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PhD in Feminist Software Design: Fully Funded, Uni of Amsterdam, April 28
by Sian Brooke 19 Apr '26

19 Apr '26

Dear All, I am writing to share that I am hiring for a fully funded PhD in my group at the University of Amsterdam, in case it is of interest to your students or networks. The deadline is 28 April 2026, so there is still time to apply! The position is in Human-Centred AI for Programming Environments, based at the Digital Interactions Lab (DILAB), Informatics Institute, University of Amsterdam. The project sits at the intersection of feminism, software engineering, human-computer interaction, and applied AI. The successful candidate will design, implement, and evaluate AI-powered IDE tools (for example, VS Code extensions integrating large language models) and co-design them with neurodiverse women in computing, using participatory and mixed-methods research. DETAILS: Fully funded, four-year contract at 38 hours per week. Salary between €3,059 and €3,881 gross per month (scale P), plus 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end allowance. Funded training, courses, and international conference attendance (for example CHI, ICER, ICSE). The 30% tax ruling may apply to non-Dutch applicants. Preferred start date is September 2026, but open for discussion. DESCRIPTION: We are looking for someone with a Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, AI, HCI, or a closely related field, with strong software engineering skills and experience building non-trivial systems (ideally plugins or extensions). Proficiency in JavaScript, TypeScript, and/or Python is expected. Prior experience with qualitative or participatory research is welcome but not required, if the candidate is genuinely motivated to learn these methods. We particularly encourage applications from candidates interested in accessibility, neurodiversity, and inclusive computing. Full details and application instructions are available here: https://werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies/phd-position-in-human-centered-ai-for… I would be very grateful if you could circulate this to anyone who might be a good fit. Questions are welcome, either to me directly or via the contacts listed on the vacancy page Thank you and Best wishes, Siân Dr Siân JM Brooke (she/her) Assistant Professor (MacGillavry Fellowship) L5.51 | Lab42 | Science Park userinteractionlab.com<https://userinteractionlab.com/> <https://www.uva.nl/en/profile/b/r/s.j.m.brooke/s.j.m.brooke.html> | sianbrooke.com<http://www.sianbrooke.com/> | qfinformatics.com<http://www.qfinformatics.com/>

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VIDEO: Censorship and Freedom of Expression Panel at Cambridge Disinformation Summit
by Dr. Emma Briant 17 Apr '26

17 Apr '26

Dear Colleagues, I am writing to share the video of a panel I organized on Censorship and Freedom of Expression <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoCX2Xy3daI> at the 2026 Cambridge Disinformation Summit. It was an honor to discuss the increasing threats to speech in the context of autocratization alongside such esteemed speech defenders and democracy advocates in the beautiful Cambridge Union, here’s the video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoCX2Xy3daI> and the full panel included: *Nora Benavidez <https://www.linkedin.com/in/norabenavidez/>*, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights at Free Press, leading its democracy and tech initiatives *Jameel Jaffer <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameel-jaffer-17648426/>*, <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameel-jaffer-17648426/> who directs the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, which sponsors litigation and research at the intersection of free speech and new technology *Jemimah Steinfeld <https://www.linkedin.com/in/jemimah-steinfeld-25ab03a/>*, who is CEO of the freedom of expression organization Index on Censorship *Emma L. Briant* <http://emma-briant.co.uk/>, Visiting Associate Professor at Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society, University of Notre Dame I hope you find the video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoCX2Xy3daI> interesting and will consider sharing what I feel was an important discussion. Best wishes, Emma -- *Dr Emma L Briant* Visiting Associate Professor at University of Notre Dame, USA Fellow at Bard College, Human Rights Project, USA Associate at George Washington University, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, USA Associate at University of Cambridge, Center for Financial Reporting & Accountability, UK Affiliate at Monash University, Monash Global Peace and Security Centre, Australia Owner, Director and Consultant: Maven of Persuasion LLC LEARN MORE FROM ME: 🎓 Online course: https://www.udemy.com/course/propaganda-disinformation-level-1-beginners/?r… 📚 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emmalbriant 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dremmalbriant2459/streams 🌐 emma-briant.co.uk 🗣️ Speaking agent: Chartwell Speakers <https://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/emma-briant/> 📰 Sign up for my Newsletter <https://emma-briant.co.uk/sign-up-for-important-updates/> 📘 Editor of *The Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry* (2024, with Bakir) 📘 Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change *(2015) 📘 Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* (2013, with Philo and Donald) Mastodon @emmalbriant@mastodon.online 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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New Book Announcement: The 'Socially Networked' Newsroom: Journalists and their Discourses of Digital Communication
by Philippa Smith 16 Apr '26

