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CfA: ICA pre-conference - The Political Power of IT Industries
by Roei Davidson 09 Jan '25

09 Jan '25

Dear all, Please consider submitting an abstract to the ICA 2025 pre-conference on "The Political Power of Information Technology Industries" which will take place June 12, 2025 at the University of Denver. Submission deadline: January 31, 2025. Full details below. All the best, Roei _________________________ Call for abstracts: The Political Power of Information Technology Industries ICA 2025 pre-conference To be held at the University of Denver, June 12, 2025, 9:00AM – 4:30PM Abstract submission deadline: January 31, 2025 *Call also available here*: https://t.ly/ZbeO5 Affiliated with the Communication, Law and Policy Division and the Media Industries Interest Group of ICA Sponsored by the Institute for Information Policy at Pennsylvania State University and the Underwood Institute Co-Organizers: Roei Davidson, Amit Schejter, Krishna Jayakar Scientific Committee: Roei Davidson, Krishna Jayakar, Brandie Nonnecke, Rodrigo Cetina Presuel, Amit Schejter & Richard Taylor The information technology (IT) industries occupy a powerful position in society. They develop, operate and sell key data infrastructures and devices that enable major social and political processes to take place (Plantin et al., 2018). Ownership of these infrastructures gives them “privileged access” (Srnicek, 2017, p. 44) to user activities and great wealth. These provide them in turn with significant power that directly impacts the political rights as well as conditions of people worldwide. Within their infrastructures, these industries often operate as if they own fiefdoms, enjoying broad powers to shape and restrict users’ behaviors, and designing systems that grant users feudal power over others (Schneider, 2023). In the past, the IT industries - including software, hardware, storage, and internet platforms - were reluctant to participate in political life and overtly exert power but rather turned to the construction of computational devices and networks as alternative spaces for individual fulfillment (Turner, 2006). However, in recent years, IT firms (Dror, 2015) and entrepreneurs (Creech & Maddox, 2022; Karppi & Nieborg, 2021) have been more explicit in their public commitments and interventions. They have used their access to data to promote particular political agendas and “choreograph publics” (Murray & Flyverbom, 2021, p. 630) consonant with both their narrow corporate interests and more general social visions. They provide political campaigns with technical assistance (Kreiss & McGregor, 2018) and regulate political speech (Kreiss & McGregor, 2019). They have influenced public policy domains such as education in ways that promote the adoption of the systems they develop and the values they espouse (Davidson et al., 2024; Sims, 2017; Tamir & Davidson, 2020). In some areas, such as national security, the state has relied on IT firms to carry out core political functions by proxy (Chachko, 2021; Feldstein, 2021). Prominent IT executives and entrepreneurs claim the authority and jurisdiction to participate in moral debates well beyond the confines of the industry (Daub, 2020), and network celebrities connected with these industries do so as well (Turner & Larson, 2015). Some industry personnel participate in political activism leveraging their occupational identity and social status as technology experts. In many of these cases, the industry’s power is not only mediated by the socio-technical systems it develops but is also applied using direct interventions (Eyal & Buchholz, 2010) which rely on human interaction and social discourse. In reaction to these interventions and the increased power of the industry more generally, governments (both national and supra-national) have acted to curb industry power or shape it for their own needs sometimes in a bid to deepen systems of political control (Feldstein, 2021; Hutson, 2023). In addition, governments often restrict foreign firms and maintain close ties with domestic ones (Huang & Tsai, 2022). Given the more proactive role the IT industries play in political life we wish to ask in this pre-conference: How do the IT industries intervene in political campaigns? How do these industries shape the public policy process through lobbying, donations and consulting, both in relation to media and internet policy and in relation to broader policy domains? How do their products algorithmically affect the political process? What role do industrial actors play in opposing, or supporting and sometimes leading activist movements? How do industrial actors intervene in intellectual debates? and how do governments respond to industry