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Memetic Tacticality Conference - Nov 11
by Joly MacFie 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

[Not an ISOC webcast - just FYI] Memes Beyond Images: Memetic Tacticality Conference *When: * November 11, 2022 *Where: * Spui25 Amsterdam, NL The (political) power of memes has moved beyond virtual images. The distinction between the virtual and ‘real life’ no longer applies, or perhaps was never really there. Their effects (or should we say affects?) are moving through digital infrastructures, policy, regulations, and bodies. If memes are used as a tool by the alt-right to mobilize people to storm the Capitol and play a substantial role in the Ukrainian war, can they also be used by the left to spark a revolution, as memetic warfare is more immediate and accessible than real-life demonstrations? What kind of labor would that require? What kind of tools and principles would we need? And what if memetic logics of spreading information were applied to spread progressive ideas for a possible future? On the 11th of November, INC invites various theorists, researchers, journalists, activists, designers, and other creatives and thinkers to critically reflect on the tacticality of memes. During a one-day conference at Spui25, we dive into meme activism & political warfare, meme design & labor, and speculative memes & imaginaries. The Memes Beyond the Image Conference is also the launch of the Critical Meme Reader #2. This conference is free of charge, takes place at Spui25 in Amsterdam, and is also live-streamed. More on that here: https://spui25.nl/programma/memes-beyond-images *Program * - 10:00 – Introduction by Chloë Arkenbout and Laurence Scherz 10:30 – Meme Activism & Political Warfare - 10:30 – The Power of Cuteness and the Cuteness of Power: Fandom Governance in China within the Covid-19 Crisis, by Jamie Wong - 11:10 – Russian Digital Warfare Narratives (and Counter-Narratives) on TikTok: On Propaganda in Hyper-Affective and Ambiguous Spaces, by Marloes Geboers and Elena Pilipets - 11:30 Benevolent Edgelords: Specters of Benjamin and Memetic Ambiguity, by Pierre d’Alancaisez 12:10 – BREAK 13:00 – Meme Design & Labor - 13:00 – Strategies for Situating Memes in Physical Contexts, interview with Cem A. (Freeze Magazine) by Marijn Bril - 13:30 – EVERY MEME MAKER WE KNOW IS EXHAUSTED, round table talk with Anahita Neghabat, Caren Miesenberger, Savriël Dillingh, Jasmine Erkan, and Emma Damiani, moderated by Laurence Scherz - 14:30 – Capitalist Realism Meme Translation, interview with Annebel Breij by Idil Galip 15:00 – BREAK 15:30 – Speculative Memes & Imaginaries - 15:30 – Memes as Speculative Dialectic Images, a conversation between Geert Lovink and Marc Tuters - 16:00 – The Rise and Fall of Web4U (2033-2063), performance by Jasmine Erkan and Emma Damiani - 16:46 – Like a Virus, by Tommaso Campagna and Eleni Maragkou - 17:05 – ‘Then We Could Explore Space, Together, Forever’: On Hope and Memes, by Savriël Dillingh https://networkcultures.org/events/memes-beyond-images-memetic-tacticality-… -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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New Keywords in Play podcast ep. on "the post-Gamer turn" CFP
by Mahli-Ann Butt 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Dear colleagues, On this new special podcast episode of Keywords in Play, Amanda C. Cote, Emil Lundedal Hammar, Cody Mejeur and I spoke with Darshana Jayemanne about 'The Post-Gamer Turn' theme for our edited book collection CFP -- chapter proposals due 30 November 2022. You can listen to the episode here: https://criticaldistance.podbean.com/e/keywords-in-play-episode-24-mahli-an… The full call for papers, contact and submission details are available on the website: postgamerturn.wordpress.com/ On behalf of the editorial team, -- Best wishes, Mahli-Ann DR MAHLI-ANN BUTT | she/her https://linktr.ee/mahliann <https://sydney.academia.edu/MahliAnnButt> Research Chair: Sydney Games and Play Lab <https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/our-research/research-projects/sydney-games-…> Board member: DiGRA <http://www.digra.org/>; DiGRA Australia <https://digraa.org/> THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY| Research Assistant Department of Media and Communications, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Project: Emerging Online Safety Issues <https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/our-research/research-projects/emerging-onli…> *I acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, * *the Traditional Owners of the land on which I live and work.* *I pay my respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.* *Sovereignty has never been ceded.*

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Job posting: SMC is seeking a postdoc for 2023
