- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

New article: Visual social media and affectivity:
by Lin Prøitz 27 Feb '17

27 Feb '17

My article examines how the iconic image of Alan Kurdi offered a way of transforming unsettled aspects of the refugee crisis into something concrete, contributing to galvanize affective resonance and public response: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/AQNtz7nqpBWIQqGJeng9/full ? Lin Prøitz Forskerkollektivet Ny bok: Selvbilde: https://www.universitetsforlaget.no/nettbutikk/selvbilde-uf.html

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JOB OPPORTUNITY: Senior Researcher - Africa's Voices
by Matti Pohjonen 27 Feb '17

27 Feb '17

A new senior researcher position available at Africa's Voices, a research organisation spun out of research at the University of Cambridge. You can read more and apply here: http://www.africasvoices.org/ about/careers/#op-167816-senior-researcher-2017 *Position Title:* Senior Researcher *Function: *Research & Innovation *Position Type:* 1 Year Renewable Contract *Application deadline:* 20th March 2017 *Location:* Nairobi, Kenya and Cambridge, UK *Language:* English *OVERVIEW* Africa’s Voices is a non-profit start-up, spun out of ongoing cutting-edge research at the University of Cambridge. We conduct innovative research and produce powerful, insightful evidence that helps to amplify the voices of Africans towards development and governance actors. In media forums we spark inclusive, interactive discussions, and gather audience opinions through SMS, instant messaging, and social media. We analyse these conversations -- often in low-resource local languages -- using our own tested methods. We combine social science theories and frameworks with data science techniques, and tailor these to challenging language contexts. This way, we provide powerful insights into the beliefs, ideas and priorities of hard-to reach populations and social groups, and how these change over time. Our evidence helps organisations to better understand, engage with, and respond to target populations. Africa’s Voices combines rigorous academic research and a commitment to innovation with real-world impact. We provide our researchers with a vibrant interface to world-leading university research. Researchers regularly work with faculty, advisors, external researchers, and student interns to bring the latest developments in research methods and digital technologies into our working practices. Our innovative, dynamic approach has been recognised internationally, including being awarded the Market Research Society’s President’s Medal in 2016 for our work with UNICEF Somalia. We have offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Cambridge, UK, and a small but highly qualified and motivated team that we are seeking to grow steadily in the coming period. More at www.africasvoices.org. *JOB SUMMARY* The Senior Researcher is expected to join our rapidly growing team to undertake, design, and manage applied research projects collaboratively with client organisations, with ultimate impact always in mind. The role will include managing relationships with clients; managing a team of junior researchers in African countries and the UK; contributing to developing innovative methodologies and research approaches; communicating research insights to stakeholders; and producing research reports and academic publications. *SELECTION CRITERIA* *Essential* - A completed postgraduate degree (Masters or PhD) in a relevant Social Science discipline (such as social psychology, sociology, political science, development studies, socio-economics). - At least 5 years of relevant experience in research applied to social issues. - Ability to innovate through rigorous research design in challenging applied contexts. - Excellent knowledge of, and experience working with, quantitative methods, statistical concepts and data analysis. - A sufficiently wide-range understanding and experience of qualitative methods (such as content analysis, focus group discussions, grounded theory or digital ethnography). - Experience in research on public opinion OR social norms OR public health OR behaviour change or similar. - Willingness to work with and adapt new methodologies relevant to digital social research, including collaborating with data scientists on coding scripts for analysis. - Experience in scientific research design, including survey methods. - Ability to undertake research that has policy and social impact and to engage in knowledge exchange. - Ability to prioritise and manage multiple projects simultaneously, and follow through on issues in a timely manner. - High levels of energy, initiative, and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work requirements. - Aptitude for and willingness to work in client-facing contexts, focused on delivering research value-add. - Clear and confident communicator of research methods and results to non-specialist and practitioner audiences. *Desirable* - Knowledge of one or more of these domains: social innovation/ICT; African media or media development; research and evaluation in a development context. - Exposure to, interest in and some understanding of techniques such as text mining, NLP, machine learning, category analysis, agent-based modelling. - Strong client orientation and proven ability to work with development and governance actors, ability to identify problems, provide technical support, build collaboration and arrive at solutions. - Track record of academic publications and interest to contribute to collaborative academic outputs with University-based collaborators. - Technical understanding of user interfaces and digital platforms.'Knowledge and understanding of data visualisation techniques. - Working knowledge of languages relevant to the African context besides English. *TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS* The location of the post will be either Cambridge, UK, or Nairobi, Kenya, based on discussions with the appointee. However, willingness to travel (up to 50% of the time) will be essential. *TO APPLY* Upload your CV and a Cover Letter to explain why you are interested in Africa's Voices and this position, and how you fulfil the selection criteria. Application deadline is midnight (GMT) on Tuesday, 20th March 2017. Applications may be considered after this date only if a suitable candidate has not been found. Recruitment questions can be directed to Head of Performance, George Kaburu: george(a)africasvoices.org. Questions about research can be sent to Africa’s Voices acting Head of Research, Dr. Matti Pohjonen: matti(a)africasvoices.org. Africa’s Voices Foundation is an equal opportunity employer and supports workforce diversity. All applications for vacant positions will be welcomed and will be considered on the relative merits of the applicant against the role profile for the position regardless of colour, race, nationality, ethnic origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, parental responsibilities, age, religion, or belief. ᐧ

