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Call for nomination for the 2016 Social Informatics Best Student Paper Award
by Fichman, Pnina 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

Social Informatics Best Student Paper Award Call for nomination for the 2016 Social Informatics Best Student Paper Award The Special Interest Group for Social Informatics (SIG-SI) and the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics are seeking nominations for an award for the best paper written by a doctoral student on a topic informed by social informatics. Nominations may include a published paper in a peer reviewed journal during 2015 or a conference paper presented in 2015. The author or authors will present their paper at the 12th Annual SIG-SI Symposium on Saturday, October 15, 2016 and receive a $500 cash award at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) in Copenhagen, Denmark in October, 2016. Nomination letters should be sent to Howard Rosenbaum (hrosenba(a)indiana.edu <mailto:hrosenba@indiana.edu>) or Pnina Fichman (fichman(a)indiana.edu <mailto:fichman@indiana.edu>) by August 19, 2016 and must include a full citation, a brief explanation for the nomination, and a copy of the article. Self nominations are acceptable. Winners will be notified by September 9, 2016. For more information about the Special Interest Group for Social Informatics (SIG-SI): http://asistsigsi.wordpress.com<http://asistsigsi.wordpress.com/> <http://asistsigsi.wordpress.com<http://asistsigsi.wordpress.com/>> For more information about the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics: http://rkcsi.indiana.edu<http://rkcsi.indiana.edu/> <http://rkcsi.indiana.edu<http://rkcsi.indiana.edu/>> Pnina Fichman and Howard Rosenbaum Department of Information and Library Science School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University

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CFP> Enhancing Lives through Information and Technology - A Combined SIG-SI and SIG-USE Full-Day Workshop
by Fichman, Pnina 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

