- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

AOIR Discord?
by Roo S 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

Hello! I'm wondering what AoIR members think of building a Discord? I realize that there are several platforms out there, and ironically we all are probably "too close" to some of the failings and/or opportunities of community, communication and digital space, but I would imagine that this group would probably hold a strong consensus that group email threads and listservs is an outdated way to share, organize, search for, and apply information. I'd love to connect more deeply with anyone who's interested. Here's a brief/simple survey to help me follow up and/or learn from the group: https://forms.gle/zbxmg5433r7LctKf8 Last but not least, here's an interesting article about the applications of Discord for better digital community practice: https://www.newkinco.com/projects/anitya-metaverse-platform Looking forward to connecting! Roo -- Systems Thinking for Digital Products | linktr.ee/roosphere | Work with me <https://www.workwithroo.com/>

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Call for Visiting Research Fellows 2025/26– Department for Media and Communication Studies Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden
by Anne Kaun 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

Call for Visiting Research Fellows 2025/26– Department for Media and Communication Studies Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden Deadline 31 January 2025 The Department for Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University offers a thriving and multidisciplinary research environment with a particular focus on contemporary datafied and media-saturated societies from a critical-cultural and often historical perspective. The research at the department shares a particular focus on the Baltic and East European region. The department is based at the School of Culture and Education and is a member of the Postgraduate School for Critical Cultural Theory. Current research projects conducted by faculty members at the department include among others: * Networked misogyny in Sweden, Germany and Russia (PI: Maria Brock) * Anticipating and mediating future classrooms (PI: Michael Forsman) * A Sea of Data: Mediated temporalities of the Baltic Sea (PI: Lars Lundgren) * Media trust and social imaginaries (PI: Fredrik Stiernstedt) * Photographic Realism in the Age of Digital Media (PI: Patrik Åker) * Post-migrant voices in the Baltic Sea region (Sweden, Germany, Estonia) (PI: Jessica Gustafsson * Social Media Surveillance and Experiences of Authoritarianism (PI: Göran Bolin) * The Digital Welfare State (PI: Anne Kaun) * Vernacular fiction and digital publication platforms: An ethnography of contemporary Indian book worlds (PI: Per Ståhlberg) * What is news? (PI: Sofia Johansson) We are happy to offer several visiting research fellow positions for the academic year 2025/26. The fellows – holding a PhD – will each receive a one-time scholarship of 35.000 SEK contributing to travel and accommodation. The fellows can choose the length and timing of their stay during the academic year 2025/26 but should stay at least one month. Fellows are expected to present their current work during one higher seminar at the department. Södertörn University has a number of guest research apartments close to campus and we are happy to put fellows in touch with the housing unit at the university. However, we are not able to assist further in finding housing in Stockholm. In order to apply please submit a short CV (max 2 pages) and a description of project that they will be working with during their stay (max 1 page) through this application form https://forms.office.com/e/2Lqx90eTHT Timeline: Deadline for applications 31 January 2025 Notification of applicants 1 March 2025 Start of the visiting fellowship period September 2025 – June 2026

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ECREA Summer School 2025 - Call for participants
by Anne Kaun 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