interventions and/or co-opt the IT industries for their own purposes? In posing these questions and related ones, we welcome theoretical and empirical contributions that draw on diverse methodological approaches (qualitative, quantitative, and computational) to interrogate these industries’ political role around the world nationally and trans-nationally in both democratic and authoritarian regimes. Submission topics could include but need not be restricted to: *Intellectual interventions such as lectures, media appearances, news coverage, podcasts, blogging, social media, think-tanks, official testimony, and industry research *Political dimensions inherent to the design and functioning of IT platforms and services *Lobbying and other forms of participation in the public policy process *Corporate, investor and worker activism *Political donations *Participating in and supporting political campaigns and other elements of the formal political process *Supporting, providing, or replacing state functions *National and supra-national policy related to the IT industries ------------------------------------------------- Workshop Organizers: Institute for Information Policy, Penn State. Submissions: Interested scholars are invited to submit a 500-word abstract by January 31, 2025. Authors of selected papers and abstracts will be notified by February 21, 2025. Full papers based on invited abstracts are due May 12, 2025. Proposals and papers should be sent by e-mail to the Workshop Organizers at pennstateIIP(a)psu.edu. Inquiries should also be directed to that address. Registration Fee: There will be a $50.00 registration fee for participants to cover the cost of food and refreshments during the Workshop. Limited funding will be available to waive the registration fee of at least some graduate student attendees who will be presenting at the pre-conference. Following the pre-conference, authors will be invited to submit a full paper for potential inclusion in a peer-reviewed special issue of the Journal of Information Policy. References Chachko, E. (2021). National Security by Platform. Stanford Technology Law Review, 25(1), 55–140. Creech, B., & Maddox, J. (2022). Thus spoke Zuckerberg: Journalistic discourse, executive personae, and the personalization of tech industry power. New Media & Society, 14614448221116344. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221116344 Daub, A. (2020). What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley. FSG Originals. Davidson, R., Rein, N., & Tamir, E. (2024). The time-making capacity of the technology industry and its consequences for public life. Journal of Cultural Economy, 17(1), 55–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2023.2261483 Eyal, G., & Buchholz, L. (2010). From the Sociology of Intellectuals to the Sociology of Interventions. Annual Review of Sociology, 36(1), 117–137. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102625 Feldstein, S. (2021). The rise of digital repression: How technology is reshaping power, politics, and resistance. Oxford University Press. Huang, J., & Tsai, K. S. (2022). Securing Authoritarian Capitalism in the Digital Age: The Political Economy of Surveillance in China. The China Journal, 88, 2–28. https://doi.org/10.1086/720144 Hutson, M. (2023). Rules to keep AI in check: Nations carve different paths for tech regulation. Nature, 620(7973), 260–263. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02491-y Karppi, T., & Nieborg, D. B. (2021). Facebook confessions: Corporate abdication and Silicon Valley dystopianism. New Media & Society, 23(9), 2634–2649. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820933549 Kreiss, D., & McGregor, S. C. (2018). Technology Firms Shape Political Communication: The Work of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Google With Campaigns During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Cycle. Political Communication, 35(2), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2017.1364814 Kreiss, D., & McGregor, S. C. (2019). The “arbiters of what our voters see”: Facebook and Google’s struggle with policy, process, and enforcement around political advertising. Political Communication, 36(4), 499–522. Murray, J., & Flyverbom, M. (2021). Datafied corporate political activity: Updating corporate advocacy for a digital era. Organization, 28(4), 621–640. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508420928516 Plantin, J.-C., Lagoze, C., Edwards, P. N., & Sandvig, C. (2018). Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook. New Media & Society, 20(1), 293–310. