- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

test!
by Sari 24 Dec '11

24 Dec '11

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FW: 2. Social media hive mind & attitude formation (Jeremy Blackman)
by Wallis, Jacob 22 Dec '11

22 Dec '11

Jeremy, a provocative starting point on this might be Jaron Lanier's Digital Maoism paper which stimulated significant discussion across the web - available at http://edge.org/3rd_culture/lanier06/lanier06_index.html Cheers, Jake Jake Wallis Lecturer | School of Information Studies Boorooma Street Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650 Australia Tel: +61 2 6933 4397 Fax: +61 2 6933 2733 Email: jwallis(a)csu.edu.au www.csu.edu.au Charles Sturt University | ALBURY-WODONGA | BATHURST | CANBERRA | DUBBO | GOULBURN | MELBOURNE | ONTARIO | ORANGE | SYDNEY | WAGGA WAGGA | LEGAL NOTICE This email (and any attachment) is confidential and is intended for the use of the addressee(s) only. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must not copy, distribute, take any action in reliance on it or disclose it to anyone. Any confidentiality is not waived or lost by reason of mistaken delivery. Email should be checked for viruses and defects before opening. Charles Sturt University (CSU) does not accept liability for viruses or any consequence which arise as a result of this email transmission. Email communications with CSU may be subject to automated email filtering, which could result in the delay or deletion of a legitimate email before it is read at CSU. The views expressed in this email are not necessarily those of CSU. Charles Sturt University in Australia http://www.csu.edu.au The Chancellery, Panorama Avenue, Bathurst NSW Australia 2795 ABN: 83 878 708 551; CRICOS Provider Numbers: 00005F (NSW), 01947G (VIC), 02960B (ACT) Charles Sturt University in Ontario http://www.charlessturt.ca 860 Harrington Court, Burlington Ontario Canada L7N 3N4 Registration: www.peqab.ca Consider the environment before printing this email.

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Freedom of Association in the Networked Workplace: A Discussion Workshop (Brussels)
by Seda Guerses 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

fyi, s. Freedom of Association in the Networked Workplace: A Discussion Workshop http://foa.strickdistro.org/ Thursday 26th January 2012 1pm – 7pm Rue Gallait – Gallaitstraat 80 1030 Brussels Belgium Participation is free, but places may be limited. Please contact us to reserve a place. (use web form here: http://foa.strickdistro.org/contact/) Ongoing developments in IT and social media are changing the boundaries and structure of the workplace, causing a blurring of distinctions between private and work-related activities. This is raising new issues in regard to the extent of surveillance applied by businesses towards their employees. Attempts to control workplace communications are however conflicting with a number of basic employment rights. This workshop seeks to address these issues with a specific focus on the potential impacts of emerging surveillance cultures on the rights of Freedom of Association in the networked workplace. It aims to bring together a range of researchers and union activists with a view to building a more substantial network for investigation, analysis and intervention. The workshop follows from a panel presented at the CPDP (Computers, Privacy and Data Protection) conference 2012 and will expand upon and explore issues raised at that panel in greater depth. A summary of the panel discussion will be presented as part of the workshop and attendance at CPDP is not essential to participation. Participants include: Gabriella Alberti, Queen Mary University of London, researching migrant workers organising and social movement unionism; Kirstie Ball, Open University and Surveillance Studies Network; Leigh French, Variant magazine and Strickland Distribution; Christian Fuchs, Uppsala University, researching the political economy of social media and its development as a new workplace; Seda Guerses, K. U. Leuven, researching on workplace surveillance and online social networks; Dave Hollis, NetzwerkIT in Germany, developing online systems for union activists and migrant workers; Owen J. Logan, University of Aberdeen and Flammable Societies network; Tonia Novitz, University of Bristol, research on Freedom of Association and workers’ rights; Simon Yuill, Strickland Distribution, researching software culture and politics. The workshop will take the format of short presentations and facilitated discussion. Open slots are available for proposed presentations or outlines of existing projects and organisations. Please contact us if you are interested in speaking. The workshop is hosted by Constant VZW.