16 Apr '26

Dear AOIR colleagues, I am pleased to share that a new book I have co-authored with Helen SIssons, *The 'Socially Networked' Newsroom: Journalists and their Discourses of Digital Communication*, will be published by Bloomsbury in May. See: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/socially-networked-newsroom-9781350476714/ The book explores the discourses of digital communication in contemporary journalism through observations of both online and offline interactions in newsrooms between journalists and with their sources, and includes analysis of interviews, and digital texts. Drawing on 300 hours of video-ethnographic material collected across three New Zealand newsrooms, it applies innovative qualitative methodologies to examine how journalists engage with digital technologies in story production and how these technologies are reshaping journalistic practice. Using a Social Media Critical Discourse Studies approach, we analyse these complex interactions offering insights into changing dynamics and power relationships between journalists and their news organisations, exploring the ways in which digital technologies have become embedded and normalised in journalistic discourse. We also consider the impact of audience expectations on journalists, especially as trends have shown a shift of news consumption to social media platforms and alternative websites.The book also considers how the techno-discursive architecture of the internet is contributing to intensified work practices and shifting notions of journalist identity. We hope the book will be of interest to those engaged in journalism studies, media and communication research, and anyone concerned with the future of news production. With best wishes, Philippa Smith https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippa-smith-nz/ The Socially Networked Newsroom List of Chapters: 1 Behind the Screens: Observing the Digital Transformation of Newsrooms 2 The Technological Disruption of Journalism 3 Introducing Video Ethnography to Social Media Critical Discourse Studies 4 Blurred Lines and shifting Roles: The Changing Boundaries of Journalism Practice and Identity 5 Performing Professionalism: How Journalists Legitimize Digital Work 6 A Convergence of Crises and an Uncertain Future 7 Journalism Going Forward: Reflections and Realignments

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CfP for Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26): Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty
by Data for Policy 16 Apr '26

