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New CDT Report on Research-Driven Insights on Child Safety Policy
by Dhanaraj Thakur 05 Mar '25

05 Mar '25

Hi everyone, We would like to share a new report from CDT titled “The Kids are Online: Research-Driven Insights on Child Safety Policy. <https://cdt.org/insights/the-kids-are-online-research-driven-insights-on-ch…>” The report summarizes key discussions and insights from a research symposium held in September of last year on research and policy related to child safety online. The event brought together top researchers, policy experts, and civil society representatives to explore open questions and research-driven approaches to improving youth safety in digital spaces. Some of the key themes highlighted in the report include the need for evidence-based and youth-centric approaches, greater researcher access to data, and cross-sector collaboration. It also outlines opportunities for action, such as implementation of default safety protections, customizable user tools, and digital literacy strategies. Please find the full report here: https://cdt.org/insights/the-kids-are-online-research-driven-insights-on-ch… We welcome any feedback and encourage you to share the report with others. thanks, Dhanaraj -- *Dhanaraj Thakur* (he/him) | Research Director Center for Democracy & Technology |*cdt.org <https://cdt.org/>* **dthakur(a)cdt.org | **+1 202 407 8849

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Post Doc Position at Pitt
by Samuel Woolley 05 Mar '25

05 Mar '25

Hi All, I’m seeking a postdoc for CTRL (Communication Technology Research Lab), my new research project at Pitt. I’m specifically interested in applicants who have ethnographic and field-research experience working alongside marginalized communities. The goal is to do in-depth qualitative work in collaboration with several groups internationally in order to learn about how they are combatting propaganda and disinformation from the ground up. Details and the application requirements are here: https://cfopitt.taleo.net/careersection/pitt_faculty_external_pd/jobdetail.… Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Best, Sam — Samuel C. Woolley, PhD Dietrich Chair of Disinformation Studies University of Pittsburgh

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AusSTS 'Signals and Noises' CFP - submission portal correction
by Christopher O'Neill 05 Mar '25

05 Mar '25

Apologies, the recent email sent about the 2025 AusSTS conference<https://aussts.org/> contained an error in the submission portal link - please submit proposals here<https://forms.office.com/Pages/DesignPageV2.aspx?prevorigin=shell&origin=Ne…> by Friday 14 March 11:59pm AEDT. Best wishes, Carina Truyts and Christopher O'Neill (co-convenors) Important Notice: The contents of this email are intended solely for the named addressee and are confidential; any unauthorised use, reproduction or storage of the contents is expressly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and any attachments immediately and advise the sender by return email or telephone. Deakin University does not warrant that this email and any attachments are error or virus free.

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AusSTS CFP reminder and keynote announcements - CFP closing soon!
by Christopher O'Neill 04 Mar '25

