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new and forthcoming book publications
by NIKOLETA ZAMPAKI 11 Jun '23

11 Jun '23

𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲/𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ✒️by Claude Calame 🔗 www.tplondon.com/product/humans-environment/ The modern concept of “nature” appeared during the 17th Century: nature as a mechanical object to be submitted to reason man. A long tradition refers to the concept of nature in the Greek phusis. It is referring to a dynamic process that engages in criticizing the modern paradigm of nature as opposed to culture. As it is, the principle of the domination and exploitation by humans of what we consider as nature is at the heart of the ideological, economic and financial models imposed by neoliberal capitalism. Based on the objective of growth, this model shapes and destroys human communities as well as the environment on which they rely and sustain. The climatic urgency as well as the limited capacity of the resources of the earth, require a transition towards an ecosocialism for another world. The anthropological confrontation with the Greek phusis invites to a break with capitalism based on a large scale and speedy use of technologies and with the only objective of financial gain. The result has been destructive productivism. Instead, we have to take into account the complexity of and interactions between human societies and their technical practices in their environment. The survival of one or the other is at stake. In sum, nature is culture. ************ Forthcoming Book Publication at the Book Series “Posthumanities and Citizenship Futures”, Rowman & Littlefield Modernist Parasites: Bioethics, Dependency, and Literature, post-1900 by Professor Sebastian Williams Modernist Parasites: Bioethics, Dependency, and Literature, post-1900 analyzes biological and social parasites in the political, scientific, and literary imagination. Initially referring to a guest who exchanged stories for a place at the dinner table, Sebastian Williams argues that the parasite has developed into a vile and hated figure who drains energy from the body politic. With the rise of Darwinism, eugenics, and parasitology in the late nineteenth century, he posits that “parasite” became a biosocial term for Humanity’s ultimate Other—a dangerous antagonist. But many modernist authors reconsider the parasite to critique the liberal humanist sense of an independent Self. Considering work by Isaac Rosenberg, John Steinbeck, Franz Kafka, Clarice Lispector, Nella Larsen, and George Orwell, among others, the author argues that even parasites have their place in a posthumanist world. Ultimately, he argues the parasite inherently depends on others for its survival, illustrating the limits of ethical models that privilege the discrete individual above interdependent communities. More info: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666921298/Modernist-Parasites-Bioethics-Depende… — Dr. Nikoleta Zampaki Post-doc Researcher Faculty of Philology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece E-mail: nikzamp(a)phil.uoa.gr Academia.edu: [https://en-uoa-gr.academia.edu/NikoletaZampaki] Associate and Managing Editor at the Journal of Ecohumanism [https://journals.tplondon.com/ecohumanism/index] Series co-Editor of "Posthumanities and Citizenship Futures" at Rowman & Littlefield [https://rowman.com/Action/Series/_/LEXPCF] Series co-Editor of “Environmental Humanities Book Series” at TPLondon [https://www.tplondon.com/ecohumanism/]

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Call For Posters, ACM IMC 2023, Montréal, Canada, Submission deadline: July 21, 2023
by Eirini Eleni Tsiropoulou 11 Jun '23

