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April 15 due date reminder: Call for papers - July 2's 6th International Forum on Images Studies and Global Communication
by Louisa Shu Ying Ha 12 Apr '23

12 Apr '23

Call For Papers | The 6th International Forum on Image Studies and Global Communication Call for Full Papers & Panels The 6th International Forum on Image Studies and Global Communication Call for Full Papers & Panels Theme: Online Media and Image Studies Under Conflicts July 2, 2023 Shanghai International Studies University Most global communication occurs via images. Images about foreign nations and peoples, cities of diversified cultures, enterprises and products imported from elsewhere in the world, have already penetrated in our daily life. As W. J. Thomas. Mitchell claimed, images are abstract and reside in a people’s consciousness. It is media that materialize images into pictures, and transmit them in specific global communication contexts. In the past decades, online media have significantly changed the nature of images. The digitization of image communication is changing the foundation for most global collaborations or conflicts, in global politics, global businesses or global cultural exchanges. Online media, news sites, messaging apps have become common ways people learn about the world and other racial groups. However, the news and postings on these online media may exacerbate conflicts through emotional, impulsive and sensational postings and comments. They may also help in reducing international conflicts by finding common interests and success of international collaborations and learn about how other nations deal with the similar problems such as climate change, environmental protection, public health issues (such as COVID-19). Governments, cities, news organizations, NGOs, businesses and individuals can all play a role in promoting peace or exacerbating conflicts via digital sharing of institutional and personal experience in global communication. Within this context, the conference intends to draw insights from multiple disciplines and explore the dynamic relations between image studies and global communication in the digital era, with the 2023 theme on Online Media and Image Studies Under Conflicts. We welcome individual articles submissions and panel proposals related to (but not limited to) the following topics. 1. Image of global conflicts as portrayed in online media and their impacts 2. National images, city images or images of smaller-scale places on digital platforms and their impacts on global spheres including diplomacy and cultures 3. Images about foreign governments and racial groups in global online media and their impacts on global communication order 4. Images of global corporation, products or brands on digital platforms and their impacts on global trade 5. Cyber cultures and artificial intelligence such as virtual artists, avatars, AI agents in global communication 6. Images and tactics of global news organizations (especially in social media) in the contexts of global conflicts 7. Images and roles of global NGOs (e.g., climate change, environmental protection, public health) in promoting peace and global conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war 8. Images and roles of individual users from different cultures and races on digital platforms in global communication 9. The effect of different narratives and discourses on perception of foreign countries or racial groups in the context of global conflicts 10. Research method innovation about online media and global image studies 11. Comparative studies related with global image studies on digital media platforms Full paper submissions are to be in English and no longer than 25 pages of text. Paper format please refer to the OMGC citation style at https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/omgc/html?lang=en#submit The deadline for paper submission is April 15, 2023. Please submit the papers to omgc(a)shisu.edu.cn<mailto:omgc@shisu.edu.cn>. Subject: 2023 Forum Papers Submission We also welcome panel proposals related to the above topics under image studies and global communication. The deadline for panel proposal submission is May 15, 2023. Please submit the panel proposals between 300-500 words to omgc(a)shisu.edu.cn<mailto:omgc@shisu.edu.cn>. Subject: 2023 Forum Panel Submission All submitted papers will be peer-reviewed anonymously. Authors of accepted papers will be notified no later than May 15. Top student themed session paper award recipients will receive a cash award (1st place RMB2,000, second place RMB1,200 and third place RMB600) and free accommodation provided by SISU. Student papers must only have students as authors. The faculty themed session paper award recipients will receive a cash award (1st place RMB3000, second place RMB1800, and third place RMB1200) and a travel grant to the conference up to RMB6,000. Free hotel accommodation will be provided by SISU for up to one hotel room for authors of each award-winning paper. Faculty-student collaboration will count as faculty paper no matter the faculty is the lead author or not. Apart from top faculty and student paper awards, this conference will encourage international collaboration with an international collaboration paper award of either faculty-faculty collaboration, student-student collaboration or faculty-student collaboration. Recipients of the award must be accepted papers co-authored by faculty members or students in different institutions in two or more countries. The award-winning paper will receive RMB1800 cash award and up to four authors will receive free hotel accommodation provided by SISU. The cash award can be on top of a faculty paper or a student paper award. Winners of the faculty and student paper awards as well as the international collaboration award will give Online Media and Global Communication the first right of refusal in publishing the paper. It is expected that the papers will be published either in the winter issue of 2023 or spring 2024. The conference will also offer free accommodation for up to four members of each of the accepted panel proposals in Shanghai. The main conference will be on July 2, 2023, with a Journal Editors and Reviewers Symposium and parallel presentation sessions. The symposium will include dialogues between Chinese journal and English language SSCI journal editors/review board members who are also editorial board members of Online Media and Global Communication on topics about promoting communication scholarship across nations. On July 3, there will be a graduate forum for Chinese students at the same venue.