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Social media hive mind & attitude formation
by Jeremy Blackman 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

Hi all, I'm doing some further research and presentations on how social media's "hive mind" phenomenon affects/impacts peer pressure (esp. amongst teenagers) and the formation of group attitudes (esp. in regard to prejudices - with an emphasis on cyberbullying ). Does anyone know of any key studies/publications in this area? Thanks & and happy holiday season. Jeremy. Jeremy Blackman Senior Cybersafety Specialist The Alannah and Madeline Foundation Level 1, 256 Clarendon Street | PO Box 5192 South Melbourne VIC 3205 t. 03 9697 0666 | d. 03 9697 0627 | w. www.amf.org.au <http://www.amf.org.au/> | Follow us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/AlannahandMadeline?v=app_164743823578511> This email and its attachments are for the sole use of the addressee and may contain information which is confidential and/or legally privileged. This email and its attachments are subject to copyright and should not be partly or wholly reproduced without the consent of the copyright owner. Any unauthorised use of disclosure of this email or its attachments is prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please immediately delete it from your system and notify the sender by return email.

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Call for Papers and Collaborators: #OccupyThought
by Dylan Wittkower 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

To be clear: I'm sending this to Air-L because I think the #OWS is a really significant moment in the development of internet activism. This project has a wider scope, but certainly includes internet research. It's what I'll be writing about! —Dylan Wittkower ---- Call for Papers and Collaborators: #OccupyThought #OccupyThought is a theoretical action taken as a part of #OccupyWallStreet—intended to be a political act of theorization rather than a theorization of political action. We welcome scholars and activists to contribute any theoretical writing concerned with the #OWS movement. All submissions will be published online in an open access format, and subject to open peer review from both scholars and activists. Selections will be chosen for one or more edited volumes, to be published in both print and open-access ebook formats. Submissions of any kind of theoretically-based writing are welcome, including informational writing, interpretive writing, critical and interventionist writing, as well as persuasive writing that attempts to imagine outcomes and next steps, and to appeal to #occupiers to follow one vision or plan rather than another. We hope to see a great diversity of perspectives and assessments, and there is no political litmus test—only a requirement that the intent of the writing be constructive communication both with scholars and with activists. Word count is expected to vary widely, in accordance with the kind of writing submitted, but should be more than 1500 words and less than 8000. Writing from any disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspective is welcome. Those who have made provisional commitments to take part in the project include Linda Martín Alcoff (Philosophy, Hunter College/CUNY Graduate Center), Wendy Brown (Political Science, UC Berkeley), Jason Eastman (Sociology, Coastal Carolina University), Jairus Grove (Political Science, University of Hawai’i at Manoa), Alexander Halavais (Communications, Quinnipiac University), Dustin Howes (Political Science, LSU), Leigh Johnson (Philosophy, Rhodes College), Nathan Jun (Midwestern State University), Paul M. Livingston (Philosophy, UNM), Nicholas Mirzoeff (Media, Culture, and Communication, NYU), Joel Olson (Politics & International Affairs, Northern Arizona University), Andrew Ross (Social and Cultural Analysis, NYU), Louis-Georges Schwartz (Film Studies, Ohio University), Robert Talisse (Philosophy, Vanderbilt), D.E. Wittkower (Philosophy, Old Dominion University), and Keith Woodward (Geography, University of Wisconson–Madison). Due to the open-access nature of the project, we will accept concurrent submissions with other projects that also accept concurrent submissions. * Tidal* (occupytheory.org) and *Occupy Philosophy* (occupyphil.org) are two notable examples of similar projects that we are glad to share submissions with. If your work is more quantitative than theoretical, you may be more interested in working with *Occupy Research* (occupyresearch.wikispaces.com) Historians may also wish to work with *Occupy History* (occupyhistory.us). For online open peer-review, reviewers will be sought from both academics and #occupiers, based on the belief that this project should be responsive and responsible to standards of both theory and practice. Submissions should be written with both audiences in mind. Submissions are welcome from scholars or from #occupiers, but we are especially interested in submissions from scholars who have been personally involved in #occupations, and from #occupiers with academic backgrounds. In addition to submissions, we also welcome collaborators who wish to help with peer-review, with communications and publicity, or with any other related project. While immediate needs will concern getting the activists and scholars informed of and involved in the project, expansions of the project are welcome, and may include organizing teach-ins, Kickstarter-funding the purchase of books for #occupations and public libraries, or other related activities of your choosing. We encourage you to get involved and bring your own goals and ideas. We hope that working groups on Direct Action, Education, and Outreach will emerge. If you’d like to be involved in any way, please sign up to the Google group for the project: http://groups.google.com/group/occupy-thought The group will be the primary location of discussion and planning, and will send out announcements of newly uploaded submissions. Please also consider “liking” the project on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Thought/279914098727293 The Facebook page will send out relevant news stories and postings, and will also post newly uploaded submissions. Submissions will be uploaded to The New Everyday for open access and open peer-review: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/tne/ To submit your writing, create an account with Media Commons and send your exact username to d.e.wittkower(a)gmail.com with the subject line “#OccupyThought Contributor”. You will be sent further instructions at that time. Formatting details are available on the New Everyday website linked above. Contributions will be accepted until Feb. 20th. We hope you will consider submitting, and that you will consider collaborating. If the topic or process sounds interesting or valuable to you, but you will not be able to contribute, please join our Google group and like our Facebook page so that you can stay updated and perhaps help review contributions. D.E. Wittkower Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies Old Dominion University