11 Jun '23

Call For Posters, ACM IMC 2023, Montréal, Canada The 2023 Internet Measurement Conference will include a poster session. Topics of interest include all topics listed on the general IMC 2023 call-for-papers. The poster track is an opportunity for researchers to discuss their early/ongoing work, tools, and datasets with attendees of IMC. The goal of the IMC Poster session is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas with peers from the community. We look for early work of interest to the community, even if it is not yet complete, and for tools or datasets that are of use to the community, even if the tool or dataset by itself may not warrant a paper. Submissions should not be previously published in a workshop, conference, or journal. Extended abstracts will be published with ACM. Updates of previously presented poster and demo ideas are possible, as are descriptions of previously published tools/datasets that have new features. Submission guidelines Poster submissions must include an extended abstract no longer than two 8.5x11-inch pages, including all figures and references. This extended abstract should use the same LaTeX template as full IMC 2023 papers; it should be formatted in two columns, single-spaced, and with a font no smaller than 10-point. The title should begin with "Poster:" You do not have to anonymize your submission. Submission will open soon. Submission link for extended abstracts: https://imc23posters.hotcrp.com/<https://imc22posters.hotcrp.com/> Submissions for posters should only include the extended abstract, not the poster itself. If accepted, we will send you guidelines on creating the poster. All submissions undergo a peer review process with at least two reviewers. We hope to take as many posters as we can support at the venue with the goal of sharing early results. For any questions, please contact the poster session chairs Cristel Pelsser (cristel.pelsser(a)uclouvain.be<mailto:cristel.pelsser@uclouvain.be>) and Diala Naboulsi (diala.naboulsi(a)etsmtl.ca<mailto:diala.naboulsi@etsmtl.ca>). Important Dates For this year's edition, we will proceed in two rounds. We'll have a first round with posters that will be reviewed by the poster TPC members, as follows: * Poster extented abstract submission deadline: July 21, 2023 * Notification: August 18, 2023 * Camera ready due: August 25, 2023 This deadline ensures that poster authors can apply for visas in time to attend the conference. If you need a visa send a poster by the first deadline. In the second round, we'll consider the acceptance of papers rejected from the main conference track, as posters, based on recommendations from the main conference TPC members. This deadline is meant for papers that passed the second round of reviews. For those papers, we'll invite authors to resubmit their papers as posters according to the following deadlines: * Submission deadline: September 1, 2023 * Notification: September 8, 2023 * Camera ready due: September 15, 2023 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eirini Eleni Tsiropoulou, Assistant Professor Computer Engineering Vice Chair Director of Recruiting and Admissions Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM, 87131 Office: 326B Tel.: (505)-277-5501 Email: eirini(a)unm.edu<mailto:eirini@unm.edu> Website: PROTON Lab<http://ece-research.unm.edu/tsiropoulou/index.html> PROTON Lab's News: @Tsiropoulou_EE<https://twitter.com/Tsiropoulou_EE> "Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach." ~ Aristotle

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WEBCAST JUN 10-11: 2023 North American School of Internet Governance (NASIG)
by Joly MacFie 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

It's back to school! This time with an emphasis on digital inclusion. [image: isoc live] <http://isoc.live/>On S*aturday-Sunday June 10-11 2023* *AU Inclusive Technology Policy <https://www.american.edu/centers/itp/>* (ITP), *AU Internet Governance Lab <https://internetgovernancelab.org/>* (IGL), *Technology, Law, and Security Program <https://www.wcl.american.edu/impact/initiatives-programs/techlaw/>* (TLS), and the *AU Institute on Disability and Public Policy <http://www.idppglobal.org/>* (IDPP) will host the 2023 *North American School of Internet Governance <https://nasig2023.northamericansig.org/>* (NASIG) at American University in Washington DC. NASIG is a capacity-building event that aims to teach the principles, norms, rules, policies, and organizations that shape the internet. Internet governance refers to the development and application of shared principles that guide the evolution and use of the internet and the decision-making processes and organizations involved in shaping it. NASIG also seeks to empower the next generation of internet leaders. The theme for NASIG 2023 is inclusion and accessibility, an important and timely topic in internet governance. Inclusion and accessibility ensure that all individuals have equal opportunities to participate and benefit from the internet regardless of their background or circumstances. This includes universal access, digital literacy, and the inclusion of marginalized and disadvantaged communities. *PROGRAM https://nasig2023.northamericansig.org/program <https://nasig2023.northamericansig.org/program>* *LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/nasig2023 <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/nasig2023>* *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/nasig2023zoomregistration <https://bit.ly/nasig2023zoomregistration>* (Closed captions) *REAL TIME TEXT https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CFI-NASIG <https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CFI-NASIG>* *TWITTER #nasigevents2023 <https://bit.ly/43R0WuR> @nasigevents @AUInclusiveTech @IntGovForum @isocpr @teamnaralo* *MASTODON #nasigevents2023 <https://mastodon.social/tags/nasigevents2023>* *SIMULCASTS (OPEN CAPTIONS)* *https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive <https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive>* *https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ <https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/>* *https://www.facebook.com/weberomayor <https://www.facebook.com/weberomayor>* *https://www.facebook.com/northamericansig/ <https://www.facebook.com/northamericansig/>* *https://www.facebook.com/isocpr <https://www.facebook.com/isocpr>* *https://www.facebook.com/groups/isocpr <https://www.facebook.com/groups/isocpr>* *https://www.youtube.com/@internetsocietyofpuertoric1879/streams <https://www.youtube.com/@internetsocietyofpuertoric1879/streams>* *https://www.youtube.com/@naraloat-large8607/streams <https://www.youtube.com/@naraloat-large8607/streams>* *ARCHIVE* *https://archive.org/details/nasig2023 <https://archive.org/details/nasig2023>* *Permalink https://isoc.live/16603/ <https://isoc.live/16603/%E2%80%8B>* - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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PII and Social Data
by Shulman, Stu 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

