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CFPs - First Annual Trust and Safety Research Conference at Stanford University
by Daniel Bateyko 29 Mar '22

29 Mar '22

Dear Colleagues, This September, The Stanford Internet Observatory<https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/> and the Trust and Safety Foundation<https://trustandsafetyfoundation.org/> will host the first annual Trust and Safety Research Conference<https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/trust-safety-research-conference>. The conference will be among the first of its kind, gathering trust and safety professionals and academics in fields like computer science, sociology, law, and political science to learn from each other and discuss trust and safety issues. Alongside the conference, the Journal of Online Trust and Safety<https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots> will publish a conference proceeding with peer-reviewed work from attendees. Our first two issues have had considerable impact, with articles cited in senate testimony, Twitter policy announcements, and reporting by The Guardian and The Washington Post. For this next issue, we are inviting papers for peer-review, as well as informal letters and commentaries. If you are interested in presenting or attending, please fill out our Application Form<https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bQQdcw8763ofiOq> by May 31. We encourage applications from those in academia, industry, civil society, and government. Presenters need not submit a paper to the journal proceedings to participate. We also invite graduate students to apply to participate in a poster session, which will be accompanied by a happy hour for all attendees. Authors interested in publishing in this issue can direct a letter of inquiry to trustandsafetyjournal(a)stanford.edu. Details on how to write the letter of inquiry are on the Journal’s submission page<https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/about/submissions>. Full paper submissions are due April 30, 2022. Accepted papers will be published one week before the conference, and authors will be invited to present at the conference. The conference will be hosted on Stanford’s campus and will include many opportunities for informal networking. We hope you will join us in our effort to learn from each other and build towards a future in which technology lives up to the expectations of citizens. About the Journal The Journal of Online Trust and Safety<https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/index> is a no fee, fast peer-review, and open access journal. Priority areas include research under the umbrella of Trust and Safety – we welcome papers on spam, fraud, encryption policy, harassment, hate speech, misinformation, and incitement. Our editorial team<https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/announcing-journal-online-trust-and-…> includes top researchers from computer science, political science, and communications, and is headed by Shelby Grossman and Alex Stamos from the Stanford Internet Observatory and Professor Jeff Hancock from Stanford University’s Department of Communication. Timeline Paper submission deadline: April 30, 2022 Desk Decisions: May 3, 2022 Commentary submission deadline: August 1, 2022 Publication date: September 2022 Submission instructions Letters of Inquiry should be submitted either on our website or by email to trustandsafetyjournal(a)stanford.edu Questions about the conference may be directed to Dan Bateyko, Managing Editor (dbateyko(a)stanford.edu) Best, Dan Bateyko -- Dan Bateyko (he/him) Special Projects Manager, Stanford Internet Observatory dbateyko(a)stanford.edu

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Social Media Influencers in South Asia and Africa: University of Michigan
by Joyojeet Pal 29 Mar '22