Dear doctoral students, We are happy to invite you to participate in the ECREA Summer School 4 – 10 August at Södertörn University, Sweden. The application deadline is 14 February, 2025, 23.59 CET. The ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School is an opportunity for European doctoral students to present and develop their ongoing PhD projects and build valuable networks. It brings together members of the European research community to explore contemporary issues within media and communication studies within a supportive social setting. Our main aim is to provide you with support, insights, and guidance through a variety of activities, including individual feedback seminars with leading media and communication scholars. GENERAL INFORMATION The Summer School is open to all PhD projects within the broad field of media and communication studies. We especially encourage doctoral students who are in the middle of their studies to apply, as it is our experience that participation in this phase is the most productive and useful for participants. The Summer School runs over seven full working days and awards 10 ECTS credits. The working language is English; therefore, a sufficient understanding of and ability to express oneself in this language is expected. LOCATION AND PROGRAMME The Summer School takes place at the Department of Media and Communication Studies<https://www.sh.se/english/sodertorn-university/research/our-research/media-…> at Södertörn University, Sweden, and the programme will include: * Feedback sessions: you get detailed and constructive feedback on your PhD project. * Methodological workshops: you get to hone existing competencies and discover new approaches. * Talks and round tables: you get insights into current scholarly debates and tips on how to tackle life in academia. In addition, the programme will include social activities and cultural excursions, as well as time to work, write, and explore on your own. PARTICIPATION FEE The participation fee is 980 Euros for ECREA members, and 1000 Euros for non-members. The fee covers: * Accommodation in single room (3-11 August) * Breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks and snacks (4-10 August) * Public transportation (train/bus) to and from the Summer School venue (4-10 August) * Welcome reception, excursions, and farewell dinner * Summer school materials, including diploma Doctoral students with limited economic means can apply for an ECREA grant to cover the participation fee and travel expenses. Click here for more information on eligibility and how to apply<https://ecrea.eu/page-18249>. APPLICATION PROCEDURE All interested doctoral students need to apply by Friday 14 February, 2025. The application must include a structured abstract of the PhD project (max. 450 words) and a short bio (max. 250 words). The structured abstract must address the following: * Purpose and research question * Theoretical framework * Design/methodology * Contribution * State of project: what is the status of your data collection/field work Click here to fill out and submit the application form<https://ecrea.eu/event-5956782>. Up to 50 doctoral students will be offered a spot at the Summer School. All applicants will be notified by the end of March 2025. Please note that accepted applicants must, by Thursday 3 July 2025, submit a 10-page paper on their PhD project as well as a 1-page list of questions and topics they would like to discuss at the Summer School. You will be provided with more detailed instructions in due course. CONTACT For questions related to the application and grants, please write to info(a)ecrea.eu<mailto:info@ecrea.eu> . For questions related to the programme, please write to ecreasummerschool(a)sh.se<mailto:ecreasummerschool@sh.se> . *************************** Anne Kaun Professor of Media and Communication Studies Wallenberg Academy Fellow +46 (0)8 608 4791 Department for Media and Communication Studies School of Culture and Education

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CfP Digital Authoritarianism section at the ECPR General Conference
by Ülker Sözen 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

Dear Colleagues, We hope this message finds you in good spirits. We invite paper and panel proposals for the Digital Authoritarianism section <https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/SectionDetails/1511> at the ECPR General Conference <https://ecpr.eu/GeneralConference> which will take place on 26-29 August 2025 in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Our proposed panels focus on the topics of generative AI, big data, crisis of social reproduction and gender, and comparative approaches to digital authoritarianism. We welcome further panel proposals as well. Deadline for submissions is *January 6 (Midnight UK time)*. Please find the guidelines for paper & panel proposals here <https://ecpr.eu/Events/Event/Content?ID=1482&EventID=269>. We wish you a happy Christmas and New Year. Kind regards, ECPR Digital Authoritarianism Research Network Steering Committee Follow us on X: https://x.com/digitalaut_ECPR and Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/digitalaut-ecpr.bsky.social *"Digital Authoritarianism and Generative AI" Chair: Hossein Kermani, hossein.kermani(a)univie.ac.at <hossein.kermani(a)univie.ac.at>* *"Big Data Transformations: Does Regime Type Matter?" Chair: Ahmed Maati, ahmed.maati(a)tum.de <ahmed.maati(a)tum.de> * *"Crisis of Social Reproduction and Gendered Perspectives on Digital Authoritarianism" Chair: Ülker Sözen, ulk.sozen(a)gmail.com <ulk.sozen(a)gmail.com>* *"Comparative Approaches to Digital Authoritarianism" Chair: Gregory Asmolov, gregory.asmolov(a)kcl.ac.uk <gregory.asmolov(a)kcl.ac.uk>* ------------------- Dr. Ülker Sözen Post-doctoral Researcher Chair of Development Politics, University of Passau Institute for the Study of Religion, Leipzig University

