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Faculty Promotions announced at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at Illinois
by Reilly, Maeve J 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois is pleased to announce the promotions of three faculty members this fall: Dr. Jerome McDonough has been promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. McDonough's research involves digital libraries, digital preservation, metadata design, human-computer interaction and user interface design, as well as socio-technical and participatory design approaches to information systems development. Dr. Allen Renear has been promoted to the rank of Professor. Renear's research centers around ontologies for data curation and scientific publishing; logic-based analysis of scientific discourse; XML semantics; production and delivery workflows for scientific publishing; and identity and change problems in digital object management. Dr. J. Stephen Downie has been promoted to the rank of Professor and has been named Associate Dean for Research. He conducts research in design and evaluation of music information retrieval systems, digital libraries, and digital humanities. As Associate Dean, he will coordinate all aspects of research at GSLIS including working closely with faculty on research plans, overseeing GSLIS research centers, and facilitating the development of GSLIS research strategy. Maeve Reilly Research Services Coordinator Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois Rm 219 LIS 501 E. Daniel Champaign, IL 61820 mjreilly(a)illinois.edu<mailto:mjreilly@illinois.edu> (217) 244-7316

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Postdoc Research Position in Critical Studies of the Internet and the Information Society
by Christian Fuchs 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

For questions about this position, please contact me best by phone on +46 18 471 1019 or make a Skype appointment. Christian Fuchs * * * http://www.personalavd.uu.se/ledigaplatser/2206postDoc.html Uppsala University hereby declares the following position to be open for application: Postdoc Research Position in Critical Studies of the Internet and the Information Society at the Department of Informatics and Media. The position is temporary (January 1st, 2012 December 31st, 2013). The employment can be prolonged for one year. Work Tasks: * Research in the area of Internet privacy studies, Internet surveillance studies, information society studies. * Research in externally funded research projects. * Research administration. Qualifications: * Doctoral degree in social sciences. * Research and publishing experience in all or some the following areas: Internet studies, information society studies, Internet privacy studies, Internet surveillance studies, Internet & society * Background and experience in critical studies of digital media and society * Solid foundation in qualitative and quantitative empirical social science research methods * Solid foundation in social theory and philosophy of the information society and social theory and philosophy of digital media & society * Interest to work in the field of Internet privacy- & Internet surveillance-studies * Willingness to work in externally funded research projects * Excellent command of written and spoken academic English The application should include: * a CV * a scan/copy of the PhD degree * a copy/scan of at least one recommendation letter * electronic versions of the two most important published articles or book chapters (in the case of monographs, please select specific chapters) * an application letter detailing answers to the following questions: 1. What are your academic goals and major research interests for the coming five years? 2. Why are you interested in this position? 3. What qualifies you for this position? 4. What are your expectations about this position and the work at the Department of Informatics and Media? 5. What have been the major results of your research and how do they connect to the announced position? 6. Describe shortly the topic of your dissertation and why you have chosen it. 7. How do you see the state of the art of Internet Studies in general and Internet privacy and surveillance studies in particular? How can the state of the art of the field be advanced and what could be your contribution? 8. Describe your knowledge of social science research methods and social theory. Uppsala University is striving to promote equality by advancing gender balance. The majority of employees are men, so we encourage female applications. Information about the employment, Professor for Media and Communication Studies: Christian Fuchs (christian.fuchs(a)im.uu.se) +46 18 471 1019; Head of the Department and Professor Mats Edenius: +46 18 471 11 76. Representatives from the Union are: Anders Grundström, Saco-rådet, +46 18-471 53 80, Carin Söderhäll, TCO/ST, +46 18-471 19 96 och Stefan Djurström, tel. +46 18-471 33 15. You are welcome to submit your application no later than 31st October, 2011, UFV-PA 2011/2206. Use the link below to access the application form. http://www.personalavd.uu.se/ledigaplatser/2206postDoc.html -- Prof. Christian Fuchs Chair in Media and Communication Studies Department of Informatics and Media Uppsala University Kyrkogårdsgatan 10 Box 513 751 20 Uppsala Sweden christian.fuchs(a)im.uu.se Tel +46 (0) 18 471 1019 http://fuchs.uti.at http://www.im.uu.se NetPolitics Blog: http://fuchs.uti.at/blog Editor of tripleC: http://www.triple-c.se Book "Foundations of Critical Media and Information Studies" (Routledge 2011) Book "Internet and Society" (Paperback, Routledge 2010)

