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2025 AoIR Portuguese Dissertation Award
by AoIR Association Coordinator 30 Jul '25

30 Jul '25

We are delighted to announce that the recipient of the 2025 Portuguese Dissertation Award is Dr. Oscar Arruda d’Alva, Federal University of Ceará, for the outstanding dissertation ‘Estatísticas oficiais e capitalismo de plataforma: a transição para um regime de dataficação no Brasil’ (Official Statistics and Platform Capitalism: The Transition to a Datafication Regime in Brazil). In his dissertation, Dr. Oscar Arruda d’Alva develops a nuanced and layered critique of how Big Tech-driven datafication is – and is not – transforming one of Latin America’s most important institutions of governmentality: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics – IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). Building on a sophisticated reading of the history and philosophy of statistics, and informed by revealing interview and ethnographic data, the thesis identifies the productive tensions that have arisen from the clash between different epistemological and ontological understandings of what data are and how they should be collected and analyzed. As Dr. d’Alva shows, the for-profit logics of North American corporations are shaping – but not simply steamrolling – state institutions in Brazil: the allure of this new data science coexists with attempts to resist its power. In so doing, this work provides original and urgent insight into the often-neglected but immensely relevant entanglement of nation-states and corporate datafication in the Global South. The committee also recognises Dr. Ana Flávia Marques da Silva, University of São Paulo, and Dr. Daniel Rios Silva, Fluminense Federal University, with Honourable Mentions. In her dissertation, 'Uma só Globo: o caso da Globoplay na plataformização da empresa brasileira de comunicação' (One Globo: The Case of Globoplay in the Platformization of the Brazilian Communications Company), Dr. Ana Flávia Marques da Silva offers a nuanced analysis of platformization in Brazil’s most influential media conglomerate: Globo. Drawing on platform studies and communication and labor scholarship, her work critically examines how the company's streaming service, Globoplay, has become central to Globo’s transformation into a “mediatech” platform company. Through a rich and methodologically inventive case study, Dr. Marques da Silva reveals how platform logics of datafication, flexible accumulation, and algorithmic personalization are reshaping labor processes and infrastructures within a legacy media institution. Rather than importing Global North platform frameworks uncritically, the dissertation traces how Globo adapts and hybridizes these logics within a national monopoly context. In his dissertation, 'Diversidade e Dependência: Netflix e o campo de produção de séries no Brasil' (Diversity and Dependence: Netflix and the Series Production Field in Brazil), Dr. Daniel Rios Silva presents a detailed and critical analysis of Netflix's impact on the television series production landscape in Brazil. Drawing on a comprehensive review of industry documents and in-depth interviews with Brazilian screenwriters, the dissertation argues that Netflix's presence introduces a complex dynamic of diversity and dependency. Dr. Rios Silva demonstrates how the streaming service has broadened the range of series formats available in the country, creating new opportunities for creators. However, he also reveals how this has fostered a dependency among local professionals, who must navigate the company's opaque internal policies and the asymmetries of power, a situation exacerbated by Brazil's recent political and economic crises. AoIR is grateful for the hard work by this year’s AoIR Portuguese Dissertation Award committee: Nanci Oddone (Chair), Rafael Grohmann, Raquel Recuero and João Magalhães. ________________________ Prêmio AoIR 2025 de Melhor Tese em Português Temos a satisfação de anunciar que o vencedor do Prêmio de Melhor Tese em Português de 2025 é o Dr. Oscar Arruda d’Alva, da Universidade Federal do Ceará, pela excelente pesquisa de Doutorado “Estatísticas oficiais e capitalismo de plataforma: a transição para um regime de dataficação no Brasil”. Em sua tese, Dr. Oscar Arruda d’Alva desenvolve uma crítica sutil e multifacetada sobre como a dataficação liderada pelas Big Techs está – e não está – transformando uma das mais importantes instituições de governamentalidade da América Latina: o IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). Apoiando-se em uma leitura sofisticada da história e da filosofia da Estatística, e fundamentado em reveladores dados de entrevistas e pesquisa etnográfica, sua pesquisa identifica as tensões produtivas que surgem do confronto entre diferentes compreensões epistemológicas e ontológicas sobre o que são os dados e como eles devem ser coletados e analisados. Como Dr. d’Alva demonstra, as lógicas lucrativas das corporações norte-americanas estão moldando — mas não simplesmente atropelando — as instituições estatais no Brasil: o fascínio pela nova ciência de dados convive com tentativas de resistir ao seu poder. Ao fazer isso, este trabalho oferece uma visão original e urgente sobre o entrelaçamento, muitas vezes negligenciado mas profundamente relevante, entre Estados nacionais e dataficação corporativa no Sul Global. O comitê reconhece ainda com Menções Honrosas as teses da Dra. Ana Flávia Marques da Silva, da Universidade de São Paulo, e do Dr. Daniel Rios Silva, da Universidade Federal Fluminense. Em sua tese, "Uma só Globo: o caso da Globoplay na plataformização da empresa brasileira de comunicação", a Dra. Ana Flávia Marques da Silva realiza uma análise sofisticada da plataformização no maior conglomerado de comunicação do Brasil: a Globo. A partir dos estudos de plataformas e da perspectiva em comunicação e trabalho, sua pesquisa examina criticamente como o serviço de streaming Globoplay se tornou peça central na transformação da Globo em uma empresa “mediatech”. Por meio de um estudo de caso rico e metodologicamente criativo, a Dra. Marques da Silva demonstra como as lógicas de plataformização, como a dataficação, a acumulação flexível e a personalização algorítmica, estão reconfigurando processos de trabalho e infraestruturas dentro de uma instituição midiática tradicional. Em vez de simplesmente importar paradigmas do Norte Global sobre plataformas, a tese acompanha como a Globo adapta e torna híbridas essas lógicas no contexto de um monopólio nacional. Em sua tese, "Diversidade e Dependência: Netflix e o campo de produção de séries no Brasil", o Dr. Daniel Rios Silva apresenta uma análise detalhada e crítica do impacto da Netflix na produção de séries de televisão no Brasil. A partir de uma revisão abrangente de documentos da indústria e entrevistas em profundidade com roteiristas brasileiros, a tese argumenta que a presença da Netflix introduz uma dinâmica complexa de diversidade e dependência. O Dr. Rios Silva demonstra como a plataforma ampliou a variedade de formatos de séries disponíveis no país, criando novas oportunidades para os criadores. No entanto, também revela como isso gerou uma dependência por parte dos profissionais locais, que precisam lidar com políticas internas opacas e assimetrias de poder, um quadro agravado pelas recentes crises políticas e econômicas do Brasil. AoIR agradece pelo trabalho árduo na comissão do Prêmio de Teses da AoIR: Nanci Oddone (Chair), Rafael Grohmann, Raquel Recuero and João Magalhães.