16 Apr '26

*Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26)* *Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty* 8-10 September 2026 | Barcelona, Spain Call for Abstracts, Full Papers and Panel Proposals Submission Deadline: *01 June 2026* Dear colleagues, Data for Policy CIC, in collaboration with the *Universitat Pompeu Fabra *and the *Cambridge University Press* is delighted to invite submission of extended abstracts, full papers, and panel proposals for Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26) <https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026/>, to be held in Barcelona, Spain, on *8–10 September 2026.* The tenth edition of the conference will focus on the reshaping effects of AI in governance and decision making. This year has witnessed a significant paradigm shift, sparking increased interest in and concern regarding AI governance. The development of AI and data infrastructure has become essential amid the ‘AI War’ between the United States and China, the hybrid conflicts in Europe, and the deployment of military technologies in the Middle East. Strategic investments now prioritise access to frontier technologies, the securing of critical minerals, energy production, and key locations for water supply and cooling. AI is challenging not only global economies but also political systems. We have entered an era where AI influences geopolitics, often at the expense of fundamental rights and values. The theme “Governance of/with AI” addresses the diverse global perspectives on this evolving technology. As AI continues to transform, it presents both unprecedented opportunities and complex challenges; furthermore, emerging developments such as quantum computing heighten existing uncertainties. This theme calls for a responsible and ethical societal response while fostering debate across multiple disciplines. We invite reflections and evidence-based research that explore and contest these views. Ranging from geopolitical promises to large-scale investments, social consequences, and legal frameworks, AI has become a truly transdisciplinary field. We welcome contributions from a wide range of disciplines — including but not limited to computer science, engineering, law, economics, and public administration — that explore challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI, governance, and society. We are particularly interested in work that offers valuable insights and contributes to ongoing data-for-policy discussions aligned with our core focus areas <https://dataforpolicy.org/dfp26-conference-tracks/>: *Area 1:* Digital & Data-driven Transformations in Governance *Area 2: *Technologies & Analytics *Area 3:* Policy & Literacy for Data *Area 4: *Ethics, Equity, and Trustworthiness *Area 5:* Algorithmic Governance *Area 6: *Global Challenges and Dynamic Threats In addition, a dedicated special track convened by The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA) will provide a focused forum to explore the technological, institutional, and political dimensions of AI adoption. *Special Track: <https://digitalstatecraft.academy/special-track-digital-statecraft-from-pri…>Digital Statecraft: From Principles to Practice.* For Abstract or Panel Submissions: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=dataforpolicy2026 For Full Paper submissions: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/dataandpolicy For detailed information on submission types, the review process, and important dates, we encourage you to visit the Submission & Guidelines and Important Dates pages on the Conference website. <https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026/> Join us at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, in September 2026 as we collectively navigate the opportunities and complexities of AI in governance, and contribute to building more equitable, and trustworthy digital futures. For any inquiries or further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact *dfp26(a)upf.edu <dfp26(a)upf.edu>* and *team(a)dataforpolicy.org <team(a)dataforpolicy.org>* Warmest regards, The Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26) – Conference Committee <https://dataforpolicy.org/data-for-policy-2026-dfp26-conference-committee/> __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Important Dates* - *Submission deadline for papers, abstracts, and panels:* *01 June 2026, 23:59, AoE.* - Notification of acceptance for conference abstracts, and panels: 01 July 2026, 23:59, AoE. - Notification of acceptance for full-papers: 25 July 2026, 23:59, AoE. - Registration deadline for presenters: 14 August 2026 - Deadline for submission of mandatory pre-conference material: 17 August 2026 - Registration deadline for all delegates: 25 August 2026 - *Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26): 08 – 10 September 2026* ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ *DfP’26 Conference Leadership:* - Manuel Portela, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Carlos (Chato) Castillo, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Vladimir Estivill-Castro, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Migle Laukyte, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain - Antoni Rubi-Puig, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain *Data for Policy Conference General Chairs:* - Zeynep Engin, Founding Director & Chair, Data for Policy CIC - Jon Crowcroft, Marconi Professor of Communications Systems in the Computer Lab, at the University of Cambridge, and researcher-at-large at the Alan Turing Institute - Stefaan Verhulst, Co-Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer at the GovLab, NYU *Conference Programme Committee:* - Susan Ariel Aaronson, George Washington University, USA - Fola Adeleke, The Global Center on AI Governance, South Africa - Rossella Arcucci, Imperial College London, UK - Omar Isaac Asensio, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA - He Bin, Tongji University, China - Tuba Bircan, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium - Ana Brandusescu, McGill University, Canada - Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia - Igor Calzada, University of the Basque Country, Spain - Natalia Carfi, Open Data Charter, Argentina - Lawrence Cheung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong - Joep Crompvoets, KU Leuven, Belgium - Ebinezer Florano, The University of the Philippines, The Philippines - Sarah Giest, Leiden University, The Netherlands - Yang Han, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong - Regina Hučková, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia - Ahmed Dooguy Kora, L’Ecole Supérieure Multinationale des Télécommunications, Senegal - Jacqueline C.K. Lam, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong - Victor OK Li, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong - Canhui Liu, University College London, UK - Justin Longo, University of Regina, Canada - Claudia Abreu Lopes, United Nations University, Malaysia - Aretha Mare, Smart Africa, Rwanda - Jock Martin,The European Environment Agency, Denmark - Gianluca Misuraca, AI4Gov, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain - Francesco Mureddu, The Lisbon Council, Belgium - Ines Neves, Universidade de Porto, Portugal - David, Love Opeyemi, University of Johannesburg, South Africa - Marta Poblet, RMIT University; The Data Tank, Belgium - Paula Rodriguez Müller, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Belgium - Vania Sena, The University of Sheffield, UK - Sara Thabit, European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Italy - Evren Tok, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar - Gaby Umbach, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Italy - Genoveva Vargas-Solar, CNRS, France-Mexico - Masaru Yarime, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ * About Data for Policy* Since its inception in 2015 at the University of Cambridge, the Data for Policy conference series has served as a leading platform for addressing the gap between data advancements and effective policymaking. Over the past decade, it has consistently attracted prominent researchers and thought leaders worldwide. In addition to our conferences, we have partnered with Cambridge University Press to launch the open-access Data & Policy in 2019. This initiative provides a platform for rigorous scholarly work at the intersection of data science and public policy, supported by an integrated peer-review process linking conference presentations to publication opportunities.

