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Call for Participation – Digital Methods Summer School 2017
by Fernando van der Vlist 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

Dear all, The Digital Methods Initiative (DMI) will host its 11th annual Digital Methods Summer School from 26 June – 7 July 2017 at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Below please find the call for participation. This year's theme is 'Get the Picture. Digital Methods for Visual Research'. The deadline for applications is 5 May 2017. More information is available from: http://bit.ly/dmi17_ss_call. Best regards, Fernando van der Vlist -- F. N. van der Vlist, BDes MA *Doctoral Researcher* *Research Associate, Media of Cooperation* *Research Associate, Digital Methods Initiative* *Lecturer, New Media and Digital Culture* University of Siegen, DFG Collab. Res. Centre 1187 University of Amsterdam, Dept. of Media Studies F.N.vanderVlist(a)uva.nl; @fvandervlist <https://twitter.com/fvandervlist> uva.nl/profile/f.n.vandervlist <http://www.uva.nl/profile/f.n.vandervlist> fernandovandervlist.nl <https://www.fernandovandervlist.nl/> -- # CALL FOR PARTICIPATION # DIGITAL METHODS SUMMER SCHOOL 2017 # 27 JUNE - 7 JULY 2017 # UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM # GET THE PICTURE # DIGITAL METHODS FOR VISUAL RESEARCH Gillian Rose employs the term visual methodologies for "researching with visual materials" (2016). Iconography, semiotics, framing analysis and multimodal analysis are among the approaches that may be applied to digital materials. One may also ask, does the online make a difference to the study of the visual? That is, with which approaches is the image considered primarily, or secondarily, as a digital object embedded in online media? Apart from the change in the setting of the object, there may also be methods that emerge from the new media, engines and platforms. What kinds of so-called ?natively? digital methods can be repurposed productively for visual analysis? How to make use of the Google?s reverse image search? Gillian Rose employs the term visual methodologies for "researching with visual materials" (2016). Iconography, semiotics, framing analysis and multimodal analysis are among the approaches that may be applied to digital materials. One may also ask, does the online make a difference to the study of the visual? That is, with which approaches is the image considered primarily, or secondarily, as a digital object embedded in online media? Apart from the change in the setting of the object, there may also be methods that emerge from the new media, engines and platforms. What kinds of so-called 'natively' digital methods can be repurposed productively for visual analysis? How to make use of the Google's reverse image search? More broadly, with the increasing focus on selfies and memes but also on Instagram stories, animated gifs, filters, stickers and emoticons, social media and digital communications are pushing for a visual turn in the study of digital culture. Such a push invites visual analysis into the realm of digital studies, too. One may begin to open the discussion of interplay by examining the new outputs such as journalists' data visualisations as well as policy-makers' dashboards like the open data city platforms. One may similarly compare visual literacies. Are there new ways of interpreting images through data, both substantively (which are the related materials?) and temporally (how do they develop over time? do they resonate? are they memes?). In digital methods, the image is not only a research object but also a research device. Making images "that can be seen and manipulated" (Venturini, Jacomy & Pereira 2015) enables scholars to access and actively explore datasets. How to make them and read them? At the same time, the technical properties of digital images both in terms of their color, resolution, and timestamp, as well as their 'networkedness', traceability and resonance, become available for research, allowing one to think with images (as visual guides and narratives) as well as through them (as data objects). Novel visual methodologies then emerge. There is the 'active' data visualisation, which includes research protocol diagrams, data dashboards, visual network analysis, and issue mapping. Protocol diagrams (Figure 1) guide analysts, programmers and designers through their collaborative research project. Data dashboards offer a visual aid for data metrics and analytics, in side-by-side graphs and tables; or become critical tools (as in the People's Dashboard). Visual network analysis offers a way into data that can be engaged with and requires an active research attitude (Venturini, Jacomy & Pereira 2015). Issue mapping renders legible the actors and substance of a (possibly controversial) issue (Rogers, Sánchez-Querubín & Kil 2015). In a second group of approaches, the image is treated as a digitised or natively digital object of study. This includes visual and cultural analytics, which provide distant visual reading techniques to explore and plot visual objects such as selfies and websites based on their formal properties (Manovich 2014; Ben-David, Amram & Bekkerman 2016). Networked visual content analysis, in which images may be queried 'in reverse' to study their circulation, can be used to critically assess questions of representation and cultural standing (Figure 2). Another group of approaches repurpose