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CFP: Alternative Facts: Constructing Truth in Civil Societies
by Jonathan Marshall 27 Feb '17

27 Feb '17

As people seemed to be interested in the questions around fake news, here is a cfp: Alternative Facts: Constructing Truth in Civil Societies As the workings of civil society are being disrupted by the challenges of ‘alternative facts’, ‘fake news’ and notions of post-truth, Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal has decided to devote a special issue to this topic. Our approach is broad; the flow of information is fundamental to civil society and that flow and its interactions with the structures of society and the individuals in society takes many forms. The following list is by no means exhaustive: Journalism (and fact checking); Cultural Studies and the World of Make-Believe; the scientific record and predatory publishing; climate change and climate deniers; Civic literacy and democracy; Public Relations and Spin; social media, experience and opinion; state strategy and astro-turfing; the new right and post-facts; dramaturgy of post-factoids … We are calling for papers between 4,000 and 8,000 words which reflect in some way on the concepts of alternative facts/fake news/post truth either on our understandings of civil society or on professional practices within civil society. Our deadline for submission is Friday 31 March. Decisions on acceptance will be communicated by 28 April. The issue will be published in July 2017. See the journal at: http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/mcs For more information please contact Hilary Yerby at: Hilary.yerby(a)uts.edu.au UTS CRICOS Provider Code: 00099F DISCLAIMER: This email message and any accompanying attachments may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender expressly, and with authority, states them to be the views of the University of Technology Sydney. Before opening any attachments, please check them for viruses and defects. Think. Green. Do. Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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Consider submitting your research to Communication Research Reports
by Nicholas Bowman 26 Feb '17

26 Feb '17

Colleagues, My name is Nick Bowman, and I am the current editor of Communication Research Reports, one of the Communication-focused journals published by Routledge and sponsored by the Eastern Communication Association. I'm writing quickly to encourage submissions to CRR as we enter into our 34th volume of publication - 34(2) will launch in a few weeks. CRR is unique among Communication journals in that we place a focus on short-format reports manuscript of quantitative data, both Research Reports (with a 3500-word cap) and Brief Reports (with a 2000-word cap). This is done to encourage scholars to consider publication of their in-progress and late-breaking research, so that can be shared rapidly among our colleagues. In my editorship, we have been able to turn around editorial decisions on the vast majority of initial submissions within 30 days, in part due to a dedicated editorial board. Notably, we also accept articles on Analysis Spotlights, which include a focus on innovative methods for data collection, analysis, and reporting. For more information as to our specific editorial focus, I invite you to read my short editorial statement (published in 33(2): http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08824096.2016.1174536) and most importantly, I'd invite you to read the journal at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcrr20/current. Finally, we maintain an active social media presence via Facebook, where we share updates related to publication statistics, editorial board membership, and recent publications: https://www.facebook.com/CRReportsECA/. Finally, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions about the journal - and I'm eager for your scholarship. =) Sincerely, ~nick Nicholas David Bowman, Ph.D. <http://ndbowman.info/>Associate Professor of Communication Studies Research Associate, Interaction Lab (#ixlab) Faculty Senator, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences West Virginia University Associate Editor Journal of Media Psychology Editor Communication Research Reports Social and Digital Media Director Eastern Communication Association ______________________ Twitter @bowmanspartan Skype ID: nicholasdbowman

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Fishbowl on discursive critique and the digitally mediated public sphere
by Unger, Johann 26 Feb '17

