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CfP: Workshop on Empirical Approaches in Platform Governance Research, HIIG Berlin (June 17)
by Robert Gorwa 27 Apr '20

27 Apr '20

Dear colleagues; please the following event being organized by myself and some colleagues working on platform governance, moderation, and policy at the Humboldt Centre for Internet and Society in Berlin. Call for Abstracts: Workshop on Empirical Approaches in Platform Governance Research, June 17, HIIG Berlin (Virtual) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The theory and practice of how major platforms for user-generated content create rules and technologies that affect billions around the world — and how different governance stakeholders seek to affect those structures — has become the focus of significant public, scholarly, and policy attention. In the past two years, platform companies have become notably, if not incrementally, more transparent about how they govern content, leading to new opportunities — as well as challenges — for researchers looking to understand contemporary content moderation. In this virtual half-day workshop organized by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), we are seeking to bring together an interdisciplinary set of researchers that produce empirical work on content moderation and platform governance across a variety of methodological traditions and approaches. We welcome contributions that make use of qualitative methods (e.g. interviews, ethnography, and policy analysis) as well as quantitative, experimental, and other research designs, across a wide variety of related topics (e.g. moderation and labour/outsourcing; government content regulation and policy; corporate rule-making and norm-setting) and issues (e.g. hate speech, disinformation, copyright). Our goal will be to not only highlight the state of the research landscape as it exists at the moment, but to also to identify the major limitations facing researchers from different subfields, sparking collaborations that strive to move beyond those limitations and silos. Due to the limitations imposed by the coronavirus crisis, the workshop will be designed for virtual participation via videoconferencing software. We welcome contributions from researchers located all around the world, and will work to accommodate multiple participant timezones. Details ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A half-day workshop organized by the HIIG, June 17 2020. The precise format for presentations and panels will be determined depending on the amount of submissions received. [https://www.hiig.de/en/events/workshop-on-empirical-approaches-in-platform-…] Submission information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please submit your 250-500 word abstract via the online submission form [https://forms.gle/raVHk4tNGfV1VK1A7] before May 15. - Robert Gorwa Fellow, Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin --------------------------------------------------------------------- Doctoral Candidate, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford --------------------------------------------------------------------- gorwa.co.uk<http://gorwa.co.uk> | @rgorwa

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Free research software for media diaries and media repertoire sorting
by ZeMKI 27 Apr '20

27 Apr '20

Dear All, In these times of COVID-19 and social distancing, researching media use, media repertories and data practices is not an easy task. The same applies to the teaching of empirical methods in this area. Against this background, we would like to bring to your attention the free media diary (MeTag) and sorting software (MeSort) that we developed as part of a research project some time ago. Using it for scientific research and teaching is totally free of charge. MeTag allows you to set up research projects via our backend system MeTag Analyze, a browser application, and collect media diaries via a smartphone app on your participants’ phones. MeSort is a web app for sorting tasks with interviewees so that you are able to collect information about the media and other devices they use. Both applications are open source and free to use right now. You can find more information on our website www.mesoftware.org <http://www.mesoftware.org/> including detailed documentation and our contact details. Feel free to have a look, use the software and tell us what you think. Best wishes, Andreas Hepp, Alessandro Belli, Uwe Hasebrink, Florian Hohmann, Wiebke Loosen

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Privacy book launch Thursday ... love to 'see' you there
by Sacha Molitorisz 27 Apr '20

27 Apr '20

Dear good persons of the AoIR, Apologies for the shameless self-promotion, but I’ve written a book that may be of interest. It’s called Net Privacy, How we can be free in an age of surveillance, and works from Kantian ethics to relational privacy before prescribing a series of legal and extra-legal solutions that can (I hope) be applied globally. Charles Ess is very kind when he says: … a comprehensive analysis that offers much needed hope for preserving and enhancing privacy, and with it, human dignity and democracy that are otherwise profoundly threatened on numerous fronts, beginning with surveillance capitalism and the Chinese Social Credit System. On the off chance you weren’t scared off by “Kantian”, here are three links, one to an excerpt, and two to the publishers’ pages. https://www.crikey.com.au/2020/04/24/weekend-read-net-privacy-surveillance/ https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/net-privacy/ https://www.mqup.ca/net-privacy-products-9780228002116.php Above all, I’d love to “see” you at the zoom launch this Thursday (April 30) at 5.30pm, Australian Eastern time: https://events.humanitix.com/virtual-book-launch-net-privacy-how-can-we-be-… Also, if you’d like a review copy, let me know, and I’ll see if I can’t shake one out of the publisher’s grasping clutches. Be well! Cheers Sacha UTS CRICOS Provider Code: 00099F DISCLAIMER: This email message and any accompanying attachments may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender expressly, and with authority, states them to be the views of the University of Technology Sydney. Before opening any attachments, please check them for viruses and defects. Think. Green. Do. Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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WEBCAST TODAY: ICANN Webinar for the Middle East: Understanding DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (#DoH)
by Joly MacFie 27 Apr '20