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CFP: Computer Culture (SW/TX PCA/ACA Conference, February 8-11, 2012)
by Andrew Shi-hwa Chen 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association February 8-11, 2012 Albuquerque, New Mexico http://www.swtxpca.org Proposal submission deadline: December 1, 2011 Conference hotel: Hyatt Regency Hotel & Conference Center 330 Tijeras Ave NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: +1 505 842 1234 Computer Culture: Call for Papers We are beginning to form panels for the area of computer culture, with possible topics in blogging; Twitter; social networks; computers and pedagogy; Web site analysis and design; viral video; news and politics; terrorism; online literary journals; online security issues; spam, scams, and hoaxes; live feeds; theories of computer culture; and others. Scholars, teachers, professionals, artists and others interested in computer culture are encouraged to participate. Graduate students are also particularly welcome with award opportunities for best graduate papers. If you wish to form your own panel, I would be glad to facilitate your needs. Please pass along this call to friends and colleagues. For early consideration, submit 100-200 word abstracts and proposals for panels by 11 November 2011 to the conference electronic submission system which can be found at: http://conference2012.swtxpca.org/ For any questions regarding the Computer Culture Area, feel free to contact Dr. Andrew Chen ( andrewsw(a)gmail.com ) and Dr. Joseph Chaney ( jchaney(a)iusb.edu ) Co-Chairs, Computer Culture Area http://www.swtxpca.org

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DiGRA Nordic 2012 Call for Papers
by Frans Mäyrä 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

Please distribute this as appropriate - hope to see some of you in the DiGRA 2011 in Utrecht this week; - Frans *DiGRA Nordic 2012 Call for Papers* DiGRA Nordic 2012 - Local and Global: Games in Culture and Society 6-8 June 2012, Tampere, Finland - Overview: The study of games, players and related phenomena has expanded strongly both in its academic as well as in geographical range during the last decade. The DiGRA Nordic 2012 conference aims bring together Nordic and non-Nordic games researchers to discuss the cultural and social context of games and play from multiple perspectives, including reflections of local and global in game cultures. Year 2012 is the tenth anniversary of the Tampere Computer Games and Digital Cultures (CGDC 2002) conference, providing also an opportunity to reflect on the last decade of developments in Nordic game studies, as well as its wider international scope. The conference will be open to themes related to non-digital, as well as digital games and their different forms of play. - Review process: the conference accepts full paper submissions, which will be handled in anonymous peer review. There will be online publication of accepted papers in the DiGRA Digital Library. - Venue: The conference will take place in Tampere, Finland, and will be jointly hosted by Universities of Tampere, Jyväskylä and Turku. The modern facilities of the new Technopolis building and the University of Tampere campus provide the venue for plenary keynote sessions and paper sessions in parallel rooms. There will be also social and other program available during the event, that will be announced later. - Suggested themes: the conference is open to multiple approaches, including, but not limited to the following: local/global in game cultures * historical perspectives into digital gaming * social player studies * games industry * design of games * gambling vs. gaming studies * games as art * critical approaches to gaming * games as media and communication - Organisers: The conference will be hosted jointly by the Finnish DIGRA chapter, coordinated by Dr Olli Sotamaa and the Creation of Game Cultures research project, coordinated by professor Frans Mäyrä. Assisted by the review board and local organising team, the main organisers are: Review Chair: professor Raine Koskimaa Program Chair: professor Jaakko Suominen Local Chair: professor Frans Mäyrä - Dates: * deadline for full papers, panels and alternative forms: 13 February 2012 * authors are informed of review: 2 April 2012 * final paper submission deadline: 7 May 2012 * conference dates: 6-8 June 2012 - Contact details: You can find more, up-to-date information in http://digra-nordic2012.org. The email contact address for the organising team is: digranordic2012 [at] gmail.com. Welcome to Tampere! PS. Don't forget the Role-Playing in Games seminar, taking place in April 10-11, 2012, also in Tampere. This seminar has a work-in-progress emphasis, and the purpose of the seminar is to have peer-to-peer discussions and thereby provide support in refining and improving research work in role-play studies. For more information, see http://roleplayingames.wordpress.com/ -- Frans Mäyrä, Professor, Digital Culture & Game Studies ** Information Studies and Interactive Media INFIM/TRIM ** School of Information Sciences SIS ** ** 33014 University of Tampere, Finland ** frans.mayra(a)uta.fi / fransmayra(a)gmail.com / frans(a)unet.fi ** gms 050 3367650 / fax 03 3551 7503 www.uta.fi/sis/ www.fransmayra.fi www.unet.fi www.uta.fi/~frans.mayra