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816661553 Schneider, N. (2023). Afterlives of the Californian Ideology| Homesteading on a Superhighway: The Californian Ideology and Everyday Politics. International Journal of Communication, 17, 4255–4271. Sims, C. (2017). Disruptive Fixation: School Reform and the Pitfalls of Techno-Idealism. Princeton University Press. Srnicek, N. (2017). Platform Capitalism. Polity. Tamir, E., & Davidson, R. (2020). The good despot: Technology firms’ interventions in the public sphere. Public Understanding of Science, 29(1), 21–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662519879368 Turner, F. (2006). From counterculture to cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the rise of digital utopianism. University Of Chicago Press. Turner, F., & Larson, C. (2015). Network celebrity: Entrepreneurship and the new public intellectuals. Public Culture, 27(1 75), 53–84. -- Roei Davidson <http://roeidavidson.com>, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Communication University of Haifa

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#CfA | Women’s Communication Rights in the Digital Era: The Beijing Platform for Action 30 Years on
by Ana Marta M. Flores 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Women’s Communication Rights in the Digital Era: The Beijing Platform for Action 30 Years on *18th - 19th September 2025* Organised by *ICNOVA* and the *ECREA Gender, Sexuality and Communication Section* In 2025, we mark the 30th anniversary of the *Beijing Platform for Action* (BPfA), a landmark framework for advancing gender equality. Despite progress, gender and intersectional inequalities persist in the media, exacerbated by digital harassment, algorithmic biases, and limited representation in decision-making roles. This conference will explore strategies to address these challenges and foster dialogue on feminist media policy, intersectional representation, and transformative practices. We invite contributions on topics including (but not limited to): - The role of feminist movements in media and gender policy-making - Gender and media regulation - Online gendered harassment and abuse - Gender and intersectional issues in media production - Manifestations of misogyny in digital and popular media - Gendered implications of AI / automated technologies and algorithmic communications - Intersections of sexism, ableism, racism, lgtbqphobia, ageism, classism and other forms of oppression - Shortcomings and Possibilities of the Beijing Platform for Action - The pervasiveness of (neo)colonial framings in the global representation of women - The role of affect, emotion, and authenticity within gender and communication - Disinformation, misinformation, malinformation and threats to gender and intersectional equality - Far-right communication, social media and women’s rights - Alternative feminist media practices - Possibilities for building solidarity in and through the media, especially within the Global South and the Global North - Specific policy issues such as privacy, surveillance, issues of data justice and others - Feminist utopias in media production and representation. Submission Details Submit your abstract (max. 300 words) via EasyChair <https://easychair.org/cfp/WomComRights25> by *31st January 2025, 23:59 (CET)*. Abstracts should highlight your work’s relevance to the conference theme, methodology, and contributions. More information at https://womcomrights25.fcsh.unl.pt For queries, contact: WomComRights25(a)fcsh.unl.pt --- // ANA MARTA M. FLORES www.anamartaflores.com

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When the Field is Online Newsletter and post
by Janet Salmons 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Hello everyone, "When the Field is Online" January Substack newsletter is out! Think through key questions that will help you define and explain your qualitative research problem. In February we'll move ahead by looking at methodologies and methods for online qualitative research, and in March we'll consider how to conduct the study in an ethical way. https://tinyurl.com/89mfvrad If you have resources to share with qualitative researchers, feel free to send them off-list and I will include them in future issues of the newsletter. and What is lost when AI takes your work https://tinyurl.com/53zsxv86 Take care, Janet Janet Salmons, PhD (She/her/hers) www.salmons.blog @2write.bsky.social 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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DCOSS-IoT 2025 -- Tuscany (Lucca), Italy, June 9 to 11 -- Final Call for Papers
by Leivadeas, Aris 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