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Postdoctoral research fellow, Digital health and rights, University of Warwick
by Sara Leila Margaret Davis 12 Apr '23

12 Apr '23

Dear colleagues, I am joining University of Warwick as Professor of Digital Health and Rights in June, and seek a full-time Research Fellow <https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?amNvZGU9MTg5MDc2NSZ2dF90ZW1w…> for a three-year Participatory Action Research project on human rights and digital health in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam. It's an exciting project with a wonderful international group of collaborators, and a chance to make real policy changes. Thank you for sharing with interested candidates. More on the project is online here <https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/DigitalHealth-Rights> (currently at Graduate Institute in Geneva, but moving to Warwick). Closing date for applications is May 4th. Full details and link to apply are here <https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?amNvZGU9MTg5MDc2NSZ2dF90ZW1w…> . best Meg Davis * Research Fellow (107363-0423) Vacancy Type/Job category Research Only Department Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies Salary £33,348 - £43,155 per annum Location University of Warwick, Coventry & Hybrid working Vacancy Overview Full time, 36 month fixed term contract starting June 2023. You will be employed as a full-time,fixed-term Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Fondation Botnar-funded “Digital Health and Rights Project” project which is led by a consortium of social scientists at Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), civil society organizations (Kenya Ethical & Legal Issues in HIV & AIDS [KELIN], Privacy International, Restless Development and STOPAIDS), the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM) at the University of Warwick, which hosts the consortium. The project runs for 36 months commencing June 2023 or as soon thereafter as possible. The post holder will be working closely with Prof. Sara (Meg) Davis at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, who is principal investigator of the study. The post holder will also work closely with the Steering Committee for the consortium, which includes leadership from all the organizations listed above, as well as elected representatives of Community Advisory Teams from Colombia, Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam. Interview date: TBC. Job Description *JOB PURPOSE* The post holder is expected to be actively engaged in the design, implementation and analysis of the study, and to provide training, guidance and support to community researchers in all four countries. The post holder will also collaborate with a postdoctoral researcher at Universidad de los Andes on a scoping study, and contribute to the development of digital health literacy and empowerment training resources and policy recommendations. *DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES* • To conduct participatory action research on the experience of young adults (ages 18-30) in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya and Vietnam with the digital transformation of health information and services. • To provide technical support and guidance to national researchers in all four countries, with the guidance of the PI and the consortium Steering Committee. • Together with the PI, coordinate the development of study protocols and tools, and participate in national-level meetings with Community Advisory Teams to identify national-level research priorities and qualitative methods for the study. • Provide training to national researchers on ethics and methods of qualitative research, and provide technical support through virtual means, in-country visits and study exchanges; host weekly virtual research clinics. • Coordinate reviews of laws and policies by national researchers in the study countries, producing reports and policy recommendations. • Together with the PI, coordinate online qualitative data analysis (using Dedoose). • Collaborate with a postdoctoral researcher at Universidad de los Andes to conduct a scoping review for publication. • Contribute to development of an online repository of digital literacy education courses and tools, development of course materials, and policy recommendations. • Keep in regular contact with the PIs on the progress of the research; attend regular project meetings, and alert the PIs to any problems that may arise in the conduct of the research. • Maintain and provide the PI and Steering Committee with frequent updates on materials, development, and data collected and analysed during the duration of the project, and regularly update materials on the project’s on-line sources. • In collaboration with the PI, draft and revise research papers resulting in journal submissions and/or conference presentations. • Any other reasonable duties commensurate with the level of the post and as deemed appropriate by the PI. ------------------------------ Person Specification The Person Specification focuses on the knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the role effectively. This is measured by (a) Application Form, (b) Test/Exercise, (c) Interview, (d) Presentation. Essential Criteria 1 A PhD (in hand or dissertation defence scheduled) in a relevant field (e.g., anthropology, sociology, social work, public policy, or related field). (a,c,d) Essential Criteria 2 Proven ability in research and evidence of quality research output in global health, community mobilization, civil society advocacy, digital health, and/or human rights and technology. (a,c,d) Essential Criteria 3 Proven ability to conduct participatory action research in collaboration with community-led organizations and work in diverse and international teams, including with marginalised and/or criminalised groups. (a,c) Essential Criteria 4 Knowledge of human rights standards and mechanisms. (a,b,c) Essential Criteria 5 Proven ability in facilitating group processes, including with diverse community-based and/or youth-led groups, advisories, or teams. (a,c) Essential Criteria 6 Proficiency in data management.Managing data collection processes.Cleaning & theming data.Identifying appropriate methods based on nature of data/key study questions.Keeping data secure/confidential.Interpreting analyses in concise/actionable ways.