Can anyone point me to experts or papers on the task of removing or redacting personally identifiable information from social media datasets? Thanks! -- Dr. Stuart W. Shulman Founder and CEO, Texifter Editor Emeritus, *Journal of Information Technology & Politics*

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Article on data arenas and environmental data activism
by Bartosz Ślosarski 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

Dear All, I have recently published article titled "Data Arenas: The Relational Dynamics of Data Activism" in the journal *Big Data and Society*, which you can find here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20539517231177617 The article may be of interest to researchers studying datafication, data activism, data contexts, and political ecology of data. Therefore, I have allowed myself to share the information about the article through the AoIR newsletter (although I sincerely apologize for the cross-posting!). Abstract: *The article proposes the theoretical category of data arenas as a relational field for strategic actors in diverse areas of the contentious politics of data (Beraldo and Milan, 2019). The paper argues that the conceptualization of data activism needs to be related to the immediate data arena in which the action takes place, in order to select the interactive opportunities and threats for emerging data-driven repertoires of action. To fully work through the relational dynamics of data activism, it is necessary to move from a conceptualization of data infrastructure to the notion of data arenas as an ‘open-ended bundle of rules and resources that allows certain kinds of interaction to proceed’ (Jasper, 2006: 141). Using the case of environmental data activism, I highlight four key dimensions to study: (a) strategic use of data as capital that differentiates and positions actors, as well as influences their further choices; (b) practices of defining the boundaries of the problem on which the arena focuses and outlining the pool of actors who participate in the process of solving it; (3) sets of relationships among the outlined pool of actors which represent opportunities and threats for the actors, related to the position they occupy within an arena; and (4) power as the ability to control and shape an arena. Data arena approach shed new light on data activism as a relational practice, combining the latest developments in research on data contexts and the political situatedness of data with the emerging field of research on data activism.* Best, Bartosz Ślosarski -- *Bartosz Ślosarski* PhD Candidate in Sociology University of Warsaw Homepage <https://ws.uw.edu.pl/zespol/slosarski-bartosz/> | ResearchGate <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bartosz-Slosarski> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/slosarski>

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INFRAHealth 2023//CfP Demo and Poster//Deadline extended 25.06.2023
by Aal, Konstantin 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