by Tarleton L. Gillespie 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Hello, all! So excited to share that Microsoft Research New England is looking for a postdoctoral researcher interested in bringing sociotechnical perspectives to analyze critical issues of our time. They will join social scientists using empirical and critical methods to study the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape technologies and their consequences. Our work draws on and spans several disciplines, including anthropology, communication, gender and sexuality studies, history, information studies, law, media studies, organizational and management sciences, science & technology studies, and sociology. This is an ideal opportunity for a new Ph.D. to conduct original research that brings empirical and critical perspectives to bear on a variety of complex sociotechnical issues. Postdoctoral researchers are expected to devise their own research agendas. We are especially interested in candidates whose work can speak to one of these themes: * Race, caste, and indigeneity; gender and sexual identities; socioeconomic status and class; and the intersectional dimensions of identity as they are entangled with sociotechnical systems * How institutions, organizations, networks, and infrastructures (across sectors and domains) configure and are configured by sociotechnical systems * Notions of cooperation, mutual aid, and community engagement and their relationships to governance and responsible technologies * Political economies and emerging organizational forms in digital labor, community, government, non-profit, creator economy, and private-sector contexts * The politics and public responsibilities of algorithms, platforms, AI, machine learning, metrics, and other manifestations of computational cultures To apply for this PhD internship, read more about how to apply here<https://socialmediacollective.org/2022/11/09/smc-postdoc-for-2023/>, and fill out the online application form here<https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/job/1488454/Post-Doc-Researcher-Socio-T…>. Applications are due December 9, 2022. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have specific questions about the position or how to apply. Our team is comprised of full-time researchers, postdocs, visiting faculty, Ph.D. interns, and research assistants. Postdocs on our team may also have the opportunity to visit and collaborate with researchers in our sister labs in New York City and Montreal. Postdoctoral researchers are hired for a two-year term appointment following the academic calendar, starting in July 2023. The location is Cambridge MA, and the position can be up to 50% work-from-home. Postdoctoral researchers receive a competitive salary and benefits package, and are eligible for relocation expenses. Microsoft Research provides a vibrant multidisciplinary research environment, with an open publication policy and close links to top academic institutions around the world. The postdoctoral research positions offer emerging scholars an opportunity to develop their research career and to interact with some of the top minds in the research community. Tarleton -- Tarleton Gillespie tarleton(a)microsoft.com<mailto:tarleton@microsoft.com> Microsoft Research New England Cornell University

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silos
by Jonathan Sterne, Dr. 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Hi Everyone, A reminder: the “silo” metaphor is silly. It implies that silos are bad. Silos are good. Otherwise the grain goes everywhere. I also seem to remember some members of this very organization arguing against the context collapse that large scale social media companies demand as part of their business model. Another reminder: this organization is much older than Twitter, and many members were able to find people different from themselves online before Twitter existed. Twitter is always looking to expand my interests, for instance, by serving me celebrity news that I do not want. I don’t judge others for being interested in that, but it’s not like the “openness” of Twitter is the same openness that democratic theorists talk about. It’s not. Sometimes the two overlap but not due solely to the size of Twitter. That said, of course there are real communities on Twitter, and if I were part of one of those, I would fight to preserve it or mourn its loss if I were leaving. But a functional online community precisely partakes of a "siloing” [sic] effect people that are decrying. —Jonathan

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Re: [Air-L] Migration to Mastodon
