion on the value of web-archives as born-digital research materials: https://bit.ly/2GcKWJf
by Peter Mechant 05 Apr '18

05 Apr '18

Dear all, We are launching an online survey to grasp the requirements and needs of (potential) users of web archives. How do they, or do they want to, access, use and consult web archives? With this survey, we want to explore the value of web-archives as born-digital research materials for academics and researchers in your discipline. Given your expertise and experience in your field of work your opinion would be an excellent addition to the data we have already gathered. Hence, we invite you to share your opinion on web archiving and your requirements. You can find the survey here: https://ghentunipss.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0VtcsXxdBmgWS2x. As we want to gather as much data as possible about the requirements and challenges of working with web archival material we cordially invite you to distribute the survey link (https://ghentunipss.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0VtcsXxdBmgWS2x) further amongst your colleagues and peers (e.g. via discipline-specific mailing lists). All entries in the survey will be stored anonymously and completing the survey will only take around 8 minutes. This survey is part of the PROMISE project which is looking at how current best practices in web-archiving can be applied to the Belgian context. For more information have a look at: . https://www.kbr.be/en/promise-project . https://promise.hypotheses.org/ . http://www.ghentcdh.ugent.be/projects/promise-preserving-online-multiple-in…. For further information about the research or if you have concerns/questions about the research you would like to discuss, please contact: Eveline Vlassenroot, eveline.vlassenroot(a)ugent.be or Peter Mechant, peter.mechant(a)ugent.be, Ghent University, Belgium. Apologies for cross-posting. Regards, Peter Mechant Senior Researcher imec-mict-Ghent University

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Politicians and social media in the global south - Michigan event
by Joyojeet Pal 05 Apr '18

05 Apr '18

Folks, Here is a free event on politicians and their presence on social media in Global South settings. *** *Politicians and Social Media in the Global South* Saturday, April 14th, 2018 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM North Quad, Space 2435 (RSVP here <http://bit.ly/PolSM>; there is no fee) Please join the U-M School of Information for a one-day seminar to examine contemporary scholarship on politicians and social media in the Global South. The event will feature a keynote talk by Prof. Merlyna Lim from Carleton University, and a series of talks by scholars researching politicians in various regions including Latin America the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South East Asia, as well as, speakers/practitioners who have worked on political campaigns or large social media organizations on which such campaigns are played out. Talk sessions and panels include: *Session 1: Politicians Performing Online*, featuring research from Kenya, Nigeria, and India *Session 2: Stakeholders and Agenda Setting*, featuring research from Brazil, Tunisia, Syria, Palestine, and Bangladesh *Panel: The Mechanics of Social Media Outreach*, featuring a mix of academics and practitioners talking about approaches to social media outreach and research in various parts of the world For a full list of talks, please refer to the *event program <https://michiganictd.org/2018/03/30/workshop-politicians-and-social-media-i…>.* *This event is sponsored by: * The University of Michigan International Institute Enterprise Fund <https://www.ii.umich.edu/> The University of Michigan School of Information <https://www.si.umich.edu/> The University of Michigan Department of Communication Studies <https://lsa.umich.edu/comm> The University of Michigan Center for South Asian Studies <https://www.ii.umich.edu/csas/> The University of Michigan African Studies Center <https://www.ii.umich.edu/asc> The University of Michigan Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies <https://www.ii.umich.edu/cmenas/>

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HICSS CfP: Game Scholars and Hawaii in January!
by Nathaniel Poor 04 Apr '18