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New Special Issue on NMS: Contextual Complexities of Violence on Digital Platforms
by E. Morales Velasquez 16 Apr '26

16 Apr '26

Dear AoIR community, We are delighted to announce the publication of our new special issue in New Media & Society, centred on the *contextual* nature of violence on digital platforms. Edited by Tom Divon, Martin Lundqvist, and myself, the issue intervenes in ongoing debates about platform governance, harm, power, visibility, and circulation by arguing that violence cannot be understood in isolation from the infrastructures, cultural narratives, governance regimes, and local dynamics through which it emerges. Our issue brings together 10 papers that collectively showcase how attending to context transforms our understanding of the platformization of violence, offering conceptual, empirical, and methodological pathways for advancing research in this rapidly evolving field. Together, the papers travel across platforms and practices, from TikTok and Twitch to internet shutdowns in Sri Lanka and sites of participatory warfare, engaging with phenomena such as image-based abuse, memetic misogyny, conspiracy imaginaries, and self-documented terrorism. The issue is available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/nmsa/28/4 Table of contents: Morales, E., Divon, T., & Lundqvist, M. (2026). Context matters: Understanding the platformization of violence. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1395–1411. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261420823 Cabanzo Valencia, M., & Guntrum, L. G. (2026). Race, ethnicity, and technology-facilitated violence: The experience of activists in Chocó, Colombia. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1412–1436. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251344286 de Keulenaar, E., & Alves dos Santos, M., Jr. (2026). Normative dislocation: When platforms moderate without memory. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1437–1463. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251364814 Petersen, L. N., & Johansen, M. B. (2026). The violence of online conspiracy theories. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1464–1481. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336431 Eriksson Krutrök, M., & Mitchell, J. (2026). Memeing the moniker: The stickiness of gang myths in Swedish news legacy media and TikTok. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1482–1503. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338507 Ryder, C. (2026). Affordance folklore: Truth, community and visibility during Sri Lanka's Internet shutdowns. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1504–1523. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251357264 Morse, T., & Altaratz, D. (2026). Witnessing carnage: Self-documented terrorism and the moral challenges of decentralized digital platforms. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1524–1549. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251370967 Harris, B. C., Tran, C. H., & Persaud, C. J. (2026). Contextual governance & androcentric hegemony on Twitch.tv. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1550–1570. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251370965 Henry, N., Vowles, C., & Beard, G. (2026). "Doing gender": A digital ethnography of image-based abuse perpetration. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1571–1591. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251356604 Özkula, S. M., & Prieto-Blanco, P. (2026). Just a meme? The role of context in mythologies of memetic misogyny. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1592–1618. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251396942 Chonka, P. (2026). (De)constructing research 'expertise' in transnational participatory warfare. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1619–1637. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251357269 We hope our issue offers insights that can traverse across contexts and be useful to the AoIR community and beyond. We also warmly welcome any questions or reflections it might spark. Warm regards, Esteban Morales, Tom Divon, and Martin Lundqvist -- Esteban Morales Velásquez Assistant Professor / Media and Digital Cultures Centre for Media and Journalism Studies University of Groningen https://www.esteban-morales.com