by Stephanie Jo “Learning Resiliency” Ken t 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Hello all, On the issue of trust, Cory Doctorow just posted a long Twitter thread/blog post about Certificates of Authenticity. It reads like a Nacirema ritual. Speaking of trust, is antiracism not an open topic of conversation on this list serve? I received a couple of private responses to a link about the Twitter migration to mastodon being perhaps an indicator of white fragility. I don’t know the norms for when one goes private versus public but the public silence in light of a couple of private responses was noticeable! For any of you interested here’s another tweet thread with links to a couple of perspectives from “beyond white, left-leaning accounts” — https://twitter.com/sahdyadarr/status/1590266072627699713?s=46&t=JG_6hvzhr-… respectfully, steph > On Nov 10, 2022, at 5:58 AM, Robert W Gehl via Air-L <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: > Hi, Emma -- > > One of the major critiques of the development of ActivityPub (the protocol underlying Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, etc) is that the developers did not pay enough attention to security and privacy questions. Those concerns were bracketed off. For example, in terms of connections between servers, the developers assumed that other projects, like SSL, would solve any security issues. Encryption in general was bracketed off as out of scope for the ActivityPub project. (To be fair, they had a lot on their plates). > > So, as a result, there are some definite privacy issues. DMs between two members are not end-to-end encrypted. An instance admin has a great deal of insight into the network, from member profiles to who is talking to whom. > > There are people working on solutions to these problems. Indeed, one of the key developers, Christine Lemmer-Webber, recognized the problem of encrypting DMs back in 2017: https://github.com/w3c/activitypub/issues/225 and has proposed some solutions in the time since. > > But currently, DMs are not encrypted. > > The key issue, as always, is trust. Admins have to foster trust among their members by being good actors. But we also know from hard experience that admins can break trust. So, Emma, your questions are BIG ones and need to be pressed. > > Note that much of what I am saying is true of the corporate model, however. Twitter doesn't encrypt DMs. Yes, FB might have end-to-end encryption -- but of course, you have to trust that they haven't been compelled by a powerful state to have a backdoor. (And this is a company that holds a patent on an automated system to turn user data over to law enforcement). > > - Rob > > > On 11/9/22 21:13, Dr. Emma Briant via Air-L wrote: >> I’ll be honest, I’m a little worried about the privacy and security issue >> of using these services. I did see Wolfie Christl (who I trust) share two >> such sites and say he trusts the people behind them ( >> https://mastodon.social/@wchr/109299350293033545) but he also doesn’t seem >> to have used them himself as his Mastodon follower count doesn’t seem high >> like his Twitter. May I ask the community here whether anyone has concerns? >> Many thanks, >> Emma >> >> On Wed, 9 Nov 2022 at 16:07, Sarah Ann Oates via Air-L < >> air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: >> >>> This app to help migrate from Twitter to Mastodon was recommended by a >>> colleague today; I have yet to try it but looks promising: >>> https://pruvisto.org/debirdify/ >>> Sarah >>> Sarah Oates >>> Pronoun: she/her >>> Professor and Senior Scholar >>> Philip Merrill College of Journalism >>> Distinguished Scholar-Teacher >>> University of Maryland >>> College Park, MD 20742 >>> Email: soates(a)umd.edu >>> Phone: 301 455 2332 >>> www.media-politics.com >>> Twitter: @media_politics >>> *Support the UMD Student Crisis Fund >>> <https://giving.umd.edu/giving/showPage.php?name=crisis-funding> today. * >>> On Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 10:22 AM Steph Kent via Air-L < >>> air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: >>>> Hi all, >>>> Following the Twitter|Mastodon threads with critical interest. I >>> appreciate >>>> the invitation from Michael Ruigrok to members of this group to bring >>> your >>>> sophisticated knowledge and experience to the improvement of federated, >>>> communal social networks. I'm always interested in access, thinking about >>>> outlier groups such as the Deaf, for whom text is frequently not a >>>> sufficient accommodation (despite the convenience of this belief for >>>> h/Hearing people). *That said, Deaf academics on Twitter are formidable! >>>> I'm glad of the resources from Meryl, Joly and Fred Fuchs too, as I'm at >>>> the edge of my learning curve learning how to navigate Mastodon. >>>> Wanted to share this political, antiracist perspective from Tim Wise, who >>>> argues that it's mainly white liberals who are concerned with 'fleeing' >>> the >>>> new Twitter >>>> < >>> https://timjwise.medium.com/fleeing-twitter-the-twexodus-is-about-white-lib… >>>>> , >>>> suggesting this is evidence of the pervasiveness of white fragility -- >>> even >>>> among progressives. >>>> best regards, >>>> steph >>>> On Tue, Nov 8, 2022 at 1:30 AM Fred Fuchs via Air-L < >>>> air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> >>>> wrote: >>>>> Here's a TechRadar article on Mastodon. >>> https://www.techradar.com/news/mastodon-is-a-great-twitter-alternative-but-… >>>>> Fred >>>>> -- >>>>> Fred Fuchs - Founder, CEO, & Producer >>>>> FireSabre