29 Mar '22

We are hosting a 2-day in-person and hybrid event at the University of Michigan that features talks and discussions with social media influencers, industry professionals, and scholars on the work and impact of social media influencers on aspects of daily life. Full list of speakers and sessions below. Please register free to attend online. https://influencers.conference.si.umich.edu **** Social Media Influencers and the New Political Economy in South Asia and Africa *April 7-8, 2022, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor* In Person at Room 2435, North Quad, 105 State Street, Ann Arbor, and available online upon registration 9 AM – 6 PM, US Eastern Time *Apply to Attend <https://forms.gle/7qSmERXtWH8ECFBF8>* Social media influencer activity on platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn are now pivotal to social influence in societies around the world, as the ecology of the public sphere gets increasingly crafted, amplified, or negated by what happens online. This is as true, or more so in the Global South, where social media has often served as the gateway for entry into the online realm for millions of technology users with little or no prior experience. The resulting world is one in which the boundaries between the physical and the virtual has fundamentally reshaped power equations between the citizens and the state, their culture, and their communities. This symposium at the University of Michigan is focused on social media influencers, and brings a host of leaders, artistes, journalists, activists, commentators, and scholars from two of the fastest growing Internet-using regions of the world to discuss how they interact online, what drives their activities and success, and how being public figures online impacts their lives and work. ScheduleDay 1: April 7, 2022 (all times US Eastern Time) Opening Remarks *9:00 AM* *Omolade Adunbi <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/oadunbi.html>* and *Joyojeet Pal <http://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/>* Session 1: Democracy and Institutions *9:05 AM – 10.50 AM, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair*: *Matthew Hull <https://lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/faculty/socio-cultural-faculty/hullm.ht…>*, Chair, Center for South Asia Studies, University of Michigan Resisting Erasure: Social Media & the Campaign against Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan *Nida Yasmeen Kirmani <https://lums.edu.pk/lums_employee/2864>*, Assocate Professor of Sociology, Lahore University of Management Sciences (Twitter <https://twitter.com/NidaKirmani>) Countering the "Toolkit" Attack on India's Leading Opposition Party *Rajeev Gowda <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajeev_Gowda>, *Former Member of Parliament, India (Twitter <https://twitter.com/rajeevgowda>) Democracy or Demagoguery? An Assessment of Social Media's Role in Shaping Politics and Society in Sri Lanka *A’ndre Gonawela <https://andregonawela.com/>, *Podcaster (Spotify <https://open.spotify.com/show/4nQi6GIGHtajLaH2NeHqdb>) #IStandWithKDF: Social Media & the New Military Normal in Kenya *Samar Al Bulushi <https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/samaralbulushi/>, *Assistant Professor, University of California, Irvine (Twitter <https://twitter.com/samar42>) Keynote *11.00 AM – 12:00 PM**, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* How social media unmade and made me: the changing contours of celebrity and activism in 'New India *Swara Bhaskar <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swara_Bhasker>, *Actor and Activist (Twitter <https://twitter.com/reallyswara>, Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/reallyswara/>) *Discussant: Swapnil Rai <https://lsa.umich.edu/ftvm/people/faculty/swapnilr.html>, *Assistant Professor of Film, Television and Media, University of Michigan Session 2: Internet Subcultures *1:00 PM - 2.50 PM, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair*: *Ram Mahalingam <https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/ramawasi.html>*, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan Sex Scandals in Digital Kinshasa. Influencers, diasporas, and ritual innovation in a digitized world* ,* *Katrien Pype <https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/dasa/pype-katrien.aspx>*, Associate Professor, KU Leuven Love (and Hate) In the Time of Instagram *Priya Ramani <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priya_Ramani>*, Journalist, Founder IndiaLove project (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/indialoveproject/>) The Khabar Lahariya Story: Digital Waves in India's Hinterland *Geeta Devi <https://www.indiaspend.com/geeta-devi>, *Journalist (YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/c/KhabarLahariyaDigital>, Twitter <https://twitter.com/geetaklbanda>) Social Media hierarchies and their subversion by marginalised creators on the digital landscape *Priyanka Paul <https://artwhoring.com/>, *Artist (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/artwhoring/>) Session 3: New Voices Online *3:00 PM - 4:45 PM, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair: Mustafa Naseem <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/mustafa-naseem>, *Clinical Assistant Professor of Information, University of Michigan Social Media activism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal *Bal Krishna Sharma <https://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/faculty-staff/bal-sharma>*, Assistant Professor, University of Idaho Strategies and practices of Bangladeshi Facebook microcelebrities in sociopolitical discourses *Dipto Das <https://www.colorado.edu/cmci/people/graduate-students/information-science/…>*, PhD Student, University of Colorado (Twitter <https://twitter.com/diptodas175>) How TikTok took over Pakistani working class *Nighat Dad <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nighat_Dad>*, Lawyer and Activist, Digital Rights Foundation, Facebook Independent Oversight Board ( Twitter <https://twitter.com/nighatdad>) Cultural Netizenship and the Production of the Social Media Influencer in Nigeria *James Yeku <https://jamesyeku.com/>*, Assistant Professor, University of Kansas Session 4: Student Research Lightning Showcase *4:45 PM - 5:00 PM* Fireside Chat *5.00 PM – 6:00 PM**, April 7, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* Social Media as Resistance *Rumman Chowdhury <http://www.rummanchowdhury.com/>, *Director, META (ML Ethics, Transparency, and Accountability), Twitter (Twitter <https://twitter.com/ruchowdh>) in conversation with *Libby Hemphill <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/libby-hemphill>, *Associate Professor of Information, University of Michigan (Twitter <https://twitter.com/libbyh>) Day 2: April 8, 2022 (all times US Eastern Time) Session 5: The Business of Influencing *9:00 AM - 10:50 AM, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* The politics of corporate Twitter engagement: a comparative analysis of India and the US *Shehla Rashid <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shehla_Rashid>, *Jawaharlal Nehru University (Twitter <https://twitter.com/Shehla_Rashid>) India's Social Media Marketing Revolution *Hardik Rajgor <http://www.hardism.com/>, *Writer (Twitter <https://twitter.com/hardism>) Influencer Management on LinkedIn *Tanya Dubey <https://in.linkedin.com/in/tanyadubey>, *Creator Manager, LinkedIn Entrepreneurship, Yoruba Nollywood and Social Media in Africa *Olubunmi Ojediran (Ruby Sparkling) <https://www.instagram.com/its_rubysparkling/>*, Actor, Entreprenuer ( Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/its_rubysparkling/>) Session 6: Comedy and Power *11:00 AM - 12:50 PM, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair: Rebekah Modrak <https://stamps.umich.edu/people/rebekah-modrak>, *Professor, Stamps School of Art and Design University of Michigan At the risk of sounding funny *Swineryy <https://www.instagram.com/swineryy/>, *Comedian (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/swineryy/>) Using sarcasm to mobilise dissent in a nation where facts don’t matter *Aakar Patel <https://twitter.com/aakar__patel>, *Author, Chair, Amnesty International India (Twitter <https://twitter.com/Aakar__Patel>) Whose LAN is it anyway: A Study of Internet sub-cultures in India *Anurag Minus Verma <https://open.spotify.com/show/19bjmIcW7eNKccki8LwO2r>, *Podcaster, Columnist (Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/anuragminusverma>, Spotify <https://open.spotify.com/show/19bjmIcW7eNKccki8LwO2r>) Beyond Entertainment - Role of YouTube Influencers In India *Akash Banerjee <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTM_hPCeckqN3cPWtYZZcg>, *Satirist ( YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmTM_hPCeckqN3cPWtYZZcg>, Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/akashbanerjee.in/>) Session 7: Information Freedom *2:00 PM - 3:50 PM, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad* *Chair: Howard Stein <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/howstein.html>*, Professor, Professor of Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan Misinformation and Hate Speech on WhatsApp in India *Kiran Garimella <https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/garimella-kiran>, *Assistant Professor, Rutgers University (Twitter <https://twitter.com/gvrkiran>) Killing Digital Freedom with the Hammer: The Folly of Social Media Regulation in Nigeria *Aminu Mahmud <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Aminu_Mahmud>, *Human Rights Lawyer, Essayist, Poet (Twitter <https://twitter.com/abdulmahmud01>) Social Media: Enabling our Dissent & Destroying our Democracy *Josy Joseph <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josy_Joseph>, *Investigative Journalist and Author (Twitter <https://twitter.com/josyjosephkj>) Social Media Fueling Rights-Based Resistance Movements in Pakistan *Gulalai Ismail <https://twitter.com/gulalai_ismail>*, Activist (Twitter <https://twitter.com/Gulalai_Ismail>) Session 8: Student Session *4:00 PM - 5:30 PM*, April 8, 2022 (US Eastern Time), 2435 North Quad Political Influencers on Facebook: The role of Informal Agents in Digital Election Campaigns *Neelesh Agrawal <https://tcpd.ashoka.edu.in/team/>, Shivam Gangwani, Ishika Sharan, Ananay Agarwal, *Ashoka University The Social Media Skit Industry in Nigeria: Economy, Power, Tensions *Godwin Iretomiwa Simon <https://research.qut.edu.au/dmrc/people/godwin-simon/>, *Queensland University of Technology The Vernacular Influencer: Case Study of an Indic Challenger to Twitter *Nikhila Natarajan <https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/natarajan-nikhila>, *Rutgers University >From MTV to Modi: The Saffronisation of the Indian Fitness Influencer *Nandini Rawat, *Delhi University How Influencers Shape Mainstream Media *Aryan Gupta <https://www.equitechfutures.com/aryan-gupta>, *Delhi University Defence Veterans as a Political Influence Network in India *Agrima Seth <https://agrimaseth.github.io/>, Soham De, Arshia Arya *University of Michigan, Ashoka University, and Microsoft Research India Tasty Platformization: The Promotional Culture around Food Delivery *Simiran Lalvani <https://www.qeh.ox.ac.uk/people/simiran-lalvani>, *University of Oxford Closing Keynote *5:00 PM - 6:00 PM* *Timipre Sylva <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timipre_Sylva>*, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Nigeria Introduced by *Omolade Adunbi <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/oadunbi.html>* *Symposium Organizers:* Joyojeet Pal <https://joyojeet.people.si.umich.edu/>, School of Information, University of Michigan Omolade Adunbi <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/core-faculty/oadunbi.html>, DAAS, University of Michigan *Administration* Janaki Phillips <https://lsa.umich.edu/anthro/people/graduate-students/socio-cultural-anthro…> , Elizabeth James <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/people/staff/ecnirp.html>, Devika Deshpande, Mohit Padhye *Student Session:* Dipto Das <https://www.colorado.edu/cmci/people/graduate-students/information-science/…>, College of Media, Communication and Information, University of Colorado, Boulder Anmol Panda <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/anmol-panda>, School of Information, University of Michigan Agrima Seth <https://www.si.umich.edu/people/agrima-seth>, School of Information, University of Michigan For more information, please contact influencers(a)umich.edu *Event Sponsors* <https://ii.umich.edu/csas> <https://lsa.umich.edu/daas/> <https://si.umich.edu/> <https://esc.umich.edu/>