(a,c) Essential Criteria 7 Ability to travel internationally. (a,c) Essential Criteria 8 A flexible approach to work, including teamwork. (a,c) Essential Criteria 9 A proven ability to plan and manage complex processes, including multi-tasking, and to work to deadlines. (a,b,c) Essential Criteria 10 An understanding of equal opportunity issues as they may impact on areas of research content. (a,c) Essential Criteria 11 Ability to carry out high-calibre research and analysis independently and collaboratively. (a,c) Essential Criteria 12 Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; ability to effectively communicate and present information to diverse stakeholders. (a,b,c,d) Essential Criteria 13 Skills in training, coaching, mentoring, and building capacity of others. (a,c) Desirable Criteria 1 Excellent organisational and time-management skills, particularly with reference to research and presentation of research. (a,c) Desirable Criteria 2 Demonstrated practices in anti-oppression, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice. (a,c) Desirable Criteria 3 Verbal and/or written communication skills in either Spanish or Vietnamese. (a,c) Further Particulars If you are near submission or have recently submitted your PhD but have not yet had it conferred, any offers of employment will be made as Research Assistant at the top of level 5 of the University grade structure (£32,411). Upon receipt of evidence of the successful award of your PhD, you will be promoted to Research Fellow on the first point of level 6 of the University grade structure (£33,348). Project Summary: In September 2022, UN leaders affirmed that “Human rights should be at the heart of tech governance”. High-level policy discussions over the next few years will represent a turning point in digital governance. Young people and civil society in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) must shape that discussion, or risk missing the opportunity to establish rights-based digital governance for the future. The Digital Health and Rights Project Consortium unites scholars and practitioners at University of Warwick, Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), KELIN, Privacy International, Restless Development, STOPAIDS, and Universidad de los Andes. The project was established in January 2020 at the Geneva Graduate Institute, and has conducted research, policy engagement and digital empowerment education in five countries, with the aim of strengthening the rights-based environment for the rapid scale-up of digital health in low- and middle-income countries. In June 2023, the consortium will move to and be hosted by CIM at University of Warwick. From June 2023-May 2026, with support from Fondation Botnar, the project will conduct qualitative research in Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, and Vietnam using a transnational participatory action research approach. This will produce a body of social science and comparative legal evidence, with case studies analysed by local Community Advisory Teams in each country and a global Digital Rights Community of Practice. We will develop digital literacy training and resources, and an open-access Digital Literacy Hub. The project draws on the experience and leadership of people living with HIV and affected communities (LGBTQ+ communities, sex workers, people who use drugs, migrants and persons in displacement) -- with stigma and discrimination, criminalization, community mobilization and transnational advocacy -- as a site from which to explore the future of human rights in the digital age more broadly. Long-term, our project will first help to make participatory approaches to research and governance more widespread in digital governance, increasing the meaningful participation of young people in their diversity. Our participatory approach will be evaluated independently, creating new democratic, community-engaged models for global digital governance. Second, as a result of our research, policy engagement and dissemination activities, national governments, global health agencies and human rights mechanisms will take action to strengthen and enforce rights protections in young peoples’ use of data and technology, addressing issues and approaches identified in our project. Third, our project will strengthen meaningful and sustainable participation of young people in their diversity from LMICs in research, digital innovation and governance. This will include the 40-50 young people in our project who become equipped to participate in research, advocacy and policy development around digital rights, and the 1000+ who will participate in webinars, online leadership labs, use our self-training materials or join digital rights campaigns. For further information about the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM), please visit our website here <http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/cim/>. For further information about the University of Warwick, please read our University Further Particulars <http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/about>. Warwick is committed to building an organisation of mutual respect and dignity, promoting a welcoming, diverse and inclusive working and learning environment. We recognise that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non-visible ways, and that those differences are to be recognised, respected, and valued. Where possible, we go beyond legislation to provide a place where everyone can thrive, supporting all staff to achieve their full potential. We aspire to remove economic, social and cultural barriers that may otherwise prevent people from succeeding. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all communities regardless of culture, background, age, disability, sex/gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual or romantic orientation. To find out more about our social inclusion work at Warwick visit our webpages here <https://warwick.ac.uk/services/socialinclusion/>. The University of Warwick holds an Athena SWAN Silver award; a national initiative to promote gender equality for all staff and students. Further information about the work of the University in relation to Athena SWAN can be found at the following link: Athena Swan (warwick.ac.uk) <https://warwick.ac.uk/services/equalops/learnmore/chartermarks/athena/> The University of Warwick is one of the six founder institutions of the EUTOPIA European University alliance <https://eutopia-university.eu/>, whose aim is to become by 2025 an open, multicultural, confederated operation of connected campuses. *Right to work in the UK* If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK and/or are seeking sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa in the UK points-based immigration system please click on this link <http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/humanresources/vacancies/righttowork#anc…> which contains further information about obtaining right to work in the UK and details about eligibility for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker Visa. Please refer to this link for a full list of the benefits here <https://warwick.ac.uk/services/humanresources/internal/rewardandbenefits/>. ------------------------------ *Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy* As an organisation using the (DBS) Disclosure and Barring Service to assess applicants’ suitability for positions of trust, the University of Warwick complies with the DBS Code of Practice and undertakes not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a Disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed. More information is available on the University’s Vacancy pages and applicants may request a copy of the DBS Code of Practice. Closing Date 4 May 2023 -- *Sara ("Meg") Davis, Ph.D.* *Senior researcher, *Global Health Centre *Principal Investigator, *Digital Health and Rights Project <https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/DigitalHealth-Rights> *Pronouns:* She/hers *Hours:* I currently work Mondays-Fridays, 2-6pm Ho Chi Minh City time (8am-12pm CET), unless by prior arrangement. *Books:* *The Uncounted: Politics of Data in Global Health* <https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/uncounted/C0CC81C0F03D1822D05C13EE31FA…> *Song and Silence: Ethnic Revival on China's Southwest Borders <http://cup.columbia.edu/book/song-and-silence/9780231135269>* *Ted talk:* The Uncounted: The people left out of health data https://www.ted.com/talks/sara_meg_davis_the_uncounted_the_people_left_out_…