Consulting LLC >>>>> --- >>>>> On 11/7/2022 8:26 AM, Fred Fuchs wrote: >>>>>> On 11/7/2022 6:51 AM, Richard Forno via Air-L wrote: >>>>>>> I have a hard time *relying* on a communications platform >>>>>>> run by a company now fully engaged in the proverbial >>>>>>> "move fast, break things" mentality based on whatever >>>>>>> singular whims or rage cycle its owner is in at the time >>>>>>> a decision is made. To wit: They are now asking people >>>>>>> just fired to come back, b/c nobody knew they were >>>>>>> integral to the features Musk wanted to develop. (Were >>>>>>> it me, I'd say sure, but double my salary.) >>>>>> Sadly this is not uncommon during "regime changes" at >>>>>> Internet tech companies. The new leadership fires far more >>>>>> people than they should've, and then often has to hire >>>>>> some or even many back at a significant salary increase. >>>>>> On top of that, some of those with good employment >>>>>> prospects may decide to seek better opportunities. So >>>>>> their possibly irreplaceable tech and business practices >>>>>> knowledge is lost forever. >>>>>> Fred >>>>>> --- >>>>>> On 11/7/2022 6:51 AM, Richard Forno via Air-L wrote: >>>>>>> It's not Musk's views per se that's driven me from >>>>>>> Twitter, but that's a major reason, sure. >>>>>>> I have a hard time *relying* on a communications platform >>>>>>> run by a company now fully engaged in the proverbial >>>>>>> "move fast, break things" mentality based on whatever >>>>>>> singular whims or rage cycle its owner is in at the time >>>>>>> a decision is made. To wit: They are now asking people >>>>>>> just fired to come back, b/c nobody knew they were >>>>>>> integral to the features Musk wanted to develop. (Were it >>>>>>> me, I'd say sure, but double my salary.) He's also >>>>>>> reversed other polices and views that he preached -- he >>>>>>> was against permabans until Kathy Gifford parodied him >>>>>>> over the weekend, so she's banned. He's also said other >>>>>>> people not 'clearly identifying' as parody accounts would >>>>>>> be perma-banned. That's a far cry from his views about >>>>>>> how the company handled other perma-bans in recent >>>>>>> years. The entire company -- and platform -- now feels >>>>>>> rather unstable in many ways, and I feel sorry for the >>>>>>> many serfs still there who will endure such chaos .... >>>>>>> and it's only been a week! >>>>>>> Heck, if I wanted to interact on a platform conducting a >>>>>>> perpetual beta test[1], I'd use something from Google. >>>>>>> -- rick >>>>>>> [1] either technical or managerial >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> 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/ >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> 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/ >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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/ > _______________________________________________ > 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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NMS article on collective identity building in social media campaigns
by Gerbaudo, Paolo 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Dear All, This new article recently published on New Media and Society may be of interest to you. The article explores personal testimony campaigns from #MeToo,to #GirlsLikeUs and #RaiseTheWage as underpinned by a logic of collection, rather than connection, aimed at constructing/transforming collective identities. >From individual affectedness to collective identity: personal testimony campaigns on social media and the logic of collection https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448221128523 [https://journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/cover-alt/nms-cover-social-156528052…]<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448221128523> >From individual affectedness to collective identity: personal testimony campaigns on social media and the logic of collection - Paolo Gerbaudo, 2022 - journals.sagepub.com<https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448221128523> In recent years, there has been much debate about the consequences of the internet and social media for activism and social movements. According to Lance W Bennett and Alexandra Segerberg, digital activism involves a logic of ‘connective action’, in which collective action and collective identity lose importance. journals.sagepub.com Best, Paolo Dr Paolo Gerbaudo, Reader in Digital Politics, Department of Digital Humanities Director of the Centre for Digital Culture King's College London, Room S3.10, Strand Building, 3rd Floor, Strand London WC2, England Phone: +44 (0)20 78481576

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Job Posting: Phd in Platform Governance