26 Feb '17

Dear AoIRers, Feel free to ignore this if you’re not going to this year’s conference. We are putting together a fishbowl on discursive critique and the digitally mediated public sphere for the next AoIR conference. This will involve juxtaposing people’s ideas about the public sphere from a variety of disciplinary (and interdisciplinary) perspectives, and in particular looking at what critical discursive approaches to digital civic spaces can learn from and have to offer other research traditions. It is getting rather close to the deadline, but due to a combination of various people not being able to go this year, but not wishing to restrict ourselves to just people we already know, we have a couple of spaces left for initial participants (“fish”). If our proposal is accepted, we very much hope the fishbowl will be of interest to people who are already committed to other events too, but if you are interested in the topic, feel you have something to contribute, and your AoIR dance card is not yet full, please get in touch, and we can send you the draft abstract. We’re hoping to have the final participants finalised by the middle of Tuesday (UK time), so if you could get in touch by the end of tomorrow (Monday) that would be very helpful. Best wishes, Johnny Unger (Lancaster University, UK) Sten Hansson (University of Tartu, Estonia) Majid KhosraviNik (Newcastle University, UK)

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Second Call for papers
by A. MARTURANO 26 Feb '17

26 Feb '17

| | Ethics and Social Welfare | | http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/resw20 | CALL FOR FAPERS Special Issue on Technology-drivenunemployment: dilemmas for ethics and social welfare Guest editors: Antonio Marturano (University of Rome, TorVergata, Italy) Jana Vizmuller-Zocco (YorkUniversity, Canada) Rationale: InPraise for Idleness (1935), BertrandRussell claimed that “We have the technology and infrastructure to greatlyreduce the forced workload of the average human, and that should be our goal—toliberate people from excessive work so that they can freely pursue the thingsthat bring them intrinsic joy and happiness.” Russell’s optimistic visionregarding the role of technology advocates for work reduction which wouldincrease human welfare and liberate people to be able to devote their time toculture and leisure. His optimism does not seem to be justified in light ofrecent economic and technological developments which lead to seriousunemployment rather than cheerful work reduction. The loss of jobs due to technologicalinnovations is starting to reach crisis proportions as many scholars (such asDavid F. Noble, Progress Without People:New Technology, Unemployment, and the Message of Resistance, Between theLines, 1995) and popular press warn (for ex., Eduardo Porter, “Jobs Threatenedby Machines: A Once ‘Stupid’ Concern Gains Respect”, The New York Times, June 7, 2016). There are indeed many voiceswhich decry the unemployment situation exasperated by the replacement of humansby machines, and apparently no job is likely to be immune. The World TechnologyNetwork forecasts that “Accelerating technological unemployment will likely beone of the most challenging societal issues in the 21st Century”. Although thescholarly work published on the topic focuses mainly on the technical,technological, and market side, assessments which consider the ethical andsocial welfare implications of technological unemployment are still to beaddressed in detail. The submissions to the special issue will contribute tosetting the agenda for this serious and timely discussion. Topics to be explored fromtheoretical as well as practical perspectives include, but are not restrictedto, the following: Therole of governmental institutions in technological unemployment Joblessfuture: is unconditional basic/universal income the answer? Social,political, and economic approaches to welfare in a jobless future Newethical dimensions of work originating from the technological unemploymentcrisis Politicaland social inequality created by a jobless future Strategicplans for skills, education, re-deployment for the technologically jobless Thepolitical control of technological unemployment Welfare,leadership and jobless future Technologicaldisplacement vs technological innovation from the perspective of social welfare Historicalvisions on the ethical impacts of workload reduction Creatingnew values for a jobless future Politicalvalues in welfare and technological disruption in the job market Workas human value Conflictingvalues in a jobless world (for ex., the refugees crisis in the EU) Religiousvalues and technological unemployment Brief for contributors: In line with the editorial aims ofthe journal, this call for papers focuses specifically on the relationshipbetween ethics, welfare, and values implicated in the policies and politicalstrategies on the one hand and technologically-driven unemployment on theother. The editors welcome academic papers which are interdisciplinary incharacter. Contributions may combine wider ethical and theoretical questionsconcerning technology-driven unemployment with practical considerations leadingto social policies and professional practices (especially the existing andfuture policies of local/national governments and international institutions,such as EU, UN, WTO to cope with the problems of technological joblessness). Thespecial issue, as with other issues of the journal, welcomes material in avariety of formats, including high quality peer-reviewed academic papers,reflections, debates and commentaries on policy and practice, book reviews andreview articles. Academic papers should be between 4-7,000 words long, andpractice papers should be between 750-2,500 words long. Please consult thestyle rules laid-out on the journal’s website: http://www.tandfonline.com/resw. All academic papers willbe double-blind peer- reviewed in the normal way. Practice papers will be considered forpublication by the editors. Procedure and timelines1) Call for Papers andinvitations disseminated starting from the 1stof October 2016.2) You may wish to submit anabstract of no more than 500 words to marturano(a)btinternet.com and to jvzocco(a)yorku.ca by the 19thof March 2017. Author’s instructions for academic and practice papers canbe found on the journal website at: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/resw20. Submitters will be informed about the outcome as soon aspossible after this date. Abstracts should include 1. Theessential content, argument, and methodology of the submission, 2. The submission’saims and conclusions, 3. The relationship of the submission to the aims andscope of the journal.3) Completed first drafts ofpapers are due by the 23rd of July 2017 and must be submitted to https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/resw.4) Final (revised) versions mustbe submitted by the 18th ofJune 2018.5) Final confirmation ofpaper acceptance by the 30th September2018.6) Papers published in the first issue of Volume 13, 2019.