visual formats, where more playful explorations appropriate (and tweak) the templates and visual aesthetics of the web, creating research GIFs and critical social media profiles (Figure 3). In this 10th Digital Methods Summer School we will explore and expand such digital methods for visual research, and critically inquire into their proposed epistemologies. We look forward to welcoming you to Amsterdam in the Summertime! -- ## SUMMER SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY The Digital Methods Summer School is exploratory and experimental. It is not a setting for 'just' tool training or for principally tool-driven research. Substantive research projects are conceived and carried out. Participants are encouraged to 'span time with their issue' and the materials. In other words, we heed Alexander Galloway's admonition about data and tool-driven work: "Those who were formerly scholars or experts in a certain area are now recast as mere tool users beholden to the affordances of the tool - while students spend ever more time mastering menus and buttons, becoming literate in a digital device rather than a literary corpus" (Galloway 2014: 127). We encourage device and corpus literacy! The device training we ask you to do prior to the Summer School through online tutorials, and at the Summer School itself, in a kind of flipped learning environment (if you'll excuse the overused phrase), we would like to believe that you have familiarised yourself already with the tools and completed the tutorials available online. During the Summer School we will discuss and tinker with the nitty-gritty, aim to invent new methods, techniques and heuristics and create the first iterations of compelling work to be shared. ## ABOUT DIGITAL METHODS AS A CONCEPT Digital methods is a term coined as a counterpoint to virtual methods, which typically digitize existing methods and port them onto the Web. Digital methods, contrariwise, seek to learn from the methods built into the dominant devices online, and repurpose them for social and cultural research. That is, the challenge is to study both the info-web as well as the social web with the tools that organize them. There is a general protocol to digital methods. At the outset stock is taken of the natively digital objects that are available (links, tags, threads, etc.) and how devices such as search engines make use of them. Can the device techniques be repurposed, for example by remixing the digital objects they take as inputs? Once findings are made with online data, where to ground them? Is the baseline still the offline, or are findings to be grounded in more online data? Taking up these questions more theoretically (but also practically) there is also a Digital Methods book (MIT Press, 2013) as well as a complementary Issue Mapping book (Amsterdam University Press, 2015), and other digital methods publications. ## ABOUT THE DIGITAL METHODS SUMMER SCHOOL The Digital Methods Summer School, founded ten years ago, in 2007, together with the Digital Methods Initiative, is directed by Prof. Richard Rogers, Chair in New Media & Digital Culture and Department Chair at Media Studies, University of Amsterdam. The Summer School is one training opportunity provided by the Digital Methods Initiative (DMI). DMI also has a Winter School, which includes a mini-conference, where papers are presented and responded to. Winter School papers are often the result of Summer School projects. The Summer School is coordinated by PhD candidates in New Media at the University of Amsterdam, or affiliates. This year the coordinators are Sabine Niederer, Natalia Sánchez-Quérubin and Fernando van der Vlist. The Summer School has a technical staff as well as a design staff, drawn from the ranks of Density Design in Milan. The Summer School also relies on a technical infrastructure of some nine servers hosting tools and storing data, which recently (and intrepidly) moved to the cloud. In a culture of experimentation and skill-sharing, participants bring their laptops, learn method, undertake research projects, make reports, tools and graphics and write them up on the Digital Methods wiki. The Summer School concludes with final presentations. Often there are subject matter experts from non-governmental or other organizations who present their analytical needs and issues at the outset and the projects seek to meet those needs, however indirectly. For instance, Women on Waves came along during the 2010, Fair Phone to the 2012 Summer School and Greenpeace International and their Gezi Park project in 2013 as well as the COP21 Lima project in 2015. We have worked on the issue of rewilding eco-spaces with NGOs in the 2014 Summer School. More recently we have sought to repopulate city dashboards (Summer School 2015 and Winter School 2017). * Previous Digital Methods Summer Schools, 2007-2016, https://wiki. digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DmiSummerSchool. * Previous Digital Methods Winter Schools, 2009-2017, https://wiki. digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool. * What's it like? Digital Methods Summer School flickr stream 2012 and flickr stream 2013. There is also a 2015 flickr collection. * Most recently we have created Summer and Winter school shorts (thanks to Lisa Maier): Promo video about the Digital Methods Summer School (2014); Summer School in 2015. (tip!) and Winter School 2016 video. * 2016 keynote lecture by Prof. Richard