by Christian Katzenbach 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Hi everyone, I have an open PhD Cand. position in my „Platform Governance, Media and Technology“ Lab at the University of Bremen. I’d love to hire someone from the AoIR-community, so please check and potentially forward to your students and colleagues. I am seeking someone to collaborate with my postdocs and me to better understand - how platforms govern communication on their sites (think: content moderation, but also beyond) - how the discourse on platforms is changing (Everyone: take more responsibility; Musk: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) - how regulation is seeking measures to translate responsibility into accountability - how platform employ automates means to address content moderation on scale („AI will fix it!“) It’s a 3Y position, in a team 10-15 postdocs, Phd cand, and MA student assistants working with me: https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/zemki/labs/platform-governance-media-and-techn… ⚠️ Please note: The deadline is already next week, NOV 18! If you are interested, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at katzenbach(a)uni-bremen.de. Send your full application including: (1) a cover letter outlining the motivation, (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) a brief outline of a possible doctoral topic, as well as (4) final transcripts and (5) the final thesis or other publications, if applicable, ideally as one single pdf-file – to janina.fadil-kersteinvw.uni-bremen.de. You find the full official job here and below: https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/university/the-university-as-an-employer/job-v… — Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach Professor of Media and Communication Head of Lab „Platform Governance Media, and Technology“ Director of MA program „Digital Media and Society" Centre for Media, Communication & Information Research (ZeMKI), University of Bremen www.uni-bremen.de/zemki Associated Researcher Alexander von Humboldt Institut for Internet and Society (HIIG) www.hiig.de ############# Research Associate (Doctoral Candidate) (f/m/d) in the topic area "Platform Governance" Faculty 9 Cultural Studies Classifications E 13 - part-time 50% Reference number: A305/22 Closing date: 11/18/2022 Public vacancy At the University of Bremen, the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research/ Department 9 - Cultural Studies - in the ZeMKI Lab "Platform Governance, Media, and Technology" of Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach has a vacancy for the position of a Research Associate (Doctoral Candidate) (f/m/d) pay group 13 TV-L- 50% in the topic area "Platform Governance for a period of 3 years. The fixed-term contract is for scientific qualification according to § 2 para. 1 WissZeitVG (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz). Accordingly, only applicants who still have qualification periods to the corresponding extent according to § 2 para. 1 WissZeitVG can be considered. Job description We are looking for a person with an interest in (and ideally initial experience in) research on platforms, their role in social and media change, and their governance. In an international team of postdocs and PhD students, we research at the lab the interplay between regulation, discourses and the development of technologies - currently with a focus on platforms and "artificial intelligence". To this end, we use innovative combinations of qualitative and digital methods. With the Platform Governance Archive (http://platformgovernancearchive.org) we also provide research data as resources for the research community. Tasks: • Independent researchin the form of a PhD to the extent of one third of working hours. The scientific research work in the above-mentioned field is to be deepened in a dissertation. • Scientific research activities to the extent of one third of the working time: • Collaboration in ongoing research projects of the ZeMKI Lab "Platform Governance, Media, and Technology", especially in the area of platform governance. • Collaboration in the operation and further development of the Platform Governance Archive • Collaboration in the acquisition of third-party funding • Preparation and implementation of scientific conferences • Support in academic self-administration • Academic services in teaching to the extent of 2 SWS or one third of the working time: • Conducting tutorials or seminars in BA and MA study programs • Preparation of teaching materials • Supervision of seminar papers, term papers, presentations and Bachelor's and Master's theses. Requirements • Above-average academic degree (master's/diploma) in communication and media studies or another discipline relevant to the topic area • Sound methodological training (especially with regard to qualitative methods and digital methods) • Previous knowledge of or high interest in the above-mentioned main research areas • Willingness to pursue further academic qualification (doctorate) in the above-mentioned field • Very good knowledge of written and spoken English, knowledge of German would be an advantage • High level of commitment and initiative, ability to work