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Webinars on software supply chain
by Michiel Leenaars 12 Apr '23

12 Apr '23

Dear all, I don't know if this if of interest to everyone on this list, but I believe it is to quite a few. NLnet and NGI Zero/NGI Assure are organising a series of webinars on *Open Software Supply Chain management*. As the dependency of society on technology continues to increase in every possible direction, it is of the utmost importance to understand the dynamic life cycle of the free and open source building blocks that form the basis of pretty much all technology we use today - and how these can be kept safe and available. Not only do we need to improve our understanding of how and where software is developed, maintained, built and deprecated at macro scale - but we also need to create mechanisms to ensure that building blocks are kept up to date, that different versions don't collide, FOSS packages from public repositories have not "bit-rotted" or even worse: have been tampered with by malicious actors as part of a "supply chain attack". There has been an increasing attention to the fact that with software "eating the world", a healthy and robust software ecosystem should be a key societal (and thus political) priority. But at the same time, we should do so with full understanding of the highly specific nature of "digital commons" - as the controversy surrounding the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act clearly proves. In this series of webinars by leading experts such as Armijn Hemel (Tjaldur), Shane Coughlan (OpenChain), Carlo Piana (OSI), Alberto Pianon (FSFE) and Philippe Ombredanne (AboutCode) we look at software supply chains from different angles. What do modern electronics supply chains look like, how is provenance handled - and how *should* it be handled? What mechanisms do we have to verify the integrity of deployed code packages and detect abnormal code changes that may be signs of malicious modifications and possible attacks? Where do "Software Bill of Materials" come into play? And what is being done, and perhaps should be done from a legislative and governance point of view? The entire webinar series is available free of charge, and will allow you a deep dive into the hidden world behind the software and hardware we use - and will help you get a clear understanding of how open source supply chains work, and a grasp of what the policy challenges are. You can join the webinars via this BigBlueButton link: https://bbb.protagio.nl/b/ron-qed-tog-gey Next up in this four part webinar series is Philippe Ombredanne (a.o. https://aboutcode.org) who will give a talk this Thursday (April 13th 2023) from 13.00 - 14.30 on automated tooling to understand dependencies, handle vulnerabilities in an open and transparent manner. Thursday April 13 // 13.00 - 14.30 CEST (Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome) For more info see: https://nlnet.nl/events/20230413/WebinarSoftwareSupplyChain-ep2 The other episodes in the webinar series on Open Software Supply Chain management are: * Thursday May 4th 2023 // 13.00 - 14.30 CEST (Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome) - Speakers: Carlo Piana & Alberto Pianon. - Topic: The importance of a Software Bill of Materials in light of the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act and product liability legislation in Europe. - More info: https://nlnet.nl/events/20230504/WebinarSoftwareSupplyChain-ep3 * Thursday May 11th 2023 // 13.00 - 14.30 CEST (Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome) - Speaker: Shane Martin Coughlan - Topic: ISO standards and certification. (This talk was previously scheduled for April 27). - More info: https://nlnet.nl/events/20230511/WebinarSoftwareSupplyChain-ep4/index.html The first episode with Armijn Hemel already took place on April 6th, with the topic of Open Source in (Consumer) Electronics Supply Chains. You can find the link to the recording here: https://nlnet.nl/events/20230406/WebinarSoftwareSupplyChain Looking forward to see you there! The NLnet team PS. This email is not digitally signed because the mailing list for some reason is configured such that it rejects mails that are.

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CFP: Identity and Social Media Symposium: Bridging the Gaps between Computational Methods and Critical/Cultural Perspectives
by Robert W Gehl 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Call for Proposals for the Identity and Social Media Symposium: Bridging the Gaps between Computational Methods and Critical/Cultural Perspectives 28-29 September 2023 Salt Lake City, UT Submissions close 5 May 2023 The Edna Anderson-Taylor Communication Institute at the University of Utah invites proposals from advanced doctoral students who are studying the intersections of identity and social media. In this symposium, 12-15 doctoral students from communication and related disciplines will have the opportunity to present their work in progress to one another and to a panel of distinguished faculty mentors from around the country. Each student will present their research on a panel with 3-4 other students. Each panel will be overseen by two faculty mentors who research issues related to identity and social media, one with critical/cultural expertise and one with computational social science expertise. Faculty mentors will provide detailed feedback and lead panel discussions on their student panelists' work. Mentors will include Prof. Deen Freelon (UNC Chapel Hill), Prof. Jo Lukito (UT Austin), Prof. Rachel Griffin (University of Utah), Prof. Shannon McGregor (UNC Chapel Hill), and Prof. Avery Holton (University of Utah). There are growing bodies of excellent research on problems related to identity and social media from scholars taking both critical/cultural and computation social science approaches. Unfortunately, these scholars are often not in conversation with one another. Our goal with the symposium is to help bridge the gap among different approaches and traditions of communication research by creating a setting where those trained in different approaches can think together about this year's symposium theme. Specifically, we hope to provide an opportunity for emerging scholars to present and get feedback on their work from established scholars who approach our theme from both critical/cultural and computational perspectives. Short proposals of 500 words are invited for work-in-progress papers of roughly 3,000-4,000 words. Accepted participants will turn in their completed draft ahead of the symposium for mentors and other participants to read in advance. This is to facilitate productive discussion and feedback on each participant's paper. You can submit your proposal using the following form: https://forms.gle/QhNxumPMenr9nzGb8 All proposals are due 5 May 2023, with decisions about acceptance expected by 9 June 2023. Please send any submission questions to Sean Lawson at sean.lawson(a)utah.edu More information about the Edna Anderson-Taylor Communication Institute can be found at https://institute.communication.utah.edu/ Modest stipends will be available to help offset travel costs for a limited number of accepted participants with a demonstrated need for assistance.