Call for Papers and Participation Enhancing Lives through Information and Technology - A Combined SIG-SI and SIG-USE Full-Day Workshop The Social Informatics of Work and Play (SIG-SI): Morning   Information Behavior in Workplaces (SIG-USE): Afternoon ASIS&T Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark October 15, 2016 Organizers Katriina Byström, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Katriina.Bystrom(a)hioa.no <mailto:Katriina.Bystrom@hioa.no> Pnina Fichman, Indiana University, Bloomington, fichman(a)indiana.edu <mailto:fichman@indiana.edu> Luanne Freund, University of British Columbia, Luanne.Freund(a)ubc.ca <mailto:Luanne.Freund@ubc.ca> Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University, Bloomington, hrosenba(a)indiana.edu <mailto:hrosenba@indiana.edu> Join us at ASIS&T in Copenhagen for a full-day pre-conference workshop to explore the ways in which our uses of information and technologies improve our work and social lives. Two vital and dynamic SIGs are joining forces for a workshop that will provide two interesting and complementary perspectives in the conference theme. In the morning session, SIG-SI will bring a perspective that focuses on the social aspects of information and communication technologies (ICT) in work and play across all areas of ASIS&T. In the afternoon session, SIG-USE will focus on information related activities from different research perspectives and explores the significance of information seeking and use on our lives. Submissions may include empirical, critical, conceptual and theoretical papers and posters, as well as richly described practice cases and demonstrations. The combined workshop will allow networking between members of both SIGs during the day. MORNING: THE SOCIAL INFORMATICS OF WORK AND PLAY (SIG SI) Co-sponsored by the Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics This year’s conference theme is “creating knowledge, enhancing lives through information & technology.” This is a particularly apposite theme for SIG-SI, because the social impacts of ICT and the complex relations among people, technologies, and the contexts of ICT design, implementation, and use have long been core concerns of social informatics. The SIG-SI morning session, our 12th annual gathering at ASIS&T annual meetings, will bring a critical perspective that focuses on the social aspects of ICT that cuts across all areas of ASIS&T This year, we are particularly interested in papers that investigate the social informatics of work and play. We define “social” broadly to include critical and historical approaches as well as contemporary social analysis. We also define “technology” broadly to include traditional technologies (e.g., paper, books, etc.), state-of-the-art computer systems, and mobile and pervasive devices. Submissions may include papers and posters that explore the ways in which people’s uses of ICT affect their practices and behaviors while at work, play, and engaged in their social lives. We are particularly interested in work that assumes a critical stance towards the Symposium’s theme, but are also soliciting research on other related social informatics topics. We encourage all scholars interested in social aspects of ICT (broadly defined) to share their research and research in progress by submitting an extended abstract of their work and attending the symposium. Some of the questions we ask include: • What are the impacts of ICT on people’s practices and behaviors while at work, play, and engaged in their social lives? • What are some of the ways our work and play practices shape the design and development of ICT? • What are the ways ICT positively and negatively impact organizations, work, play, and social life? • What kinds of theoretical and methodological frameworks are best suited for studying the mutual shaping of ICT and practices and behaviors while at work and play? The schedule for the morning session of the symposium will involve the presentations of papers, a panel of distinguished scholars, and the best social informatics paper awards for 2015. We expect an engaging discussion with lively interactions with the audience. SIG-SI symposium chairs Pnina Fichman, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA Howard Rosenbaum, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA Eric Meyer, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford, UK Adam Worrall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada AFTERNOON: INFORMATION BEHAVIOUR IN WORKPLACES (SIG-USE) This year’s SIG USE symposium focuses on information issues at work. It acknowledges social, individual and technological perspectives on the roles and flows that information takes as part of physical and digital work. The broad approach relates to the conference theme with a focus on information behavior (IB) or on information practices (IP) in connection to workplaces. Earlier generations were accustomed to stable and localized work; now work activities and contexts have and are radically changing. During their work life, people may experience several career changes, are expected to learn new skills and adapt to new ideas as well as manage the increasingly fluid boundaries between work and leisure. Moreover, much of information and data are internetworked and accessible simultaneously by multiple mobile devices supporting networked communities anyplace, anywhere, anytime. This challenges both the creation and consumption of information used for work – or at work; it also affects how, when and where people work, as well as their productivity, collegiality and innovativeness. Despite, or perhaps due to, the advances in technology, today’s workplaces remain challenged by how to create, discover, share, value and enhance information and knowledge at and for work; and, how to design and manage the systems that support these functions, which are so critical to organizationally effective and individually rewarding work. The issues are many, from the consequences of new devices that are stretching the ways that an organization works, to the efficacy dynamics (stress, motivation, collaboration, productivity, age, etc.) and to the new skills and expertise required to work in such changing and changeable environments. Information is indispensable in many, if not all, workplace activities; as a resource for getting work done as well as for learning, managing change, developing and maintaining processes and creating professional networks. Specific issues to be addressed depend on the interest of the participants and the issues they bring into the workshop. Welcome topics include: • Critical cultural information behavior – how do we infuse our workplaces and practices with diversity and social justice sensibilities? • Collaborative IB; virtual team • Digital workplaces, peopleless offices & officeless people - what happens when the physical workplace dissolves? • Everyday Life Information (in the workplace) • Frameworks for understanding IB/IP in work settings • IB/IP and workplace or information systems design • Organizational behaviour research - what can we learn from this field of research that is relevant to IB/IP? • Organizational information genres • Personal Information Management (in the workplace) • The blurring of lines between personal and professional in digital information use in the workplace • The impact of mobile devices on IB/IP in the workplace • Workplace culture, diversity and inclusion - how these shape and are shaped by information behaviour (IB)/information practices (IP)? • and any other work-related informational topics We aim to an interactive workshop to enable the fullest exchange of ideas amongst attendees. For this reason, we encourage participants to submit; even if participation without a paper/poster is an eligible option. The workshop features a keynote by Professor Hazel Hall (preliminarily confirmed), presentation of selected papers, a joint poster session between the SIGs, and roundtable discussions based on short papers and posters by participants. Documentation: short papers and posters are shared digitally among the participants. Roundtable discussions are documented by a designated person in each group and collated by symposium chairs to a short summary that is made available for the participants afterwards. SIG-USE symposium chairs David Allen, Leeds University, UK Katriina Byström, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Norway Nicole A. Cooke, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA Luanne Freund, University of British Columbia, Canada TENTATIVE SCHEDULE SI - opening keynote: 8.30-9.00 Paper presentations: 9.00-10.30 Break 10.30-10.45 Panel: 10.45-11.45 SIG SI paper awards: 11.45-12.15 SI- closing discussion and remarks: 12.15-12.45 USE- opening and opening keynote: 13.45-14.45 Short Paper Session: 14.45-15.45 Break 15.45-16.00 Roundtable discussion based on papers & posters: 16.00-17.30 SIG USE Awards 17.30-17.45 USE - closing remarks: 17.45-18.00 CALL FOR PAPERS AND POSTERS FOR BOTH SIGS Submit a short paper (2000 words) or poster (500 words) by August 19, 2016. SIG-SI: Please send your submission as a PDF file to: hrosenba(a)indiana.edu <mailto:hrosenba@indiana.edu> SIG-USE: Please, send your submission as a PDF-file to: katriina.bystrom(a)hioa.no <mailto:katriina.bystrom@hioa.no> Acceptance announcements made by August 31, 2016 in time for conference early registration (ends Sept 2, 2016). FEES Members – SIG-SI session: $100 - $120 after Sept. 2, 2016 Members – SIG-USE session: $100 - $120 after September September 2, 2016 Members – attending both SIG-SI and SIG-USE sessions: $180 - $200 after Sept. 2, 2016 Non-members - SIG-SI Session: $120 - $140, after September 2, 2016 Non-members - SIG-USE Session: $120 - $140, after September 2, 2016 Non-members – attending both SIG-SI and SIG-USE sessions: $230 - $250 after Sept. 2, 2016 ------------------------ Pnina Fichman Chair, Department of Information and Library Science Director, Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics School of Informatics and Computing, Indiana University, Bloomington http://ella.slis.indiana.edu/~fichman/