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Introducing the Methods Lab @ Weizenbaum Institute
by Christian Strippel 30 Jul '25

30 Jul '25

Dear all, At the end of 2022, the Weizenbaum Institute <https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/en/> in Berlin, Germany, has established a new research unit called "Methods Lab <https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/en/research/wdsc/methods-lab/>", which provides internal training and consulting on methods at the Institute. Additionally, we provide resources that researchers who are not members of the Institute can also use, and that may be of interest to you. These resources include: hybrid workshops that can be accessed for free online (see Program <https://methodslab.weizenbaum-institut.de/program/> page for past and upcoming events), an overview of external workshops mainly in Germany, but also online, called "Methods Ticker <https://methodslab.weizenbaum-institut.de/program/methods-ticker/>“, and a blog, in which we inform about our latest activities and about research projects at the WI (see here <https://methodslab.weizenbaum-institut.de/blog/>). We hope that this is of interest to some of you. Best greetings, Christian (Strippel) -- Weizenbaum Institute, Berlin (Germany) Group Lead "Weizenbaum Panel" and "MethodsLab" https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/en/portrait/p/christian-strippel/ https://panel.weizenbaum-institut.de/en/ https://methodslab.weizenbaum-institut.de/ Recent Publications: – Ethics of Data Work: Principles for Academic Data Work Requesters <https://www.weizenbaum-institut.de/media/Publikationen/Weizenbaum_Discussio…> – Weizenbaum Report 2025: Political Participation in Germany <https://doi.org/10.34669/wi.wr/6.1> – Data, archives, and tools: Introducing new publication formats on infrastructures and resources <https://doi.org/10.1007/s11616-023-00806-7> – “The Boundaries are Blurry…”: How Comment Moderators in Germany See and Respond to Hate Comments <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1461670X.2021.2017793> – From Insult to Hate Speech: Mapping Offensive Language in German User Comments on Immigration <https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/3399>

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New Publication: Algorithmic Scams - How AI and Social Media Enable Financial Fraud
by Edan Ring 30 Jul '25