Rogers on Critical Analytics ## ABOUT THE DIGITAL METHODS INITIATIVE The Digital Methods Summer School is part of the Digital Methods Initiative (DMI), Amsterdam, dedicated to developing methods for Internet-related research. DMI was founded a decade ago with a grant from the Mondriaan Foundation, and the Summer School has been supported by the Center for Creation, Content and Technology (CCCT), University of Amsterdam, organized by the Faculty of Science with sponsorship from Platform Betatechniek. It also has received support from the Citizen Data Lab, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences as well as "Media of Cooperation," University of Siegen. The 2017 Summer School will be held in collaboration with the Netherlands Research school for Media Studies (RMeS). ## APPLICATIONS & KEY DATES To apply for the Digital Methods Summer School 2017, please use the University of Amsterdam Summer School form. Or, please send a one-page letter explaining how digital methods training would benefit your current work, and also enclose a CV (with full postal address), a copy of your passport (details page only), a headshot photo as well as a 100-word bio (to be included in the Summer School welcome package). Mark your application "DMI Training Certificate Program," and send to summerschool [at] digitalmethods.net. * The deadline for applications for the Summer School is 5 May 2017. * Notifications will be sent on 8 May. Accepted participants will receive a welcome package, which includes a reader, a schedule, and a face book of all participants. * The cost of the Summer School is eur 895 and is open to PhD candidates and motivated scholars as well as to research master's students and advanced master's students. Data journalists, artists, and research professionals are also welcome to apply. Accepted applicants will be informed of the bank transfer details upon notice of acceptance to the Summer School on 8 May. * The fee must be paid by 16 June. * University of Amsterdam students are exempt from tuition and should state on the application form (under tuition fee remarks) that they wish to apply for a fee waiver. Please also provide your student number. * RMeS members participate in the first two days of the Summer School. To participate in the full Summer School the regular fee applies. Any questions may be addressed to the Summer School coordinators Sabine Niederer, Natalia Sánchez-Querubín, and Fernando van der Vlist: summerschool [at] digitalmethods.net. Informal queries may be sent to this email address as well. ## SCHOLARSHIPS The Digital Methods Summer School is part of the University of Amsterdam Summer School programme, which has a video giving a flavor of the Summer School experience. Students from universities (outside of the Netherlands) in the LERU and U21 networks are eligible for a scholarship to help cover the cost of tuition for the DMI Summer School. Please state LERU or U21 university affiliation under tuition remarks when applying to the Summer School. Dutch universities are not eligible. ## ACCOMMODATIONS & CATERING The Summer School is self-catered, and there are abundant cafes and a university mensa nearby. For a map we made of nearby lunch (and coffee) places, see bit.ly/dmi17_ss_lunch. Apply as early as possible to the reasonably priced Student Hotel. For those who prefer other accommodations, we suggest Airbnb or similar. For shorter stay, there is Hotel Le Coin, where you may request a university discount. ## SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION & COMPLETION CERTIFICATES To successfully complete the Summer School and receive a completion certificate (and 6 ECTS when necessary), you must complete a significant contribution to two Summer School projects (one in week one and the other in week two), evidenced by co-authorship of the project reports as well as final (joint) presentations. Templates for the project report as well as for the presentation slides are supplied. ## SUMMER SCHOOL SCHEDULE The Summer School meets every weekday. Please bring your laptop. (An iPad is not enough.) We will provide abundant connectivity. We start generally at 9:30 in the morning, and end around 17:30. There are morning talks one to two days per week. All other time is devoted to project work with occasional collective and individual feedback sessions. On the second Friday we have a a festive closing with a boat trip on the canals of Amsterdam. ## REFERENCES * Ben-David, A., Amram, A. & Bekkerman, R. (2016). The colors of the national Web: visual data analysis of the historical Yugoslav Web domain. International Journal on Digital Libraries. doi:10.1007/s00799-016-0202-6 * Galloway, A. (2014). The Cybernetic Hypothesis. Differences. 25(1), 107-131. Manovich, L., Stefaner, M., Mehrdad, Y., Baur, D., & et al. (2014). Selfiecity. Investigating the style of self-portraits (selfies) in five cities across the world. URL: http://selfiecity.net/ * Rogers, R. Sánchez-Querubín, N. & Kil, A. (2015). Issue Mapping for an Ageing Europe. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Open access book download * Rose, G. (2016). Visual Methodologies. An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. London: Sage. * Venturini, T., Jacomy, M, De Carvalho Pereira, D. (2015). Visual Network Analysis, (working paper). URL: http://www.tommasoventurini.it/wp/wp- content/uploads/2014/08/Venturini-Jacomy_Visual-Networ k-Analysis_WorkingPaper.pdf.