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New article: Can academic freedom survive Donald Trump’s plans for thought control?
by Dr. Emma Briant 17 Dec '24

17 Dec '24

Dear Colleagues, What does Trump have planned for education? An unprecedented attack on knowledge and speech with chilling implications for academic freedom, not just in the US but globally. In my new article for Index on Censorship <https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2024/12/academic-freedom-survive-donald-t…>, I discuss what I see as the role of surveillant AI-driven education in Trump's plans to remove power from universities and punish so-called “woke” ideology. I propose an urgent response to the threat these plans pose for the United States - and the rest of the world. I hope you find it an insightful read, we need to fight back. You can also listen to me discuss this issue with Kate Carruthers in the latest data revolution podcast <https://datarevolution.tech/2024/12/emma-briant/> and I'll be speaking with Andrea Chalupa about this and my new book The Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry <https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-the-Influence-Industry/Bria…> (co-edited with Vian Bakir) on the Gaslit Nation podcast <https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gaslit-nation/id1400926647> on 30 December. Thanks for your interest. Best wishes for the holidays, Emma -- Dr Emma L Briant Owner: Maven of Persuasion LLC Associate Professor at Monash University Fellow at Bard College, Human Rights Project Associate at University of Cambridge, Center for Financial Reporting & Accountability Speaking agent: Chartwell Speakers <https://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/emma-briant/> Book agent: Inkwell Management <https://inkwellmanagement.com/> Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change *from Manchester University Press Co-Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* with Prof. Greg Philo and Dr. Pauline Donald from Pluto Press. Support my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emmalbriant Website: www.emma-briant.co.uk Sign up for my Newsletter! <https://emma-briant.co.uk/sign-up-for-important-updates/> Follow me on Mastodon @emmalbriant@mastodon.online Follow me on Twitter @emmalbriant "I thought yesterday was the first day of the rest of my life but it turns out today is." - Steve Martin “Women are like teabags . We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.” - Unknown

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Post-Doctoral researcher opportunity at Media, Inequality & Change Center (AI policy)
by Smith, Briar R. 17 Dec '24

17 Dec '24

Holiday greetings! The Media, Inequality & Change Center occupies the intersection of technology, policy, and social justice. It is committed to studying the political economy of social problems, media, and democracy, while engaging local activist projects, and drawing connections with national and international social movements. Currently, The MIC Center is advancing research on the role that Big Tech plays in shaping the AI governance agenda and how influence is sought with policy makers, the government, media and civil society in a way that enables and frames the debate to further corporate interests. Through a multi-method, interdisciplinary and transnational comparative study, this project will explore how AI strategies are shaped and what this means for democracy, governance and trust. Assessing corporate influence through a combination of computational and qualitative methods across policy, government, media and civil society within the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, the research will uncover the role that corporations play in animating AI's growth in key established democracies. Moreover, by showing alternative framings and engaging with a range of stakeholders to discuss ongoing findings, the project will explore avenues for intervention to foster democracy, governance and trust. We are recruiting a post-doctoral researcher to join us in 2025<https://www.asc.upenn.edu/research/centers/media-inequality-and-change-cent…> and work across the various research questions with which this project engages: 1. What are prominent corporate activities and discourses within policy, government, media and civil society relating to AI? 2. What are alternative discourses and strategies on AI advanced by other actors? 3. What do different discourses and strategies on AI mean for democracy, governance and trust? 4. What avenues for intervention can foster more democratic approaches to developing AI strategies in the public interest? In exploring these questions, the objectives of the project are to i) empirically assess the nature of challenges related to corporate activities on AI for democracy, governance and trust; ii) theoretically (re)conceptualize democracy, governance and trust in the context of AI; iii) identify existing and potential opportunities for enhancing democracy, governance and trust in relation to AI; and iv) engage with key stakeholders in the fields of policy, government, media and civil society to strengthen key democratic institutions in the advancement of AI. Essential criteria: * A PhD in the area of critical data/AI studies or related fields * Knowledge of key debates on 'Big Tech', AI and democracy * Familiarity and/or experience with using qualitative research methods * Experience with writing academic publications and publications geared towards a general audience/policymakers * Good communication skills and ability to work as part of a team of researchers Desirable criteria: * Experience with working in a research team * Experience with doing comparative research across national contexts * Experience with stakeholder engagement, including government, civil society and industry * Knowledge of AI-related debates in the areas of energy (e.g. data centers), journalism (e.g. copyright) and labor (e.g. automation). Main duties: * Carry out literature reviews at the intersection of corporate influences on AI strategy and democracy, governance and trust. * Carry out qualitative research, including discourse analysis and interviews, on the topic of corporate influences on AI strategy. Areas of research may include energy policy, journalism and labor. * Assist with administrative tasks, including organizing project workshops * Write research for publication * Collaboration with an international team of researchers * Communications with both internal and external networks to develop and advance stakeholder engagement with the project The full call, along with compensation and application information is here: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/research/centers/media-inequality-and-change-cent… Deadline: January 10, 2025 Briar Smith Associate Director Media, Inequality & Change Center (MIC) 215-520-0773 (m) 215-573-9218 (o) www.miccenter.org<http://www.miccenter.org>