30 Jul '25

New cyber threat report by the Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL) - *Algorithmic Scams: How AI and Social Media Enable Financial Fraud* In this new cyber threat report, ISOC-IL’s Internet Safety Hotline exposes and analyzes a new wave of sophisticated financial scams that exploit artificial intelligence (AI) tools and social media algorithms to deceive Israeli users en masse. The report, based on hundreds of user reports to the Internet Safety Hotline between 2023 and 2025, outlines how fraudsters deploy deepfake videos, impersonate public figures, and exploit paid advertising platforms - particularly Meta’s paid ads and publishing tools - to target vulnerable users with hyper-personalized financial fraud campaigns. Download the full report here - https://en.isoc.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Algorithmic-Scams-2025-IS… These "algorithmic scams" are not only more persuasive but also harder to detect, abusing generative AI and social media features like dynamic ads, ad cloaking, and weak to nonexistent verification processes and local social media regulation. The report shows how Israeli users are led from visually credible legitimate ads (often featuring Israeli celebrities or politicians) to fake investment or product sites, where they are manipulated into sharing personal and financial data or making direct deposits they can never recover. *The threat analysis identifies 4 main stages of the fraud campaign "marketing funnel" -* Fake Social Media Pages and Hijacked Accounts Personalized Deepfake (AI) Videos Tailored to Fit Target Audiences Fake Ads Promoting the Fraud Campaign to Target Audience on Social Media Platforms Redirection to Fraudulent External Landing Page and Collection of Personal and Financial Data *Download the full report here* - https://en.isoc.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Algorithmic-Scams-2025-IS… *For more details and other publications* - https://en.isoc.org.il/policy-papers/algorithmic-scams -- Platform Moderation Report: Drowning in the Flood <https://en.isoc.org.il/policy-community/policy-papers/oct7-social/drowning-…> - Social Media Management of Harmful and Pro-Terror Content During the Gaza War ___ * Edan Ring** | VP Community Affairs** | * *Israel Internet Association ISOC-IL* 054-6680085 | www.isoc.org.il | edan.ring(a)isoc.org.il <rani(a)isoc.org.il> | איגוד-האינטרנט.ישראל <http://xn----zhcbgfhe2aacg8fb5i.xn--4dbrk0ce/>

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CFP: International Conference on Platform and AI Society in Asia (Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)
by Jian Xu 30 Jul '25

30 Jul '25

Dear colleagues, We warmly invite abstract and panel proposal submissions from scholars working in the areas of platform studies, AI studies, and digital media studies related to Asia. Please check our CFP below. Thank you! *Call for Papers* International Conference on Platform and AI Society in Asia Dates: 24-25 November 2025 Venue: Deakin University, Burwood Campus, Melbourne, Australia Co-organised by: Deakin University, Communication University of China & the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, RMIT Supporting journals: Communication Research and Practice Global Media and China Supporting institutions: Manipal Institute of Communication, India Department of Cultural Contents, Hanyang University, South Korea Faculty of Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand Confirmed keynote speakers: Professor Anthony Fung, Dean of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Distinguished Professor Gerard Goggin, Institute of Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Over the past decade, Asia has emerged as a pivotal hub in the global landscape of digital platform development and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. The region has seen the rapid and deep entrenchment of platform society, where digital platforms have been increasingly shaping economic development, political engagement, cultural production and everyday life. At the same time, Asia has become a critical site in the rise of AI society, as AI technologies are increasingly embedded in governance systems, industries, public services, and daily life. Crucially, the growing convergence of digital platforms and AI is fundamentally reconfiguring the infrastructures, logics, and power relations of contemporary life across Asia. The convergence has given rise to new socio-technical assemblages where data flows, algorithmic decision-making, and platform architectures are intertwined to mediate and reshape culture, politics, economy and society. This conference positions Asia not simply as a regional context for empirical inquiry, but as a generative vantage point for theorising the interwoven dynamics of platforms, AI, and socio-political transformations. We invite scholars from across disciplines, including digital media and communication, science and technology studies, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, and area studies, to engage with themes including but not limited to: · Platform labor and economy · Platform capitalism and power · Platform regulation and governance · Platformisation of Asian societies · Platform cultures and user practices · Social media influencers · Comparative platform studies · AI in platforms · AI and platforms for social good · AI regulation and governance · AI and smart cities · Generative AI and creative industries · Generative AI and propaganda · AI and global communication · AI and journalistic practices · AI, misinformation and deepfakes · Algorithmic bias and discrimination · AI imaginaries · Social robotics · Critical AI studies (inequality, power, ethics, aesthetics and etc) Single Abstract Should include title, 300 words summary, and a brief bio. Panel submission (3-4 papers) Should include panel title, aim of the panel (250 words), and individual abstracts of 300 words, plus brief bios of each panel member. Publication opportunity The best papers from the conference will form special issues with Communication Research and Practice and Global Media and China. Deadline for abstract/panel submission: 15th August 2025 Email for submission: deakincuc2025(a)gmail.com<mailto:deakincuc2025@gmail.com> Notification of acceptance: 30th August 2025. For inquiries, please contact Associate Professor Jian Xu: j.xu(a)deakin.edu.au<mailto:j.xu@deakin.edu.au> Professor Dianlin Huang: dianlinhuang(a)cuc.edu.cn<mailto:dianlinhuang@cuc.edu.cn> Professor Haiqing Yu: haiqing.yu(a)rmit.edu.au<mailto:haiqing.yu@rmit.edu.au> Important Notice: The contents of this email are intended solely for the named addressee and are confidential; any unauthorised use, reproduction or storage of the contents is expressly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and any attachments immediately and advise the sender by return email or telephone. Deakin University does not warrant that this email and any attachments are error or virus free.

