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New Book (UK) – Gender & Technology: An Introduction
by Holly Kruse 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

My book Gender and Technology: An Introduction, is now available in the UK. (It will be available everywhere else in February.): https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=gender-and-technology-an-i… <https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=gender-and-technology-an-i…>https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=gender-and-technology-an-i… <https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=gender-and-technology-an-i…>8 Publisher Polity describes the book thusly: "In this comprehensive text, Holly Kruse explores how notions of gender and technology have been socially constructed. Organized historically, the book provides a broad overview of global developments in technology and how these technologies have been (ideologically) gendered. Focusing on communication and media technologies and analysing an array of household and workplace devices, the text examines the ways in which they have been considered ‘feminine' or ‘masculine'. These associations, as the text reveals, often have little to do with the complexity of the technology. Rich with historical and contemporary examples – from bicycles and washing machines to the telegraph and the computer - Gender and Technology encourages us to take a closer look at how and why modern technologies are gendered. By understanding the origins of our ideas about gender and technology, we can see how they have and have not changed over time.” With the kindest of blurbs from the best AoIR-istas (*blushing*): "This beautifully written history of technology, presented through the lens of gender, offers an exceptional amount of information and insight. It will delight and inspire both experts and those new to the topic." Nancy Baym, Partner Research Manager, Microsoft Research "A masterclass in unpacking the taken-for-granted, this book traces how technologies are gendered - and how gender is technologized - in ways that shape everything from children's toys to our most intimate relationships with domestic space." Alice E. Marwick, Director of Research, Data & Society (I’ve updated this affiliation) "Critically astute and wide-ranging, this engaging and accessible text reveals the centrality of gender politics within everyday technologies." Kylie Jarrett, University College Dublin While on Polity’s UK site, be sure to check out former AoIR President (and my former exec committee colleague and buddy) Alex Halavais’ new book, An Introduction to Information Studies: Datafying People, Places, and Things. Best wishes, Holly Holly Kruse, Ph.D. Professor Department of Communications Rogers State University 1701 W. Will Rogers Blvd. Claremore, Oklahoma 74017 holly.kruse(a)gmail.com <mailto:holly.kruse@gmail.com> (or hkruse(a)rsu.edu) https://hollykruse.com <https://hollykruse.com/>

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invite: Governance by Data Infrastructure at the University of Amsterdam (27 March)
by Stefania Milan 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

The DATAGOV Lab (https://datagovlab.net) at the University of Amsterdam is happy to invite you to the launch even of the project "Governance by Data Infrastructure in the Post-Pandemic Democracy", funded by the European Research Council. Data infrastructures like digital identity systems and biometric technologies increasingly decide who is seen, sorted, and served — yet they remain largely out of public view. The DATAGOV kick-off invites you to pull these systems into the open and join a cross-sector conversation on how data-driven regulation is reshaping democracy, rights, and inequality worldwide. 🗓️ Date: March 27, 2026 🕦 Time: 9:30 - 15:30 (+drinks), tentative program available below 📍Location: Framer Framed (Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71 1093 KS, Amsterdam) 📃 Sign up link [0] DATAGOV investigates the impact and social costs of regulatory data infrastructures: data-grabbing systems that actively shape the polity, from monitoring and automated decision-making to mediating access to public services, rights, and welfare. The project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), takes a comparative approach investigating the European Union, Brazil, India, and South Africa, to examine how these infrastructures transform governance and what they mean for the future of democracy in an era of pervasive datafication. To start with, our empirical focus is on four technology families: biometrics, digital identity, and health and education technologies, and how these reconfigure citizenship, sovereignty, and inequality. The kick-off will feature keynote presentations, conversations, and a borrel, bringing together a diverse group of participants from academia, policymaking, industry, civil society, and the arts. The event will also leave ample time for conversation, (net)working, and enjoying each other’s company. While the program is still taking shape, we already have an exciting list of speakers who will be joining us from around the world: Louise Amoore (Durham University), Fernando Filgueiras (Brazilian Ministry of Education), Mirca Madianou (Goldsmiths, University of London), Rocco Bellanova (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Cecilia Passanti (Université Paris Cité), Rob van Kranenburg (IEEE Standards Association), and colleagues from the UvA. This event is open to everyone free of charge. If you would like to keep up to date with our work and activities, please consider signing up to our mailing list. [1] You can also keep up to date with our activities on our website [2] and LinkedIn[3]. Sign up fast: seating is limited! [o] https://cryptpad.fr/form/#/2/form/view/bVASYCqQn1NXYq2c7lLXLya2YPousvA0lnYR… [1] https://lists.ghserv.net/mailman/listinfo/community [2] https://datagovlab.net [3] https://www.linkedin.com/company/datagovlab/