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Workshop: Beyond the Ban? Regulating Platform Design for Minors (April 21)
by Urbano Reviglio 16 Apr '26

16 Apr '26

Dear all, I invite you to join the workshop Beyond the ban? How to regulate platform design to protect minors under the Digital Services Act next Tuesday, April 21st. Organized by The Florence Observatory on Digital Regulation (FLODIR)<https://digitalsociety.eui.eu/flodir-florence-observatory-on-digital-regula…>, the event will discuss the risks and challenges of the new regulatory wave on social media bans for minors. You can register here: https://digitalsociety.eui.eu/events/?id=586566 There will be two sessions with highly compelling perspectives. The first panel will be moderated by Prof. Elda Brogi, Deputy Director of the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom of the European University Institute (EUI), and will focus on the evidence of harm to minors and how social media bans are being approached across Europe and beyond. * Prof. Giovanna Mascheroni, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, will open the session to provide the general sociological context on the harms of social media to minors. * Prof. Amanda Third, Western Sydney University, will explain how the ban is perceived and implemented in Australia, the first Western nation to adopt such a comprehensive national policy. * Marta Vega Bayo, Head of Unit for Platforms and Data within the Spanish Government's Directorate General for Digital Services, will discuss the strategies of Spain, which is among the most determined countries to implement the ban. * Katarzyna Szymielewicz, President of the NGO Panoptykon Foundation, will discuss the limits and opportunities the DSA offers in this context from a human rights advocacy perspective. * Finally, Greta Faieta, DSA Enforcement team, will discuss the European Commission's perspective on this issue. The second panel will be moderated by the President of the Italian Media Authority (AGCOM), Giacomo Lasorella. It will focus on the strategies and enforcement challenges faced by media authorities. * It will start with a contribution from Peter Chapman, Knight-Georgetown Institute, who will discuss the recent U.S. verdict finding Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing addictive products that harmed young users. There will be also several key media authorities offering their perspectives: * Jeremy Godfrey, Coimisiún na Meán (CNAM), Ireland * Frederic Bokobza, ARCOM, France * Susanne Lackner, KommAustria, Austria * Michael Terhörst, German Federal Office for the Enforcement of Children's Rights in Digital Services (KidD), Germany The event is hybrid, and you can participate either in person or online. You can register here: https://digitalsociety.eui.eu/events/?id=586566 Urbano Reviglio Research Associate Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom / Robert Schuman Centre Villa Schifanoia - Via Boccaccio 121, 50133 Firenze (FI), Italy European University Institute Via dei Roccettini 9, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy eui.eu<https://www.eui.eu/en/home>

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New Series launched: The Politics of Data and AI
by Morgan Currie 16 Apr '26

16 Apr '26

Hello AoiR, I’m writing with the exciting news that submissions are now open for a new series on The Politics of Data and AI with Edinburgh University Press! The series is edited by Morgan Currie and Hemangini Gupta and is now soliciting manuscripts and edited volumes of between 80,000-1000,000 words. Selected submissions by early career researchers will receive additional directed feedback in the form of a book workshop. The new series is invested in the politics of data widely construed, with particular emphasis on environmental and ecological costs, labour and work, media and cultural representations, governance and policy, and global struggles featuring data-intensive systems. With a strong focus on geographic diversity, the series will offer empirically grounded accounts from around the world, along with critical analyses and theories that challenge mainstream understandings and that promote radical, alternative approaches to the governance of data and AI. For an informal discussion or to pitch us, see https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-politics-of-data-and-ai for submission details and editor contact information. With best wishes, Hemangini and Morgan -- Morgan Currie Senior Lecturer in Data & Society Science, Technology & Innovation Studies University of Edinburgh Old Surgeons’ Hall (room 2.88), High School Yards Edinburgh, EH1 1LZ w: www.morgancurrie.com<http://www.morgancurrie.com> The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.