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Reminder: Mastodon event at Warwick deadline approaching
by nathaniel tkacz 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Hello AoIRers, The call for presentations for our Mastodon research event is closing on the 14th of April. We hope to see you in person or online! Here are the details once again: Call for Presentations Mastodon: Research Symposium and Tool Exploration Workshop Date: 22nd and 23rd of June, 2023 Place: University of Warwick, UK + online (hybrid event, GMT time) Submission deadline: 14th of April, 2023 (Register hereLink opens in a new window <https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/cdi/news-events/mastodon_research/>) Although established in 2016, Mastodon grew rapidly in the second half of 2022. From an estimated 500,000 monthly active users (MAUs) it reached an apparent peak of 2.5 million MAUs in December 2022 before settling back to a reported 1.4 million as of late January 2023. The rise of Mastodon cannot be separated from the tragi-spectacle of Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, and this raises new questions about the relationship between social media platforms and their alternatives. How should we understand the significance of Mastodon, both as an alternative to Twitter and in its own right? We know Mastodon has long appealed to users invested in the infrastructural politics of open-source and federated architectures. But less is known about Mastodon’s forms of sociality and how its infrastructural characteristics shape this sociality. Can Mastodon sociality scale without the viral dynamics of algorithmic feeds? Should we even evaluate Mastodon based on its potential for growth on the scale of the commercial platforms? Are its new users simply on a Twitter sabbatical? How has the influx of users altered the dynamics of Mastodon? Mastodon users are spared from the advertising-derived attention economy, but ads are relatively low down on the scale of undesirable interactions on social media. How is Mastodon handling racism, trolling, and content moderation? Is there a specificity to the violence and abuse experienced on Mastodon as compared to its commercial counterparts? Mastodon introduces a novel level of social media governance, the instance, whose structures of authority can take various forms, from mini-chiefdoms to more deliberative collectives. What do we know about how different Mastodon instances handle governance and the exercise of their ‘instance-power’? Conversely, which tactics have malicious users developed to circumvent moderation or blocking? If platform politics emerges through the unique affordance of a platform, what might we expect from the federated architecture of Mastodon? Finally, Mastodon’s architecture presents new challenges and opportunities for digital research. What kinds of research do the existing tools (such as the R package “rtoot”) enable and what other tools and software might we want to develop? Could Mastodon be used to explore more conscientious ways of doing API-style research, and platform-community research in general? This event seeks to take the pulse of current Mastodon research. It will involve a one-day symposium featuring research presentations and a plenary address by alternative social media researcher, *Robert Gehl*. This will be followed by a one-day tool exploration workshop exploring the RToot package and other research tools. The symposium will be a hybrid event based at the University of Warwick. The tool exploration will be in-person only. If you would like to participate in this event, please submit an application via the following website by the 14th of April: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/cdi/news-events/mastodon_research/. You will be asked for the following: - a 300-word presentation abstract - either a URL link to your research profile or a 150-word biography - an indication of attendance mode (in-person or online) - an indication of whether you wish to participate in the tool workshop (in-person only) Possible topics might include: - Mastodon governance - Mastodon feature analysis or interface criticism - Cultural studies of Mastodon - Black Mastodon - Mastodon sociality and/or community dynamics - Platform migration - Mastodon and Twitter relations - Mastodon apps - Instance politics - Cross instance research - Methods and tools for studying Mastodon - Novel use cases of Mastodon instances If you have any questions, please get in touch with n[dot]tkacz[at]warwick[dot]ac[dot]uk.