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Boston area: Shava Nerad on "What's in a name? Google+ and the #nymwars."
by Deborah Elizabeth Finn 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

Dear AIR Colleagues, The Ethos Roundtable is an informal group of people who are interested in 1) measuring and extending ethos, and 2) using technology for positive social change. We meet once a month in Harvard Square (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) for discussions and presentations. Please join us for our September session: Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 4:30 - 6:00 pm Charles Hotel 1 Bennett Street Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA Featured guest: Shava Nerad We are delighted to be back after our summer hiatus, and grateful to Shava Nerad for stepping up to be the first featured guest of the season. This will be a return engagement for her; in 2007, she joined us to talk about how tools for online anonymity can facilitate civic engagement. The topic on September 20th is "What's in a name? Google+ and the #nymwars." Here's how Shava describes the issue: "Google recently raised the hopes of many online privacy and social media watchers with the launch of the beta of Google+, their social network and answer to Facebook. Praised as a match to the collegiality and depth of early 1980s Usenet by old Internet hands, and embraced by many Internet natives, Google+ ran into one major snag with a good many of the early adopters who'd hoped to see one of their favorite Internet companies show a "do no evil" social network could leave Facebook in the dust. "Google+ insisted on every user register under their name on their wallet ID. That wasn't exactly their stated policy, but that did end up being their policy as it was enforced. Within a week, the EFF and a small crew of the oldest and youngest of the articulate bloggers on G+ were speaking out for the "nyms," the people who wished to use pseudonyms on Google+. Some wanted privacy, some wanted to be known by the names they were known on other services. Some needed to segregate their blogging identity from their professional life for various reasons. Women and others were concerned about stalkers. "Come to the Ethos Roundtable to hear how online and on the streets and in the press, the nymwars have played out -- and why Google has seemingly abandoned their long vaunted motto of "Don't be evil" and may be shedding young engineers over the issue of pseudonymity on their most recent social media effort on the rocks." After the conclusion of our Ethos Roundtable session, we will stroll down the hall to enjoy the good company, charming venue, and free food at the 501 Tech Club, which is generously underwritten by TechFoundation. The 501 Tech Club is the monthly gathering of technology professionals who work with nonprofit organizations. All Ethos Roundtable attendees are welcome at the Boston 501 Tech Club, and vice versa. Please remember that there's never any need to make a reservation to attend Ethos Roundtable events. Just come if you can, and feel free to invite others! However, if you're planning to attend the Boston 501 Tech Club event at 6:00 pm, we ask that you send an email to Kathleen Sherwin of TechFoundation (ksherwin AT techfoundation DOT org). Since TechFoundation is providing the free food, it's both courteous and prudent to let her know how much to order. For more information about the Ethos Roundtable, please go to <http://ethosroundtable.blogspot.com>. For more information about the Boston 501 Tech Club, please go to <http://groups.nten.org/501TechBoston>. For more information about TechFoundation, please go to <http://www.techfoundation.org>. See you on the 20th! Best regards from Deborah Deborah Elizabeth Finn Strategist and Consultant Technology for the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sector Boston, Massachusetts, USA Email: deborah_elizabeth_finn(a)post.harvard.edu 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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Socially-Mediated Publicness, a CFP
by Nancy Baym 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