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Last call: Hiring: 6 TAs - EU Tech Law course - Hasso Plattner Institute (close to Berlin)
by Sandra Wachter 29 Jul '25

29 Jul '25

Are you interested in the governance of emergent tech? Do you care about the societal impacts of AI? Are you interested in platform regulation and accountable technologies? Come and work with me, Sandra Wachter <https://hpi.de/en/research/research-groups/technology-and-regulation/> (HPI/Oxford) at the Hasso Plattner Institute. I am looking for 6 Teaching Assistants for my EU Tech Law course. Here is the link https://jobs.plattnerfoundation.org/HPI/job/Potsdam-Tutoren-(mwd)-f%C3%BCr-… Apply now! Deadline: 10.08.2025 If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Sandra

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Last call: Hiring: 2 Teaching Assistants – University of Oxford
by Sandra Wachter 29 Jul '25

29 Jul '25

Hi everyone, Come & work with me, Sandra Wachter <https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/sandra-wachter/>at the University of Oxford ! I am looking for 2 Teaching Assistants for my course “Internet Technologies and Regulation”. Apply now! Deadline: *4th August 2025* *Link: * https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/vacancies/teaching-assistants/ If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Sandra

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WEBCAST 21 July – Manthan: On Proposed Amendments to the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2025
by Joly MacFie 29 Jul '25

29 Jul '25

[image: ISOC LIVE] <https://addcal.io/e/uzjddbtmnufc>*LIVESTREAM <https://youtu.be/MzHNeeYSPbQ>* | *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM <https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JPQXdbdwRDCi2xkJUCqurA>* | *ADD TO CALENDAR <https://addcal.io/e/uzjddbtmnufc>* | *PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/19531>* On *Monday 21 July, 2025*, at *3:30pm IST* (10:00 UTC) *CCAOI <http://ccaoi.in/>* hosts an online interactive stakeholder discussion ‘*On Proposed Amendments to the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2025 <https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JPQXdbdwRDCi2xkJUCqurA>* ‘. The Ministry of Communications (Department of Telecom) released on 24 June *draft Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Amendment Rules, 2025 <https://dot.gov.in/circulars/gazette-notification-draft-telecommunications-…>* (“Telecom Cyber Security Rules”). These proposed rules aim to establish a mandatory *Mobile Number Validation* (MNV) regime, which will significantly expand the compliance obligations for digital platforms that use mobile numbers to identify customers, in order to deliver services, facilitate transactions, etc. The proposed amendments primarily aim to improve cyber security and prevent cyber frauds and incidents. The aim of this discussion is to make the provisions of the proposed amendments more understandable and relatable to a wider audience and provoke thoughts about the regulatory framework India needs and encourage stakeholder(s) to make submissions. The event is supported by *Internet Society India Delhi Chapter <https://www.isocindiadelhi.in/>* (ISOC Delhi) as a community partner. *INTRODUCTION TO TOPIC* *Shradhanjali Sarma – *CCAOI *SPEAKERS* *Shahana Chatterji* – Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas *Parag Kar* – Telecom Expert *Dr. Mahesh Uppal* – Telecom Expert *John Khiangte* – Microsoft *Garima Saxena* – The Dialogue *MODERATOR / HOST* *Amrita Choudhury* – CCAOI *"Manthan" is a Sanskrit word (मंथन) meaning churning or deep contemplation/reflection. It originates from the mythological story of the Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean of Milk) in Hindu scriptures, where gods and demons churned the ocean to obtain valuable treasures and the nectar of immortality (amrit).* -** ISOC.LIVE is a free webcasting support service for the Internet Society Community - if you would like to become a monthly sponsor, or need support - contact support(a)isoc.live ** -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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CSCW Workshop: Governments as Design Contexts
by Pelle Tracey 29 Jul '25