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Critical AI Policy Virtual Fellowship 2026
by Adi Kuntsman 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Are you a humanities or social science researcher, interested in understanding, challenging, and reshaping current policies around generative AI? Would you like to be part of a virtual collective of researchers working on AI and society? Have you ever wanted to spend time at another university as a Visiting Fellow, but financial constraints, visa restrictions, teaching, caring responsibilities, or disability have prevented you from doing so? We have the answer! DISC (Digital Society Research Group), Manchester Metropolitan University, UK and the CDEP (Center for Digital Ethics & Policy), Loyola University, Chicago, US are launching a collaborative Virtual Visiting Fellowship initiative designed to be internationally welcoming. The Virtual Fellowship takes place over the period of several months. We are inviting Visiting Fellows to spend time with us online, synchronously and asynchronously, by presenting your work and attending our online events, connecting to other DISC and CDEP researchers and most importantly, contributing to a joint DISC/CDEP Policy Report on Generative AI, leading to a Digital Ethics & Policymaking Summer School. Training opportunities will be provided during the Fellowship. Fellowship alumni may opt to retain associate and/or affiliate membership with the partnering organisations upon completion of their fellowship terms. Deadline:27 February 2026 Further details: https://digitalsociety.mmu.ac.uk/2026/02/01/critical-ai-policy-virtual-fell… Dr Adi Kuntsman, Reader in Digital Politics Co-Lead, Digital Society Research Group Department of History, Politics and Philosophy Manchester Metropolitan University

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[AoIR HQ] CFP Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Flashpoint Symposium)
by AoIR Association Coordinator 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

*Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Flashpoint symposium*: Imagining and Co-creating Methods for Internet Research 11-12 August, Malmö University Malmö, Sweden In collaboration with *Malmö Research Centre for Imagining and Co-Creating Futures*, AoIR invites participants to its annual Flashpoint symposium. For those interested in participating in the symposium, the deadline to submit an abstract of up to *300 words is March 30, 2026.* Confirmed keynote plenary speakers are - prof. Annette Markham, Utrecht University, Netherlands - prof. Susana Tosca, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark - prof. Kat Jungnickel, Goldsmiths University of London, UK - prof. Sarah T. Roberts, UCLA, USA As technologies evolve, our relationship to the technological world changes, and so should our methods of studying the world around us. The methods we use to conduct research matter in understanding what can be studied, how the studies reflect the world, and how the groups we are studying (with) relate to academia. Internet research faces challenges in recruitment, data quality, practicality, and ethics, leading to questions about sampling bias, data truthfulness, and other issues that require creative solutions. We need to question and challenge many of the dominant approaches and find ways to reimagine methods that fit contemporary research challenges. Research methods need to evolve with the world, respect its diversity and be open to inventive ways to involve research participants in knowledge co-creation. Creative research methods can be methods that draw on creative self-expressions of research participants or researchers, including visual, text, sound, and materials. They may also involve creative use of technologies as part of the research process and outcome – apps, mash-ups, data visualisations, APIs, etc. In addition, creative methods can encompass transformative approaches, including participatory, speculative, artistic, worldbuilding, decolonising, activist and community-based research approaches that are designed to reduce the power imbalances and include diverse voices in academic research. Mixed and hybrid methods that challenge researchers to question the paradigmatic assumptions of their work may also be understood as creative research practices. In the spirit of challenging established academic traditions, the symposium invites scholars interested in method-related discussions to join us in imagining and co-creating methods for a new era of internet research. We invite individual abstracts for papers, performances, spoken word pieces or artistic creations that highlight creative research methods or focus on the process of creating new methods. Please submit an abstract no longer than 300 words, five keywords and a short bio (including contact details) by March 25, 2026. The symposium will charge a fee of 500 SEK (~47 EUR/~56 USD/~41 GBP) that will cover lunches and coffee, and AoIR will also sponsor dinner for symposium participants. If you do not want to share any work but would still like to be part of