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Call for Contributions: #NTF21 - Workshop in Berlin on War and Terrorism
by Prof. Dr. Stephan G. Humer 29 Mar '22

29 Mar '22

The war in Ukraine shocks the people in Europe and influences the modern world and value order as strongly as it probably has not been the case since the end of the Cold War. This raises numerous new questions, challenges, and tasks for terrorism and extremism research. We want to take this change of times into account in a workshop and therefore cordially invite short presentations: We are looking for impulse presentations of five to 15 minutes in length that address the various aspects of the reorganization of the connection between war and terrorism. Exemplary are the following questions: - How does the war in Ukraine affect the security situation in Europe in the area of terrorism/extremism? - What role does the war play in the training and "hardening" of fighters from the extremist milieu? (Foreign Volunteers) - What impact will the war have in terms of the arms black market in Europe and the world? - What role does the energy issue play in the security situation in Europe? - What changes can be seen in propaganda? - How will social media platforms transform? - How does dealing with fake news look like? Of course, any impulse presentation proposal on the war in Ukraine and terrorism is welcome and not limited to the previously mentioned sample topic areas. Interested persons send us their proposal (max. 125 words/approx. half a page in Word) by April 8 to stephan.humer(a)ntfev.org Notification of acceptance will be made by April 10. The event will take place on April 29, 2022 at Hochschule Fresenius, Jägerstraße 32, 10117 Berlin, and via Zoom. Admission is free of charge. Participation without a presentation is possible but must be confirmed in advance via e-mail. Registrations for participation without a presentation can be sent up to and including April 27. Streaming via Zoom will be possible, but also for this, registration via e-mail is necessary. Unfortunately, we cannot cover travel expenses. Students are explicitly invited to contribute a presentation. The same applies to representatives of non-scientific institutions from politics, security, and the corporate world. -- Prof. Dr. Stephan G. Humer Internet Sociologist Director, Internet Sociology Department, Hochschule Fresenius Berlin Chief Research Officer, Hochschule Fresenius Berlin Founding Chairman (2013-2021), Coordinator Advanced Research, NTF e.V. Member, Research Cluster of Excellence on Terrorism/Extremism (MOTRA) Tel. (DE/EU): +49 (0)157/58064165 Phone (US): (213) 267-0214 Website: www.humer.de Twitter: @netsociology