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Fwd: Call for Proposals: “Internet Freedom: Present and Future” at the Internet Freedom Festival, March 2017
by Nathalie Marechal 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

Hi all, This may be of interest to those on this list who study internet policy, internet governance, human rights, politics online, and more. The IFF is a really great opportunity to step outside the ivory tower and interact with civil society researchers and activists from around the world, *in Spain*. I've attended IFF since its inception in 2015 and would be happy to answer any questions. Cheers, Nathalie *Nathalie Maréchal* Doctoral Candidate, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Senior Information Controls Fellow, Ranking Digital Rights Marechal(a)USC.edu | @MarechalUSC | www.nathaliemarechal.net PGP Fingerprint - EB43 3CE8 A759 5419 52C0 2FF1 B721 C0BF 0F43 0663 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: IFF Research <research(a)internetfreedomfestival.org> Date: Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 10:00 AM Subject: Call for Proposals: “Internet Freedom: Present and Future” at the Internet Freedom Festival, March 2017 To: Call for Proposals: “Internet Freedom: Present and Future” at the Internet Freedom Festival Where: Internet Freedom Festival, Las Naves, Valencia, Spain When: March 6-10, 2017 Submission deadline: Oct 2, 2016 Since 2015, the Internet Freedom Festival has gathered the community keeping the internet open and uncensored for a week of multidisciplinary collaboration among front-line activists, policy experts, tool developers, digital security trainers, and academic researchers from around the world. This year, the “Internet Freedom: Present and Future” theme will promote exchange and collaboration between the scholarly and practitioner communities. In preparing their submissions, researchers should consider the following provocations: - What should practitioners from the various sectors represented at the Festival know from the scholarly literature? - What is the canon of Internet Freedom literature? In what ways is the canon being contested? - What is the cutting edge of scholarly research in this field? - How can this information best be conveyed to lay audiences? Proposals can structured as solo presentations of original research, critical literature reviews, panel discussions, roundtables, debates, or any other format suitable to sharing scholarly research with Internet Freedom practitioners. Standard formats for the IFF include: - Workshop - Training - Hackathon - Presentation - Panel discussion - Networking event - Off-site session - Other: you can also create your own formats, as long as they fit within the allocated times and spaces. The full submission guidelines are at https://internetfreedomfestival.org/ host-a-session/ <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__internetfreedomfestiva…> Graduate students, early-career academics, and scholars from the Global South are especially encouraged to apply. The Theme How should the future of the Internet Freedom space look? How can we get there from here? The Internet Freedom: Present and Future Theme is dedicated to explore the current state of the Internet Freedom space, its overarching issues, the latest research findings, and the upcoming threats and opportunities. Naturally, sessions that explore the history of Internet Freedom are also relevant. How to Apply Proposals should be submitted through https://internetfreedomfestival.org/ host-a-session/ <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__internetfreedomfestiva…>, selecting the “Internet Freedom: Present and Future” theme. Please refer to the “Research” theme in the session description. Submissions will be evaluated through a peer-review process comprising academics as well as internet freedom practitioners. Questions can be sent to research(a)internetfreedomfestival.org -- The Internet Freedom Festival Team @InternetFF | www.internetfreedomfestival.org <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.internetfreedomfest…>