in a team, careful and reliable working methods • Willingness to participate in academic self-administration • Willingness to teach in accordance with the LVNV (Lehrverpflichtungs- und Lehrnachweisordnung). General hints The university is family-friendly, diverse and sees itself as an international university. We therefore welcome all applicants regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion/belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity. The University of Bremen intends to increase the proportion of women in academia and therefore expressly invites women to apply. Disabled applicants will be given priority if they have essentially the same professional and personal qualifications. Questions should be addressed to Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach (katzenbachuni-bremen.de). Applications are requested by November 18th, 2022, quoting the reference number A305/22, to University of Bremen Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) Ms Janina Fadil-Kerstein Linzer Str. 4 28359 Bremen or by e-mail to: janina.fadil-kersteinvw.uni-bremen.de

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CfP: Big Data & Society Special Issue on Digital Resignation and Privacy Cynicism
by Nora Draper 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Dear Colleagues, We invite abstract submissions for a special issue of Big Data & Society on Digital Resignation and Privacy Cynicism. This special theme will act as a forum for cutting edge research that both explores, extends, and challenges our understanding of privacy cynicism, digital resignation, and related concepts. We invite abstracts for papers that engage theoretical and practical questions regarding the conceptualization, measurement, and response to the pervasive and seemingly unavoidable use of personal information in the digital era. Special Theme Editors (alphabetical order): Nora A. Draper, Christian Pieter Hoffmann, Christoph Lutz, Giulia Ranzini, and Joseph Turow Scope: In recent privacy research, a new perspective is emerging that centers on user agency—or the lack thereof—as a critical but under-examined aspect of privacy attitudes and behaviors. Independently and across contexts, scholars have noted the manifestation of resigned attitudes towards (online) privacy, variably termed privacy apathy (Hargittai & Marwick, 2016), privacy cynicism (Hoffmann et al., 2016; Lutz et al., 2020), surveillance realism (Dencik & Cable, 2017), privacy fatigue (Choi et al., 2018), digital resignation (Turow et al., 2015; Draper & Turow, 2019), and privacy helplessness (Cho, 2021). Despite differences in terminology and empirical approaches, these works share the conclusion that a sizable share of users feel overwhelmed and disempowered when it comes to protecting their privacy from the threats posed by the digital infrastructures they rely on for social and economic inclusion. Initial efforts to identify, conceptualize, and investigate attitudes of resignation have raised questions about the contours of these frustrations as well as their predictors. We invite papers on, but not limited to, the following topics: * Conceptual/theoretical differentiation and clarification: What are commonalities and differences between privacy apathy, privacy cynicism, surveillance realism, privacy fatigue, digital resignation, and privacy helplessness? How do they relate to adjacent concepts such as privacy concerns and privacy turbulence? How can established privacy theories such as privacy as contextual integrity, communication privacy management, and the privacy calculus accommodate privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation? Can broader sociological, psychological, and communication theories be meaningfully aligned with privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation? * Antecedents: How are privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation structured along social lines? Are they most pronounced among marginalized groups or among privileged groups - and why? What is the role of digital skills and privacy literacy in mitigation? How do psychological and personality-related predictors affect privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation? How do previous experiences matter? * Contextual differentiation: Is privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation more prevalent for certain types or dimensions of privacy compared to others (e.g., institutional vs. social; informational vs. physical vs. psychological)? What is the role of specific technologies, services, and stakeholders? How does privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation vary by the complexity and invasiveness of certain technologies and services or is it a more generic and diffuse attitude? * Outcomes: What is the link between privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, digital resignation on the one hand and privacy protection behavior on the other? Are there certain types of privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation that have some activating power, rather than leading to passivity? How does privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, digital resignation result in heightened vulnerability and susceptibility to manipulation? * The role of organizations and institutions: How do digital corporations benefit from and potentially foster privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, digital resignation through their communication and design practices? What is the role of institutions such as schools, the media sector, universities, public services, and law enforcement in the creation or mitigation of privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, digital resignation? * Comparative insights: How does privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation differ between geographic areas? Specifically, does privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation occur equally in the Global South and Global North? Do political systems and regimes matter? * Remedies and policies: How can regulation empower citizens to be less apathetic, cynical, fatigued, helpless, and resigned when it comes to online privacy? What are meaningful ways in which legal, technological, and social interventions can be combined to address privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation? Do literacy initiatives need to take into consideration the role of privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness, surveillance realism, and digital resignation? * Resistance and repair: How can individuals and collectives meaningfully resist data/surveillance capitalism and overcome surveillance realism, digital resignation, and privacy apathy/cynicism/fatigue/helplessness? What promising initiatives and practices exist? What is the role of repair practices (Velkova & Kaun, 2021)? We welcome theoretical/conceptual and empirical submissions across academic disciplines. Interdisciplinary collaborations and contributions from non-WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) countries are particularly encouraged. Empirical submissions can draw on quantitative research, qualitative research, digital methods, and other methodological paradigms, with mixed-methods work particularly welcome. Format: This special issue will include full length original research papers and shorter commentary articles. Interested authors will submit abstracts (500-word max) and short author biographies for review by the special issue editors. Authors should specify in their abstract whether they intend to submit an original research paper (up to 10,000 words) or a commentary (up to 3,000 words) for the full paper deadline for accepted abstracts. NOTE: Selected papers will undergo full peer review with Big Data & Society; therefore, selected papers are not guaranteed publication in the journal’s special issue. Timeline: * Open Call Abstract Submission Deadline: 19 December 2022 * Notifications of acceptance of the proposals: 31 January 2023. * Deadline for full papers: 31 March 2023 * Peer review process: April 2023 - November 2023 * Publication of the special theme: Early 2024 Interested authors should submit abstracts (500-word max) and short biographies to Professor Christian Pieter Hoffmann (christian.hoffmann(a)uni-leipzig.de<mailto:christian.hoffmann@uni-leipzig.de>) by 19 December 2022. Questions can also be sent to Professor Hoffmann. About Big Data & Society: Big Data & Society (BD&S) is an open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal that publishes interdisciplinary work principally in the social sciences, humanities and computing and their intersections with the arts and natural sciences about the implications of Big Data for societies. The Journal's key purpose is to provide a space for connecting debates about the emerging field of Big Data practices and how they are reconfiguring academic, social, industry, business and government relations, expertise, methods, concepts and knowledge. BD&S moves beyond usual notions of Big Data and treats it as an emerging field of practices that is not defined by but generative of (sometimes) novel data qualities such as high volume and granularity and complex analytics such as data linking and mining. It thus attends to digital content generated through online and offline practices in social, commercial, scientific, and government domains. This includes, for instance, content generated on the Internet through social media and search engines but also that which is generated in closed networks (commercial or government transactions) and open networks such as digital archives, open government and crowdsourced data. Critically, rather than settling on a definition the Journal makes this an object of interdisciplinary inquiries and debates explored through studies of a variety of topics and themes. Homepage: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/BDS

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Upcoming events: Limits and Challenges of Decolonial Turn in Internet Research