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WEBCAST MAR 29 – 2022 Bipartisan Tech Policy Conference
by Joly MacFie 29 Mar '22

29 Mar '22

Kicks off shortly. Bipartisan Tech skipped 2021, so we are glad to see them back! NCC's flagship event. With infrastructure $$ coming through, lots to talk about! Be warned. While the registration is for a zoom webinar, they have switched to Airmeet for the actual event, so be prepared for the switch if participating. This does mean there are extra schmooze sessions during, before and after. *REAL TIME TEXT* *https://bit.ly/3uCHYrV <https://bit.ly/3uCHYrV>* ISOC Live posted: "On Tuesday March 29 2022 from 1pm-4pm EDT (17:00-20:00 UTC) Next Century Cities hosts the 2022 Bipartisan Tech Policy Conference. A variety of local leaders, broadband advocates, and researchers will explore the theme "Next is Now". Topics include: prepar" [image: livestream] <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/bipartisantech2022>On *Tuesday March 29 2022* from *1pm-4pm* EDT (17:00-20:00 UTC) *Next Century Cities <https://nextcenturycities.org/>* hosts the *2022 Bipartisan Tech Policy Conference <https://nextcenturycities.org/bipartisantech/>*. A variety of local leaders, broadband advocates, and researchers will explore the theme "*Next is Now*". Topics include: preparing communities to be grant-ready, improving data collection, and understanding the impact of digital equity. Keynote speakers are *Commissioner* *Teri Freehling* of Berrien County, MI and *Grace Simrall*, Chief of Innovation and Technology for Louisville, KY. This virtual event will be simulcast live via a partnership with the *Internet Society Washington DC Chapter <https://isoc-dc.org>*. *PROGRAM (ALL TIMES EDT = UTC-4)* *13:00 Opening* *Francella Ochillo*, Executive Director, Next Century Cities *13:10 Welcome Keynote Address* *Commissioner Teri Freehling*, Berrien County, Michigan *13:30 What Broadband Equity Means for Judicial and Civic Participation* *Ross Ufberg*, Researcher, The Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, UC Berkeley *Shalev Netanel*, Researcher, The Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, UC Berkeley *Javier Trujillo*, Chief Assistant Director, County of Marin *Peter Estes*, Consumer Rights Organizer, Senior Disability Action Network *Olivia Sideman*, Associate Deputy Public Defender, Alameda County *14:10 Reaching the People We Serve* *Paolo Balboa*, Senior Programs and Data Manager, National Digital Inclusion Alliance *Peggy Schaffer*, Executive Director, Connect Maine *Kathryn Greiner*, Administrator, City of Condon, Oregon *Ryan Collins*, Broadband Coordinator, Buckeye Hills Regional Council *14:45 Breakout Sessions* *Claire Park*, Policy Analyst, Open Technology Institute *Samantha Schartman*, Executive Director, Marconi Society *15:00 Democracy and Civic Participation* *Kat Trujillo*, Deputy Director, Libraries Without Borders *Brittany Woods-Orrison*, Broadband Specialist, Alaska Public Interest Research Group and Native Movement *Commissioner Greg Puckett*, Mercer County, West Virginia *Samuel Blackwood*, Director of Public Policy, Project READY *15:45 Closing Keynote Address* *Grace Simrall*, Chief of Civic Innovation and Technology, Louisville Metro, Kentucky *16:00 Conclusion* *LIVESTREAM http://livestream.com/internetsociety/bipartisantech2022 <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/bipartisantech2022>* *AGENDA https://bit.ly/35gkdNI <https://bit.ly/35gkdNI>* *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3qxU2cR <https://bit.ly/3qxU2cR>* *REAL TIME TEXT* (see *ISOC.LIVE <https://isoc.live/15268>*) *TWITTER #NextIsNow @NextCentCit <https://bit.ly/35kHVbM> @isocdc @BerkeleyLaw, @netinclusion @maringov @AlamedaCounty @connectmaine, @buckeyehillsrc @OTI @MarconiSociety @mercerwvcommish @LouisvilleCIT #ProjectReady #CondonOregon* *SIMULCASTS* *https://www.facebook.com/NextCenturyCities <https://www.facebook.com/NextCenturyCities>* *https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/ <https://www.twitter.com/ISOC_Live/>* *https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive <https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive>* *https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/ <https://www.facebook.com/liveisoc/>* (AI Captions) *ARCHIVE* *https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7OC3mCKqDVgXJtABVVdbHw <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7OC3mCKqDVgXJtABVVdbHw>* (NCC) *https://archive.org/details/bipartisantech2022 <https://archive.org/details/bipartisantech2022>* *Permalink* https://isoc.live/15268/ - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Permanent Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Digital Media Practice
by Kylie Jarrett 29 Mar '22

29 Mar '22

Hello, The Department of Media Studies at Maynooth University is looking to hire a permanent Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Digital Media with a specialism in creative practice. Key teaching areas may include Foundations of Media Design, Cultural Algorithms, Interactive Storytelling and Digital Critical Skills. Follow the link below to get the details: www.maynoothuniversity.ie/human-resources/vacancies<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.maynoo…> Dr. Kylie Jarrett Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) Department of Media Studies Maynooth University, Maynooth, Co. Kildare Ireland Author: Feminism, Labour, and Digital Media: The Digital Housewife Co-author: NSFW: Sex, Humor and Risk in Social Media Google and the Culture of Search