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THIS WEEK: Twitter Book Club: How to Think about Digital Research
by Christian Sandvig 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

Dear AIR Colleagues, I'm writing to invite you to an experimental "twitter book club" starting now and running until this Thursday. It is a format my university is trying out. I foolishly promise an overview of ALL OF DIGITAL RESEARCH METHODS in one chapter. To participate, read the free book chapter (PDF linked below) then tweet questions/comments that include the #umsibookclub hashtag in the next two days. There is also a period with live interaction with the author (me) if you choose, but you can also participate asynchronously. This is the university's second attempt at this format. I was a reader for the first attempt and I found it to be a little bit like a new sport, as the questions/comments and the author responses must all be tweets (limited to 140 characters). It's quite a challenge! My favorite tweet last time was: @kentarotoyama @niftyc Latour: 4 things wrong with ANT: "actor" "network" "theory" and hyphen! :-p #umsibookclub Anyhow, it was a fun way to motivate myself to read something new. This occasion might be useful if you are considering assigning this book in an upcoming research methods class. I hope some of you are interested! The details: THIS WEEK UMSI Social Media Book Club: "How to Think about Digital Research" (free reading: Digital Research Confidential, chapter 1) with Christian Sandvig https://www.si.umich.edu/events/201608/umsi-social-media-book-club Hoping to see you "there", Christian

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Re: [Air-L] "Digital Methods & Social Develop" Webcast Sunday (August 21st)
by rs643 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

Zih Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.-------- Original message --------From: Jack Qiu <jacklqiu(a)gmail.com> Date: 16/08/2016 10:43 (GMT+00:00) To: aoir list <air-l(a)aoir.org> Subject: [Air-L] "Digital Methods & Social Develop" Webcast Sunday (August 21st) Dear all, The Inaugural CUHK Research Summit "Digital Methods and Social Development" will be held this Sunday (August 21st) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. If you are in the city or nearby, you're most welcome to join us at Lecture Theatre 2, Esther Lee Building, three minutes walk from University MTR station. If you cannot join us physically, don't worry. You can still watch all talks live broadcast online at http://ow.ly/be1s303h8Cg (this page has more background info about the event). We will also replay it on Twitter (hashtag: #dmsdcu16) This is the schedule (Hong Kong time) on Sunday August 21st: 9:00am-9:20am opening ceremony 9:30am-10:30am Melissa Gregg -- Counterproductivity: A brief history of time management 10:45am-11:45am Richard Rogers -- Otherwise Engaged: From vanity metrics to critical analytics 11:45am-12:45pm Wenhong Chen -- Handle with Care: Digital methods, sociological imagination, and the Chinese Dream 2pm-3pm Michael Best -- Digital Methods and Democratic Development: Acquiring and acting on user generated content during national elections 3pm-4pm Isaac Mao -- Man and Machine, Teaming or Fighting? 4:20pm-5:20pm Panel Discussion: Angela Wu (Moderator), Michael Best, Wenhong Chen, Melissa Gregg, Isaac Mao, Richard Rogers 5:20pm-5:30pm Closing: Richard Rogers, Jack Qiu Stay tuned and hope you're going to join us either way! Cheers, jlq _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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Call for Chapters: Political Scandal, Corruption, and Legitimacy in the Age of Social Media edited by Kamil Demirhan
by Ashu M. G. Solo 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