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New Book: Digital Modernity: Why We Need to Think Historically About the Digital Age
by James Smithies 16 Apr '26

16 Apr '26

I'm pleased to announce the publication of my monograph Digital Modernity: Why We Need to Think Historically About the Digital Age (Routledge, 2026), available for purchase and open access download via the links below. The book offers the first systematic theorization of digital modernity, arguing that the digital age cannot be understood apart from the long historical arc of modernity. It bridges digital humanities, critical theory, sociology, philosophy, and global history to demonstrate that contemporary digital systems are continuations rather than ruptures of the modern project — and develops a conceptual framework for examining how technological infrastructures intersect with democracy, governance, colonial legacies, and the public sphere. Across nine chapters, the book moves from conceptual foundations to future-facing proposals, engaging topics including the cultural logic of Silicon Valley, digital colonialism, digital infrastructure, and the epistemic crisis of the digital public sphere. It also addresses philosophical questions about emergence, historicism, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on applied digital humanities, the book rejects technological determinism while offering accessible accounts of computing's technical and political histories. Alan Liu (UC Santa Barbara) describes the book as bringing "astonishingly broad, detailed, and interlaced knowledge of computation, philosophy, and history" to bear on digital modernity's core tensions. Katherine Bode (ANU) calls it "an essential guide for anyone seeking to understand not just what digital technologies do but how they are deeply entangled in modernity's contested pasts." Peter Beilharz (La Trobe) characterises it as "pioneering work" bridging the digital revolution with the tradition of critical theory and sociology. The open access version is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International license. Opportunities to contribute to ongoing development of the critical theory of digital modernity will be publicised in the coming months. Open Access: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003684398/digital-m… Physical: https://www.routledge.com/Digital-Modernity-Why-We-Need-to-Think-Historical… Kind regards, James Smithies Professor & Director, HASS Digital Research Hub The Australian National University

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4S Toronto 2026 CfA: #248 Remaking the State
by Burcu Baykurt 15 Apr '26

15 Apr '26

Hello AoIR! If your research touches on how governments are reshaped by data infrastructures, tech vendors, and/or automated decision systems, I hope you consider submitting an abstract to the open panel I'm organizing at 4S this year. Details are below and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at bbaykurt(a)umass.edu. 250-word abstracts are due April 30th. *Panel ID: 248 Remaking the State: Moral Economies of Gov-Tech and Automated Governance* As automated systems become embedded in everyday statecraft, they reconfigure not only how governments operate but what governments are. This panel starts from the premise that contemporary techno-power is co-produced through state institutions that increasingly govern through code, contracts, and data. Across areas such as welfare administration, tax systems, border control, public databases, and urban governance, government data infrastructures are assetized, state legibility is monetized, and governing knowledge becomes vendor-dependent. >From major firms such as Palantir to smaller vendors aspiring to become the “Google of” housing, transportation, public health, or immigration data, gov-tech firms insert themselves in everyday practices of public administration. What values and moral claims justify sharing state capacity with technology vendors? How do procurement regimes carve out new boundaries between public and private authority? And how do bureaucrats, civil society actors, and grassroots movements contest and reimagine the role and limits of state-held data? These questions probe the moral economies underlying state-tech partnerships, especially as they increasingly intersect with right-wing and authoritarian political projects and with technological experiments explicitly mobilized to enforce racist, anti-immigration, and anti-poor logics. The panel invites theoretical and empirical papers drawing on STS, political economy, and critical infrastructure studies to develop frameworks to intervene in how state authority is dramatized, contested, and monetized through data infrastructures. Submissions addressing cases in the Global Majority and pursuing comparative approaches are particularly welcome.

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Re: [Air-L] Conference “Un/Making Boundaries: Seams, Borders, and Fences in Sensor Media Environments”, 16-17 April, Uni Siegen (DE)
by van Geenen, Daniela 15 Apr '26