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CfP on "Automating Communication“ in New Media & Society
by Christian Katzenbach 29 Mar '22

29 Mar '22

Dear colleagues, for New Media & Society we are guest editing a special issue on "Automating Communication in the Digital Society: Contexts, Consequences, Critique“. We’d be more than happy to receive strong contribution from the AoIR-community. Please see the call below and here: https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/zemki/about-zemki/news/call-for-papers-for-spe… Deadline for extended abstracts is June 15, 2022. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions. Best, Christian Katzenbach (Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research, University of Bremen; Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin) Christian Pentzold (Department of Communication and Media Studies, Leipzig University) — Call for Papers for Special Issue in New Media and Society Deadline for Abstract Submission: June 15, 2022 Automating Communication in the Digital Society: Contexts, Consequences, Critique Special Issue Editors Christian Katzenbach (Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research, University of Bremen; Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin) Christian Pentzold (Department of Communication and Media Studies, Leipzig University) Automation has momentum. Automation is a defining feature of today’s societies. Automation converts the production of content, the distribution of information and messages, the curation of media use, and the governance of our networked lives into machine operations. All of these areas are increasingly shaped by algorithmically-driven processes and automated agents. They help to automate the selection and filtering of news feeds and search engines, they attribute relevance and popularity, perform content moderation and fact-checking. Automated agents like social bots participate in organizational communication such as customer service and, as a potential force of manipulation, also seem to intervene in election campaigns. As of today, innovations in smart companions and artificial intelligence are driven by ambitions to delegate physical motoric functions, cognitive processes, decisions, and evaluations to increasingly autonomous and capable technology. This is not a one-way transfer from humans to machines. Rather, we also witness environments where people come to act in an automatic fashion, where human contributions feed into processes of automation and help to improve them. In consequence, the special issue of New Media & Society aims to study how subjectivity, autonomy, agency, and empowerment become defined and reconfigured in these novel human-machine encounters. We invite contributions that take issue with the conditions and consequences of automation and offer critical perspectives on the transition of human activity into machine operations. Because automation, and the related processes of digitization, datafication, and algorithmization, are set to redefine most if not all sectors of society, they have become a research interest across the academy. We are especially interested in submissions that shed light across these themes: Contexts: The ideology, infrastructures, and procedures around automatisation have a long history of mechanical inventions that implicate expectations of efficiency and enhancement but also engender fears of alienation and inorexable domination. What are the dominating sociotechnical imaginaries around automation? Inquiries into automation open up a broad array of topics from the history of ideas around human capabilities and machine capacities via political or economic arguments about the implications of automation on prosperity or democracy up to ethical, legal, and technological challenges. Hence, possible questions are: Can there be alternative visions for automation? What is to be learned from historical moments of people protesting and refusing the automation of labor and life? CfP for a Special Issue: Automating Communication: Contexts, Consequences, Critique 2 Consequences: Automating communication affects and involves a variety of actors: when algorithms produce content this changes the effort and role of journalists. So we for instance ask: How do media actors engage with algorithmic content production? How does automated communication affect media use and media effects? Are journalists “gaming” the algorithms of platforms, and how? Who creates the tools and affordances that automate communication—and under which conditions? What happens when low-wage employees execute highly automated tasks, partly in order to mimic algorithms and artificial intelligence (“fauxtomation”)? New and (semi-)automated actors such as trolls, connected activists, and social bots alter the strategies of campaigning and the way parties and other organizations plan their activities. Who are these actors, and are they actors at all? Who can be held accountable for automated communication? Does automated communication cause dissonance and disrupt public spheres, and if so, how is this happening and can automation be a cure as well? What are challenges and possible solutions for regulation and media policy? Critique: The story of automating communication can be told from two perspectives: the few who are shaping, designing, programming and implementing automation technologies, and the many who are using and become part of automated communication. In this regard, automation raises questions of power and power relations. Automating core features of democracy such as the assignment of relevance and legitimacy to issues, actors, and specific content, based on data and algorithms controlled and operated by a few private companies challenges notions of transparency, due process, and legitimacy. What are the regulatory measures to curb this power? And can automation provide meaningful answers to social problems? What is the impact of the increasing automatic detection of content deemed illegitimate (e.g., hate speech, copyright violation, nudity) in social media and comment sections? What is the role of datafication for automated and automating communication? Studying automated communication often involves computational methods and trace data. But qualitative methods such as ethnography, interviews or observations can also help us to understand how automation comes about and actors use or make sense of automated communication. Particularly research focusing on social media platforms faces severe challenges of data access and data management nowadays, dealing with data protection regulation, privacy issues, and proprietary data. Analyses of automated actors, such as bots, rely on black-boxed tools and call for interdisciplinary approaches. We thus also invite submissions with a critical perspective on research methods and research ethics. Timeline 1,000 to 1,500 word abstracts should be submitted by June 15, 2022 via the submission form at https://forms.gle/3Kxrf2wNrpqVaGno8. The abstract should articulate: 1) the issue or research question to be discussed, 2) the methodological or critical framework used, and 3) the expected findings or conclusions. Feel free to consult with the Special Issue Editors about your article ideas and potential angles or approaches. Decisions will be communicated to the authors by September 15, 2022. Invited paper submissions will be due March 1, 2023 and will be submitted directly to the submission site for New Media & Society: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/nms where they will undergo peer review following the usual procedures of New Media & Society. Please note that the invitation to submit a full article does not guarantee acceptance into the special issue. Contact Christian Katzenbach, katzenbach(a)uni-bremen.de Christian Pentzold, christian.pentzold(a)uni-leipzig.de