the symposium, you can also sign up as a participant after March 15. PhD students and early-career scholars are particularly welcome, and AoIR will provide some fee waivers for the early-career scholars (available at a later stage when registration opens). Submit your contribution to the symposium: Imagining and Co-creating Methods for Internet Research AoIR Flashpoint Symposium at Malmö – Fill out form <https://forms.office.com/e/yzLEg9T0fb> ( https://forms.office.com/e/yzLEg9T0fb) *Important dates:* Deadline for abstract submission: March 30, 2026 Registration opens March 15, 2026 Notification of acceptance: mid-April, 2026 Deadline for registrations June 15, 2026 Symposium in Malmö 11-12 August, 2026 More information about Malmö Research Centre for Imagining and Co-Creating Futures: https://mau.se/en/research/research-centres/imagining-and-co-creating-futur… The Symposium organiser is prof. Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt (contact: pille.pruulmann.vengerfeldt(a)mau.se) The scientific committee includes Prof. Andra Siibak and prof. Julia Velkova. --- Best, Emerson *(she/her)* AoIR Communications and Membership Coordinator ac(a)aoir.org *Looking for Michelle? *After nine years, Michelle has officially stepped down from her position at AOIR. I'm Emerson, and I'll be stepping in to continue her work. As I'm sure anyone familiar with Michelle knows, I have big shoes to fill, and I appreciate your patience as I get up to speed!

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CFP - Digital Communication and Social Practices under Algorithms: Challenges and Opportunities. BiD, Issue 57
by Fernanda Pires 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to invite submissions for Issue 57 of BiD, titled *"Digital Communication and Social Practices under Algorithms: Challenges and Opportunities":* Predictive artificial intelligence and personalization algorithms in recommendation systems have become key mediators of everyday activities on digital platforms. These systems process personal data to offer lists of content that, in theory, adapt to citizens’ tastes and interests. By shaping cultural and informational consumption, this process introduces dynamics that are largely invisible to users, who often perceive it as “useful” and “accurate” due to the high level of personalization. This personalization, as part of the broader phenomenon of platformization, has transformed the communication industry and altered sociocultural habits, at times limiting the diversity of perspectives on issues such as politics, culture, health, and lifestyles, among others. It also raises questions about privacy and about how these technologies influence the ways in which identities and communities are constructed. This special issue section seeks contributions that critically analyze the interactions between citizens and recommendation systems on digital communication platforms, exploring how these algorithms shape experiences, sociocultural practices, and creative processes. Beyond identifying risks, it is essential to reflect on the capacities and tools that enable people to interact with these technologies in a conscious and critical manner. Understanding these dynamics requires studying the systems themselves, but also strengthening algorithmic literacy as an essential competence for questioning and managing the logics that govern personalization, avoiding a passive relationship with systems that influence cultural, informational, and social decisions. We invite the submission of contributions that delve into the following thematic axes. Nevertheless, research that goes beyond these points and analyzes the social role of algorithms and predictive systems in practices of cultural consumption and communication will also be considered. *Proposed thematic axes:* - Algorithmic literacy: the set of knowledge (formal, informal, and non-formal) that users develop to interact and coexist with recommendation algorithms, considering the actors involved in this learning process and the competencies required. -Tactics of evasion and algorithmic shaping: analysis of the active strategies that citizens use to interact with algorithms and influence the content they receive, as well as to avoid exposure to unwanted content. -Bias, discrimination, hate speech, and normalization of patterns: how algorithms can reinforce social stereotypes or normative patterns (such as canonical bodies or gender roles) and expose users to objectifying content or hate speech, including racism, xenophobia, and LGBTIQphobia, exacerbating discrimination and disadvantage in cases of intersectional bias. -Algorithms and migratory and ethnic experience: understanding how algorithmic personalization conditions the representation and sense of belonging of migrants, as well as ethnic communities. - Algorithms in opinion formation and polarization: analysis of algorithmic influence on the configuration of political and social opinions. -Modification of citizens’ everyday practices: algorithmic influence on consumption practices and habits, such as exercise and diets, as well as fashion, brand consumption, the idealization of relationships, the commodification of authenticity, personal vulnerability, among others. -Creativity and algorithm-mediated cultural production: analysis of how recommendation systems influence content creation, transform creative processes, and redefine authorship in digital environments. We warmly encourage colleagues across communication, internet studies, media studies, digital sociology, cultural