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CITAMS Book Award Nomination Extended to April 15 2017
by Wenhong Chen 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

*CITAMS Book Award Nomination Extended to April 15 2017* The *C*ommunication, *I*nformation *T*echnologies, and *M*edia *S*ociology section of the *A*merican *S*ociological *A*ssociation <http://www.asanet.org/> (CITAMS) is calling for nominations for the 2017 *CITAMS Book Award. * CITAMS Book Award recognizes an outstanding book related to the sociology of communication, media, and/or information technology. Submissions must be in English and published within the two calendar years prior to the award presentation. There are no limitations on length. Single author, multiple author, and edited books are eligible. *Nomination letter can be sent via email. One copy of the book must be sent to EACH of the three committee members. Award* winners will be invited to serve on future award committees. Award nominees must be current CITAMS members to be considered for this award (unless they are retired). *All materials for this award must be received by April 15, 2017. Please send by mail to:* *Wenhong Chen* (wenhong.chen(a)austin.utexas.edu) Department of Radio-TV-Film, College of Communication 1 University Station A0800, CMA 5.142 University of Texas at Austin 2504 Whitis Ave Stop A0800 Austin, TX 78712-1067 *Heather A. Haveman *(haveman(a)berkeley.edu) UC Berkeley, Sociology Dept., 410 Barrows Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-1980 *Janet Vertesi *(jvertesi(a)princeton.edu) c/o Sociology Department Princeton University 122 Wallace Hall Princeton NJ 08544 Cheers, Wenhong 文泓 Wenhong Chen Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Sociology University of Texas at Austin T: 512-471-4952 <(512)%20471-4952> F: 512-471-4077 <(512)%20471-4077> wenhong.chen(a)austin.utexas.edu http://utexas.academia.edu/wenhongchen New edited book: *Networked China* http://www.routledge.com/9781138840027/ <http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9781138840027/> Office hour signup http://bit.ly/1xpHy1c 1 University Station A0800, CMA 5.142 University of Texas at Austin 2504 Whitis Ave Stop A0800 Austin, TX 78712-1067

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Searching for textbook or articles exploring Big Data ethics, origins, and uses
by Cory Robinson 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

Currently doing course development for a social science course exploring ethics of big-data use, questions of where "big data" come from, how it’s used. Thanks in advance! Best, Cory Robinson -- Senior Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Communication Design Linköping University P: +46 (0)11 36 36 38 E: cory.robinson(a)liu.se http://liu-se.academia.edu/StephenCoryRobinson<http://colostate.academia.edu/StephenCoryRobinson>

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[ABS CFPs] Rethinking Digital Media and Citizenship: Conditions, Contexts, and Consequences
by Seungahn Nah 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

American Behavioral Scientist (ABS) Special Issue Call for Papers (CFPs) *Rethinking Digital Media and Citizenship:* *Conditions, Contexts, and Consequences* *Guest Editors:* Seungahn Nah (University of Kentucky) Masahiro Yamamoto (University at Albany, State University of New York) *Description:* A substantial body of scholarship has long tackled how traditional and newly emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs) foster an informed, efficacious, and engaged citizenry. Despite prolific literature on digital media and citizenship, theoretical approaches and conceptual and operational definitions still diverge in different disciplines and schools. What seems particularly missing in the literature is an examination of structural conditions and/or contexts that may facilitate or hinder the role ofdigital media in civic engagement. Therefore, the goal of this special issue is to call for theoretically and methodologically sound scholarship that examines causes, components, and civic consequences of digitalmedia use. Such an examination presents important practical implications and policy applications. This special issue addresses the following major questions: 1) How can digital media use and civic engagement be conceptualized, operationalized, and theorized across various theoretical perspectives in the convergence and divergence of digital media environment? 2) To what extent do digital media (social and mobile), along with traditional media, influence civic engagement and how such an influence varies across communities of places, interests, practices, and beyond, as well as different ethnic groups and those who hold different socio-economic status? 3) How do social contexts and conditions promote or impede the role of digital media in civic, political, and community life at multiple levels? The special issue editors would welcome submissions addressing the following topics: 1) Theoretical advancement on digital media and civic engagement in offline and online communication environments; 2) Integrated theoretical framework concerning digital media and citizenship ; 3) Innovative conceptual and operational definitions (measurements) of digital media across various platforms; 4) Social structural contexts and conditions (e.g., race, class, gender, family, school, organization, neighborhood, etc.) that affect digital media use and its effects on civic engagement; 5) Linkage between online and offline civic engagement from networked community perspectives. *Submission Guidelines:* Submitted manuscripts must be in MS Word (.doc) format with a title page that includes the title of the paper, full names, affiliations, email addresses, telephone numbers, complete addresses, and biographical sketches of all authors. Manuscripts must adhere to the APA (6th ed.) style and should contain between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including a 250-worlds abstract with 5-6 key words, all references, and notes. Manuscripts must contain original material which has not been previously published elsewhere or is not currently under consideration by another journal. All manuscripts should go through a blind, peer-reviewed process so no indicators of authorship should appear in the texts. Manuscripts should be submitted directly via email to seungahn.nah(a)uky.edu *Timeline* · Submission deadline: April 31, 2017 · Editorial decision: June 30, 2017 · Anticipated publication date: January/February 2018 All the best, SEUNGAHN NAH ********************************************** Seungahn Nah, PhD President, Korean American Communication Association (KACA) Associate Professor Community Communication, Dept. of Community & Leadership Development Information Communication Technology, School of Information Science University of Kentucky <seungahn.nah(a)uky.edu>