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Digital Existence III: Living with Automation
by Amanda Lagerkvist 28 Mar '22

28 Mar '22

DIGMEX and The Sigtuna Foundation present Digital Existence III: LIVING WITH AUTOMATION A conference about AI, biometrics and the human condition The Sigtuna Foundation One-day symposium May 31, 2022 The DIGMEX Network, in collaboration with the Sigtuna Foundation, are excited to finally present “Digital Existence III: Living with Automation,” following on from the two previous conferences “Digital Existence: Memory, Meaning, Vulnerability” (2015) and “Digital Existence II: Precarious Media Life” (2017). Day one of our conference will be an open one-day symposium, held at the Sigtuna Foundation (just outside of Stockholm) on May 31. It will feature a series of keynote lectures by distinguished international guests from the humanities, with expertise on AI and the human condition. We welcome interested participants from inside and outside academia to register as audience! The May 31 program will include the following keynote speakers and events: Prof. Amanda Lagerkvist, Dept. of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University, PI of the WASP-HS Project BioMe and the Uppsala Informatics and Media Hub for Digital Existence. “Introduction: AI as Existential Media” Prof. N. Katherine Hayles, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor Emerita of Literature, literary critic and theorist. “Inside the Mind of an AI: Materiality and the Crisis of Representation” Dr. Benjamin Peters, Hazel Rogers Associate Professor and Chair of Media Studies at the University of Tulsa and affiliated fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale Law School. “What Comes after the Anthropocene? Soviet AI and the Collapse of Other Inhumanely Smart Environments” Prof. Joanna Zylinska, Professor of Media Philosophy + Critical Digital Practice, Department of Digital Humanities at King's College London, writer, lecturer, artist and curator, working on digital technologies, new media, ethics, photography and art. “Imaging the Future: The Eye, the ‘I’ and AI” Prof. Btihaj Ajana, Professor in Ethics and Digital Culture at Kings College, international scholar and media practitioner in the fields of digital culture and social analysis. “The Immunopolitics of Covid-19 Technologies” Prof. Nick Couldry, Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science. Sociologist of media culture, focusing on media practices, ethics and data colonialism. Endnote Dr. Jacek Smolicki, interdisciplinary artist, designer, researcher, and soundwalker interested in techniques of attending to (as in paying attention) and recording (as in calling to mind and heart) human and other-than-human realms, events, and existences. Art Exhibition: “Slip of the Digital Tongue” Due to the limited amount of seats, please declare your interest in participating by sending an email to matilda.tudor(a)im.uu.se<mailto:matilda.tudor@im.uu.se> who will then confirm the availability and help out with registering procedures. Members of the DIGMEX network will be prioritized. The symposium is without charge, but participants will have to pay for lunch and refreshments at the Sigtuna Foundation venue. Conference rationale AI (artificial intelligence) is mounting on the human horizon, evoking both hopes and fears. Mapping itself onto almost every conceivable realm of human life and experience, AI is however not only a concern for the future: it is already here, at our fingertips. As AI is part of our most intimate lives, quantified self-imaginings, embodied perceptions, and our emergent practices of care and of law enforcement – especially via biometrics – our lives are increasingly ‘on automatic.’ But where did this world stem from – historically and ideologically? What founds it philosophically? How can it be (re)conceived, theoretically and artistically, in order for us to responsibly craft AI to serve human kind? What can we learn from attending to how we already live with automation – about risks and possibilities – and from how we have lived with its imaginaries on our horizon throughout history, in fiction and techno-progressivist discourse and practice? What are the existential needs and necessities that face us anew with AI? And can we now harness, as scholars in the humanities, those rich sources of insight and wisdom about the human condition, that remain our footing, while mobilising them creatively and critically for a new era with ‘responsible AI’ (Dignum 2019)? This symposium is motivated by the fact that in increasingly conspicuous ways, leading AI alignment collaborations to develop philosophically robust notions of “benign AI”, are almost entirely absent of any in-depth engagement with humanistic knowledge, whether philosophical, historical, artistic or anthropological. AI must be placed in historical sociopolitical contexts, yet their many exigencies and meanings also require looking backward to our history as scholars in the humanities, as much as looking beyond its classic trajectories, to find novel and pertinent framings. From the perspective of existential media studies (EMS), which revisits classic questions and themes in existential philosophy about ‘what it means to be human’ – while upgrading them to our contemporary technologized culture in conversation with posthumanist and new materialist debates – the stakes are foremost existential (Lagerkvist 2022). Technologies define and redefine the human condition. Hence, automated data services are conceived as everyday “mundane data;” they co-condition our world and media are our material infrastructures of being (Peters 2015). Yet, automation is simultaneously theorized as a fresh source for embodied disharmony, friction, vulnerability and social injustice. Not only do we use technologies; our lives are increasingly digitally “thrown”, to draw on the language of Martin Heidegger, into a highly connected, fast changing technological world that uses us, threatening to leave us displaced and ever more vulnerable (Lagerkvist 2016, 2019). In EMS human existence is consequently conceived also as an ongoing moral project (Kierkegaard 1849/1989; Sartre 1956), stretched out in an anticipatory mode towards horizons of the possible, the contingent and the imperative. EMS thus maintains that the towering existential and ethical task of our time is to reflect upon, and take responsibility for, the media technologies that we develop, use and embrace, and how that embrace simultaneously raises new affordances and limits; the new resources and risks of modern human life. This conference will take existential media studies in new directions, prompting a necessary interrogation of AI and biometrics from creative, imaginary, artistic, philosophical and historical angles, while anthropologically centring on experiences of living with automation in today’s world. Context and funding The symposium is an activity within the project “BioMe: Existential Challenges and Ethical Imperatives of Biometric AI in Everyday Lifeworlds” (2020-2024), headed by Prof. Amanda Lagerkvist (based in the Uppsala Informatics and Media Hub for Digital Existence: http://www.im.uu.se/research/hub-for-digtal-existence) and hosted by the Department of Informatics and Media at Uppsala University. BioMe is part of the national research program WASP-HS: Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems Software Program – Humanities and Society: https://wasp-hs.org (2020-2030) financed by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation (MMW) and the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation (MAW). The conference is co-organized by the DIGMEX network and the Sigtuna Foundation, and co-funded by MMW, MAW, Uppsala University and the Sigtuna Foundation. Best regards, Amanda Lagerkvist Amanda Lagerkvist Professor of Media and Communication Studies PI of the WASP-HS Project BioMe and the Uppsala Informatics and Media Hub for Digital Existence<https://www.im.uu.se/research/hub-for-digtal-existence> Dept. of Informatics and Media, Uppsala University Box 513, SE- 751 20 Uppsala Office: +46(0)18-471 1522 Mobile: +46(0)73-660 0574 E-mail: amanda.lagerkvist(a)im.uu.se<mailto:amanda.lagerkvist@im.uu.se> Profile page<https://katalog.uu.se/profile/?id=N7-774> Research Fellow at Worlds of AI - Department of Informatics and Media - Uppsala University, Sweden (uu.se)<https://im.uu.se/research/worlds-of-ai> New book: Existential Media: A Media Theory of the Limit Situation, to be published by Oxford University Press, 2022<https://global.oup.com/academic/product/existential-media-9780190925567?typ…> När du har kontakt med oss på Uppsala universitet med e-post så innebär det att vi behandlar dina personuppgifter. För att läsa mer om hur vi gör det kan du läsa här: http://www.uu.se/om-uu/dataskydd-personuppgifter/ E-mailing Uppsala University means that we will process your personal data. For more information on how this is performed, please read here: http://www.uu.se/en/about-uu/data-protection-policy