***apologies for cross-posting*** Call for *Posters & Demos*: *INFRAHealth 2023: Digital Health Ecologies and Sustainable Infrastructures* Siegen, Germany, 11-12 September, 2023 Website: https://infrahealth.eusset.eu/ Dear colleagues! INFRAHealth explores the latest trends, best practices, and cutting-edge research in Infrastructures and Infrastructuring for Healthcare. INFRAHealth is a conference of the EUSSET Society (European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies (https://www.eusset.eu/) The presentation of posters and demos is a novel element of the INFRAHealth conference. For presenters as well as recipients, the poster & demo session provides a lively environment for getting in touch with late-breaking research, preliminary results, innovative ideas, and early-stage student research. At a special session during the conference authors are given the opportunity to showcase their research to interested delegates, as well as involving them in discussions about their work, exchanging ideas, providing feedback, and sharing work-in-progress. Posters provide a great opportunity for presenting research results visually supported and offering key ideas to conference visitors. Demos may be submitted in various kinds: These may be research prototypes or commercial products, but we also strongly invite low-fi prototypes, such as paper mock-ups etc. In addition, the demo session will also provide space for exhibiting innovative material that has been developed in the context of the deployment of (user-centred) research methods, such as, e.g. innovations in story boards, personas, and other material which helped fostering creativity in a design process. Authors are invited to submit posters and demos addressing topics which include, but are not limited to: * Opportunities and challenges in the design and development of personal health data infrastructures * Good and bad practices in designing and using personal-health data infrastructures * Personal data flows in connected devices and context-related use of technologies * Digitalization of health service delivery, e.g., caring at home, robotics, AI, conversational agents, exergames, digital twins * Digital support for informal caregivers, for instance, for information, access to professionals or reaching out to peers or supporting associations * Digital support for ad hoc needed emergencies, for example, self-supporting elderly people living at home suddenly in need of health services * Digital support for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, critical perspectives on novel pandemic-related data infrastructures * Digital infrastructures that are instantiated when needed but otherwise non-intrusive or in the background awaiting their need * Integration of healthcare and data sharing across organizational units, professions, etc. * Question of digitalization – the risks and implications of depriving individuals of offline choices * Digital solutions to issues of privacy and security * Support for self-management of health through digital infrastructures * Digital access to complex health-related information by non-expert citizens * Digital infrastructures for the visualization of healthcare data * Emotional and social intelligence in infrastructures and healthcare * Responsible use of AI-enabled decision-making in healthcare and welfare services Submission information: Both submission categories (posters and demos) require the submission of a short paper (3-5 page maximum excluding references, figures, and a 150 word max. abstract). The paper should explicitly state the contribution and originality of the work, making it clear how it differs from significant prior work. A full literature review is not required. For the demo submission, the University of Siegen is happy to provide vast support for setting up the demo. Please specify the exhibition requirements (e.g. exceptional power (V), dimensions and footprint of exhibit (cm), lighting conditions, etc.). University of Siegen will provide the usual equipment (power strip (220V), WiFi, table, screen, poster board), and is happy to organize further equipment if needed (e.g. projector). Please feel free to contact claudia.mueller(a)uni-siegen.de<mailto:claudia.mueller@uni-siegen.de> when you plan a demo submission. All submissions will be single-blind and reviewed by two reviewers. Accepted Poster and Demos will be published in the EUSSET Digital Library (https://dl.eusset.eu/) Submission must be uploaded to easychair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=infrahealth2023 Important dates: Poster and Demo Submission Deadline: 07. June 2023 Author Notification: End of June 2023 Best regards, Elisabeth Raß & Claudia Müller Poster & Demo Chairs -- Konstantin Aal Research assistant and PhD student pronouns: he/him/his Information Systems and New Media SFB 1187 "Medien der Kooperation" University of Siegen Kohlbettstr. 15, 57072 Siegen Raum. US-E-102 Tel. +49 (0)271 / 740 3383 Mob. +49 (0)176 / 30 780 007 http://www.uni-siegen.de/fb5/wirtschaftsinformatik/index.html.en?lang=en

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ICWL 2023 (22nd International Conference on Web-based Learning)
by Elvira Popescu 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