15 Apr '26

Dear colleagues, Fancy to join our “Un/Making Boundaries” Conference last minute online? Due to a not so seamless transportation infrastructure and sudden sick notes, we decided to rearrange the setup hybridly, adding a livestream to the panels. Elaborate information on the conference, program, book of abstracts, and registration link can be found on our website: https://www.mediacoop.uni-siegen.de/en/events/unmaking_boundaries_en/ Upon registration you will receive the Webex link to attend the webinars on Thursday (16 April) and/or Friday (17 April). We would be happy to welcome some of you online! Best wishes, Daniela van Geenen CRC Media of Cooperation (University of Siegen) On 27. Mar 2026, at 08:27, van Geenen, Daniela <Daniela.vGeenen(a)uni-siegen.de> wrote: Dear colleagues, The CRC Media of Cooperation at the University of Siegen (Germany) is happy to invite you to the “Un/Making Boundaries” Conference on 16 and 17 April 2026! This conference taking place on location in the city centre of Siegen (exact location will be communicated upon registration) will feature interdisciplinary discussions of the role of seams, borders and fences in the contemporary sensor media environments that ubiquitously permeate urban and rural spaces as well as borderlands without being necessarily visible or directly accessible for academic inquiry or public scrutiny. Please find a short version of the conference abstract below and the complete abstract, including an overview of the conference program in attached PDF. Conference “Un/Making Boundaries: Seams, Borders, and Fences in Sensor Media Environments” Dates: 16 - 17 April 2026 Location: University of Siegen (on location) Registration: https://my.liberaforms.org/registration-unmaking-boundaries Digital media are marked by particular ambivalences towards bordering and the un/making of all kinds of boundaries. To function as seamlessly as possible, such media depend on the interoperability of various hardware and software components, devices and apps as well as on the expectations and practices of those who shape and operate them. Today’s sensor societies’ (cf. Andrejevic and Burdon 2015) promise of ‘seamless interoperability’ drives the growing implementation of so-called ‘smart’, networked computational infrastructures in urban and rural environments, for the governance of public spaces and to establish and uphold border regimes, in order to sense, capture and control human and non-human entities. Such ‘smart’ computational infrastructures thrive on and bring about increasingly unbounded - or “frameless” (Andrejevic 2018) - modes of data collection. This conference aims at bringing three sites where boundaries are made, un- and re-made into a fruitful dialogue, inquiring into (deep) bordering as cooperative practice and the (re)configuration of seamlessness as an ongoing achievement: In the southern EU borderlands, asymmetric seamless data collection translates into violent regimes of migration control, into practices of sensing and counter-sensing those regimes, and into attempts to cross material and digital borders. On ‘smart’ farms, the virtualisation of pasture fencing creates zones in which containment or exclusion is negotiated between more-than-human actors, that is, between livestock and the various devices used for tracking, monitoring and, ultimately, restricting their movement via operant conditioning. In urban spaces, “smart city” discourses and their innovation agenda’s promise to optimise the management of public spaces through platform technologies and networked digital devices offering “seamless” interaction and interoperability, while everyday practices of governing and navigating urban areas reveal their socio-technical “seams” opening up opportunities for situational forms of critical engagement. The conference features both contributions that engage with these sites and contributions that offer a theoretical meta-perspective on seams, borders, frames and their respective absences. <Conference_UnMakingBoundaries_UniSiegen.pdf> ———————————————————————————— All the best Daniela van Geenen | PhD Candidate | Project A03 “Navigation in Online/Offline Spaces” | CRC Media of Cooperation, University of Siegen Special issue “Critical Technical Practice(s) in Digital Research” (Convergence): https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cona/30/1 Geenen, D. van, Es, K. van, & Gray, J. W. (2023). Pluralising critical technical practice. Convergence. Special Issue “Critical Technical Practice(s) in Digital Research”, 13548565231192105. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565231192105 Chao, J., Geenen, D. van, Gerlitz, C., & Vlist, F. N. van der (2024). Digital methods for sensory media research: Toolmaking as a critical technical practice. Convergence. Special Issue “Critical Technical Practice(s) in Digital Research”, 30(1), 236–263. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565241226791 Burkhardt, M., Geenen, D. van, Gerlitz, C., Hind, S., Kaerlein, T., Lämmerhirt, D., & Volmar, A. (Eds.). (2022). Interrogating Datafication: Towards a Praxeology of Data. transcript. https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5561-2/interrogating-dataficati… See also: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1346-3253

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