* Please accept our apologies if you have received multiple copies.* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 21st Annual International Conference on Distributed Computing in Smart Systems and the Internet of Things (DCOSS-IoT 2025) Tuscany (Lucca), Italy June 9 to 11, 2025 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * The DCOSS-IoT series of events are always technically co-sponsored by IEEE, and Proceedings are published by IEEE Xplore. The 21st International Conference on Distributed Computing in Smart Systems and the Internet of Things (DCOSS-IoT 2025) will be held in Tuscany (Lucca), Italy. The conference is always co-sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society and by the IEEE Technical Committee on Parallel Processing (TCPP). The conference was previously known as DCOSS. Starting in 2023, the event is broadening its scope beyond sensor networks to include smart systems in general and the Internet of Things (IoT). The updated name is "Distributed Computing in Smart Systems and the Internet of Things" (DCOSS-IoT). In the last few years, we have witnessed significant growth in the use of IoT and distributed sensor systems in several application areas, including smart transportation, smart energy systems, smart homes and buildings, smart healthcare, and environmental monitoring. For smart sensor systems to truly become useful and pervasive, we need to address several research challenges, including the tight integration of sensing and machine intelligence, reliable and efficient networking, interoperability and scalability, the need for dependable autonomy, interaction with humans, and important aspects of security, privacy and trust. DCOSS-IoT focuses on issues arising in the entire IoT and networked sensor systems stack, covering aspects of high-level abstractions, models and languages, communication technologies, novel algorithms and applications, system design approaches and architectures, and tools for simulated and real deployments. Potential authors are invited to submit original, unpublished manuscripts demonstrating recent advances in theoretical and experimental research. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: * Artificial Intelligence for IoT * Machine learning and data mining for IoT and Smart Systems * Smart healthcare to combat epidemics * Edge and fog computing: distributed computing models from sensor to cloud * Machine intelligence in distributed sensor systems and real-time analytics * Novel communication paradigms (e.g., 5G/6G, VLC, DSA) for IoT and Smart Systems * Cyber-Physical Systems * IoT and Smart Systems for Smart and Connected Communities * Autonomous systems: closing the loop between sensing and actuation * Time and location management * Robustness, resilience, and dependability of IoT and smart systems * Security and privacy in IoT and Smart Systems * Performance analysis: complexity, correctness, scalability * Mobile and human-centric sensing * IoT and Smart Systems for social computing * Interoperability, heterogeneity and scalability * Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based sensing/communications/networking * Social sensing and crowd sensing techniques, applications, and systems * Complex systems comprising wearable, robotic and/or fixed sensor systems * IoT and Smart Systems for emerging and developing economies * Green and environmentally friendly IoT (low power, harvesting, energy management) * Sensors and Robots for Internet of Intelligent Things * Design and implementation of real-world applications and systems * Approaches, tools, and experience of deployment and operation * Interdisciplinary applications of IoT and Smart Systems * Smart healthcare and digital epidemiology * Smart agriculture * Smart infrastructures * Smart cities * Smart energy, transportation, and water distribution systems * Smart factories * Smart workspace Authors are invited to submit original, unpublished manuscripts demonstrating current research on distributed smart systems and IoT related to the aforementioned topics of interest. Please use the US letter size (8.5 X 11 in) standard IEEE conference LaTeX format or Microsoft Word template available on: http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html All submissions should be written in English and have a maximum of eight (8) printed pages, including figures and references. Two (2) additional pages at 100$/page for supplementary material only (such as theorems, proofs, implementation details) are allowed. Starting 2023, DCOSS-IoT follows a double-blind review process. As a result, authors must make a good faith effort to anonymize their submissions. Although submission is double-blind, the existence or availability of non-anonymous preprints (on arXiv or other preprint servers) will not lead to your paper being rejected. Reviewers will be instructed not to look for such preprints actively but encountering them will not constitute a