================================================================== ICWL 2023 22nd International Conference on Web-based Learning http://icwl-sete.au/ICWL.html 26-28 November 2023 Sydney, Australia ================================================================== ICWL is an annual International Conference on Web-based Learning, founded by the Hong Kong Web Society. The first ICWL was held in Hong Kong in 2002. Since then, ICWL has been held in Australia (2003), China (2004, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020), Hong Kong (2005, 2011), Malaysia (2006), United Kingdom (2007), Germany (2009, 2019), Romania (2012), Taiwan (2013), Estonia (2014), Italy (2016), South Africa (2017), Thailand (2018), Macao (2021) and Spain (2022). The 22nd ICWL will be held on November 26-28, 2023 at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. It will feature a technical program of refereed papers selected by the international program committee, and keynote addresses offered by eminent scholars. TOPICS OF INTEREST ================== Topics of interest include but are not limited to: * Assessment in e-learning * Informal Learning in the Workplace * Cloud-based Learning * Computer Support for Intelligent Tutoring * Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning * Deployment, Organization and Management of Learning Objects * Design, Model and Framework of e-Learning Systems * Digital libraries and Web corpora for e-learning * E-Learning Metadata and Standards * E-Learning Platforms and Tools * Game-based Learning and Serious Games * HTML5 Web-based Learning * Human Factors and Affective Computing for Learning * Informal Learning in the Workplace * Intelligent Learner and Group Modelling * Intelligent Tools for Visual Learning * Learning Analytics * Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) * Mobile, Situated, and Blended Learning * Open educational resources (OER) * Pedagogical Issues * Personal Learning Environments (PLE) * Personalized and Adaptive Learning * Security and Privacy of Web-based Learning * Semantic Web and Ontologies for e-Learning * Virtual environments and 3D graphics for e-learning * Web 2.0 and Social Learning Environments * Web-based Learning for Oriental Languages Learning PAPER SUBMISSION AND PUBLICATION ================================== Authors are invited to submit original papers reporting on research results or novel applications in technology-enhanced learning. Submissions will be handled through EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icwl2023. Papers for submission should be formatted according to the Springer LNCS Authors Guidelines ( http://www.springer.com/de/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gui…) Formats for the submissions are either Full Paper (12-15 pages) or Short Paper (6-11 pages), including main content and references. Since the review process will be double-blind, the submitted manuscript should not contain the authors' names, affiliations, or any information that may disclose the authors' identity. All papers should be submitted in PDF format. All accepted papers presented at the conference will be published as a volume in Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). IMPORTANT DATES =============== Paper submission: July 7, 2023 Notification to authors: September 1, 2023 Camera-ready submission: September 15, 2023 CONFERENCE ORGANIZATION ======================= General Co-Chairs * Guandong Xu, University of Technology Sydney, Australia * Elvira Popescu, University of Craiova, Romania Program Committee Co-Chairs * Haoran Xie, Lingnan University, Hong Kong * Chiu-Lin Lai, National Taipei University of Education, Taiwan * Wei Chen, Agricultural Information Institute of CAAS, China Steering Committee Representatives * Qing Li, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong * Rynson W.H. Lau, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Workshop Co-Chairs * Luigi Laura, International Telematic University Uninettuno, Italy * Robin Braun, University of Technology Sydney, Australia * Nana Jin, Shenzhen University, China Publicity Co-Chairs * Ivana Marenzi, Leibniz University of Hanover, Germany * Minjie Hu, Wellington Institute of Technology, New Zealand * Junjie Wu, Shenzhen Technology University, China Local Organization Co-Chairs * Huan Huo, University of Technology Sydney, Australia * Md Rafiqul Islam, Australian Institute of Higher Education, Australia Web Chair * Kaize Shi, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

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Inviting Submissions for Journal of Environmental Media
by Patrick Brodie 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

The Journal of Environmental Media <https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/jem/browse> (JEM)’s new editorial team invites submissions for both full length peer-reviewed articles (7000 words), shorter commentary pieces (1000-2000 words), and book/media reviews (1000-2000 words). JEM offers a scholarly platform to bridge work in environmental studies, social justice, the environmental humanities, social sciences and media and communication studies, focusing on the role of media, and digital media in particular, in our understanding and perception of the environment, environmental politics, and related social issues. It takes a pluralistic and interdisciplinary approach to these topics, soliciting contributions from media, film, and cultural studies, environmental justice, infrastructure and materiality studies, STS, media anthropology, and science, environmental, health and risk communication. Its scope includes a range of environmental issues such as climate change, environmental racism, energy infrastructures, health effects, biodiversity, climate migration, and e-waste. JEM’s new editorial team includes Juliet Pinto and Patrick Brodie (editors), Alix Johnson and Anne Pasek (associate editors), and Lisa Han and Rachel Jekanowski (reviews editors). We are excited to see formally innovative submissions that blur disciplinary boundaries, trouble the line between nature and culture, and surface latent or sidelined conversations and methodologies in the field. We invite scholars working in the arts, industry, or applied fields, as well as academia, to consider placing their research here. JEM is published through Intellect and offers indexing through International Bibliography of the Social Sciences and the option of Open Access publication with a variety of Creative Commons licences. We are pleased, going forward, to also offer Online First availability for all articles in our publication queue. The journal’s editors invite notes of interest and full submissions at jemintellect(a)gmail.com. -- Dr. Patrick Brodie Lecturer/Assistant Professor (Ad Astra Fellow) School of Information and Communication Studies University College Dublin