29 Jul '25

Hello! Please consider applying to our *CSCW 2025 workshop* "*Governments as design contexts: Institutional realities of technology and design in government settings*." This will be a *fully hybrid workshop*, and submissions (fairly lightweight, ~1000 words) are *due July 31*. So if you work in and around government design settings/fieldsites, we'd love to have you participate! Your perspective can be empirical, theoretical, critical, or a combination. We'll have an *exciting keynote from Northeastern's Chris Le Dantec*, and surely many other inspiring conversations. Here's the *workshop website*: https://sites.google.com/uci.edu/gov-as-design-context/overview and here is the *submission form*: https://forms.gle/mN4jBaFExLGB2jEx8. Particularly now, when so much of the relationship between technology, design, and the functions of government is changing rapidly, we need a lively and thoughtful conversation about these issues and our roles in them. Please let me know (ptracey(a)umich.edu) if you have any questions. Thank you! Pelle Pelle Tracey he/him/his Doctoral Candidate, University of Michigan School of Information Incoming Assistant Professor, University of Washington Information School pelletracey.github.io/

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We are Hiring: Assistant Professor - Public AI and Cultural Institutions - Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
by Evan Light 29 Jul '25

29 Jul '25

Dear Colleagues, The Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto is hiring a Professor at the Assistant rank in the area of Public AI and Cultural Institutions, with an anticipated start date of July 1, 2026 (or shortly thereafter). The closing date is Sept. 10, 2025. Please distribute the job ad widely in your own personal networks. Assistant Professor - Public AI and Cultural Institutions Job Details | University of Toronto <https://jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-Assistant-Professor-Public-AI-and-Cult…> -- Evan Light Associate Professor, Policy Studies Coordinator, Critical Information Policy Studies, Masters of Information Faculty of Information / iSchool University of Toronto

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Imagining the Internet(s) - A Collaborative Glossary 🌐📘15 SEP
by Fridzema, N. 29 Jul '25

29 Jul '25

TLDR 📣 Call for Contributions: Imagining the Internet(s) - A Collaborative Glossary 📅 15 September 2025 📒 Open-access zine with Institute of Network Cultures and supported by EASST| 🔗 https://matterofimagination.neocities.org/cfp <https://matterofimagination.neocities.org/cfp> __ Hi AoIR community! I am forwarding a call for a collaborative glossary on internet imaginaries, bringing together short entries (500–1000 words) that help us study how the internet has been imagined, shaped, and narrated across time and place. Concepts used to critically describe and conceptualise these visions often remain scattered and unconnected across fields and geographies. Imaginaries or imaginaire, network ideology or technotopia, net romanticism or cyberculture―there are dozens of sharp concepts and sticky notions that help understand the role of imagination and discourse in our hugely digitised, increasingly networked history. We’re inviting researchers, writers, and critical thinkers to contribute a keyword, concept, or term. Something that captures a specific way of seeing or structuring digital life. Entries can reflect theoretical insights, local histories, metaphors, or half-forgotten frameworks that once held things together. *The focus should be on research concepts helpful to study imaginaries, and not imaginaries themselves (e.g. a pitch on the research notion of “metaphor” instead of a pitch on a “cyberspace” as a particular metaphor)*. Please submit a keyword and a ~100 word pitch. The submission should also include a preliminary bibliography and a short bio. If you have any further questions, please contact the co-editors, Anya Shchetvina (anya.shchetvina[at]posteo.net) and Nathalie Fridzema (n.fridzema[at]rug.nl). Full call: https://matterofimagination.neocities.org/cfp <https://matterofimagination.neocities.org/cfp> Enjoy the summer ☀️ -- *Nathalie Fridzema* PhD candidate in Dutch early web cultures and digital heritage Reviews Coordinator TMG Journal for Media History LinkedIn <http://linkedin.com/in/nathalie-fridzema> | Google Scholar <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bSOBiE4AAAAJ&hl=nl&oi=sra> | Staff page <https://www.rug.nl/staff/n.fridzema/> University of Groningen, Centre for Media and Journalism Studies 🦋nathaliefridz.bsky.social / 🦣NathalieFridz.aoir.social ✨matterofimagination.neocities.org

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