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CFP Digital Culture meets data: Critical approaches
by Aristea Fotopoulou 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

CALL FOR PAPERS Digital Culture meets data: Critical approaches ECREA Digital Culture and Communication Section Conference. 6th 7th November 2017, University of Brighton, UK Abstract deadline: 20 May 2017 Keynote speakers: € Rob Kitchin, Maynooth University, Republic of Ireland € Helen Thornham, University of Leeds, UK Conference theme: Algorithms and big data are today shaping our sociocultural and technical relations and our everyday experiences. Digital culture and communication are inevitably changing as media infrastructures, media practices and social environments become increasingly Œdatafied¹. We may think of surveillance, algorithmic profiling and self-tracking for example. Wearable technologies such as fitness trackers allow people to understand the body as a data-producing object. Our use of commonplace media technologies is mediated by data in ways that we do not ask for, nor even necessarily know about or consent to. Data interpellate us. Yet data are obscure and enigmatic. But what does this turn to data mean for our research, scholarship and pedagogic practice? Has the data paradigm arrived as an unquestionable unifying concept for studies of digital culture and digital media, communication, technology? It may be that a shift of focus on algorithms and data is fundamentally disruptive to the ways in which we see our research and disciplines. It may even appear to limit the theoretical and methodological tools through which we increasingly try to understand mediation, the formation of identity, social life, politics and the creative industries. To others, the Œdatalogical turn¹ may be plainly repeating the processes of earlier instances of technological innovation. And for some, it may provide an opportunity to frame new theoretical concepts and methodological tools for a whole new set of social, cultural and political phenomena. The ECREA DCC Conference ³Digital Culture meets data: Critical approaches² asks the question: what theoretical and empirical perspectives on data and the digital can be used to augment and diversify our research and educational approaches? And how might we challenge data paradigms or aim to show alternative or complementary ways to address digital culture and communication? We invite empirical and theoretical research papers and panels that address themes such as: - Media studies and datafication - Researching media and culture using data methods - Data visualisation, art and design - Data and the role of the imaginary, fantasy and myth - Data cultures and neoliberalism - Data activism and citizen engagement - Data and critical literacy - Data and gender, race, class inequalities - Datafication and the creative industries - Feminist approaches to data - Machine learning and AI - Mobile and locative media - Quantified self and data cultures - Smart cities, data and sustainability - Social bots and the management of sociality The Conference will also host a YECREA Workshop entitled: ŒThe ambitious early-career scholar in an age of precarity: questions, challenges, opportunities¹ (Organised by Ysabel Gerrard, University of Leeds). This workshop will facilitate open discussion between academics at various stages in their careers about some of the issues confronting ambitious early-career scholars in an increasingly competitive international job market. Submission details, individual papers: Please submit abstracts of 250-350 words, written in English. Abstracts should contain a clear outline of the argument, the theoretical framework, methodology and results (if applicable), and how this links to the theme and topics of this conference, or to the general concerns of digital culture and communication. Please include 3-5 keywords that describe your work, and a Bio note (max 100 words, stating affiliation). Submission details, panels: We welcome panel submissions, numbering 4 speakers. Please submit abstracts of 250-350 words per paper, plus a 250-350 word rationale for the panel. Individual abstracts should contain a clear outline of the argument, the theoretical framework, methodology and results (if applicable), and how this links to the theme and topics of this conference, or to the general concerns of digital culture and communication. Please include 3-5 keywords that describe each individual abstracts, plus 3-5 keywords that describe the panel, and Bio note for each individual abstract (max 100 words, stating affiliation). All abstracts and rationale should be sent together as a single document by the panel proposer. Details for abstract submission: Please provide abstracts as .PDF, .DOC or .DOCX file types. Abstracts should be emailed to brightondcc(a)gmail.com. Deadline for paper and panel submissions is May 20, 2017. Notification of acceptance: June 20th, 2017. You do not need to be an ECREA or DCC section member to apply. For updates, please visit https://dccecrea.wordpress.com <https://dccecrea.wordpress.com/> For CFP http://dccecrea.wordpress.com/call-for-papers-2017-conference/ Registration fees: Academic Employed full time.ŠŠ.... £65 Academic Employed Part Time Š..... £40 Students / Unwaged ŠŠŠŠ.ŠŠŠ £20 Organising committee: Ryan Burns, Aristea Fotopoulou, Leighton Evans, Ysabel Gerrard, Ana Jorge, Theodore Koulouris, Sander De Ridder, Maria Sourbati. Best wishes Aristea ----------------------------- Dr Aristea Fotopoulou Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Course Leader MA Creative Media New book: "Feminist Activism and Digital Networks: Between empowerment and vulnerability". Palgrave Macmillan. Order: http://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781137504708 School of Media University of Brighton Watts Building, Lewes Road Brighton BN2 4GJ E: A.Fotopoulou(a)brighton.ac.uk Follow me on Twitter: @aristeaf Research blog: www.Loopingthreads.com Webpage http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/staff/aristea-fotopoulou ___________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned by MessageLabs' Email Security System on behalf of the University of Brighton. For more information see: https://staff.brighton.ac.uk/is/computing/Pages/Email/spam.aspx