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Online Talk on Empirical Platform Governance Research: Rebecca Scharlach on "Governing Principles"
by Christian Katzenbach 09 Jun '23

09 Jun '23

Hey everyone, This is a reminder that next week TUE, June 13, at 3pm CEST we are continuing our online talk series "Behind the Scenes – Conversations on Empirical Platform Governance Research“ with a talk by Rebecca Scharlach on "Governing principles – The promises and challenges of identifying values in social media platform policies“. https://platform-governance.org/online-talk-series/session-2-rebecca-scharl… After our kick-off with Tarleton Gillespie we are now starting into the (roughly) monthly online series. You need to register in order to receive the Zoom link. Please find all details below and vie the link above. Best, Christian Katzenbach ### Session 2: Rebecca Scharlach, Governing principles – The promises and challenges of identifying values in social media platform policies Time and Date: June 13, 2023, 15:00 CEST, Online Registration via this form <https://forms.gle/xq2irQb4mnHkLUcD6> https://platform-governance.org/online-talk-series/session-2-rebecca-scharl… By now, we know that social media platforms are far from being neutral entities. While platforms often signal their commitment to principles such as free expression or transparency in outlets such as press releases, our task is to understand which values they implement in more enduring policies and design choices. In this talk, I will zoom into my work on platform values, focusing on where to look for them and how to identify them. Based on my first Ph.D. paper, “Governing principles: Articulating values in social media platform policies”, written with Blake Hallinan and Limor Shifman (New Media & Society, March 2023), I will reflect on the challenges we faced deconstructing values in the policy documents of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok. In the discussion, I will focus on future directions for research on platform values and the possible challenges that come along with the current developments of the social media landscape. Rebecca Scharlach <https://www.rebeccascharlach.com/> is a PhD Candidate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and part of the ERC-funded research project DigitalValues <https://digitalvalues.huji.ac.il/>. Her research investigates the individual and societal implications of social media governance. Reading Scharlach, R., Hallinan, B., & Shifman, L. (2023). Governing principles: Articulating values in social media platform policies. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231156580 About the Series This talk is part of the series Behind the Scenes – Conversations on Empirical Platform Governance Research <https://platform-governance.org/online-talk-series/> that invites scholars in this field to share their experiences and views, fostering community exchange about how we can study platform governance in this challenging context. It is hosted by the Lab “Platform Governance, Media, and Technology” (PGMT) at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), <https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/zemki> University of Bremen, and the Centre for Media and Journalism Studies <https://www.rug.nl/research/icog/research/research-centres/centre-for-journ…>, University of Groningen. Registration Please register via this form <https://forms.gle/xq2irQb4mnHkLUcD6> shortly with an email-address for the full series or this event only, so that we can share the meeting link with you.