Greetings everyone. danah boyd and I are co-editing a special (open access) issue of the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media (JOBEM), edited by Zizi Papacharissi. We hope those of you doing work that fits this call will consider submitting it to this issue. Feel free to contact me if you have questions about appropriateness of fit. And please distribute widely! _________ CALL FOR PAPERS Special Theme Issue of the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media “Socially Mediated Publicness” Guest Editors: - Nancy Baym (University of Kansas) - danah boyd (Microsoft Research) Editor: Zizi Papacharissi Social media call into question conventional understandings of what it means to “be public,” what it means to be “in a public,” and even the meaning of “public” itself. New types of publics are emerging because of the technological affordances of social media and individuals may be more visible than ever before, whether they seek this or not. This special issue will explore these issues. We seek scholarship from an array of theoretical and methodological perspectives that critically examines how public life is reconfigured because of or in relation to social media. We welcome articles from diverse fields, including media studies, communication, anthropology, sociology, political theory, critical theory, etc. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: · Processes and practices of building and living in online publics · How new technologies of publicness affect celebrities, artists, musicians, and other creators · How mediated publics challenge social, political, and economic assumptions · The meaning of concepts such as “audience” and “listening” in mediated public spaces · How counterpublics and intimate publics are reshaped by technology · The relationships between being public and being part of a public · Degrees, boundaries, and scales of technologically-mediated publicness · How new types of publicness reconfigure identity and race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, and/or nationality In order to be more public, this special issue of JOBEM will be published as an open-access issue. All articles will be available online at the point of publication. The anticipated publication date for this issue is September 2012. Manuscripts should conform to the guidelines of the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (www.beaweb.org/jobem/info.html) By December 12, 2011, you should send a title, abstract, and list of 5 potential reviewers to jobem.publicness(a)gmail.com to help us streamline the peer review process. Articles should be submitted no later than January 6, 2011 at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hbem (select “Special Issue: Socially Mediated Publicness” as a manuscript type).

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CFP: edited collection on Invisibility
by Ravindra N. Mohabeer 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