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FW: Digital Media Studies position at Trent University
by Holly Kruse 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Forwarded on request. Holly ---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- From: "Victoria Dezwaan" <vdezwaan(a)trentu.ca> Date: Mon, December 19, 2011 5:41 pm To: holly(a)aoir.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please find attached; it's a "short" version, which sends people to our university website for the full thing. Much appreciated, Victoria Victoria de Zwaan Associate Professor and Chair, Cultural Studies Department Trent University vdezwaan(a)trentu.ca (705) 748-1011, ext. 6094 ---- The Cultural Studies Department at Trent University is looking for a versatile cultural theorist and active scholar in the area of Media Studies, with a specialization in Digital Media, to take up a tenure-stream position on July 1st 2012. The successful candidate will have: a completed Ph.D., an excellent teaching record, an active research program, and demonstrated ability in academic/administrative organisation. S/he will be asked to anchor “core” Media courses in the Cultural Studies Department; will be invited to participate in the two associated graduate programs; and will play a central role in a new Media Studies Program, scheduled to launch in September 2012. For detailed information about application procedures, access to background information and salary ranges, and Trent University’s employment policies, see full posting at: http://www.trentu.ca/dean/documents/CUSTTT--Media.pdf. Contact information: Victoria de Zwaan, Department Chair: vdezwaan(a)trentu.ca; 705-748-1011, extension 6094 Deadline: February 20th 2012, or until position is filled.

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Research on highest traffic e-commerce sites?
by Deborah Elizabeth Finn 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Dear AIR Colleagues, I'm looking for really serious research on the ten or twenty-five top ranked e-commerce web sites in North America. (Beggars can't be choosers, and for these purposes, I'd define "top ranked" as highest in gross income, or in net profit, or in mere visitor traffic.) What I'm looking for is a kind of benchmark group, where the following kind of data about these sites might be available: - Platform used to develop the e-commerce site - Return on investment - Cost of first twelve months of current incarnation (including discovery, planning, development, testing, launch, tweaking) - Cost of annual upkeep (with no major upgrades) - Number of person hours required in routine annual upkeep of site - Number of person hours required in all other routine annual e-commerce related operations (e.g., accounting, fulfillment, shipping) - Number of units sold - Aggregated information on e-commerce customer base (e.g., currency, language, demographics) I started out looking for a "Fortune 100 E-commerce Sites" sort of list, and have thus far found that a) it's difficult to locate such a list, and b) a magazine for general audiences is unlikely to feature peer-reviewed research. Any suggestions? Many, many thanks from Deborah Deborah Elizabeth Finn Strategist and Consultant Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector Boston, Massachusetts, USA Email: deborah.elizabeth(a)finn.com Blog: www.deborahelizabethfinn.com Skype: Deborah909 Twitter: Deborah909 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah909 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Deborah.Elizabeth.Finn Mobile phone: 1-617-504-8188 Voicemail: 1-617-958-1959 I bring resources and needs together for nonprofits and philanthropies, mostly through strategic use of information and communication technologies.