Following is a call for chapters from Kamil Demirhan, an assistant professor at Bülent Ecevit University in Turkey: The Invitation Letter Dear researcher, I hope this mail finds you well. Currently, I am in the process of editing a forthcoming publication entitled Political Scandal, Corruption, and Legitimacy in the Age of Social Media, to be published by IGI Global, an international publisher of progressive academic research. If you would like to submit your full chapter to our book, we will be glad to consider it for publication in this edited book. Recommended topics: - The role of social media in political scandals, and the release of corruptions - Social media and activism - H-activism - Social media and investigative journalism - Critical public discussion on social media after political scandals - Political marketing, public relations, image politics, political propaganda, and political campaigns (How do the politicians use social media?) - Politics and global information networks on social media - Citizen participation using social media, - Accountability and transperancy in digital age - Information control and surveillance - Social media and political change - Social media and democracy - E-government and accountability The deadline of full chapter submission is September 8, 2016. If you are interested in this project, you can use following link to submit your full chapter: http://www.igi-global.com/submission/submit-chapter/?projectid=47f2248e-222… I am looking forward to hearing from you. Best Wishes, Assist Prof. Kamil Demirhan, Editor Bülent Ecevit University, Turkey Department of Political Science and Public Administration

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2016 Nancy Baym Book Award
by Michelle Gardner 16 Aug '16

16 Aug '16

The Nancy Baym Book Award for 2016 is presented to Whitney Phillips for This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture (MIT Press) <https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262028948/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789…> (2015). The committee, which included Nancy Baym, Tama Leaver, and Stephanie Schulte, found Whitney’s historical perspective on trolling useful and important when put in the contemporary context of Fox News and Gamergate. The book delves deeply into the phenomenon of Internet trolls and trolling, arguing that there is not just an individual problem but a larger culture problem that gives rise to trolling. The committee found Phillips’ book to be the right balance between accessibility and scholarly depth – suitable for both academic and mainstream reading. Dr. Whitney Phillips holds a PhD in English with a Folklore structured emphasis (digital culture focus) from the University of Oregon, and an MFA in Creative Writing (fiction) from Emerson College. Congratulations Dr. Phillips!! Michelle AoIR Association Coordinator

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Registration Open for SIGDOC 2016
by Michael Trice 15 Aug '16

15 Aug '16

Hi everyone, I am happy to announce that the registration for the SIGDOC 2016 conference is now open! The conference will be held at the Sheraton Silver Spring, in Silver Spring, MD (DC Area) on September 23-24, 2016. Registration, hotel and travel information can be accessed here: https://sigdoc.acm.org/conference/2016/conference-registration/ A direct link to the conference registration is here: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1871175 In addition to a full slate of excellent panels, the conference will feature: Keynote addresses from two exemplary scholars, including Dr. Richard Forno, Assistant Director of UMBC's Center for Cybersecurity, and our own 2016 Rigo Award winner, Dr. Jan Spyridakis, Director of the Internet-based User Experience Lab at the University of Washington! Two pre-conference workshops ("Drawing to Communicate" and "Remote Usability for Cross-Functional Teams") as well as a Research Network Forum A moonlight trolley tour of Washington D.C. on Friday evening, September 23. The Microsoft Student Research Competition, featuring research presentations from undergraduate and graduate researchers in the field. And on the Saturday evening after the close of the conference, join President Obama on the National Mall for the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the National Museum of African American History and Culture! Please join us for SIGDOC 2016! We look forward to seeing you at this exciting conference in the vibrant DC area! -- Lecturer in Writing and Communication at MIT Doctoral Candidate at Texas Tech University Phone: 806.392.7016 Twitter: mikertrice Skype: mrtrice1 Email: propeliea(a)gmail.com “If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” - Albert Einstein

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New Job Opportunity, France: Post-doc in Big Data project design and management
by Babiga Birregah 15 Aug '16