04 Mar '25

***with apologies for cross-posting*** The Call for Proposals for presentations, posters, meet-ups, making and doing installations, and pre-submitted papers for the Australasian Science and Technology Studies (AusSTS) 2025 conference is closing soon, on Friday the 14th March 11:59pm AEDT. Please submit here<https://forms.office.com/Pages/ShareFormPage.aspx?id=XHJ941yrJEaa5fBTPkhkN9…>. For more information about this year's theme and our keynotes, please check out the AusSTS website<https://aussts.org/aussts-2025-cfp/>, or read more below. We look forward to welcoming you in July! Theme: Signals and Noises When: 9-11 July 2025 Submissions due: 14 March 2025, 11:59 PM AEDT. Where: Naarm/Melbourne: National Communication Museum (Hawthorn) and Deakin Downtown (Docklands) Confirmed keynotes and collaborations This year we are excited to announce a collaboration with the ‘Signal to Noise’ exhibition at the fantastic new National Communication Museum<https://ncm.org.au/> (NCM) in Hawthorn, Naarm, for day 1 of the conference. The day 1 activities will draw on the creative archives, exhibitions and interactive spaces in the NCM and have been made possible thanks to generous support from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S). Day 1 will include a keynote panel on infrastructures of noise with Dang Nguyen<https://www.rmit.edu.au/profiles/n/dang-nguyen>, (RMIT), Ranjodh Dhaliwal<https://ranjodhdhaliwal.com/>, (University of Basel), Kate Mannell<https://experts.deakin.edu.au/57134-kate-mannell> (Deakin) and Fabian Offert<https://zentralwerkstatt.org/> (University of California, Santa Barbara), as well as a series of workshops and a public event in the evening with Eryk Salvaggio<https://www.cyberneticforests.com/about> and further international and national artists (to be announced soon!). Days 2 and 3 will take place at Deakin Downtown in the Docklands. On day 2 we look forward to a keynote on technologies of reproduction from Elizabeth Stephens<https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/1204> (University of Queensland), in discussion with Jaya Keaney<https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/955699-jaya-keaney> (University of Melbourne). The keynote will kick off a day of presentations, pre-submitted paper workshops, and ‘Making and Doing’ sessions, which will include a poster format and short tours where presenters will be able to introduce their installations. The keynote for day 3 on noise within health includes Warwick Anderson<https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/about/our-people/academic-staff/warwick-ande…> (University of Sydney), Kari Lancaster<https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/kari-lancaster> (University of Bath), and Christopher O’Neill<https://experts.deakin.edu.au/66849-christopher-o%27neill> (Deakin). For more information and details about the conference theme, ‘Signals and Noises’ please check out the AusSTS website<https://aussts.org/aussts-2025-cfp/>. ‘SIGNALS AND NOISES’  AusSTS 2025 seeks to bring the broad scope of STS subjects, skills, practices and politics into conversation with a core problematic of information theory - the problem of noise. Noise (as distortion, as error) is a problem for communication - it corrupts and contaminates communication signals (as they fly along wires or along undersea cables for example). But to eliminate noise entirely is to shut signals down, to sever communication. To perfectly silence noise would also mean perfectly silencing the signal to which it belongs. Signal and noise are intimately, iteratively bonded in their material production, reception and translation. What questions then might signals and noises ask of STS? Is it simply a case, as it was for Shannon and Weaver (1949) of eliminating noise as far as possible in the service of signal? Or can we listen to ‘noise’ differently? Can the difference between what we seek to understand or convey on the one hand, and the ‘unintended things’ that trouble our efforts on the other, be illustrative? How might we work creatively with the flotsam and jetsam of research, or trace the twisting journeys of signals? We encourage submissions that grapple with the entwined nature of signals and noises in our efforts to understand the world and listen to noise differently. We invite generous readings of the theme. For more information and suggestions on engagements with the theme, see <https://aussts.org/> or get in touch at <ausstsgrad(a)gmail.com>. Sponsored by: ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society (ADM+S), Deakin Science and Society Network, Science, Technology, & Human Values, and the National Communication Museum. Please circulate the call in your networks - we look forward to seeing you in July! Best wishes, Carina Truyts and Christopher O'Neill (2025 Convenors) Important Notice: The contents of this email are intended solely for the named addressee and are confidential; any unauthorised use, reproduction or storage of the contents is expressly prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and any attachments immediately and advise the sender by return email or telephone. Deakin University does not warrant that this email and any attachments are error or virus free.

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Animation and Visual Culture, Limited-Term (2 Year) Teaching Stream Assistant Professor
by Gerald Voorhees 04 Mar '25

04 Mar '25

Dear friends and colleagues, The department of Communication Arts and the department of Fine Arts at the University of Waterloo (Canada) are looking for a joint-appointed 2-year limited term Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream. The job is certainly not a typical post as it will A. support curriculum oversight for a practice-oriented professional program in Animation delivered by Waterloo's online ed division but B. teaching is in-person in practice-based digital arts (not including animation) and in visual culture. So the ideal candidate will have background in practical areas of digital media/animation and in visual culture studies. Feel free to email with questions! https://www.academicwork.ca/jobs/animation-and-visual-culture-limited-term-…

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Event London: Behind the Startups: Three Generations of Disruption and Capital
by Jordan, Tim 04 Mar '25