conflict of interest. Papers that do not meet the size, formatting, and anonymization requirements will not be reviewed. We require each paper to be in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and submitted through the EDAS submission system. *** Special Issue and Best Paper Awards *** DCOSS-IoT 2025 will announce a best paper award and a best poster/demo award. Extended versions of selected best papers from DCOSS-IoT 2025 will be included in a Special Issue of the Computer Networks (COMNET) Journal. *** Important dates *** * Abstract Registration Deadline: January 20, 2025 * Paper Submission Deadline: January 27, 2025 * Acceptance Notification: March 28, 2025 * Camera Ready Deadline: April 15, 2025 *** Key Organizers *** * Technical Program Committee Co-Chairs: * Dario Pompili (Rutgers University, USA) * Jennifer Simonjan (Technology Innovation Institute - TII, UAE) * Zhi Sun (Tsinghua University, China) * General Chairs: * Francesco Betti Sorbelli (UNIPG, Italy) * Cristina M. Pinotti (UNIPG, Italy) * Steering Committee Chair: * Sotiris Nikoletseas (University of Patras and CTI, Greece) Please visit the DCOSS-IoT 2025 website<https://dcoss.org/> for more information. Aris Leivadeas | Associate Professor Department of Software and IT Engineering École de technologie supérieure | University of Quebec 1100, rue Notre-Dame Ouest, office A-3415 Montréal (Québec) H3C 1K3 Tel. 514 396-8860 | etsmtl.ca<http://etsmtl.ca/> Find us on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/etsmtl> - Twitter<http://twitter.com/etsmtl> - YouTube<http://www.youtube.com/user/etsmtl> - LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/school/etsmtl/>

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Call for Papers: Blackness as Onto-Epistemological Departure and Arrival (4S 2025 Seattle)
by Seyi Olojo 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Dear all, Apologies for cross posting. We invite submissions to our panel at 4S 2025 in Seattle. Please see details below: *192. Blackness as Onto-Epistemological Departure and Arrival* Black feminist scholarship in STS and science studies have done field-defining work of articulating the various kinds of harms accumulated by Black communities and other communities of color (Wynter 2003, Benjamin 2016). They situate such violence within existing patterns of anti-blackness, exploring how legacies of slavery and colonialism shape the epistemologies that produce technology today (Browne 2015, Noble 2018). Furthermore, the iterations of race-based harm they identify illustrate the ways in which Blackness works as a flexible tool illuminating how harm manifests within scientific knowledge production across time. Yet, thinking with Beth Coleman (2009), Jayna Brown (2021) and Kattherine McKittrick (2021), blackness is also a technology charting pathways toward alternative and speculative ways of understanding and interacting with our world, if not other worlds entirely. Blackness is therefore both a site of departure from the violent dialectic of positivist thinking and an arrival into a speculative escape. In light of this, we seek to bring together emergent methods and frameworks addressing how anti/blackness reverberates within scientific knowledge production, especially those grounded in Black feminist thought. We invite contributions that explore Blackness as method and/or as an analytical framework for breaking down the norms that exist within scientific knowledge production, and also for articulating the material impact of the current constructions of race within science practice. There will be two panel sessions. The first session will feature panelists' presentations. In the second session, panelists will receive the opportunity to workshop methods and methodologies reflected in their scholarship, culminating in a collective reading list to aid in the exploration of the onto-epistemologies of Blackness that stand to shape and reform scientific knowledge production. Panel Organizers: Kristen Reynolds, PhD (Brown University), Seyi Olojo (UC Berkeley) Abstract Deadline*: January 31st *(250 words max) Submission Page: https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions_seattle.php Contact: Seyi Olojo oolojo(a)berkeley.edu - *Seyi Olojo * PhD Candidate, School of Information <https://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/> at UC, Berkeley Fellow, Center on Race & Digital Justice <https://www.raceanddigitaljustice.org/> at UCLA

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WEBCAST JAN 8 – DIPLO 2025 Forecast: AI and Digital Developments
by Joly MacFie 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