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ASU Machine Learning Day - 4/1
by Nicholas Proferes 28 Mar '22

28 Mar '22

Hello all, ASU's Machine Learning Day symposium will be happening this Friday, April 1. Registration is free and the event is open to the public, although we do ask that you pre-register: https://na.eventscloud.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=671621& Details for the talks are listed below. All times are in Phoenix local time (UTC-7; MST) ----- 8:50 AM - 9:05 AM – Welcome and Opening Remarks (Dean Sandrin) 9:05 AM - 10:00 AM – Keynote Address (Chair: Nicholas Duran) - Learning Engineering: Making the Most of Machine Learning in Concert with Learning Sciences, Danielle McNamara, Arizona State University 10:10 AM - 11:00 AM Session 1: ML Theory and Methods I (Chair: Joel Nishimura) - Subtask Analysis of Process Data Through a Predictive Model, Xueying Tang, University of Arizona - Robust Model Discovery with SINDy and Ensemble Learning, Urban Fasel, University of Washington, Seattle 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM Session 2: Ethics and ML (Chair: Nicholas Proferes) - Ordering Emotion: Scenes from the History of Affective Computing, Luke Stark, University of Western Ontario - Visualizing the Hypervisible: Thoughts on Stories Machine Learning Can’t & Shouldn’t Tell from Trans Tumblr, Jack Gieseking, University of Kentucky 12:00 PM - 1:00PM – Lunch 1:00 PM - 1:50 PM Session 3: Cognitive Science and ML (Chair: Derek Powell) - Probing Social Variation in Language Use With Mixed-effects Transformers, Robert Hawkins, Princeton University - Doing metascience computationally, Pablo Andres Contreras Kallens, Cornell University 2:00 PM - 2:50 PM Session 4: ML Theory and Methods II (Chair: Kuai Xu) - Risk Predictions Using Interval Censored Panel Count Data with Informative Observation Times, Qing Pan, George Washington University - Machine Learning-Driven Wireless Security: Attacks and Defenses, Dianqi Han, Arizona State University 2:50 PM – 3:00 PM – Closing Remarks ----- We hope you will join us! Nicholas Proferes, PhD Assistant Professor School of Social and Behavioral Sciences New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Arizona State University

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WAIM working conference 6-7 June 2022 in Washington DC (free attendance + travel support available)
by Kevin G Crowston 27 Mar '22