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Call for Abstracts - STS Italia Conference, Milan, June 2025 - deadline February 3, 2025
by Paolo Bory 17 Dec '24

17 Dec '24

Dear all, We are pleased to announce the Call for Abstracts for the upcoming 10th STS Italia Conference “Technoscience for Good: Designing, Caring and Reconfiguring”, which will be held on 11-13 June 2025 at the Politecnico di Milano, Milan (Italy). You can find more information about the conference theme and the list of panels here<https://stsitalia.org/call-for-abstracts/#theme>. We invite you to submit an abstract to one of the 77 panels that have been selected by the Scientific Committee, featuring a wide range of engaging topics. Abstracts (max 500 words) can be submitted through the conference platform<https://stsitalia.org/submission-2025/>. Please note that the closing date for submission is February 3, 2025. This deadline will not be extended. Submissions after the deadline will only be considered if space is available. Abstracts will be evaluated by the organizers of the Open Panels to which they have been submitted. News of acceptance is expected to be delivered by February 28. Please check the conference website for details about scheduled deadlines and registration fees, as well as news about the conference program. The conference program already features an exciting set of international keynote speakers (e.g., Ruha Benjamin, Shannon Vallor) and plenaries, as well as a host of cultural, culinary, and festive events. Kind regards, Organizing Committee of the 10th STS Italia Conference

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Explore online qualitative research in 2025
by Janet Salmons 17 Dec '24

17 Dec '24

I'm thinking ahead to 2025 for the When the Field is Online Substack newsletter. If you are interested in qualitative social research, check out the winter-to-spring editorial calendar and subscribe: https://tinyurl.com/38w385bx Message me if you have resources to share on these topics, or want to talk about your research in a video interview. I'd also like to connect with any AOIR folks who are on Substack or BlueSky. I'm trying to assemble lists to share - and find opportunities to collaborate! Happy holidays everyone! Janet @2write.bsky.social On Substack: http://tinyurl.com/qualnews Janet Salmons, PhD (She/her/hers) www.salmons.blog Unabhängie Forscherin, Free-Range Scholar and Creative 2024 Research Fellow, Center for Advanced Internet Studies Boulder, Colorado USA janet(a)salmons.blog<mailto:jsalmons@vision2lead.com>

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critical hype studies panel STS Italia
by Jascha Bareis 15 Dec '24