studies, and related fields to submit their work and to share this call within their networks. *Submission Process and Key Dates* Full Paper Submission Deadline 30/09/2026 in the journal system: https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/bid/about/submissions No payment from the authors will be required. This forthcoming special issue is open access, and welcomes original research articles in English, Spanish, and Catalan. Link to the journal full text of the CFP: https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/bid/announcement/view/982 Please note that this invitation does not guarantee publication, all full manuscripts will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process. We look forward to your submissions. The special issue editors, Fernanda Pires (fernanda.pires(a)uab.cat - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) , Celina Navarro (celina.navarro(a)uab.cat) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) Liana Pithan ( liana.pithan(a)gmail.com - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul)

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CFP - “SLOP” and “NOSTALGIA” – DLC Presents “Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture”
by Tanja Grubnic 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

CFP - “SLOP” and “NOSTALGIA” – DLC Presents “Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture” Please see cfp below for a mini-conference (virtual) below. Open to scholars of all career levels and stages. Apply here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-vT-PA_OOhkwAUcv96KmakpG9Kp… ---------------------------------- We are excited to announce the second installment of our Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture series, mini-conferences devoted to studying the most pressing and emerging concepts actively shaping digital literary culture. In 2025-2026, Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture will host two virtual mini-conferences consisting of four thematically-linked keywords actively shaping digital literary culture in the very online, very present moment. Our first installment featured “smut” and “lore,” and now we turn to “slop” and “nostalgia.” We are working at the bleeding edge of culture, and these mini-conferences are designed to be intimate, safe, and collaborative spaces to think with others about what we see emerging, as it is emerging. To that end, the conference will be held on a single day consisting of two panels organized around the keywords. For each keyword, we are soliciting submissions for three to four 10-minute papers to facilitate timely conversations about the pressing issues in digital literary culture today. Our aim is to invite conversation across the papers and across the keywords through a day spent reading and thinking together. For our Keywords Sessions, our selections ask potential participants to touch on these dynamics via the following keywords shaping digital literary culture today. Please see the call-for-papers below. Slop Slop has quickly become an ubiquitous word describing AI generated content, especially low-quality content that fails to pass as human. Enabled by the ease with which AI can output large quantities of material (a process that conveniently obscures the devastating environmental impacts of AI technology), our internet is now “sloppy”. AI generated text, images, and video all proliferate across digital spaces–sometimes humorously obvious, sometimes insidiously ambiguous. As we take in more and more of our information and entertainment through digital outlets, the proliferation of slop clogs our feeds and spams our platforms. We are interested in papers interrogating this ever-growing category of content, such as it is. We especially want to highlight scholars critically engaging with slop, past a blanket rejection of AI created content. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: * The aesthetics of slop, including volume, tone, effort * What constitutes or defines slop in comparison to other AI generated content * Slop compared to AI content deemed to be of artistic value * Computational approaches to slop * The economics of slop * Explorations into sub-categories of slop, i.e. misinformation, “workslop” * Slop and authenticity or authentic writing * Pre-cursors to slop: spam, surrealism Nostalgia Nostalgia, coined in 1688 by medical student Johannes Hofer, was originally diagnosed as a condition known colloquially as homesickness. Since the mid- to late-twentieth century, it has developed into a popular cultural phenomenon. Television shows like Happy Days and Mad Men remind us that a fondness for “simpler” decades past is not unique to the social media age. But nostalgia for previous eras has grown into one of the most pervasive aesthetic fascinations of the current decade. Nostalgia—partcularly for a pre-internet, pre-algorithmically and screen-mediated world—has become thoroughly entrenched in internet culture as an aesthetic and cultural mood. Perhaps paradoxically, social media ushered in the re-emergence of poetry as a best-selling artform and the re-branding of reading as an “offline” experience. At the same time, pastiches of analogue and early internet media prior to algorithms dominate visual social media feeds, not to mention the wave of AI-generated videos animating the last generations in living memory before the internet. Indeed, we live in a digitized, webified, and computerized world. Global screen times average over six hours per day and people spend far more time