04 Apr '18

Games & Gaming (Social and Digital Media) 52nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) January 8-11, 2019, at the Grand Wailea, Maui The Games & Gaming minitrack focuses on digital gaming and its many social aspects. We are looking for work related to digital games and sociality: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods papers are welcome, ranging from interviews to big data analyses, or more broadly theoretical papers looking at digital gaming practices in general. Types of games studied may include mobile, social, free to play, AAA, MMOs, PC, console, multiplayer, and indie games. As part of the Digital and Social Media track, papers must contain a social dimension, examining, for example, sociability, social practices, communities (in-game, out-game, across multiple spaces or time), use of social affordances, or some other social dimension. DATES April 15: Submission site opens June 15: Submission deadline August 17: Decision notification September 22: Camera ready version due October 1: Registration deadline January 8-11: Conference! TOPICS Social affordances of games Network analysis of groups and communities in games Social practice (in-game, out-game, both) Player communities Fans and fan communities Community management Toxicity online Multiplayer games Cooperative and competitive play eSports Fantasy sports leagues Multigenerational play Intercultural play Streaming gameplay (e.g., Twitch) Game curation via sites like Steam URLS HICSS: http://hicss.hawaii.edu/ Author Instructions: http://hicss.hawaii.edu/tracks-and-minitracks/authors/ Digital and Social Media: http://hicss.hawaii.edu/tracks-52/digital-and-social-media/ CHAIRS Nathaniel Poor (Primary Contact Co-Chair) Underwood Institute natpoor(a)gmail.com Mia Consalvo Concordia University mia.consalvo(a)concordia.ca Kelly Bergstrom University of Hawai’i at Mānoa kelly.bergstrom(a)hawaii.edu ------------------------------- Nathaniel Poor, Ph.D. http://github.com/natpoor http://natpoor.blogspot.com/ http://sites.google.com/site/natpoor/ http://www.underwood-institute.org/

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#USSstrike: UK colleagues, please read before you vote
by dan mcquillan 04 Apr '18

04 Apr '18

**for the attention of UK colleagues on this list** [1] an appeal to UK colleagues to read one or more of these briefings before casting your vote in the UCU ballot: - The USS dispute and the dynamics of industrial action https://medium.com/ussbriefs/the-uss-dispute-and-the-dynamics-of-industrial… - UCU’s Rush to E-Ballot Reflects the Weakness of Union Democracy https://medium.com/@drleejones/ucus-rush-to-e-ballot-reflects-the-weakness-… for your information, i voted 'No!' thank you dan mcquillan [1] - pragmatic reason for sending this: UK colleagues are on holiday, many are not contactable via work or union email lists but still follow thier research topics (naturally) - other rationale: the current industrial action in UK higher education is also a dynamic example of the interplay of the internet and social forces, of potential interest to many here: see #USSstrike, #NoCapitulation, #NoDetriment for more

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CFP ASA 2018 (Oxford): Playful Bodies, Bodies at Play
by John McManus 04 Apr '18

04 Apr '18

* Apologies for cross-posting * Dear all, We are pleased to invite paper submissions to the panel 'Playful Bodies, Bodies at Play' at the Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth (ASA) Conference (18-21 Sept 2018, Oxford) https://nomadit.co.uk/asa/asa2018/conferencesuite.php/panels/6858 Convenors: John McManus (British Institute at Ankara), Shireen Walton (University College London) Discussant: Allen Abramson (University College London) Short abstract This panel attempts a rethink of the theoretical and methodological potential of bodies by considering their role in the realm of leisure. Topics up for consideration include (but are not limited to): rest, play, gaming, relaxation, wellness, inequality, the environment and the (im)materialities of leisure. Long abstract Anthropology likes bodies. In recent years, concepts such as Flexible Bodies (Martin), the Body Multiple (Mol) and the Posthuman Body (Cerqui) have come to the fore, challenging divisions of the social, material, biological and digital. But attention has been disproportionately congregated at the 'serious' end of the spectrum. What about the playful body? The body at rest? The lazy body? Without pursuing these questions, scholarship on the provocations of the 'embodiment turn' risks being limited to issues such as health or ageing. This panel attempts a rethink by exploring bodies in the realm of leisure. Where does 'work' end and 'play' begin? Can more be made of the tension between leisure as rest and leisure as physical exertion? We welcome any engagement with the ideas of bodies in relation to leisure, play or relaxation. This could include rethinking bodies in relation to extant anthropological debates - on games as 'serious' (Ortner), play as 'deep' (Geertz) - but could also involve pursuing the topic into fresher fields, such as questions of inequality, the environment and other (im)materialities of leisure. How might bodies also take centre stage in ethnographic enquiry? What methodological opportunities are afforded by learning to think with bodies, not just as a site but as a method of research? There is an untapped theoretical and methodological power in questions of playful dispositions, moments, and movements. An exploration of bodily leisure offers the chance to renew and recreate anthropological thought and practice more broadly. **CFP closes 20 April, 23.59 GMT** Submissions should be made through the ASA/NomadIT system via the panel link above. Further conference information and submission requirements are available at https://www.theasa.org/conferences/asa18/index.shtml If you have any questions you may contact the convenors via the panel page, or email jmcmanus(a)biaatr.org John McManus & Shireen Walton

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