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Final call for contributors: The Synthetic City conference, 6-7 Sep 2023, Dublin
by Scott Rodgers 08 Jun '23

08 Jun '23

The extended 12 June 2023 deadline for submissions for ‘The Synthetic City’ (6-7 September 2023 in Dublin, Ireland), exploring the possible implications of artificial intelligence and related digital technologies for urban living and politics, is fast approaching! The conference call for papers, and link to the conference website<https://syntheticcity2023.wordpress.com/>, are below. We’ve already received a good number of submissions, but please consider sharing this call with any colleagues, collaborators or doctoral students who you think would be interested. The Synthetic City Potentials, Politics and Everyday Life 6-7 September 2023 Dublin City University, Ireland Extended abstract submission deadline: 12 June 2023 (midnight anywhere in world) Conference website: https://syntheticcity2023.wordpress.com/ Call for contributors syn·thet·ic, adjective devised, arranged, or fabricated for special situations to imitate or replace usual realities syn·the·sis, noun the composition or combination of parts or elements so as to form a whole In less than a year, the release of tools such as the large language model-based chatbot ChatGPT and image generation platforms like DALL-E or Midjourney has given rise to lively discussion and urgent questions around the potential of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) based systems. Debates around AI are a sharp reminder of the deepening interconnections of digital technologies and human life, which are particularly pervasive and tangible – if not always immediately visible – in urban spaces. Already captured through terms such as ‘algorithmic cities’, ‘data-driven urbanism’, ‘code/spaces’ and ‘sentient cities’, urban environments have for some time been understood as emergent venues for various kinds of computational agency, ranging from surveillance systems, delivery apps and neighbourhood social media to automated infrastructures, outdoor advertising and digital art. This conference puts forward the notion of ‘the synthetic city’ as a provocation for thinking through the potentials, politics, and everyday implications of these long-term and more recent developments in digitalising urban life. As the above definitions imply, we intend ‘the synthetic city’ to relate to both synthetic and synthesis: the former captures how AI and related digital technologies might imitate or replace human agency (e.g. with ‘synthetic’ data being used to generate various urban simulations, whether for critical infrastructure, leisure or gaming environments); whereas the latter captures how these same technologies always-already involve combinations of computational and human agency (e.g. unfolding alongside the dynamics of everyday routines, political interests, institutions, and so on). We therefore welcome a range of contributions, exploring both the technologies as such, as well as the broader social, cultural and political contexts of the synthetic city. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: * How AI-based applications potentially reshape or restructure urban material spaces and their inhabitation * Artworks or models (e.g. performances, illustrations, mock-ups, simulations) that speculate or envision the near (and far) future of urban living * Virtual and augmented reality in urban design and art * The impacts of machine learning and predictive modelling on urban planning and design * Smart cities, the Internet of Things and platform urbanism * The changing relationships between automation processes (including robotics) with urban services and labour * The ethics and governance of synthetic urbanism * Counterculture and protest movements questioning and contesting the digitalisation of cities * Algorithmic mediations of public participation and collaboration in urban/neighbourhood life * How automated content production tools reshape how fields such as journalism, graphic design, filmmaking, music (and more) might relate to and tell stories about cities * How digital platforms help to transform how urban environments and daily life is navigated and mapped * The political potential of reappropriating and repurposing digital media and automated systems * Withdrawal and disconnection from the synthetic city We welcome work-in-progress contributions as well as finished works, encompassing research into both current and future developments, with empirical, theoretical, or methodological focus, and from a broad spectrum of disciplines (e.g. communication and media studies, sociology, human geography, urban studies, or science and technology studies). Participants can submit one of three types of submissions: 1. Individual papers: Please submit an abstract (250-300 words), biographical statement (50-75 words) and contact information for all authors. 2. Practice-based interventions (e.g. screenings, illustrations, performances, installations) exploring the conference themes more experimentally. Please submit an abstract (250-300 words) and a biographical statement (50-75 words) alongside contact information for all authors. The abstract should describe the scope of the project as well as equipment, space and time needed (as relevant). 3. Paper of panel session: Please submit an abstract (250-300 words) describing the overall theme of the session. In the case of a paper session, this will be followed by an abstract (250-300 words), biographical statement (50-75 words) and contact information for the author(s) of each paper. In the case of a panel discussion, please provide biographical statements (50-75 words) and contact information for all panellists. Abstracts must be submitted by 12 June 2023 (by midnight anywhere in world) to mediacity.twg(a)gmail.com<mailto:mediacity.twg@gmail.com>. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 23 June 2023.

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