04 Mar '25

Dear all in and about London, An interesting event co-organised by Six Silberman, Lola Brittain and Jyotsna Iyer. The event is titled 'Behind the Startups: Three Generations of Disruption and Capital'. The opening talk will be a 'book talk' by US-based Ben Shestakofsky based on his new book, Behind the Startup: How Venture Capital Shapes Work, Innovation, and Inequality (University of California Press, 2024). There will be two co-panelists: Claddagh NicLochlainn (Institute for the Future of Work) will talk about 'The AI Hype Bubble' and her brief experience as a co-founder of a UK cybersecurity startup, and Tristan Spill will speak about his experience working in tech startups funded by media companies in New York City in the late 1990s. The event will take place at Newspeak House (the 'London College of Political Technology') in Shoreditch, 6:30pm on Friday March 14. Attendance is free. More details and (optional) registration link are here: https://lu.ma/dyboar6x Best Tim Tim Jordan Professor of Digital Cultures, Department of UCL Arts and Sciences.

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Symposium on Changing Mediations of Music, Audio and Sound: New Systems Across the World, 12 June
by David Hesmondhalgh 04 Mar '25

04 Mar '25

Hello everyone, below are details of a one-day symposium, to be held at the University of Denver (Colorado, USA), 9am to 5pm, on Thursday 12 June 2025, right before the start of the International Communication Association conference. It's free to attend, lunch and coffee will be provided, and everyone is welcome if you register by Thursday 15 May here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/changing-mediations-of-music-audio-and-sound… Details of topic and names of speakers are below. We're sorry, but the event won't be available online. Kind regards, Dave Hesmondhalgh Changing Mediations of Music, Audio and Sound: New Systems Across the World Audio streaming, social media and short video platforms are transforming the systems by which sound media are configured internationally. Platformisation, datafication and automated recommendation have been central to such transformations, and now generative AI is bringing about further changes. These developments have generated great controversy, for example concerning effects on musicians, on local music production, and on the way that music is experienced in everyday life. These changes also have significant implications, via the rise of podcasting and other related developments, for the fate of radio, even if radio remains resilient in many territories. Arguably such transformations require a major rethinking of the politics of sound in everyday life. This symposium brings together scholars engaged in high-quality research on these and related topics from across the world. The symposium is organised by the MUSICSTREAM<https://musicstreamproject.com/> project team at the University of Leeds (David Hesmondhalgh, D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye, Raquel Campos Valverde and Zhongwei Li), in conjunction with colleagues from the University of Denver (Carlos Jimenez and Runchao Liu). Speakers are (in no particular order): Thomas Hodgson, Rodrigo Gómez, Vanessa Valiati, Ignacio Siles, David Hesmondhalgh, Shuwen (Stella) Qu, Peng Will Wu, Cemal Ataş, Laura Jordán González, Sumanth Gopinath, Thomas Michel, Darci Sprengel, Jana Costas, Zhongwei (Mabu) Li, Laura Glitsos, Mattia Zanotti, Francis Galang, Raquel Campos Valverde & D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye. Some contributions to the symposium will draw on chapters in a collection, Music Streaming Around the World, edited by David Hesmondhalgh, to be published by University of California Press in October 2025. The symposium is organised by the MUSICSTREAM<https://musicstreamproject.com/> project team at the University of Leeds (David Hesmondhalgh, D. Bondy Valdovinos Kaye, Raquel Campos Valverde and Zhongwei Li), and colleagues from the University of Denver (Carlos Jimenez and Runchao Liu). While not an official pre-conference of the ICA, the symposium has been scheduled in such a way to allow those who have registered to attend the ICA conference to make their way to the conference in time for the opening plenary and reception. Please send any enquiries concerning the event to musicstreamproject(a)gmail.com<mailto:musicstreamproject@gmail.com> David Hesmondhalgh<https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/media/staff/297/professor-david-hesmondhalgh> (he/him) Professor of Media, Music and Culture, University of Leeds Links to recent publications: https://linktr.ee/davidhesmondhalgh Principal Investigator, MUSICSTREAM: Music Culture in the Age of Streaming, funded by European Research Council, 2021 to 2026: https://musicstreamproject.com/ David Hesmondhalgh<https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/media/staff/297/professor-david-hesmondhalgh> (he/him) Professor of Media, Music and Culture, University of Leeds Links to recent publications: https://linktr.ee/davidhesmondhalgh Principal Investigator, MUSICSTREAM: Music Culture in the Age of Streaming, funded by European Research Council, 2021 to 2026: https://musicstreamproject.com/