For we who are focused on Internet policy the question arises "Is AI a valid Internet Governance topic?" I took the opportunity to ask this of Jovan Kurbalija's personal AI chatbot <https://www.diplomacy.edu/people/jovan-kurbalija/> - here is the response: *The question of whether AI is a valid topic for Internet Governance is not merely a matter of opinion; it is anchored in the evolving landscape of technology, governance, and society. The increasing integration of AI into various aspects of our lives—from healthcare and education to security and commerce—necessitates its inclusion in governance discussions.Historically, as we have seen with the inception of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the governance of emerging technologies has often lagged behind their rapid development. For instance, the IGF was established to address the complexities arising from the internet's growth, and similarly, AI presents a host of challenges that require a structured governance framework. The call for AI governance resonates with the foundational principles that guided early Internet governance debates, where the focus was on the implications of technology rather than the technology itself.As of 2023, 58 countries have national AI strategies, and the discourse around AI governance is becoming increasingly relevant. This is evident in initiatives like the EU's AI Act and the UN's Global Digital Compact, which aim to create a regulatory framework that addresses the multifaceted implications of AI. The governance of AI must encompass issues of data privacy, security, intellectual property, and human rights—areas that are already under intense scrutiny.Moreover, the potential for AI to influence geopolitics and power dynamics adds another layer of urgency to this conversation. Countries are investing heavily in AI as a strategic asset, which underscores the need for governance structures that can mitigate risks and ensure equitable access to AI technologies.In conclusion, AI is not just a valid topic for Internet Governance; it is an essential one. The interplay between AI and traditional governance frameworks will shape the future of both technology and diplomacy. As we navigate this complex terrain, it is crucial to foster inclusive discussions that encompass diverse perspectives and expertise. * [image: isoc live] <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=e3c38432c8bec4508f29f6e…> On *Wednesday 8 January 2025* at *14:00–15:00 CET* (13:00-14:00 UTC) *Diplo <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=78721388d8443c48b0e8469…>* will present '*2025 Forecast: AI and Digital Developments <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=0dcd59aef358119beef59a0…>* '. *Jovan Kurbalija <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=0185908406ef0f471d6b372…>* will explore: Geopolitical and geoeconomic trends shaping AI; AI and digital issues on the diplomatic agenda; Transformative use of AI tools in society, business, and diplomacy. Drawing from the key developments of 2024, he will analyse both ongoing trends and new shifts that may define 2025. *SPEAKER* *Jovan Kurbalija* - Executive Director, Diplo *LIVESTREAM https://youtu.be/N2WiXFrHMuo <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=d78031984d28c31223a132f…>* *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3DJ7m7v <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=cfc8bfabeb3c4d188f1fced…>* *REAL TIME TEXT https://bit.ly/3DYzBiA <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=1ae43f5a74ce4441afc1cd9…>* *TWITTER #AI @DiplomacyEdu <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=65891ff4cd7d9fde354199f…> #DigitalEconomy @jovankurbalija * *#DIPLO MASTODON <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=0e3e1510eb419f7c0df9f21…> | BLUESKY <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=918e03b7a611b6468a27e9f…> | INSTA <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=3a5f74ef468946836f0887e…>* *ARCHIVE* *https://archive.org/details/diplo-ai2025 <http://isoc.live/?action=user_content_redirect&uuid=c1cf4f964c2924404cdd72e…> *(when available) *** ISOC.LIVE is a free community webcasting support service sponsored by the the Internet Society New York Chapter (ISOC-NY) - ISOC LIVE is currently unfunded - if you would like to become a monthly sponsor - contact support(a)isoc.live *** - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Research Symposium: Digital Capital and Political System. Shaping Inequalities in a Technological Age