online than they would like to believe. As the internet becomes more and more pervasive, a longing for those allegedly familiar feelings of privacy, quiet, and disconnection grow stronger. Whether nostalgia bears any relevance to Hofer’s original definition is up for debate, but we are interested in papers that nevertheless diagnose the enduring significance of nostalgia in digital culture and literature. Areas of focus might include: * Case studies of specific types or genres of nostalgic aesthetics online * The connection between nostalgia and other internet trends like “slop,” “brainrot,” and “touch grass” * The relationship between nostalgia and cultural anxieties about the internet * Representations of nostalgia for the pre-internet world in television, film, or literature * Idealizations of the pre-internet era * The rise of “offline” experiences (book clubs, reading retreats) and nostalgia for material things * Historicizations of internet nostalgia compared to earlier manifestations of theories * Attending discourses of mental health, wellness, and self-care * The irony of documenting internet nostalgia or non-internet activities online Confirmed Speakers: Tess McNulty, Department of English, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Timeline: * March 13: Abstracts due * April 1: Notification of successful submissions * May 14: Mini-conference (virtual) If we receive more abstract submissions than the mini-conference format has room for, the following criteria will apply: * Presenters that can attend both panels * Explicit thematic relevance * Overall strength of submission If you have any questions about the CFP or conference, please reach out to Tanja Grubnic and Hannah Jorgensen at contact(a)dlcplus.org<mailto:contact@dlcplus.org>. Please add us to your safe senders list to ensure you receive our emails! Learn more about DLC+ at https://dlcplus.org<https://dlcplus.org/>. ---------------------------------- Tanja Grubnic, PhD SSHRC<https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en.aspx> Postdoctoral Scholar Duke University Digital Literary Cultures<https://dlcplus.org>

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Fwd: First Monday shutting down after 30 years
by Holly Kruse 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Me too. I would be happy to help try to save First Monday. Not only has it been an important place for many of us to publish our work, it has also been a source to which I can point my undergraduate students, where they can easily find relevant, accessible, high-quality, peer-reviewed, full-text original research, and they have absolutely used it and been glad to have First Monday as a resource. Holly Holly Kruse, Ph.D. Professor Department of Communications Rogers State University 1701 W. Will Rogers Blvd. Claremore, Oklahoma 74017 holly.kruse(a)gmail.com or hkruse(a)rsu.edu *Gender and Technology: An Introducti*on (Polity) out in the U.S. in February 2026 <https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Gender+and+Technology:+An+Introduction-p-978150…> On Feb 7, 2026, at 10:40 AM, Jaigris Hodson via Air-L < air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: If we need a group of volunteers to continue the important work of this journal, I would step up. I too have fond memories of publishing here. Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef> ________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of An Nguyen via Air-L <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Sent: Saturday, February 7, 2026 3:09:25 AM To: Zimmer, Michael <michael.zimmer(a)marquette.edu>; air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Cc: ejv(a)uic.edu <ejv(a)uic.edu> Subject: Re: [Air-L] First Monday shutting down after 30 years This is heart-breaking news! My first academic paper was published on First Monday in 2003, when it had started to garner a global respect. I have had three more on FM since then but that thrilling moment in 2003 is still very fresh in my memory - it was such a huge morale and confidence booster for a PhD student. The journal has gone from strengths to strengths and is still very influential - so it is really sad to see it go. Thanks to Edward for steering the ship in the past three decades. If there's any collective effort to save it, I would be delighted to contribute my dues. All the best, An Nguyen ________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Zimmer, Michael via Air-L <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Sent: Friday, February 6, 2026 9:36:37 PM To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Cc: ejv(a)uic.edu <ejv(a)uic.edu> Subject: [Air-L] First Monday shutting down after 30 years External Email: Use caution when responding, opening attachments, or clicking links. Really sad to hear that First Monday is shutting down after 30 years of publication. It was one of the first journals devoted to internet research, and a true pioneer in open access: no fees, no paywalls, and authors retained their copyright. My very first publication appeared there in 2004, and I know an entire generation of us got our start in its pages. Many thanks to Ed and everyone who contributed to building and sustaining such an important venue. End of an era. https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/announcement/view/99<https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/announcement/view/99> ~ Michael -- Michael Zimmer, PhD Director, Center for Data, Ethics, and Society< https://www.marquette.edu/data-ethics-society/< https://www.marquette.edu/data-ethics-society/>> Professor & Vice-Chair, Department of Computer Science Marquette University michael.zimmer(a)marquette.edu<mailto:michael.zimmer@marquette.edu> http://www.michaelzimmer.org/<http://www.michaelzimmer.org/>< http://www.michaelzimmer.org/> :: http://www.zuckerbergfiles.org/ %7C02%7Canguyen%40bournemouth.ac.uk %7Cb3b51ff5659a483efee108de65db5d26%7Cede29655d09742e4bbb5f38d427fbfb8%7C0%7C0%7C639060189995777342%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=X3RuKIXP7olFXBFmPFZrLRuQd3YVGzsqnfYWQIgTg80%3D&reserved=0< http://www.zuckerbergfiles.org/><http://www.zuckerbergfiles.org/> _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org/< http://aoir.org/> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org< http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org> Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/<http://www.aoir.org/> ________________________________ BU is a Disability Confident Employer and has signed up to the Mindful Employer charter. Information about the accessibility of University buildings can be found on the BU AccessAble webpages. This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email, which must not be copied, distributed or disclosed to any other person. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bournemouth University or its subsidiary companies. Nor can any contract be formed on behalf of the University or its subsidiary companies via email. _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org/ Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ Royal Roads acknowledges the campus is located on the traditional Lands of the Lekwungen-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail and attachments may contain personal or confidential information for the sole use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient and you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the message and attachments. _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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New Routledge Book Series: Cultural Analytics, AI and the Digital Futures
by Natalia Grincheva 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Dear Colleagues, I am writing to gauge your interest and invite your preliminary thoughts on a *new Book Series currently in development with Routledge: Cultural Analytics, AI and the Digital Futures.* The series is envisioned as an essential navigational guide for culture in a time of profound transformation. Its core mission is to answer a pressing question: *How do we harness the power of data and AI to foster a cultural ecosystem that is vibrant, equitable, and meaningfully human?* To achieve this, the series is being designed around a foundation of critical synthesis, weaving together cultural analytics, critical data studies, cultural policy research and creative industry practice. I am seeking to identify potential volumes that would combine rigorous, practical insight with critical examination—work that not only explains the "how-to" but permanently couples it with the essential "why" and "for whom." At this exploratory stage, *I am reaching out to assess the landscape of potential contributions.* We are particularly interested in work that features: - A practical-critical methodology applicable for professionals and scholars. - Global comparative perspectives beyond Western-centric narratives. - Forward-facing analysis using scenario thinking or policy foresight. If you are developing work at this vital interdisciplinary intersection—whether focusing on data/AI policy, governance, data storytelling, AI ethics, curation, or the future of creative labour—I would be very keen to hear about your potential book ideas and your interest in contributing. If you have a project to propose, even in a nascent or conceptual stage of development, you are warmly invited *to share your idea by February 22, 2026* . *Please complete a brief expression of interest form <https://forms.gle/fMVmNkWSvdKjzE3W6>, or reach out to me directly via email at natalia.grincheva(a)lasalle.edu.sg <natalia.grincheva(a)lasalle.edu.sg> * Please feel free to share this invite for expression of interest among your relevant networks. Looking forward to hearing from you soon With kind regards Natalia *Dr Natalia Grincheva* *2026 Digital Statecraft Academy <https://digitalstatecraft.academy/> Cambridge Fellow <https://digitalstatecraft.academy/person/natalia-grincheva/>* *Culture Futures Lab <https://datatopower.net/lab> Leader* Program Leader, BA (Hons) Arts Management LASALLE | University of the Arts Singapore *Recent Book: *Geopolitics of Digital Heritage <https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/geopolitics-of-digital-heritage…>(Cambridge Uni Press) *Digital Creative Praxis:* Data to Power <https://datatopower.net/> *Academic Profile:* https://grincheva.com/

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External Examiner sought for MA in Digital Media and Global Cultures at Queen Mary, University of London