Hi, I'm new to the list. I'm not sure if there's a formal introduction encouraged on this list, and if there is, I'd be happy to do so later on. For now, you'll find below a CFP for an edited collection I'm undertaking. As written, this CFP is aimed at a wide audience, but I'm hoping for a number of contributions that relate to digital culture and Internet issues - perhaps from members of this list. In particular, if anyone is working on the double edged idea of anonymity on the Internet or passive activism (e.g. 'liking' things without follow-up), etc. I'd be very interested in hearing about it along with anything else you think might be a good fit. All the best, Ravi ------------ Ravindra N. Mohabeer, PhD Vancouver Island University ------------------------------------------------- Link: download Call for Papers as a PDF file: http://ideacraft.tumblr.com/cfp ------------------------------------------------- Working title: Dancing with Shadows: Explorations in Invisibility Editor: Ravindra N. Mohabeer, PhD Media Studies, Vancouver Island University shadows.invisibility @ gmail.com The word invisibility represents a little understood categorical figure in the shadows that surround all research and practice. As a central theme, this collection represents an opportunity to question invisibility as a theoretical construct. How can some things be seen but also remain invisible, purposefully or by accident? How does invisibility allow other things that can rarely be seen to be profoundly influential? The word invisible appears in a wide range of literature, spanning multiple disciplines, time periods, geographies and constituencies. When it is used, it typically acts as a placeholder for future intervention in, or deferred explication of a phenomenon. It is important to remember that being ‘invisible’ is an outcome of the process of invisibility. Despite its wide application in research and practice, without deeper deliberation of how invisibility works, the concept will remain imprecise and less helpful than it ought to be. Consider this call for participation as an invitation to share research related to the area of invisibility, perhaps using a new lens to discuss subjects that occupy an outcome of ‘invisible,’ and also as an opportunity to co-construct a theory of one of the most ubiquitous yet under explored aspects of academic thought and active praxis. As a process and state generally relegated to the shadows, uncontested and taken for granted, invisibility is not only a form of absence, as is typical of its grammatical binary as the absence of the visible/known. It can also be thought of as a strategic form of presence. Contributors are encouraged to consider invisibility as the context of research and practice where the visible, the knowable, is plucked out of the shadows, transformed and made known. Conversely, one may wish to consider the ways in which some things operate in a state of invisibility, purposefully among the shadows in whole or in part, and might address how invisibility is used as a formal or informal strategy, either theoretically or in practice. In so doing, prospective authors are asked to consider a present working theoretical model of invisibility as an intersection of corporeality (seeing), ephemerality (hearing), agency (power), and affect (emotion) as played out through time and expanded by experience. While there are limited discussions of invisibility as a theoretical ground in the available literature, this preliminary model offers a chance to think about invisibility as a multidimensional construct where at least three of these dimensions play out in the arena of the fourth, and then travel through and are changed by time and experience. Proposals should attempt to interact with, expand, and question this model wherever possible. For further details please visit: http://ideacraft.tumblr.com/theory While the proposed collection will be decidedly multidisciplinary, it is recognized that most contributors will be rooted in a specific discipline. Rather than focusing on disciplinary boundaries, it is hoped that chapters in this volume can work together to identify the categorical significance of invisibility as a construct and can speak across disciplines. Participation is requested from established and emerging scholars and practitioners, and is especially encouraged from authors working at the junction of theory and practice. Critical case studies, re-evaluations of existing data/theory, and proposals that identify opportunities for experimentation with invisibility (e.g. in art, science, or activism, etc.) are most welcome. Your proposal should consist of about 500 to 1000 words and must address how your subject can be thought of from a perspective of invisibility. Final papers will be approximately 4000 to 6000 words. Proposals will be adjudicated on how well they attempt to explore and/or help develop invisibility as a construct, and for their potential to contribute to an accessible conversation aimed at a wide audience. Please structure your proposal as follows (subheadings are encouraged): • Working Title of proposed chapter • Details of Authors(s) including affiliation(s) and email address(es) (please also send a brief or detailed c.v. for all authors in addition to the proposal) • Description of the subject / object of inquiry that also includes its geographic location, time period, constituencies, etc. • Objective or purpose of the paper including potential links to a theory of invisibility Where contributions are based on original research please also include: • Methods, techniques, or modes of inquiry (descriptive, experimental, empirical and theoretical papers are welcome) • Data sources, evidence, or materials and/or theoretical/methodological perspective • Results and/or substantiated conclusions or warrants for arguments/point of view • Any potential figures/illustrations that may be included (preliminary estimate) TIMELINE: Initial Proposals due: October 15, 2011 or earlier (email .doc, .docx, or .rtf preferred) Notification of acceptance: December 15, 2011 Final Chapter drafts due: March 30, 2012 As a guide, the following is a list of possible topics. Though diverse, it is by no means exhaustive. You are welcome to pursue one of these areas or propose another area of inquiry not represented in this list and are encouraged to send an informal inquiry in advance of preparing a full proposal. Corporeal invisibility (seeing) • Failures/successes of representation, e.g. affirmative action; ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’; glass ceilings; media representation practices; etc. • Masks as hiding to aid/mitigate power • ‘Untouchables’ and ‘unseeables’ (poverty, homeless, weight, age, gender, race, etc.) • ‘The price of fame’ • Unseen infrastructures (physical, e.g. architecture/planning; and otherwise) • Microscopy and/or telescopes / ‘Seeing is believing’ / visual evidence and/as proof • ‘In plain sight’: magic / subversive labour / camouflage / stealth / ‘black ops,’ etc. • Anonymity in/and the digital age Ephemeral invisibility (hearing) • The work of the translator • Free labour (commodity audience; volunteerism, etc.) • Professional boundaries or silos • Ableisms • The semantic web / code / Web 2.0/3.0, filter bubbles • The role of the editor (books, newspapers, etc.) • Participatory / autonomous media practices • Pressures from funders / conflicts of interest Agential invisibility (power) • Bentham/Foucault and the panopticon • Citizenship / migration / exile (activism) • The life of the adjunct academic / temp worker • Surveillance/sousveillance, CCTV, hacktivism, culture jamming, pranks, etc. • Social inclusion/exclusion • The hidden development process of public policy • Political economy and/as invisibility Affectual invisibility (emotion) • Historical shifts in advertising from detailed description to commodity fetishisms • Belief systems, moral compasses, ‘the Hand of God’ • Being/going nowhere/no place • The proverbial ‘elephant in the room’ or ‘fly on the wall’ • Political correctness and/or paralysis in/through fear of upset • The lottery/gambling/greed/confidence schemes • Consumer confidence / stock markets and the emotional economy Please send informal inquiries (encouraged) and completed proposals to: Ravindra N. Mohabeer, PhD Media Studies Vancouver Island University email: shadows.invisibility @ gmail.com (alt email: ravindra.mohabeer @ viu.ca ) Proposals DUE: October 15, 2011 (.doc, .docx, or .rtf formats preferred) Please also send a brief or full c.v. of all participating authors Further information: http://ideacraft.tumblr.com Download CFP: http://ideacraft.tumblr.com/cfp

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Fwd: University of Colorado Boulder job ad
by danah boyd 13 Sep '11