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Call For Abstracts - Critical Political Economy of AI: Southern Experiences
by Preeti Raghunath 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Hello everyone, Apologies for emailing in quick succession. I have been informed that the previous mail did not allow for the attachment to be carried. Please find the text below. Do consider sending an abstract if this Call resonates with your work. *Call For Abstracts* *Critical Political Economy of AI: Southern Experiences* Recent uptake of Generative AI tools has brought to the fore conversations on the usefulness and downsides of applications like ChatGPT. Reports on the deployment of cheap labour at firms housed in Asia, Africa and Latin America to clean and feed datasets for the training of these AI systems are steadily streaming in (Williams et al, 2022). Such global patterns of the extraction of transnational labour and distribution of resources are not new. They have been studied in the context of the outsourcing of technology and business processes (Chandrasekhar, 2005), content moderation services (Gillespie et al, 2020) and ghost work (Gray and Suri, 2019). Further, research in recent years has showcased how machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are prone to accentuating inequities *already existing* in societies, through black-box training of datasets laden with biases that reflect such societal imbalances (Buolamwini and Gebru, 2018). All these inequities are premised on extant disparities along patriarchal, racialised, eugenicised, casteist, regional, economic and ableist lines that then get amplified by selective design and implementation of these technologies. This Call For Abstracts seeks to engage with perspectives that interrogate and provide scholarly vocabulary and lenses to understand these developments in the field of machine learning and AI technologies, as they implicate our political, economic, social and cultural lives. In doing so, this edited collection aims to present a Critical Political Economy approach to the study of ML and AI technologies, highlighting inequities and emphasising the radical reimagination of alternatives (Wigger, 2022). Over the past few years, there have been efforts in the fields of Sociology and Communication to develop and underscore the theoretical framework of a Southern Standpoint (Go, 2016; Raghunath, forthcoming) to understand situated experiences of historical and current marginalities as a means to underscore and draw attention to the multifarious forms of colonisation, both *between *and *within *societies. This Call focuses on *Southern experiences* along aforementioned lines, as perpetuated or mitigated by these technologies. By drawing on this conceptualisation of a Southern Standpoint as a possible way of exploring situated knowledges (Haraway, 1988) and experiences (Frie, 2011) of these technologies, this Call seeks to ask the following questions: How can we draw up a critical political economy of ML and AI technologies while these developments are currently underway across the globe? How do these technologies perpetuate or mitigate existing inequities in intra-regional, national and societal contexts, and who benefits? How can we implicate publicness as a desired ideal that can hold proponents of these technologies to account? Finally, how does the cooption of efforts in mitigating inequities take place, and how can we work collectively to redress them? The scope of themes include but are not limited to: - Inequities and disparities in society, along patriarchal, racialised, eugenicised, casteist, regional, economic and ableist lines perpetuated by ML and AI technologies - Geopolitical and regional lenses to the study the extraction and flow of resources that power the building, promotion and access to these technologies - External, internal and multifarious forms of colonisation that draw on similar such existing structures of domination and amplify inequities in the context of these technologies - Potential and possibilities of ML and AI technologies in mitigating inequities - Rights-restoring frameworks, anti-/de-colonial and Southern approaches that help envisage ethical, collective, sustainable technology futures - Public initiatives aimed at critical education to implement such frameworks and approaches Please email your abstracts to *preetimalaraghunath(a)gmail.com <preetimalaraghunath(a)gmail.com>* by May 7, 2023. This edited collection could take the form of a special issue for a journal or an edited book project, efforts for which are currently underway. *About the editor*: Dr. Preeti Raghunath is an incoming Lecturer in Digital Media and Society at the University of Sheffield, UK. Her current work is focused on inequities (policies and practices) pertaining to Data and AI technologies. She is particularly interested in the histories and situatedness of data-centric practices. Many thanks, Preeti -- Preeti Raghunath, PhD Website: www.preetiraghunath.com Twitter: @preetiraghunath