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Workshop on Legal & Tech Issues in Cloud / IoT - 7th Apr, Vancouver
by Jat Singh 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

=========================================================== Call for participation (apologies for cross-posting) CLaw: IEEE 3rd International Workshop on Legal and Technical Issues in Cloud Computing and the Internet of Things http://www.claw-workshop.org 7 April 2017, Vancouver, Canada in conjunction with IC2E 2016: IEEE International Conference on Cloud Engineering =========================================================== The CLaw workshop brings together specialists from law and computer science to explore technical responses to legal problems, and to interrogate legal frameworks for new and emerging directions in cloud computing, the Internet of Things, analytics / machine learning and 'big data', and systems technologies in general. This year’s programme features two highly topical keynote presentations * Prof Colin Bennett, University of Victoria on the topic "Transnational Flows of Personal Data: Adequate Laws, Accountable Companies or Data Localization". * Craig Shank, VP at Microsoft on the topic "Emerging Technologies – Standards and Trust Mechanisms". Research papers will be presented that span issues concerning responsibility and liability in IoT ecosystems, citizen-led environmental health engagement in smart cities, security assurances in service level agreements for sensitive government data, and the safeguards regarding the role of computer vision in the emerging Internet of Things. The workshop aims to provide a forum for discussion. There will be a strong emphasis on generating new interdisciplinary research directions regarding emerging technology. We very much welcome your participation. For further details, including registration instructions, please see http://www.claw-workshop.org/

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3nd CfP: Crowd Dynamics: Conflicts, Contradictions, and Cooperation Issues in Crowdsourcing (Int. Journal on CSCW)
by Karin Hansson 22 Mar '17