27 Mar '22

The Work in the Age of Intelligent Machine (WAIM) Research Coordination Network<https://waim.network/> announces a working conference to be held 6-7 June 2022 in Washington DC (hold the date!). Travel grants are available for selected participants (see below). The WAIM network aims to promote disciplinary convergence in relation to work in the age of intelligent machines. The use of intelligent machines—digital technologies that feature data-driven forms of customization, learning, and autonomous action—is rapidly growing and has and will continue to impact most if not all industries and work domains. Convergence is defined by the National Science Foundation as “the deep integration of knowledge, techniques, and expertise from multiple fields to form new and expanded frameworks” (NSF 17-065<https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2017/nsf17065/nsf17065.jsp>). By embracing research concepts and approaches from other disciplines, researchers transform our emergent conceptual foundations and concomitant strategies in relation to the transformation of work via intelligent machines. The conference will feature a set of panels bringing together leading researchers from diverse approaches to demonstrate the value of convergent research on work and intelligent machines. It will as well include small-group discussions bringing together authors and a mentor for discussion around work in progress papers and grant proposals. These groups will provide both feedback for developing and refining convergent ideas, as well as a place to make sense of how to navigate the world’s “new normal” as a researcher. Attendance at the conference is free (though capacity limited). Registration details will be posted soon. We also invite submissions to present at the conference in three categories: 1) Position statements from panelists on the topic of intelligent machines and their impacts on and implications for work. 2) Work-in-progress papers for discussion that address intelligent machines and their impacts on and implications for work. We encourage participation from any disciplinary perspective, including (but not limited to) urban planning, computer science, sociology, information systems, transportation, economics, psychology, law, media studies, engineering, public policy, artificial intelligence—any perspective that can help foster convergent thinking around this increasingly important topic in our society. To provide an outlet for work on this topic, we are planning a special issue of the journal Information, Technology & People<https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/itp> on Work in the Age of Intelligent Machines. Authors interested in submitting to the special issue will be able to present paper concepts and receive feedback from the special issue editors and other authors. Authors may wish to consult the list of research questions developed by WAIM researchers in earlier rounds of workshops: https://waim.network/RQs, 3) Grant proposals under development, for instance, those intended for the NSF Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier<https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/future-work-human-technology-fro…> program. Proposals might be in a nascent stage, where feedback is sought about the future workers, future work and/or future technologies to be studied, appropriate research methods or settings, relevant theoretical frameworks or potential research partners and collaborators. Submissions will be evaluated on a revolving basis. Submit at easychair.org/conferences/?conf=waim22<https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=waim22> before 15 April 2022 for best consideration. Travel funding (domestic airfare, ground transportation and hotel) will be provided for selected participants, with a particular focus on supporting doctoral students and earlier career researchers. Please indicate when submitting if you want to be considered for support. Kevin Crowston Associate Dean for Research, Distinguished Professor of Information Science School of Information Studies Editor-in-chief ACM Transactions on Social Computing and Information, Technology & People +1 (315) 443.1676<tel:+1%20(315)%20443.1676> crowston(a)syr.edu<mailto:crowston@syr.edu> 230 Hinds Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244 crowston.syr.edu<http://crowston.syr.edu/> Syracuse University Most recent publications: Eseryel, U. Y., Crowston, K., & Heckman, R.. (In press). Functional and visionary leadership in self-managing virtual teams. Group & Organization Management. doi: 10.1177/1059601120955034 Jackson, C. B., Østerlund, C., Harandi, M., Crowston, K., & Trouille, L. (2020). Shifting forms of presence: Volunteer learning in online citizen science. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, (CSCW), 36. doi: 10.1145/3392841 Eseryel, U. Y., Wei, K., & Crowston, K. (2020). Decision-making processes in community-based free/libre open source software development teams with internal governance: An extension to decision-making theory. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 46. doi: 10.17705/1CAIS.04620 Jackson, C., Østerlund, C., Crowston, K., Harandi, M., Allen, S., Bahaadini, S., et al. (2020). Teaching citizen scientists to categorize glitches using machine-learning-guided training. Computers In Human Behavior, 105, 106198. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2019.106198 Check out our research coordination network on Work in the Age of Intelligent Machine: http://waim.network/

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Seeking library privacy policies from special libraries + Seeking library employer/supervisor participants for Interview: Information policy and privacy during COVID-19
by Michele A. L. Villagran 27 Mar '22

27 Mar '22

We are seeking library privacy policies from special libraries that reflect a diversity of institution sizes, budgets, and missions. We are conducting a document analysis of library privacy policies to gain insight into how (or if) library policy currently contemplates the privacy concerns of sexual and gender minority individuals as different from the privacy concerns of cis-gender heterosexual people. If you are a special library and have a library privacy policy that you'd be willing to share, please contact daryl.lee(a)sjsu.edu by *April 4, 2022* with a copy of the policy. In addition, we are conducting interviews with the purpose of understanding whether emerging information professionals are adequately educated with regards to information policy, and to determine what gaps exist with regards to library employees’ ability to meaningfully participate in policy-related work. We would like to invite you to participate in a remote interview through Zoom to discuss your experiences, as a library employer/supervisor, of how well library and information science (LIS) students are prepared for policy challenges around privacy of LGBTQI2SA+ people during the COVID 19 pandemic. Participation in this study is voluntary and would take approximately forty-five to sixty (45 - 60) minutes of your time. In appreciation of your time commitment, you will receive remuneration at $50 USD. This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through the institutional review board at San Jose State University. You will receive a full consent form, which includes review board and other contacts, prior to participation. If you are interested in participating in an interview, please contact darra.hofman(a)sjsu.edu by *April 4, 2022* to receive the consent form and coordinate a time for your interview. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Dr. Darra Hofman Assistant Professor, School of Information San José State University darra.hofman(a)sjsu.edu Dr. Michele A. L. Villagran Assistant Professor, School of Information San José State University michele.villagran(a)sjsu.edu

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