15 Aug '16

*Sorry for cross posting* Dear all Spread as much as you can this Post-doc proposal announcement. Only the french version is provided. *BUT french is not compulsory for this job*. To apply you can send a mail as specified in the attached file. Thanks *========================================================== *Offre N° DL01-1617 :* Post- doc en conception de projet Big Data *Lieu* : Université de Technologie de Troyes, UMR CNRS 6281 ICD (Institut Charles Delaunay). Projet DataLab AnalyTrics (Analytics & Metrics) *Type de contrat :* Contrat à durée déterminée (12 mois renouvelable sur résultat) *Prise de fonction :* Dès que possible. Le processus d’étude des candidatures se fait au fil de l’eau jusqu’à ce que le poste soit pourvu. *Rémunération :* à discuter *Contacts : *Babiga BIRREGAH (équipe LM2S), babiga.birregah(a)utt.fr, skype : babiga.birregah *Date limite de cette offre: 30/10/2016* *Description du poste :* Le candidat participera aux différentes étapes de la mise en œuvre de solutions Big Data sous forme de POC (preuves de concept) pour répondre à des problématiques de traitement de grands flux de données (acquisition, stockage, algorithmes, visualisation). Dans le cadre du DataLab AnalyTrics (Analytics & Metrics), le candidat mettra en place l’infrastructure de traitement de données volumineuses dans un mode streaming. Il apportera ensuite son expertise dans la mise en œuvre de chaines de traitements pour ces données par des méthodes de segmentation, de détection d’anomalies, la correspondance d’entités et autres approches liées à l’analyse de données. Ces chaines de traitement de bout en bout seront composées de modules de collecte et de nettoyage de données, de génération d’attributs ainsi que des modules d’analyse et de représentation/restitution d’information (indicateurs et visualisation). Les problématiques des traitements respectueux des données seront aussi abordées. *Profil du candidat :* Les candidats doivent avoir un Doctorat en Informatique ou dans un domaine proche (mathématiques appliquées, analyse de données, etc.). Des compétences en infrastructures de calcul distribué (Hadoop, Spark etc) seraient un plus. Des compétences en développement informatique sont nécessaires pour pouvoir contribuer à ce projet. *Modalités de candidature:* Les candidats intéressés peuvent postuler en envoyant les éléments suivants à babiga.birregah(a)utt.fr *en ajoutant dans l’objet de leur email la référence DL01-1617 :* - Une lettre de motivation indiquant clairement les expériences en relation avec le poste - Un CV contenant la liste des publications et autres réalisations (projets, logiciels, etc.) - Une ou deux réalisations en rapport avec un projet (big) data - Le contact (nom, mail, téléphone) de 2 références pouvant être contactées pour donner leur avis sur la candidature. NB. Seuls les meilleurs profils seront auditionnés. ========================================================== -- -- BIRREGAH Babiga, Phd Enseignant-Chercheur/ Assistant professor ICD UMR-CNRS 6281 (Université de Technologie de Troyes) Joint Research Unit in Sciences and Technologies for Risk Management Department of Operational Research, Applied Statistics and Simulation UTT - ROSAS LM2S H107 12 Rue Marie Curie CS 42060 10004 TROYES CEDEX Tél. +33 (0) 325715869 Fax. +33 (0) 325715649 QR: http://goo.gl/Et0A4

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CFP for Computer Culture (SWPACA Conference, February 15-18, 2017)
by natasha chuk 13 Aug '16