22 Mar '17

[Apologies for cross-postings] 3nd Call for Papers Computer Supported Cooperative Work: The Journal of Collaborative Computing and Work Practices (JCSCW) Special Issue on Crowd Dynamics: Conflicts, Contradictions, and Cooperation Issues in Crowdsourcing Organizing Special Issue Editors Thomas Ludwig (University of Siegen), Karin Hansson (Stockholm University), Tanja Aitamurto (Stanford University), Neha Gupta (University of Nottingham) Deadline for Submissions March, 31 2017 Through this special issue we aim to make contributions towards the emerging and intriguing subject of crowdsourcing and enrich academia’s understanding of individual and collaborative aspects of crowdsourcing. ----------------------------------------------------- Scope of the Special Issue Unfair reputation systems, slow payments, lack of transparency, discrimination, misunderstandings and misinterpretations, lack of access to decision-making or socio-spatial inequalities are only some of the many reasons for conflicts in crowdsourcing. The divisive logic of the system, its related tools and practices as well as the sharing processes in the peer-community creates interesting dynamics and new foci on old conflicts. The development of new types of working relationships has previously been problematized for several reasons. For example, Irani and Silberman (2014) have questioned crowd-worker dynamics from a labor rights perspective, leading to calls for collective action by crowd workers (Salehi et al., 2015). Martin et al’s (2014, 2016) analysis of the online discussion in the community of workers at the Mechanical Turk, shows the tensions between the dividing logic of the system and the information-sharing practices in the community. Gupta et al’s (2014) study of Indian workers shows how lack of control over the work environment affect participants work practices. Other common conflicts are due to rejected work, slow or unfair payments, lack of transparency, or technical problems (Six et al., 2010). In the area of digital democracy, digital differentiation and inequalities within the crowd becomes problematic (Hansson, 2014). Studies of Amazon Mechanical Turk (Fort et al., 2011), Wikipedia (Menking & Erikson, 2015; Ortega et al., 2008), Twitter (Duggan et al., 2015) and crowdsourced policymaking (Aitamurto and Landemore, 2016) indicate a lack of representativeness in terms of age, gender and education. Cultural geographers have also pointed out the hegemonic discourses and socio-spatial relations in the geographic web (Crampton et al., 2013; Soden & Palen, 2014; Shelton, 2014). But crowdsourcing, nowadays, also has an impact on physical “offline” activities, such as conducting voluntary work in crisis management (Ludwig et al., 2015) or making use of the large part of population to contribute to scientific challenges via crowdsourcing, defined as Citizen Science (Irwin, 1995). The physical circumstances and potential conflicts, such as endangering voluntary crowd workers or citizen “scientists” also needs to be considered. However, there is a need of studies of actual work practices in crowd-work settings and a more empirical research on the conflicts and dynamics within the more fluid work and interactive relations in crowd work. There is also a lack of a more structured overview of typologies of participation indicating levels of power and agency in the context of crowd work and crowdsourcing at large. This special issue therefore focuses on research exploring actual reasons, practices, power relations, and dynamics of conflicts within crowdsourcing and crowd work. Sample Topics We invite participants from a diversity of disciplines and perspectives to contribute with insights about types of crowdsourcing in practice, to deepen our understanding of actual work practices and relations in contexts such as crowd work, peer-production and citizen science. Furthermore, we also aim to gather typologies of participation examining and explaining power relations of crowd work. Possible topics include (but are not limited to): Transparency in Crowdsourcing: Empirical studies, design case studies or theoretical work about how to allow crowd workers to understand, configure, personalize, and control applications relating to crowdsourcing. What levels of transparency exist in the implementation of crowdsourcing? What are the clashes of needs that exist between crowd workers and sourcers? What types of conflicts of expectations arise in crowd contexts? What is the role of transparency in resolving or amplifying these conflicts? Tools, processes, services and architectures for supporting the management of conflicts, contradictions, or cooperation issues in crowdsourcing contexts: What are the tools, services and architectural infrastructures for discovering or supporting the actual work of and conflicts in crowdsourcing? What are the characteristics of tools that support conflict management and/or conflict resolution in crowdsourcing? Social and organizational factors influencing conflicts, contradictions, or cooperation issues: Crowdsourcing deals highly with social and organizational aspects. What are the social and organizational aspects that foster conflicts in practice? How is labor and capital distributed? How could social and organizational aspects help overcome inequity and how does technology foster those aspects? What are dynamics of inclusion/exclusion in crowdsourcing, reflecting societal issues of race, gender, identity, and geography? Tensions between “offline” and “online” activities: Crowdsourcing often has an impact on physical activities and vice versa. Therefore the physical circumstances and potential conflicts need to be considered. What problems exist while conducting physical crowd work? What areas of tension exits? How could technology support solving those conflicts? Social computing approaches for crowdsourcing: The emergence and success of crowdsourcing practices may (not) rely on supporting peer networks and on sharing results that allow pooling resources in user communities. What are conflicts or contradictions between crowd members and crowd workers? How does technology help addressing and resolving those conflicts? Research ethics in citizens’ science: When relying on crowdsourcing, crucial ethical questions arise: What kind of work can be sourced to the crowd? What legal, moral and ethical protections are missing or should be in place to support the crowd and the sourcers? What are the ethical questions concerning “child-based crowdsourcing” (e.g. creativity work)? Schedule Submissions due: March, 31 2017 Reviews due: May, 15 2017 Notification to authors: June, 15 2017 Revised version due: July, 15 2017 Special issue published: 2017/2018 Manuscripts are submitted via the online manuscript system at: https://www.editorialmanager.com/cosu/ <https://www.editorialmanager.com/cosu/> Submission type: SI: Crowd Dynamics Further information, including JCSCW submission procedures and advice on formatting and preparing manuscripts, can be found at: http://www.springer.com/computer/journal/10606 <http://www.springer.com/computer/journal/10606> To discuss a possible contribution please contact the special issue editors at crowdsourcing-jcscw(a)listserv.uni-siegen.de <mailto:crowdsourcing-jcscw@listserv.uni-siegen.de> With best regards, Karin Hansson ____________________________________ Karin Hansson PhD Dept. of Computer and Systems Sciences Stockholm University Postbox 7003, 164 07 Kista, SWEDEN Visiting address: Borgarfjordsgatan 12, Kista E-mail: khansson(a)dsv.su.se <mailto:khansson@dsv.su.se> people.dsv.su.se/khansson <http://people.dsv.su.se/khansson> ____________________________________

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Call for chapters: Book “With the Web/In the Web"
by Esteban Romero Frías 21 Mar '17