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Call for initial abstracts for Book Chapters: Virtual Reality Gaming: embodiment, presence, immersion.
by Leighton Evans 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Apologies for cross-posting. Virtual Reality (VR) is not a new technology by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless of how futuristic VR might appear in popular culture, VR encompasses a rich and varied history that began to surface in the 1980s and 1990s when VPL Research produced a number of commercial devices (e.g. the DataGlove and Audiosphere). As exciting as these systems were, the technology simply could not live up to the hype (Evans, 2018). The level of 'immersion' associated with these developments was just not enough to fulfil the implicit promise of VR. Simply put, the available technology was not able to conjure an experience of being present in a digital world that felt in any way 'real' (Shields, 2005). In contrast to the failed hype of its first few decades, contemporary VR is going through a marked 'renaissance' (Evans, 2018). Modern systems, such as the Meta Quest 2, are not only far more affordable than earlier offerings, but these headsets also represent a new era of standalone VR. Arguably gaming is the most visible form of media reinterpreted by VR. The emergence of virtual reality (VR) as a medium for games poses a challenge to researchers and designers with regards to reconceptualising the relationship between system, player and game play - in essence, a reconsideration of the human-computer interface (HCI) of gaming. The challenge has deep roots; the euphoric techno-utopianism of the discourses around 1990s VR was a reflection of the implicit and explicit revolutionary nature of VR as radically immersive and intimate compared to other interfaces. However, when considering the human-computer interaction of VR and games, the notion of immersion as an a priori property of VR is problematic. The notion of immersion as a given creates a confusion when considering the relationship between immersion, embodiment and presence in VR, and fails to consider the intertwined relationship between these states felt by the gamer and how they are contingent on but also independent from one another. VR should, in theory, aid the sense of presence in games for the player. VR incorporates bodily movement and orientation into the game environment, arguably improving the sense of 'being there' in the game. However, it is often unclear whether the success of games in VR in creating this increased sense of presence is not a function of the use of VR as a medium for the game but instead is a function of the design and immersive qualities of the game itself. To address this, more attention is required in understanding the processes of making of and experiences of VR games and the spatial, ludic and narrative aspects of games that affect immersion, embodiment and presence in VR games. >From the early stages of development of consumer VR, games have been divided into two kinds: VR ports, which are games developed for non-VR systems and converted into VR and built-from-the-ground-up-for-VR games, games developed specifically for VR. Gaming in VR is marked by a tension between existing and emerging gaming forms. The differences between these kinds of game remain problematic in terms of immersion, embodiment and presence and the continuing development of VR ports is an issue with regards to harnessing the potential of VR for gaming. The framing of the affordances of VR in games is a key issue which demands further attention. This volume will explore these and other issues with regards to VR games. This book invites chapter proposals that grapple with the unique aspects of VR games as they relate to immersion, embodiment and presence and other issues that arise from the intersection of gaming and VR. Themes may include, but are not limited to, the following: * Immersion and immersive experience in VR Games * Embodiment and modes of embodiment in VR games * VR Interfaces for games * Hapticity in VR games * Porting games to VR * The affordances of built-from-the-ground-up-for-VR games * The subjective feeling of presence in VR games * Genre conventions in VR games * The emotional aspects of VR gaming * The role of VR gaming in establishing, maintaining and dissolving relationships * Safeguarding in VR * Representation in VR games as a contributor to immersion, embodiment and presence * 'Bad' VR games and what does not work in VR * VR game design as a contributor to immersion, embodiment and presence * Spatial practices in VR games and the feeling of VR worlds Proposals should include the contributor's/author's name, a brief biography, and an abstract of a maximum of 500 words (not counting citations.) The editors will notify authors if their abstract is accepted, at which point the authors will eventually submit a chapter between 4000-6000 words in length. Please send proposals to Leighton Evans (l.evans(a)swansea.ac.uk<mailto:l.evans@swansea.ac.uk>) and editorialmultiplay(a)gmail.com<mailto:editorialmultiplay@gmail.com> by Tuesday 1st August 2023. Dr Leighton Evans Associate Professor | Athro Cysylltiol Director, Centre of Digital Arts and Humanities | Cyfarwyddwr, Canolfan y Celfyddydau Digidol a'r Dyniaethau Department of Literature, Media & Language| Yr Adran Llenyddiaeth, Cyfryngau a Leithoedd School of Culture & Communication | Ysgol Diwylliant a Chyfathrebu Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences | Cyfadran y Dyniaethau a'r Gwyddorau Cymdeithasol Digital Technium 121 | Techniwm Digidol 121 Swansea University | Prifysgol Abertawe SA2 8PP +44792 602843 Latest book: From Microverse to Metaverse: Modelling the Future through Today's Virtual Worlds (Emerald, 2022)<https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/from-microverse-to-metaverse/?…>

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ISOC Foundation Research Program 2023
by Joly MacFie 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