by Richard Bingham 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) is seeking an External Examiner for its MA in Digital Media and Global Cultures.<https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/coursefinder/courses/digital-med…> We are seeking a candidate with academic expertise in the field of Digital Media. Applicants should hold a postgraduate qualification (minimum of a Master’s degree) in a relevant area. The External Examiner's role would include * review and approval of set assessment * review of assessed work and feedback * attending the Subject Examination Board * producing an annual report to the Degree Examination Board Examination Boards are held online. Criteria for the appointment of External Examiners includes: * knowledge and understanding of UK sector * competence and experience in the fields covered by the programme of study, or parts thereof * competence and experience relating to designing and operating a variety of assessment tasks appropriate to the subject and operating assessment procedures * familiarity with the standard to be expected of students to achieve the award that is to be assessed * fluency in English The duration of an external examiner's appointment will normally be for four years. More detailed QAA criteria for the position of External Examiners are available at: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/governance-and-legal-services/media/arcs/quality/ext… Previous experience as an External Examiner is desirable though not essential. It is also required that the External Examiner, if appointed, would not hold more than two External Examiner positions, including this appointment. If you are interested in applying for this position, please enclose an up-to-date copy of your CV to Dr Richard Bingham at r.bingham(a)qmul.ac.uk<mailto:r.bingham@qmul.ac.uk> Best wishes, Dr Richard Bingham (he/him) Lecturer in Digital Cultures Queen Mary University of London Arts One G.25A - Book a drop-in session<https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/mod/scheduler/view.php?id=2855450> r.bingham(a)qmul.ac.uk<mailto:r.bingham@qmul.ac.uk>

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Digital Solidarity Economies, Special Issue, Internet Policy Review
by Rafael Do Nascimento Grohmann 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Hi AoIR, I'm glad to share that our special issue on Digital Solidarity Economies is now out in Internet Policy Review, and we invite you to read it (editors: Belen Albornoz, Ricard Espelt, Rafael Grohmann, and Denise Kasparian). https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/introduction-digital-solidarity… This special issue situates Digital Solidarity Economies (DSE) as an analytical and practical framework for reimagining the digital economy through cooperation, mutual aid, and shared ownership. In response to the concentration of power within platform capitalisms, DSE highlight grassroots and institutional initiatives that democratize digital infrastructures and governance. Drawing on traditions of the social and solidarity economy, free and open-source cultures, and feminist and decolonial technoscience, the special issue explores how communities across the world build technological sovereignty from below. The contributions collectively advance a plural understanding of digital solidarity economies by addressing infrastructural arrangements, situated practices, and institutional experimentation as key sites through which digital economies oriented toward the reproduction of life are being built. Table of Contents * Introduction to the special issue on Digital Solidarity Economies<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/introduction-digital-solidarity…> Belén Albornoz<https://policyreview.info/users/belen-albornoz>, Faculty of Public Politics, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Ecuador Ricard Espelt<https://policyreview.info/users/ricard-espelt>, Faculty of Economics and Business, Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain Rafael Grohmann<https://policyreview.info/users/rafael-grohmann>, Department of Arts, Culture and Media, University of Toronto, Canada Denise Kasparian<https://policyreview.info/users/denise-kasparian>, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina * Institutionalising data solidarity? The making of expertise in the EU Social Economy Code of Conduct for data sharing<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/institutionalising-data-solidar…> Dwayne Ansah<https://policyreview.info/users/dwayne-ansah>, Utrecht University Mai Ishikawa Sutton<https://policyreview.info/users/mai-ishikawa-sutton>, Commons Network Sophie Bloemen<https://policyreview.info/users/sophie-bloemen>, Commons Network Bonno Pel<https://policyreview.info/users/bonno-pel>, Utrecht University * Crossed perspectives on grey zones and ambivalences in bike delivery platform cooperatives: the case of Mensakas as a member of the CoopCycle Federation and platform cooperative<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/grey-zones-bike-delivery-platfo…> Laura Eccher<https://policyreview.info/users/laura-eccher>, Gran Sasso Science Institute Alejandro Fortuny-Sicart<https://policyreview.info/users/alejandro-fortuny-sicart>, University of Vigo Arthur Guichoux<https://policyreview.info/users/arthur-guichoux>, University of Liège * Engineering platform cooperativism: Contributions from the Brazilian solidarity economy<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/platform-cooperativism-brazilia…> Celso Alexandre Souza de Alvear<https://policyreview.info/users/celso-alexandre-souza-de-alvear>, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Marcelo Alves de Souza<https://policyreview.info/users/marcelo-alves-de-souza>, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Camilla de Godoi<https://policyreview.info/users/camilla-de-godoi>, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Flávio Chedid Henriques<https://policyreview.info/users/flavio-chedid-henriques>, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro * Exploring