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Data Science Intensive Training for Ph.D.s
by Jose Marichal 25 Feb '17

25 Feb '17

Colleagues, I'm a mid-career Ph.D. social scientist going on sabbatical next year and I'd like to immerse myself in learning different aspects of data science/machine learning... I'd be grateful if folks could recommend programs or opportunities for Ph.D.'s to learn these tools. Warm regards, Jose Marichal California Lutheran University -- _______________________________________________________________________________________ josé marichal, ph.d. | professor and chair| political science department | california lutheran university 60 w. olsen road | #3800 | thousand oaks, ca 91360

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Job: Postdoctoral Associate/Associate Director, Design Cultures & Creativity Program
by Jason Farman 24 Feb '17

24 Feb '17

Hi everyone, Please pass this job ad along to anyone who might fit with this position. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any questions about the job. Thank you for your help! Best, Jason -- Jason Farman, Ph.D. Director, Design Cultures & Creativity Program Associate Professor of American Studies Faculty Member, Human-Computer Interaction Lab University of Maryland, College Park http://www.jasonfarman.com <http://www.jasonfarman.com> *Position Summary/Purpose of Position: * The Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC) Program <http://dcc.umd.edu/> in the Honors College at the University of Maryland, College Park, seeks to hire an instructional Postdoctoral Associate to be the Associate Director of DCC during the 2017-2018 academic year. This is a 12-month appointment that begins on July 1, 2017. The postdoctoral associate will teach four courses per year, including two sections of HDCC 106 and two sections of HDCC 208. The topics of these courses can be tailored to fit the postdoctoral associate’s areas of interest and expertise. Previous courses have included: Mobile Media Design and Culture; Time-Based Media; Art and Environmental Practices; Digital Storytelling; Gender, Race and Labor in the Digital World; Human-Centered Design; and Digital Media and Political Activism. We are seeking a candidate who will be an integral part of our program, a person with vision and skill as an administrator, a gifted teacher with a passion for undergraduate education, and an interdisciplinary scholar that can bridge creative practice with research. The successful candidate must be self-motivated, driven, and an interdisciplinary thinker/maker able to wear many hats. Administrative, advising, and program management duties are an important component of this position. In addition, candidates should be extremely comfortable with a range of new technologies and approaches to project development. Candidates must be able link emerging technologies with social implications relating to identity such as gender, race, class, sexual orientation etc. *About Design Cultures & Creativity:* Design Cultures & Creativity (DCC) is a living-learning program for first and second-year students in the Honors College. Our students, who are some of the highest achieving students admitted to the University of Maryland, all live together in the same building, Prince Frederick Hall, which also houses our classrooms, Lab, and offices. Our program attracts makers and thinkers who investigate the digital age through interdisciplinary design. DCC fosters an open, collaborative, and social environment that encourages students to explore the relationship between emerging media, society, and creative practices. We are passionate about emerging technologies and their impact on the world; but even more importantly, how our contributions to emerging technologies can change the world. DCC students engage in research and collaborative projects on topics as varied as identity, connectivity, social justice, art, design, and all things creative in an era when digital media links us on a scale unprecedented in human history. DCC encourages students to think beyond disciplinary boundaries and approach problems from multiple perspectives by providing them with the resources to tackle any issue or goal they have. Our courses, lab space, and workshops provide spaces for exploration, for thinking through ideas, and experimenting with the process of building, designing, and creating in the digital age. DCC values inclusivity and aims to cultivate lifelong learners who are critically engaged thinkers. We have an amazingly diverse group of students, both academically and culturally, who have joined us from 45 different majors across campus and have spoken 29 different languages. Our students