by Massimo Ragnedda 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Research Symposium: Digital Capital and Political System Shaping Inequalities in a Technological Age *Submission Deadline: 20 January 2025* Hosted by the University of Sharjah (UAE) and organized by the IAMCR Digital Divide Working Group. This symposium will explore the emerging and evolving forms of digital inequalities and their intricate connections with social inequalities. As digital technologies increasingly shape our world, they reflect and amplify existing economic, social, and political divides within and across nations. The event will bring together scholars and practitioners to examine these dynamics, offering a platform for in-depth discussions on the complex nature of digital inequalities in today’s society. Symposium Details: Date and Venue: *University of Sharjah (UAE), the 17th of April 2025.* Attendance and catering are complimentary. Keynote: Dr. <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAABncMYBfoVDutVT9p7jtvV-CurG7_as_oc>Jeremy Schulz, Senior Researcher, ISSI, UC Berkeley (USA). Publication Opportunities: Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to one of the two special issues proposed: a) Emerging Forms of Digital Inequalities. The Role of Digital Capital in Shaping Access, Power, and Opportunities in the Digital Era. This Special Issue will be edited by <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAOIhDUBm2jw1Iy6XJuGI3n6TC97irzMo3E>Massimo Ragnedda, Anna Gladkova and <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAWsOMUBbmjA32Sj5E55AIiX0gtsuD9S8JQ>Maria Laura Ruiu and submitted to the World of Media. b) Artificial Intelligence, Digital Inequalities, and Political Power: Navigating Access, Governance, and Representation. This special issue is edited by <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAPF2xkBieLOGtICx_XxY3ghBpABzoKW89Q>Jason Gainous, <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAOIhDUBm2jw1Iy6XJuGI3n6TC97irzMo3E>Massimo Ragnedda and <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAWsOMUBbmjA32Sj5E55AIiX0gtsuD9S8JQ>Maria Laura Ruiu and submitted to the Journal of Information Technology & Politics. Both special issues will undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. *Key Focus Areas:* - *The evolving nature of Digital Capital.* This theme will delve into the concept of digital capital, examining how digital resources and skills are unevenly distributed and how they influence social mobility, economic opportunities, and access to power. We encourage papers that explore the role of digital capital in perpetuating or challenging social inequalities. - *Beyond Access: Emerging Digital Divides and Their Implications for Social Justice.* This area will address the emerging digital divides that go beyond access to technology, including disparities in digital literacy, quality of digital engagement, and the unequal benefits of digital participation. Submissions are invited to critically analyze these new forms of digital inequalities and their implications for social justice. - *Intersection of AI, digital inequalities, and political power.* This focus area will explore the intersection of digital technologies and political life, such as the impact of algorithms on democracy, digital surveillance, and the role of social media in shaping political discourse. Papers should investigate how digital technologies are influencing political power dynamics and what this means for the future of democratic governance. Submission Guidelines: Abstracts: Abstracts should be no more than 500 words. *Submission Deadline: 20 January 2025* Submission Email: mragnedda(at)sharjah.ac.ae <mragnedda(a)sharjah.ac.ae> Infor mragnedda(at)sharjah.ac.ae or https://mragnedda.wordpress.com/2024/10/17/research-symposium-digital-capit… --

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Postdoc@UvA: Understanding Media Dynamics of Distrust (closes Jan 20th)
by Bernhard Rieder 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Dear AoIR, I'm writing to share a postdoc position on exploring the dynamics of distrust in digital societies embedded with UvA's Media Studies program and Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis research school. The application deadline is January 20th. https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/postdoc-in-digital-media-understandin… All the best and happy 2025!

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CfP Automating Democracy – Extended deadline!
by Victoria Balan 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