15 Dec '24

Dear all, f you are looking for a reason to visit Milan and critically interrogate hype as a sociotechnical phenomenon, nothing prevents you from submitting an abstract to our panel at STS Italia. *The Call for Abstracts closes on February 3, 2025 with no extensions to this deadline to be granted.* The field of hype studies is ever-growing, but what remains a challenge is its absence of a unified approach. During last year’s 4S/EASST conference, we called to leverage collective experiences, to cocreatively build foundational structures and establish an STS-rooted, but outer-disciplinary, field of critical hype studies. This panel will target a twofold aim: (1) firstly, we want present our current progress as a collective of researchers focusing on critical hype studies as part of our introductory presentation; (2) secondly, we aim to invite new contributions explore dynamic transformations, implications, and theoretical underpinnings of hype. We, thus, invite researchers and scholars interested in problematising the complexities of hype as a multi-dimensional phenomenon that operates at sociotechnical, epistemic, psychological, transmedial, and environmental levels. We are particularly interested in insights into the intentional production of hype as a media and persuasion strategy or the unintentional emergence of hype driven by, or influencing, material, political and economic factors, as well as psychological, affective, and embodied ones. We wish to explore and problematise deterministic narratives about hype cycles, the social and psychological processes engendering hype, and the consequent effects on both innovation and public perception. Further, and in alignment with the theme of STS Italia 2025, we are committed to explore aspects of hype that have been revealed as nascent tendencies during our research, such as responsible hype or the mobilisation of hype for socially beneficial purposes. We are therefore interested in treatments of hype as boundary object, not only as a force of alienation, but also as motivational force, with heightened focus on the empowerment of marginalised social groups while attentive to capitalist processes of co-optation and appropriation of critical voices for profitable gain. In this regard, we are interested in investigations regarding responsible hype or hype assessment. *https://stsitalia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/11.Critical-Hype-Studies_-Towards-a-Collaborative-and-Unified-Approach-ID_31.pdf * *https://stsitalia.org/call-for-abstracts/ * Best in the name of the critical hype studies research group (PS. probably some of the group will also be present at theEU-SPRI <https://euspri-forum.eu/eu-spri-2025-conference-call-for-abstracts-and-pape…> in Dortmund, happening at the same days). Jascha Bareis -- *Jascha Bareis*(Profile) <https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/staff_bareis_jascha.php>(Scholar) <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bf1gf9AAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=ao>(LinkedIn) <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jascha-bareis-36082523b/> Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis(ITAS) <https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/index.php> Karlsruher Institute of Technology(KIT) <https://www.kit.edu/english/index.php> Research Group Digital Technology and Societal Change(FG DigIT) <https://www.itas.kit.edu/english/rg_digit.php> *Recent Publications* Ask Me Anything ! 😈How ChatPGT Got Hyped Into Being.SOC ARXIV Preprint <https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/jzde2> The Trustification of AI. Disclosing the bridging pillars that tie Trust and AI together.Big Data & Society <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20539517241249430> Technology Hype: Dealing with bold expectations and overpromising, with M. Roßmann and F.Bordignon.Journal of Technology Assessment in Theory and Practice <https://www.tatup.de/index.php/tatup/article/view/7073>

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Generative AI for Academics
by Mark Carrigan 15 Dec '24

15 Dec '24

My new book Generative AI for Academics <https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/generative-ai-for-academics/book288289> is being published by SAGE next week. Drawing on a year of experimentation with LLMs, it explores how we might incorporate them into scholarship in ways that enrich rather than diminish our work. The book combines a sociological analysis of the profound challenges these tools pose to academic practice with a practice-orientated exploration of their use in scholarship (in a similar way to Social Media for Academics <https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/social-media-for-academics/book261904>). With these tools beginning to be integrated into university systems and many academics already using them in their work, we urgently need to understand what this means for the future of scholarship. Publisher link: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/generative-ai-for-academics/book288289 Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/generative-ai-for-academics-mark-carrigan/7…

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