will become the makers and doers of tomorrow, able to expand our notions of human potential, not merely technologically but also socially and creatively. *Campus/College Information About the University:* Founded in 1856, University of Maryland, College Park is the flagship institution in the University System of Maryland. Our 1,250-acre College Park campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students abound and are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in our community, the state of Maryland, and in the world. *Diversity Statement: * The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. *Minimum Qualifications: * - PhD or equivalent terminal degree in relevant field - Degree conferral date no later than July 1, 2017 - At least 1 year teaching experience at college/university level - Administrative skills that prepare you to assist with daily program operations such as: event planning, budget and finance management, scheduling, recruitment, and student advising. - Hands-on skills in digital media. Areas of particular interest include: 3D printing or other forms of digital fabrication, video/film, generative practices, human-computer interaction, basic electronics, gaming, virtual reality, and mobile development/app design. Posting Number: X0004960 Position Number: 122806 Title: Post-Doctoral Associate Functional Title: Associate Director Category Status: 15-Fac.Non-Tenured,Continuing Con Applicant Search Category: Faculty University Authorized FTE: 1.0 Unit: ARHU-Dean's-Living Learning Programs *All applications must be submitted through the online system at http://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/49708 <http://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/49708>* In addition to a cover letter and CV, please attach the following required documents: - Supplemental Document 1 – Statement of teaching philosophy that addresses how you bridge hands-on creative practices with your areas of research - Supplemental Document 2 – Creative sample (can be a URL to an online portfolio) - Reference List – Names and contact information for three references Additional Information: Salary commensurate with experience. The position will remain open until filled. Questions about this position may be sent to Director, Dr. Jason Farman (jfarman(a)umd.edu) or Associate Director, Krista Caballero (klc(a)umd.edu) but all applications must be submitted through the online system at http://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/49708 Posting Date: 02/17/2017 Open Until Filled: Yes Best Consideration Date: 03/15/2017

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Deadline: 1 March 2017 for #AoIR2017 Submissions
by Michelle, AoIR Association Coordinator 24 Feb '17

24 Feb '17

Deadline for submissions of papers, panels, fishbowls, experimental sessions, roundtables, and pre-conference workshops is *Wednesday, 1 March 2017*. This is your last full weekend to work on your submission! Other #AoIR2017 submission deadlines: 1 APRIL 2017 Nominations for Nancy Baym Book award and Best Dissertation Award due https://aoir.org/2017awardcriteria/ 20 MAY 2017 Applications due for conference travel SCHOLARSHIPS and for DOCTORAL COLLOQUIUM 1 AUGUST 2017 Early Bird Registration Deadline for all presenters 30 SEPTEMBER 2017 Deadline for uploading accepted, non-blind, final version of paper and panel submissions - - - - - - - - Submission information is available here: https://aoir.org/aoir2017/subinfo2017/ - - - - - - - - Regards, Michelle AoIR Association Coordinator

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Deadline soon: CSCL 2017: interactive sessions, doctoral, early and mid-career workshops
by Gabriela Richard 24 Feb '17

24 Feb '17

***Deadline soon*** Instructions to Apply for the CSCL 2017 Doctoral Consortium (DC), Early Career Workshop (ECW), Mid-Career Workshop (MCW), and Interactive Events The organizing committees for the CSCL 2017 DC, ECW, MCW, and Interactive Events are pleased to accept applications. The instructions for applications to each event are detailed on the conference website, https://isls.org/cscl/2017, under the submissions tab. Applicants can submit materials until February 28, 2017 on the proposal submissions website (https://precisionconference.com/~cscl/ ) under the new submissions link. Please note that you can only attend a DC, ECW, or MCW workshop once, therefore repeat applications will not be considered. Repeat submissions to the Interactive Events are allowed. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the review process by mid to late March. We look forward to receiving your application.

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