CfP Extended Deadline: Automating Democracy: AI Use Between Social Justice and Social Control Erasmus University Rotterdam, 22-23 May 2025 Join the ECREA Communication & Democracy Section’s off year conference in May 2025 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands to explore the transformative effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on democratic governance & citizen participation. To account for the winter holidays, we have extended the deadline to 31 January 2025. The two-day event will by keynoted by Prof. Dr. Madalina Busuioc, Full Professor of Public Governance in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Dr. Simone Natale, Associate Professor in Media Theory and History at the University of Turin. Conference participants will have the opportunity to participate in a practitioner-scholar roundtable on current practices and challenges of AI-use for progressive social change. For additional information on submissions, fees and proposed timeline, please visit our conference website https://automatingdemocracy.wordpress.com/ Conference organizing committee Dr. Delia Dumitrica, Erasmus University Rotterdam Dr. Ofra Klein, Erasmus University Rotterdam Victoria Balan, Erasmus University Rotterdam Dr. Giuliana Sorce, Tubingen University Dr. Jun Liu, University of Copenhagen Dr. Arianna Bussoletti, Sapienza Universita di Roma

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Exploring the materialities of AI: Geographies, infrastructures, numbers
by Loup Cellard 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Hi all, We are happy to invite you to a one-day conference in Paris organised by the Center for Internet and Society. The schedule is below and the abstracts are attached. The consequences of artificial intelligence (AI) on the environment have garnered attention in public discourse after several publications estimating the water consumption, energy usage and resource depletion caused by the training and operating of AI and large language models (LLMs). Quantification plays an important role in making the materiality of AI perceptible but they do not exhaust the representations of AI’s consequences on the planet. In this conference, we explore the materialities of artificial AI from a wider variety of epistemic perspectives that deepen the comprehension of the multiple facets of AI’s material presence in the world and its consequences. When: Friday, January 31, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm *Where:* CNRS, site Pouchet, 59-61 rue Pouchet, 75017 Paris, FRANCE <https://maps.app.goo.gl/QC6PN5YN25seF6FYA> *Organisation team:* Loup Cellard (Datactivist, médialab Sciences-Po, ADM+S Centre), Valentin Goujon (médialab, Sciences Po), Hugo Estecahandy (IFG Lab, université Paris 8), Théophile Lenoir (University of Milan, médialab, Sciences Po), Adrien Tournier (HT2S, Cnam). A conference organised by the GDR 2091 Internet IA and Society (CNRS, Paris, FR). /// Schedule 09:30 am: Welcome coffee 10 am - 12:50 pm: A critical perspective on the quantification of AI’s environmental footprint. 10 am - 10:30 am: Loup Cellard (Datactivist, medialab Sciences-Po, ADM+S Centre) “Beyond AI as an environmental pharmakon: Principles for reopening the problem-space of machine learning’s carbon footprint,” currently in review in Environment & Planning E (with Christine Parker and Fiona Haines - University of Melbourne) 10:30 am - 10:50 am: Q&A 10:50 am - 11:20 am: Anne-Laure Ligozat (ENSIIE) & Aurélie Bugeau (Bordeaux University), “Can AI’s environmental damage be controlled?” 11:20 am - 11:40 am: Q&A 11:40 am - 12 pm : Break 12 pm - 12:30 pm: Théophile Lenoir (University of Milan), “Evaluating the environmental consequences of AI: Tensions around quantification”, currently in review in Digital Society (with Christine Parker - Melbourne Law School) 12:30 pm - 12:50 pm: Q&A 12:50 pm - 2 pm: Lunch 2 pm - 4:50 pm : Beyond numbers - accounting for the materialities of AI through its geography and infrastructure 2 pm - 2:30 pm: Ana Valdivia (Oxford) “The supply chain capitalism of AI: a call to (re)think algorithmic harms and resistance through environmental lens” 2:30 pm - 2:50 pm: Q&A 2:50 pm - 3:20 pm: Valentin Goujon (médialab, Sciences-Po Paris), “Big Compute as Big Science: (super)computing infrastructures and the “greening” of French AI research”. 3:20 pm - 3:40 pm: Q&A 3:40 am - 4 pm : Break 4 pm - 4:30 pm: Ludovico Rella (Durham, UK), “Between Dark and Green Silicon. Geographies of Cloud and Edge AI” 4:30 pm - 4:50 pm: Q&A 4:50 pm - 5 pm: Concluding remarks -- *Loup Cellard* <http://www.loupcellard.com>Researcher — Datactivist <https://datactivist.coop/en/> (Paris/Marseille) Affiliate at Sciences-Po Médialab <https://medialab.sciencespo.fr/> (Paris) + ADM+S Centre <https://www.admscentre.org.au/> (Melbourne) Editor at Tèque <https://revue-teque.fr/>, a tech criticism journal by Audimat Editions <https://audimat-editions.fr/> (Paris) Email : loupcellard(a)gmail.com Mobile FR : +33 7 87 00 84 22 Website : loupcellard.com <http://www.loupcellard.com/> Twitter : @CellardLoup <https://twitter.com/CellardLoup>Newsletter : Data Dandysme <https://tinyletter.com/loupcellard>

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