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CFP: Symbolic Interaction and New Social Media
by Shing-Ling (Sarina) Chen 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

CFP: Symbolic Interaction and New Social Media *Studies in Symbolic Interaction*, a research bi-annual, edited by Norman K. Denzin (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), invites submissions for a special issue on symbolic interaction and new social media, to be edited by Shing-Ling Sarina Chen and Laura Terlip (University of Northern Iowa). While the works of George H. Mead, Georg Simmel, Erving Goffman and other leading symbolic interactionists have been integral to the study of social interaction, researchers from this tradition have been somewhat hesitant to engage in the study of mediated communication. It is critical that symbolic interactionists move boldly forward to study what has become for many a dominant form of communication in their everyday life. Symbolic interactionism, a powerful perspective in studying social interaction, seemingly lacks readily available conceptual tools to help researchers fully grasp the nuances of mediated communication. For instance, Mead’s works are full of conceptual tools for studying mind, self, and society yet obviously void of specific tools to study social interaction made possible by advances in communication technology and mediated communication. The prevalence of new social media, Facebook, Twitter, etc. has made it impossible for symbolic interactionists to ignore the effects of mediated communication when they study social relationships in everyday life. Whether we research identities, emotion, memory, family, work, career, presentations of self, deception, love, loss or other areas, the impact of mediated communication is felt by those interacting within it. C. Wright Mills advised that we live in a second-hand world, one mediated by culture, language, and communication. Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, and Carl Couch argued that information technologies fundamentally changed the way we form relationships with one another. Stuart Hall further advocates that a politics of representation mediates our relationship to reality, as we no longer confront the world directly. The new social media build on and further complicate all of the issues and processes of symbolic interaction. This special issue provides an arena for researchers to build on and expand the existing symbolic interactionist perspective to include the study of social interaction made possible by the use of new social media. This special issue offers researchers an opportunity to demonstrate the interface between willful social interaction and structured technological features—how social media are defined by social interactions, as well as how social interactions are dictated by the use of social media. There is no shortage of topics that offer insights into the investigation of the relationships between social interaction and social media, such as, but not limited to: Avatars, digital bodies, and identity Gaming communities Facebook and Twitter in education Facebook and Twitter in Congress Microblogs and relationships building Online dating research Self-representation online Social media and deviance Social media and divorce Social media and elections Social media and fan communities Social media and grieving Social media and health/illness Social media and homelessness Social media and immigrants Social media and privacy Social media and religion Social media and social capital Social media and social movements Social media and the elderly Social media network analysis Social media journalism Wikileaks and secrecy Wireless and mobile media studies SUBMISSIONS Interested scholars should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words for consideration. Submissions should be e-mailed to Shing-Ling Sarina Chen at sarina.chen(a)uni.edu by January 31, 2012. IMPORTANT DATES Abstract submission deadline: January 31, 2012 Author notification deadline: February 15, 2012 First-draft manuscript deadline: May 15, 2012 Final manuscript deadline: August 15, 2012 Issue Publication: December 1, 2012 We look forward to receiving your abstract submissions. For more information about this special issue, please contact Shing-Ling Sarina Chen at sarina.chen(a)uni.edu, or Laura Terlip at laura.terlip(a)uni.edu. Sincerely, Shing-Ling Sarina Chen and Laura Terlip Dept. of Communication Studies University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA 50614 USA Tel: (319) 273-6021 Fax: (319) 273-7356

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Online Identities Workshop - Extended Call for Papers (7 January 2012)
by Paul Candon 20 Dec '11

20 Dec '11

Dear All I am organising a workshop as part of the Danish Sociology Conference at Aarhus, !9-20 January 2012. I am seeking papers on the themes of *radical identity performance online*. The deadline for abstracts (to candonp(a)tcd.ie) has been extended to January 7th. Full details are at this link: http://sociologikongres.au.dk/en/workshop-sessions/performing-troubled-and-… This workshop aims to examine the manner in which a complex array of identities – political, cultural, social, and particularly marginal and extreme – are managed and expressed in the online sphere. It seeks to gauge the impact or influence of such sites of identity performance and how the online space itself might serve to advance or hinder the expression of identities which may manifest themselves primarily in this realm. The session will also re-examine the original ideas (e.g. Turkle 1999) concerning the performance of online identity with allied questions about public/private, legality, censorship, ‘net neutrality’, hate speech, social movements and the interaction of media, Internet and society. Potential contributions could be drawn from studies of: - extreme political movements - end of life/suicide forums - diverse sexuality - deviance - anarchism - art as protest Thanks for your help. Paul -- *Paul Candon, **PhD Candidate, **Dept of Sociology School of Social Sciences & Philosophy * *Trinity College, University of Dublin* *3 College Green Dublin 2* *Republic of Ireland* *353 (0)86 8842113*

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colleagues going to thailand,burma
by gene loeb 19 Dec '11

19 Dec '11

Hi all, colleagues of mine are going to thailand and Burma (myamar) and would like to know the status of internet for personal communiations ie. phne, computer, for use during their trip. Thanks Gene

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