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Call for Contributions: Creative AI Exploration and Imagination
by Christian Pentzold 04 Mar '25

04 Mar '25

Call for Contributions: *Creative AI Exploration and Imagination: Innovative Methods for Alternative Digital Futures* Leipzig University, Germany 25–26 September 2025 Are you exploring the intersections of citizen engagement, futures methods and artificial intelligence? Do you experiment with arts-based and/or participatory futures methods to reimagine digital futures? We invite you to share your work at our upcoming show-and-tell workshop. *Idea and Background* Artificial intelligence (AI) and other types of digital technologies are deeply intertwined with the everyday lives of citizens, yet their underlying conditions and consequences often remain invisible or difficult to grasp. Many people experience the digital transformation as inevitable and uncontrollable, as exemplified by the current public discourse around the “AI race” and generative AI technologies. Innovative approaches and methods are urgently needed to empower citizens to critically engage with digital transformation processes and imagine alternative futures. This workshop moves beyond traditional information dissemination and focuses on playful and artistic engagement methods, such as arts-based and future methods. These approaches foster experiential and creative explorations of AI and digital transformation, using photography, music, literary and poetic texts, diaries, comics and visual narratives, installations, or excursions. These methods are not aimed at conveying the current state of AI technology but rather at collaboratively defining future frameworks for action, governance, and regulation with civil society actors. Arts-based methods are particularly valuable as they allow participants to experience, explore and imagine alternative scenarios beyond the status quo and/or dominant narratives about how “the” future will unfold. This workshop seeks to bring together researchers involved in such projects, practitioners, citizens, and other experts working in this field. The event aims to map real-time experiences and identify good practices and model initiatives for engaging with citizens, civil society organizations, community organizers, and public administrations around critical questions about AI and digital technologies. These efforts are planned to culminate in a publication titled “(Re)-Imagining AI with and for the People.” The event is supported by the ARQUS University Alliance and the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. ** *Objectives and Contributions* The workshop will explore and test transfer methods for playful and artistic engagement (arts-based methods and future methods) with AI and digital transformation. Participants will discuss the theoretical foundations of these methodologies, address practical challenges in their application and transfer, and examine the role of arts-based and future methods in fostering civil society participation, enabling citizens to critically engage with the everyday impacts of AI and envision alternative uses, frameworks, and regulations for a citizen-centered digital transformation. Practical aspects of applying arts-based and future methods in the AI context should be illuminated through collaboration with local partners. Stakeholders such as citizens, media education initiatives, and NGOs critical of digitalization are invited to join the conversation and exploration. The workshop also aims to address ethical considerations in applying these methods, documenting how such approaches influence the dynamics between researchers and participants. We welcome contributions from a broad range of disciplines and sectors involving researchers and academics, designers, artists and creative practitioners, community organizers and activists, technologists and developers, as well as policy advocates and educators. We invite arts-based and future methods contributions that: * Demonstrate innovative citizen-led AI applications or projects. * Showcase participatory methods for engaging diverse communities with AI. * Explore alternative narratives and imaginaries of digital futures. * Examine the role of creativity in developing ethical and inclusive AI. * Provide critical reflections on challenges and lessons learned. The Show-and-Tell format is designed to encourage interaction and dialogue. Contributors will present their work in interactive sessions and engage directly with participants through live demonstrations, creative storytelling, or multimedia presentations. The registration fee is 150 Euro and includes lunch catering and coffee & tea breaks. * * *Submission Guidelines* Please submit the following by *31 March 2025* 1. A title and brief description of your contribution (300 words max). 2. A short bio (150 words max) of the presenter(s). 3. Any technical or logistical requirements for your presentation. Email your submission to christian.pentzold(a)uni-leipzig.de <mailto:christian.pentzold@uni-leipzig.de> <mailto:christian.pentzold@uni-leipzig.de>with the subject line: *Show and Tell Submission – [Your Name/Project Name].* * * *Key Dates* * Submission Deadline: 31 March 2025 * Notification of Acceptance: 15 May 2025 * Event Date: 25–26 September 2025 ** *Organizers* The local event is organized by: Christian Pentzold, Emma Hughes, and Benedikt Haupt, Leipzig University in collaboration with Juliane Jarke & Laura Kunz, University of Graz; Rob Kitchin & Olly Dawkins, Maynooth University; and Stefano Crabu & Federico Neresini, University of Padua. For more information, please visit the website: https://tinyurl.com/5n8e7ptn <https://tinyurl.com/5n8e7ptn> For inquiries, please contact us at christian.pentzold(a)uni-leipzig.de <mailto:christian.pentzold@uni-leipzig.de> <mailto:christian.pentzold@uni-leipzig.de> — Professor Dr. Christian Pentzold Institut für Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft | Department for Communication and Media Studies Universität Leipzig | Leipzig University Nikolaistrasse 27-29, D-04109 Leipzig christian.pentzold(a)uni-leipzig.de https://www.sozphil.uni-leipzig.de/institut-fuer-kommunikations-und-medienw…