https://www.isocfoundation.org/grant-programme/research-grant-programme/ The Internet Society Foundation’s Research Program supports global research collaborations that advance understanding of the Internet and its value for all. Program Objectives - Promote novel methodologies that generate solutions to Internet-related challenges - Identify and support a diverse and collaborative group of researchers and research institutions - Facilitate access to intersectional research that can be applied to decision-making in government and industry This program is intended for research that is applied and open, meaning the research seeks to answer a real-world question and should be openly published and made available to the scientific community at no cost. The Foundation supports research involving human or animal subjects when the project has been certified by a responsible body to be ethical and in compliance with local law. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator of the project to obtain these certifications. Areas of Focus Statements of interest and subsequent proposals should address topics related to one of the following thematic areas: *Greening the Internet* The Internet both affects and is affected by the environment and climate change. Having a critical awareness of this impact is key to the Internet’s resilience and ensures its sustainability for generations to come. This awareness may include an assessment of energy consumption by the Internet, or the toxins and waste generated by its use. It may consider the enabling effect the Internet has on other sectors to limit greenhouse gas emissions. It may examine the ways in which climate change and extreme weather threatens Internet infrastructure and limits connectivity. Research focusing on Greening the Internet should promote an awareness of these and other issues concerning the Internet’s environmental footprint and the sustainability measures needed for it and the planet to thrive. *The Internet Economy * New and emerging Internet-based activities have the power to disrupt our economic landscapes and lead to unpredictable economic futures. Having a firm grasp of the interactions that create the Internet Economy has the potential to reshape this uncertainty. Unpacking how the Internet transforms traditional ideas about competition, production, and consumption of goods and services could be useful in allowing for equitable and gainful participation of everyone in a rapidly digitizing global economy. Research proposals focusing on the Internet Economy should present an analysis of past or present ecosystems that yields insight into the future of the Internet and its dependent market(s). *A Trustworthy Internet* The Internet is completely trustworthy if and only if it is completely resilient, reliable, accountable, and secure in a way that consistently meets users’ expectations for information and services. The Internet is only worthy of trust when it conforms with what people expect will happen regardless of whether or not those expectations are reasonable. Further, trustworthiness is not a matter of only one layer in the network, and it is possible that some parts of the Internet are trustworthy while other parts are not. For example, while the application layer may be reliable or secure, there may be gaps in the logic or infrastructure, or there may be mistrust in the content. Research engaging the idea of A Trustworthy Internet should attempt to explain how the Internet does or does not meet user expectations and what should or shouldn’t be done about it. *Decolonizing the Internet* We acknowledge that the Internet’s development depended on industrial societies that, by their nature, used resources from lands dispossessed from Indigenous people and communities throughout the world. We acknowledge that the Internet can proliferate inequality and injustice, perhaps especially when its design is not inclusive nor its designers diverse. We acknowledge that the Internet can invalidate and make obsolete traditional forms of knowledge production and knowledge sharing and has the power to erase languages and cultures. But it also doesn’t have to. Instead the Internet can be a site of restorative, liberating, and transformational practices that bridge the past to a more just future or bring those at the margins closer to the center. Research on Decolonizing the Internet should explore these practices and other methods toward an Internet for everyone. Eligibility - Independent researchers should have a postgraduate research degree (PhD, Masters) and peer reviewed publications, patents, academic or independently published work in the relevant area. - Public research institutions should be 501c3 or equivalent and should have a mission that is aligned to that of the Foundation. (Private institutions are not eligible entities to receive funding). Additional eligibility requirements for all Foundation grants are outlined here <https://www.isocfoundation.org/resources/grantee-eligibility/>. All applicants must ensure that they meet these basic requirements. Underrepresented groups in the research world are highly encouraged to apply. Application Process In 2023, the application process was updated to include two application cycles: April and September. *For the April cycle, applications will be accepted between April 12 and May 31.* Additionally, the statement of interest was removed from the process. Applicants are now required to submit a single application through Fluxx. Applications are reviewed by staff to ensure proposals are aligned with thematic areas and eligibility requirements. If there are any questions staff will reach out to applicants through the provided contact information. Those that are in alignment will move forward to a second stage where proposals are reviewed by the Independent Program Review Committee (IPRC). The IPRC recommends which proposals should be considered for funding to the Program Officer. The Program Officer engages in the final review, negotiation, and determination of grant awards with successful partners. The whole process will take about two months*.* View application template <https://www.isocfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Application_Templ…> . Selection Criteria Researchers are encouraged to submit a full application to be reviewed by the Independent Program Review Committee. Final submissions will be selected based on the following criteria: - Is the research in line with one of the Foundation’s thematic areas? - Is the research novel? - Is the research applied? - Is the research collaborative? The IPRC meets twice a year to review proposals. The next Research cycle will open in April 2023. See more information on the IPRC <https://www.isocfoundation.org/resources/application-review-process/>. Funding The program provides for two levels of funding: - Independent researchers may apply for funding up to US$200,000. Grants will be awarded directly to individuals who are identified as the principal investigator on the project and he/she will be responsible for grant management including all reporting requirements during the life of the grant. - Organizations and institutions may apply for funding up to US$500,000. One or more awards in each of the thematic areas are anticipated subject to fiscal year funding. You can learn more about current and past Research grants on Our Projects <https://www.isocfoundation.org/about/our-projects/> page. How to apply Only applications submitted in the Foundation’s grants management system will be considered. Incomplete submissions that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be considered (see Eligibility Requirements <https://www.isocfoundation.org/resources/grantee-eligibility/>). Questions If you have questions about this program or the application process, please email foundation(a)isocfoundation.org <https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=foundation@isocfoundatio…> . -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Open call for PhD Position on fake news, conspiracy ideologies etc.
by Simon Lindgren 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Hi all, We are announcing a four-year fully funded PhD position at Umeå University, Sweden. The position is affiliated with the research school ReSource, and the PhD will be working at DIGSUM's home department (<https://digsum.org>) ReSource takes as its starting point the current “crisis of information,” characterised by, among other things, the proliferation of misinformation and conspiracy ideologies, the commercialisation of the public information infrastructure, the entry of AI technologies into more and more areas, and the increasing distrust of traditionally trusted institutions. Submitted research plans should be in any of these areas. The deadline for applications is April 30th 2023. For more information on how to apply, visit <https://digsum.org/phd2> More information about resource is available at: <https://www.hb.se/en/research/doctoral-education/our-phd-programmes/library…> --- Simon Lindgren – Professor of Sociology Director of DIGSUM – Centre for Digital Social Research Umeå University digsum.org simonlindgren.com <simonlindgren(a)sciences.social>

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Deadline Reminder (April 20): CfP: Critical Perspectives on Digital Capitalism: Theories and Praxis
by Christian Fuchs 11 Apr '23

11 Apr '23

Deadline Reminder (20/4): CfP: Critical Perspectives on Digital Capitalism: Theories and Praxis Special Issue of the journal tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique (http://www.triple-c.at) Edited by Thomas Allmer, Sevda Can Arslan, and Christian Fuchs (Media Systems and Media Organisation Research Group, Paderborn University) This special issue presents critical perspectives on digital capitalism. Its contributions show how we can best critically theorise digital capitalism and what forms of political praxis exist and are needed in social struggles that stand in the context of digital capitalism. The issue will feature contributions by Jodi Dean, Christian Fuchs, Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri, and Sabine Pfeiffer. Submission deadline: Thursday, April 20, 2023 Please submit abstracts of 250-600 words by e-mailing the completed submission form http://triple-c.at/f/FirstName_FamilyName_tripleC_DigitalCapitalism.docx to thomas.allmer *A/*T/* triple-c.at Accepted papers will be due for submission by September 30, 2023 (deadline) and should have a length of up to a maximum of 8,000 words. More info: https://www.triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/announcement/view/40

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