13 Aug '16

Call for papers and participation: Computer Culture 38th Annual Conference Southwest Popular / American Culture Association February 15-18, 2017 Hyatt Regency, Albuquerque, NM <http://www.southwestpca.org/> www.southwestpca.org PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Proposals for papers are now being accepted for the area of Computer Culture, as one of the many areas within the 38th annual conference of the Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (SWPACA). Please consider submitting. COMPUTER is broadly defined as any computational device, whether smartphone or abacus, and any form of information technology, including the origins of concepts of interactive text that may predate computational devices as traditionally conceived. CULTURE is rooted in the concept of cultural meaning. We ask not just operational questions such as, "How do people communicate using computers?" but questions of meaning such as, "What does it mean when people communicate using computers instead of using pre-computer approaches to communication?" Along these lines, we are interested in communication as well as creative practices/applications and how computer technologies shape them. "Computer Culture" can be understood in a variety of ways: · the culture of the computer, that is, as computers interact with each other, what culture do they have of their own? · the culture around the computer, that is, (sub)cultures associated with · the production, maintenance, use, and destruction of computers · the culture through the computer, that is, explicit treatment of how computer mediation influences cultural phenomena that exist or have existed in forms that did not involve computer mediation, and what these influences mean · the culture by the computer, that is, the ways in which new (sub)cultures or (sub)cultural phenomena have arisen because of computers and understandings of these given awareness of the nature and/or workings of computers Example questions associated with Computer Culture would include, but not be limited to: · What implications are there because of the powerfulness of (computer/information) technology; and are these implications beneficial, detrimental, inevitable, or avoidable? · What are the cultural origins of computers, computer/information technologies, and practices associated with them? What is the descriptive and prescriptive outlook for the conditions of those cultural forces associated with those cultural origins? · How do cultural forces (such as changes from one generation to the next, trends in education or society, or other cultural phenomena) impact (and how are they impacted by) computer/information technologies/market-forces, and what do these impacts (in either direction or both) mean? Paper topics might include (but are not limited to) those that address: · issues of (re)presentation through computers (website analysis and design); · methods of discourse involving computers (blogging, Twitter, social networks, YouTube, viral video, live feeds); · theories focused on the relationship between computers and culture, uses of computers in particular contexts and the impacts thereof (such as computers and pedagogy, online dating, virtual currencies, commerce, marketing, entertainment, etc.); · the relationship between computers and social forces (such as journalism, community engagement, social change, politics, social media alternatives, etc.); · security/privacy/fraud/surveillance and computers (such as security breaches, spam, scams, hoaxes, terrorism, etc.); · creative practice, web art, generative and digital art, virtual performance; · the self, the “second self,” identity formation/negotiation, anonymity; · “cyberkids,” internet youth cultures; · data visualization and digital geographies; · hashtag thinking, data organization and archives, search predictions/autocomplete functions; · cultural markers (such as social media trends, memes, internet fame); · digital divides (such as internet inclusion/exclusion, user diversity, interface/software architectures, etc.); · the general mediascape (such as issues of governance, mediation, ownership, the ‘public sphere’, crowdsourcing, etc.) While we will consider any relevant paper, we have a preference for those that involve transferable methodological approaches. This is an interdisciplinary conference, and other conference attendees would benefit from being able to adapt your research methods to their future research. Scholars, teachers, professionals, artists, and others interested in computer culture are encouraged to participate. Graduate students are also particularly welcome, with award opportunities for the best graduate papers. More information about awards can be found at <http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/> http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/ Specifically, we would like to highlight the following award opportunities: The "Computer Culture and Game Studies Award" The "Heldrich-Dvorak Travel Fellowships" Given how papers may often fall into multiple categories, there may be other award opportunities listed at <http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/> http://southwestpca.org/conference/graduate-student-awards/ which would be appropriate for your paper. (However, each presenter may only apply for one – not including the Travel Fellowships, which can be in addition.) For consideration, submit 100-200 word abstracts and proposals for panels by Tuesday, November 1, 2016 to the conference’s electronic submission system, which can be found at: <http://conference2016.southwestpca.org/> http://conference2017.southwestpca.org/ If you wish to propose forming your own panel, we would be glad to help facilitate your needs. This conference is a presentation opportunity. Visit <http://www.journaldialogue.org/>http://journaldialogue.org <http://www.journaldialogue.org/> for information about the organization's new, peer-reviewed journal, Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy. Please pass along this call to friends and colleagues, and direct any questions to area chair Natasha Chuk atnchuk(a)sva.edu. -- Natasha Chuk, PhD writer, scholar, and curator natashachuk.com Vanishing Points: Articulations of Death, Fragmentation, and the Unexperienced Experience of Created Objects Intellect Ltd. Available at Amazon <http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywo…> and University of Chicago Press <http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/V/bo22229179.html>

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