by Rafael Grohmann 10 Nov '22

10 Nov '22

Hello AoIR! We would like to invite you all to two upcoming events, this week and the next focused on the question: What are the limits and challenges of the decolonial turn in internet research? The first will be an in-person roundtable at the AoIR this week. With Nick Couldry, Paola Ricaurte, Syed Mustafa Ali, Cheryll Soriano, and Ana Suzina. It'll be an open and constructive debate, and we invite everyone to join us! Thursday, Nov 3: 11AM, Room EQ-112. Full details on: [1]https://w ww.conftool.org/aoir2022/index.php?page=browseSessions&form_session=264 &presentations=show < span style="font:inherit">The second will be a fully remote and bilingual (English and Portuguese, with translation) roundtable with Abeba Birhane, Tarcizio Silva, Anita Gurumurthy, Syed Mustafa Ali, Cheryll Soriano, Rigoberto Lara Guzmán and Walter Lippold. Next week: November 10, 8AM ET. Sign up on: [2]https://digilabour-br.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fWduKs8ZQTCKqe Ucm6aHkw Both events are co-chaired/moderated by Gabriel Pereira and I. The online event is hosted by DigiLabour and Critical Digital Methods Institute/ University of Toronto. Our hope is to offer a useful space for building conversations across different scholars, productively considering the advances, challenges, and limits of the decolonial framework in internet studies. best, Rafael Grohmann Assistant Professor, Media Studies/ Critical Platform and Data Studies, University of Toronto Leader of DigiLabour Initiative References 1. https://www.conftool.org/aoir2022/index.php?page=browseSessions&form_sessio… 2. https://digilabour-br.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fWduKs8ZQTCKqeUcm6aHkw

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Will Academic Twitter Exist Under Elon Musk?
by Shulman, Stu 09 Nov '22

09 Nov '22

Will academic Twitter exist under Elon Musk? Will there be more or less data? More or less urgent issues to study? Will the "Fail Whale" show up again after 75% of the staff is gone? Who will do content moderation? Is this a FastTrack to the next violent uprising in the US? I am curious what people on this particular list think is about to happen. After 12 years featuring the formal study of Twitter data I am completely burned out. Not on the challenges, nor the art and science of the tasks. I still love talking to students and faculty who have chosen Twitter as the object of their research. The data has never been more widely available and the positive uses of it can be inspiring. It's the voluminous amounts of hate I see in my own research. Also the systemic weaponization of Twitter against democratic systems of government globally. As an original Board Member and the Treasurer of a 501 (c)(6) called "The Big Boulder Initiative" I was working as a liaison to academia with a group of industry people on the "long term preservation of the social data industry." The industry survived, but the ideals aspired to have not. We offered this 2-minute Lawrence Lessig-inspired vision of the challenges about 7 years ago: "Why Texifter Joined the Big Boulder Initiative" https://vimeo.com/129423037 Lessig was right. On the Internet, architecture is the most powerful regulator. The architecture of Twitter, with corporate ads featured on insurrectionist and other problematic timelines, is now a persistent threat to democratic systems of government without a single day of Musk governance. The insurrection January 6, 2021 was planned in the open on Twitter. There were advertisements from familiar brands in every seditious timeline. Evolving tactics using Twitter trains (tagging 30 like-minded users), notification-rich replies, the ReTweet functionality, gamification, domestic and foreign meme warfare, the idolatry of influence via misinformation, bots and trolls, as well as paid amplifiers of all manner and variety. The "digital soldiers" we found in the Canadian election of 2019 (fake Americans who hated Trudeau but liked RT, Russia Today and Southfront) were openly planning a QAnon-inspired "storm" which ultimately was the first coup attempt in two centuries of American democracy. I briefed the US/UK Intelligence Community (staff from the Joint Chiefs, JSOC, etc.) February 12, 2020 via the Strategic Multilayer Assessment using open source information from Twitter. Things have since gotten much worse, not better, since that briefing. These were the slides in early February 2020: https://tinyurl.com/huntingbotsandtrolls Looking at the current threat-relevant data, I have a sick-to-my-stomach feeling about the next 60 days in U.S. history. We may be late to notice the end of small "d" democracy is imminent or inevitable because of the Internet effects we cannot fully see, capture, measure, or control. -- Dr. Stuart W. Shulman Founder and CEO, Texifter Editor Emeritus, *Journal of Information Technology & Politics*

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