13 Sep '11

This may be of interest to some of you. (Please don't contact me; I know nothing about this job.) Begin forwarded message: > From: Alena Ruggerio <ruggeria(a)sou.edu> > Date: September 12, 2011 11:18:48 PM EDT > To: NCAWOST-L(a)LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU > Subject: University of Colorado Boulder job ad > > Assistant Professor of Communication and Community Engagement at University of Colorado - Boulder > The Communication Department at the University of Colorado - Boulder invites applicants for a tenure track position as an Assistant Professor whose research focuses on community engagement. An excellent record of teaching and research is required. The Ph.D. is required at the time of appointment. Appointment will begin Fall 2012. The Department seeks a teacher/scholar whose areas of specialization complement and contribute to its existing strengths in Discourse and Society, Organizational Communication, and Rhetoric. The Department's research agenda focuses on communication-based problems arising out of recent social and technological changes. This agenda includes problems associated with processes of interaction, participation, collaboration, deliberation, and decision-making. We are especially interested in candidates whose research focuses on such areas as civic engagement, participation in the community, or social media and community action. > For full consideration, applications should be received by Friday, October 7th, 2011. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. Applicants must provide electronic copies of the following materials: letter of application, curriculum vitae, a copy of a published article (or an equivalent sample of research), evidence of teaching excellence, and three letters of recommendation. To submit materials, applicants must log in to https://www.jobsatcu.com, posting #814624, and provide the information requested. Additional questions may be e-mailed to the Search Committee Chair, Bryan C. Taylor, Professor and Chair, at: commsearchcmte(a)colorado.edu > The University of Colorado is an Equal Opportunity Employer. See www.colorado.edu/ArtsSciences/Jobs/ for full job description. > ------ "taken out of context, i must seem so strange" -- ani http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/ http://www.danah.org/ @zephoria

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Computers and Popular Culture
by Paul Booth 12 Sep '11

12 Sep '11

Hi all, I thought I'd mine the valuable expertise of the list. I'm writing a piece on the relationship between computers and popular culture and I want to make sure I'm covering all my bases, literature-wise. If you know of any critical or germinal works in this field, can you send titles to me, off-list? I'd be happy to compile and post a summary for others. Thanks! Paul -- Paul Booth, PhD Assistant Professor of Media and Cinema Studies and Communication Technology College of Communication DePaul University 14 E. Jackson Chicago, IL 60604

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New book published on digital divides in Europe
by Tsatsou P. 11 Sep '11

11 Sep '11

APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING Panayiota Tsatsou DIGITAL DIVIDES IN EUROPE Culture, Politics and the Western-Southern Divide Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, New York, Wien, 2011. XII, 285 pp., num. tables and graphs Interdisciplinary Communication Studies. Vol. 6 Edited by Colin B. Grant ISBN 978-3-0343-0189-3 pb. sFr. 65.00 / EUR* 44.60 / EUR** 45.90 / EUR 41.70 / £ 37.50 / US-$ 64.95 * includes VAT - only valid for Germany / ** includes VAT - only valid for Austria / EUR does not include VAT This book examines the hotly debated subject of digital divides and specifically addresses the Western-Southern divide in Europe. It offers insights into selected countries of Southern and Western Europe - Greece, Portugal and the UK - and assesses the role of socio-cultural and decision-making parameters in the Western-Southern divide. It explores ordinary people's insights into the digital divide and links them to the role policymakers and regulators play in the development of the information society. Thus, it offers an innovative approach that crosses disciplines and brings new media studies closer to cultural studies and the study of politics. The study identifies the role of decision-making and socio-cultural parameters in the Western-Southern divide in Europe and concludes that this divide should be seen as a ladder of divides influenced by a complex set of socio-cultural and policy/regulatory factors. The book reaches significant case-specific conclusions for the Western-Southern divide and argues that it is its profoundly socio-cultural and political/regulatory nature, while highlighting the implications for the European information society as a whole. Contents: Introduction Theory and Conceptual Foundations The Western-Southern divide in Europe Greece Portugal The UK Empirical Analysis Association between Internet use and social culture in the West and South of Europe Association between Internet use and policy and regulation in the West and South of Europe Internet adoption influenced by social culture and decision-making: an inferential analysis Concluding remarks. Panayiota Tsatsou was born in 1976 in Greece. She is a lecturer in Media and Communication at Swansea University, United Kingdom. Her research lies in the areas of information society, media policy and regulation, political communication, media and gender, and new media and children. Her research work examines various phenomena in relation to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), with an emphasis on regulation and policy creation, as well as on the role of ordinary people as ICT users and actors in the information society. Her publications aim to report on innovative and evidence-based solutions to issues arising in the information society. She currently holds an AHRC award to study digital inclusion among minority communities in Wales. --------------------------------------------------------------- You can order this book online. Please click on the link below: --------------------------------------------------------------- Direct order: http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?vLang=E&vID=430189

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