digital solidarity economy in false information management: A case study of Taiwan's Cofacts platform<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/false-information-management-ca…> Kuan-Wei Chen<https://policyreview.info/users/kuan-wei-chen>, Kyoto University * A workers’ inquiry in Decentralised Autonomous Organisations: Insights and policies to align blockchain-based work with the solidarity economy<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/decentralised-autonomous-organi…> Tara Merk<https://policyreview.info/users/tara-merk>, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)/University of Paris II Laura Lotti<https://policyreview.info/users/laura-lotti>, Independent researcher Nick Houde<https://policyreview.info/users/nick-houde>, Independent researcher Morshed Mannan<https://policyreview.info/users/morshed-mannan>, University of Edinburgh * Gendered digitalisation in the Social and Solidarity Economy<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/gendered-digitalisation> Nuria Vega-Rodríguez<https://policyreview.info/users/nuria-vega-rodriguez>, Open University of Catalonia * Beyond platform capitalism: Digital solidarity economy and free culture networks in Argentina and Brazil<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/beyond-platform-capitalism-digi…> Leonardo Foletto<https://policyreview.info/users/leonardo-foletto>, University of São Paulo Daniel Santini<https://policyreview.info/users/daniel-santini>, University of São Paulo * The Blown Head Gasket Effect: Rise and struggles of The Drivers Cooperative in New York City<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/drivers-cooperative-new-york-ci…> Stefano Tortorici<https://policyreview.info/users/stefano-tortorici>, Scuola Normale Superiore * Social and solidarity economy and shared knowledge: Facilitating and integrating the collaborative adoption of digital commons in Catalan coops<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/digital-commons-in-Catalan-coops> Mònica Garriga Miret<https://policyreview.info/users/monica-garriga-miret>, femProcomuns David Gómez Fontanills<https://policyreview.info/users/david-gomez-fontanills>, femProcomuns Xavier Martínez Serrano<https://policyreview.info/users/xavier-martinez-serrano>, femProcomuns Enric Senabre Hidalgo<https://policyreview.info/users/enric-senabre-hidalgo>, University of Barcelona * Survival, companionship, and visibility with platforms: (Re)producing solidarity in Hong Kong queer spaces<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/solidarity-hong-kong-queer-spac…> Hiu-Fung Chung<https://policyreview.info/users/hiu-fung-chung>, University of Toronto Ho Lam (Roland) Cheng<https://policyreview.info/users/ho-lam-roland-cheng>, University of Toronto * Solidarity across borders: Decoding the functionality of CoopCycle in Latin America<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/solidarity-coopcycle-latin-amer…> Alexandra Belén Gualavisí<https://policyreview.info/users/alexandra-belen-gualavisi>, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) Daniel Vizuete-Sandoval<https://policyreview.info/users/daniel-vizuete-sandoval>, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) * Governance, technology, and the limits of digital solidarity economies: A South Korean case study<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/governance-technology-limits-di…> Jeongone Seo<https://policyreview.info/users/jeongone-seo>, Rutgers University Tawfiq Ammari<https://policyreview.info/users/tawfiq-ammari>, Rutgers University * Kudumbashree's Lunch Bell project and digital solidarity economy in Kerala, India<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/lunch-bell-project-kerala-india> Ashique Ali Thuppilikkat<https://policyreview.info/users/ashique-ali-thuppilikkat>, University of Toronto Priyank Chandra<https://policyreview.info/users/priyank-chandra>, University of Toronto Fibin Filal<https://policyreview.info/users/fibin-filal>, Independent researcher * Digital community supported agriculture? Exploring a cooperative platform model for fair work and governance<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/digital-community-supported-agr…> Anne-Pauline de Cler<https://policyreview.info/users/anne-pauline-de-cler>, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM-CNRS) -- dr. Rafael Grohmann Assistant Professor of Media Studies Department of Arts, Culture and Media<https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/acm/rafael-grohmann> Faculty of Information<https://ischool.utoronto.ca/profile/rafael-grohmann/> University of Toronto Leader, DigiLabour<https://digilabour.com.br/> Research Associate, University of Oxford<https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/rafael-grohmann/> Founding Editor, Platforms & Society<https://journals.sagepub.com/home/PNS> Principal Investigator, Worker-Owned Intersectional Platforms (WOIP)<https://digilabour.com.br/worker-owned-intersectional-platforms-woip/> Co-Lead, Creative Labour and Critical Futures (CLCF)<https://criticaldigitalmethods.ca/creative-labour-critical-futures/> Researcher, AI Policy Observatory for the World of Work<https://www.essex.ac.uk/research-projects/ai-policy-observatory-for-the-wor…> Senior Fellow, Massey College<https://www.masseycollege.ca/> Faculty Affiliate, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society<https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca/> <https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca/>

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