21 Mar '17

At *Medialab UGR *we are announcing a call for participation in a collaborative book about cultural and creative creation through online digital media. The study will be called *“With the Web/In the Web: cultural and artistic creation, investigation and communication in the era of the internet”* which will be coordinated by Lidia Bocanegra Barbecho (Medialab UGR) and Ana García López (professor of Fine Arts at UGR), and co-edited by the University of Granada and the editorial Downhill Publishing New York. The thematic lines of the study should be the creation and *cultural and artistic innovation* that is developed with digital media and is spread, communicated or carried out by the Internet. We will accept proposals by specialists in their own subfield from culture and art to Digital Humanities. Proposals in Spanish or in English will be accepted. Every section will be approximately 4,000 words in length. More information and proposal submission at: http://medialab.ugr.es/noticias/call-for-proposals-for-the-book-with-the-we… Timeline: - *Submit proposals*: those interested in participating should fill out the proposal form before *March 28, 2017*. - *Proposal acceptances announced*: after receiving the proposals, the book coordinators will proceed to evaluate them. Those who have been chosen will be notified by *April 4, 2018* through an email which will include the publishing rules. - *Submit final versions*: the date of the acceptance of the final versions in accordance with the publishing rules will be *May 2*. - *Publishing date: *we will wait to publish the study until *June, 2017 *to coincide with the International Conference of Social Sciences and Digital Humanities organized by Medialab UGR in which they will be presented. - Esteban Romero Frías http://estebanromero.com/ Twitter: @polisea <http://twitter.com/polisea> Director de Medialab UGR <http://medialab.ugr.es/> - Laboratorio de Investigación en Cultura y Sociedad Digital Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de la Universidad de Granada - Departamento de Economía Financiera y Contabilidad Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales Universidad de Granada Campus Universitario de Cartuja, s/n C.P. 18071 Granada (España)

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Call for abstracts - 7th International Symposium on Digital Ethics
by Heider, Donald 21 Mar '17

21 Mar '17

Call for abstracts The Center for Digital Ethics & Policy at Loyola University Chicago (digitalethics.org) will be holding its 7th annual International Symposium on Digital Ethics on October 13th, 2016. The keynote speaker will be Cathy O'Neil, author of Weapons of Math Destruction. We are looking for papers on digital ethics. Topics might include privacy, anonymity, griefing, free speech, intellectual property, hacking, scamming, surveillance, information mining, transparency, digital citizenship, or anything else relating to ethical questions and digital technology. This is an interdisciplinary symposium, we welcome all backgrounds and approaches to research. Abstracts should propose original research that has not been presented or published elsewhere. The abstract should be between 500 and 1,000 words in length (not including references) and should include a discussion of the methodology used. Authors of accepted papers will be eligible for up to $400 in travel funds to be able to attend the Chicago symposium. The author(s) of the top student paper will be eligible for up to $1,000 in travel funds. Abstracts are due by midnight CST on April 23rd, 2017, and should follow APA or MLA. Send your submission in a MS Word document attachment to contact(a)digitalethics.org<mailto:contact@digitalethics.org>, and please write Digital Ethics Symposium submission in the subject line. You can send questions to the same email address. Don Heider Dean School of Communication Loyola University Chicago

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VIDEO: House hearing: Broadband: Deploying America’s 21st Century Infrastructure
by Joly MacFie 21 Mar '17

21 Mar '17

This webcast just finished, but is available for review. One issue recognized by the subcommittee is that earlier data, much of it supplied by incumbents, was not accurate, and must be improved on. Brooklyn Rep. Yvette Clarke is on the SubCommittee and took the opportunity to ask some pointed questions about Gov. Cuomo's $500m broadband expansion plan <https://nysbroadband.ny.gov/sites/default/files/phase_2_bidders_ppt_0.pdf>. Not discussed much was 'broadband blight' - as copper rots in the ground or on the pole, providers are postponing FTTX rollouts while they wait for 5G to mature. joly posted: "On Wednesday March 21 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is holding a hearing - Broadband: Deploying America's 21st Century Infrastructure - in Washington DC. The Subcomm" [image: Energy + Commerce]On *Wednesday March 21 2017*, the *U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology <https://energycommerce.house.gov/subcommittees/communications-and-technology>* is holding a hearing - *Broadband: Deploying America's 21st Century Infrastructure <https://energycommerce.house.gov/hearings-and-votes/hearings/broadband-depl…>* - in Washington DC. The Subcommitteewill examine ways to eliminate barriers to broadband infrastructure development. Members will look at draft legislation to streamline the permitting and siting process at the federal level to spur private sector investment and bring increased and more efficient broadband across the country. Witnesses: Steven Berry, President and CEO, Competitive Carriers Association; *LeRoy T. Carlson Jr*, CEO, Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. and Chairman, U.S. Cellular; *Michael Conners* Sub-Chief, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; *Bryan Darr*, CEO, Mosaik Solutions; *Joanne S. Hovis*, President, CTC Technology and Energy; *Thomas A. Murray*, Founder and Managing Member, Community Wireless Structures, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Wireless Infrastructure Association; *James W. Stegeman*, President, CostQuest Associates, Inc. The hearing is being webcast live via YouTube <https://youtu.be/_IgNzkRkDhw>. *View on YouTube*: https://youtu.be/_IgNzkRkDhw *Testimony & Legislation*: http://bit.ly/2na8580 *Twitter*: https://twitter.com/hashtag/subcommtech Comment <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/9069#respond> See all comments <http://isoc-ny.org/p2/9069#comments> *Permalink* http://isoc-ny.org/p2/9069 -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast -------------------------------------------------------------- -

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