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Academic Writers Retreat in Jönköping, Sweden
by Erika Polson 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

Academic Writers Retreat Annette Hill and Joke Hermes Location: Gränna Campus, Jönköping University Dates June 23rd to 27th 2025 https://ju.se/academicwritersretreat<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ju.se/academicwritersretreat__;!!NCZxaNi…> Writing Retreat Theme: Research Spices What kinds of savoury and sweet spices do you add to your research practice? This academic writers’ retreat takes the metaphor of spices to explore research craft. We consider the seeds, roots, bark and fruits in our writing and analysis. And we reflect on layering of empirical and conceptual thinking, from whole to ground spices, toasted and roasted spices, and subtle and strong fragrances. The retreat starts with a choice of spices and then we try out, write and reflect on the flavours and fragrances we want to create in our research craft. Each day we spend time in workshops, private writing time, go on walks by the lake and mountainside, and we cook together. To find out more about registration, fees and the programme go here: https://ju.se/academicwritersretreat<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/ju.se/academicwritersretreat__;!!NCZxaNi…>

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Call for Abstracts (deadline March 15): International conference: "20 Years into the Future: What is our vision of media, data, and society?
by ZeMKI News 03 Mar '25

03 Mar '25

ZeMKI’s 20th Anniversary International Conference 20 Years into the Future: What is our vision of media, data, and society? Confirmed Keynote Speakers: - José van Dijck (Utrecht U, NL) - Nick Couldry (LSE, UK) - Alenda Y. Chang (UC Santa Barbara, USA) Date: 23.-24. October 2025 Street: Sandstraße 4/5, Bremen, Germany Location: House of Science Bremen Host: ZeMKI, Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research, University of Bremen Call for Abstracts: Media and communication research has traditionally focused on the present, often asking: What are the consequences of each “new” medium? How do digital media and their infrastructures impact contemporary cultures and societies? With this conference, however, we aim to shift the perspective—from analyzing present-day impacts to envisioning future possibilities. What can we learn from the current mediatization and datafication of society to imagine possible futures? What roles might media discourses, technologies, and practices play in ongoing and future societal transformations? In raising these foundational questions, the conference is broadly situated within the fields of media, communication and information research. Topics may include: the role of media discourses, technologies, and practices in narrating and shaping the future; the importance of media policy and governance in building better futures; recent technological developments such as communicative AI and their potential role for future media environments; ways in which our narratives of the past, media history, and archeology shape our imaginaries of the future; digital gaming and emerging forms of entertainment; future media-related challenges for future sustainability and quality of life; and methodologies in media and communication research that address emerging media-related developments from a forward-looking perspective. With discussion topics like these, the ZeMKI’s 20th anniversary conference is not about speculative forecasting but is grounded in media and communication research. We aim to explore long-term trends emerging from today’s media-related transformations and reflect on our visions of the future. We invite those who have previously engaged with us—our cooperation partners, ZeMKI fellows, guests, and friends—and those interested in starting new conversations. Presentations may cover any area of media and communication research, provided they also address the question of where a mediatized and datafied society might be heading. Abstracts of up to 500 words can be submitted by March 15th, 2025 via this online submission form: https://nc.uni-bremen.de/index.php/apps/forms/s/EP6cLH2Y3eLxbaaC6cLMCNsA Participation is free of charge. Download the call as a PDF file: https://zemki.uni-bremen.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Call_20-years-into-t… Conference website: https://zemki.uni-bremen.de/futures

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