27 Apr '20

Is DoT/DoH a good thing? The answer is definitively "it depends" - see Vittorio Bertola's presentation The DoH Dilemma <https://www.icann.org/sites/default/files/packages/ids-2019/07-bertola-the-…> from the 2019 DNS Symposium. While it boosts security and privacy locally, it may also put even more data in the hands of what Jay Sulzberger refers to as "the englobulators". It's potential to defeat state censorship and surveillance makes it a particularly sensitive issue in the Middle East. To learn more about DNS privacy, see the ISOC DNS Privacy FAQ <https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2019/03/dns-privacy-frequently-asked-q…> ISOC Live posted: "On Monday 27 April 2020 at 13:00 UTC the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) presents 'Webinar for the Middle East: Understanding DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH)'. Internet Hall of Fame Inductee Adiel Akplogan, ICANN Vi" [image: livestream] <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/icann>On *Monday 27 April 2020* at *13:00 UTC* the *Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers <https://icann.org/>* (ICANN) presents '*Webinar for the Middle East: Understanding DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) <https://go.icann.org/3avh1KB>*'. Internet Hall of Fame Inductee* Adiel Akplogan <https://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/adiel-akplogan>*, ICANN Vice President of Technical Engagement. DoT and DoH are new IETF technical standards that transmit DNS enquiries over encrypted connections. *LIVESTREAM: http://livestream.com/internetsociety/icann <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/icann>* *PARTICIPATE: https://go.icann.org/3avh1KB <https://go.icann.org/3avh1KB>* *TWITTER @ICANN + #DoH https://bit.ly/2YaZR2j <https://bit.ly/2YaZR2j>* *Permalink* https://isoc.live/12004/ - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +2185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Science Communication Study closing
by Bonita Liu - Aesisnet 27 Apr '20

27 Apr '20

Dear AOIRs, I sent an email to this list a few weeks back about a study on views regarding science communication amongst researchers (information below) and wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone that has participated or replied to my email with helpful information and articles. The survey will be closing at 12am (CEST) this Friday, 1st of May - if anyone is still interested your participation would be much appreciated. Survey can be taken via: https://bit.ly/33me9Ow ******************************************************************************************************* A study on Science Communication is currently being run by AESIS<https://aesisnet.com/>, the network for Advancing and Evaluating the Societal Impact of Science. This study aims to gain insights into researchers' attitudes, intentions, beliefs, and self-efficacy regarding Public Engagement of Science - engagement in communication and dialogue of science with those outside of academia. We have developed a short 10-minute survey, and are looking for researchers and PhD students to partake. Your answers will help us learn more about how researchers view engagement with the lay public about science and may help uncover deeper insights into how the impact of science may be advanced. The results of this study will be published in the June edition of the AESIS newsletter and you may sign up as a member to view the results if you wish. Thanks again to all those who have participated, and thanks for taking the time to read this email. Hope everyone stays healthy and well throughout this period! Kindest regards, Bonita Liu

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Posting: An Example of Internet Research.
by Gerard Cheshire 24 Apr '20

24 Apr '20

Dear Internet Researchers, A new free paper is now available to download, titled Plant Series, No. 8. MS408, Paris quadrifolia. The paper reveals some remarkable historic information about the use of the plant's toxins for treating conditions, diseases and infections. The plant also had religious significance due to its physical appearance, so it was believed to possess godly powers. The download link is here: https://ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/005139 This is a good example of what the internet makes possible to researchers. Kindest regards, Dr. Gerard Cheshire. Research Associate. University of Bristol. https://bristol.academia.edu/GerardCheshire

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(no subject)
by Stephen Barnard 23 Apr '20

23 Apr '20

Dear colleagues, It's strange to share good news in the midst of a pandemic. But, it seems that now is our time. My co-author Andrew Lindner and I are proud to announce that our new book, All Media Are Social: Sociological Perspectives on Mass Media, has just been released. It is now available to order from www.routledge.com <https://www.routledge.com/All-Media-Are-Social-Sociological-Perspectives-on…> ( https://www.routledge.com/All-Media-Are-Social-Sociological-Perspectives-on…) Simply enter the code SOC3P at the checkout to receive 20% off your next purchase. See below for some endorsements of the book as well as a brief description. Take care, Steve -- “We are long overdue for a sociological take on how mass media gets produced and consumed in the current digital age. All Media Are Social engages readers with compelling statistics and fascinating stories to highlight how power, culture, and technology shape media. I especially recommend the book’s overview of how traditional media represents race, class, gender and sexuality alongside citizen-generated forms of media resistance and activism.” -Nancy Wang Yuen, Associate Professor of Sociology, Biola University “It’s been years since anyone has written a theoretically sophisticated text in the sociology of media. Bravo to Lindner and Barnard for filling the void. I particularly appreciated their discussions of news.” -Gaye Tuchman, Professor Emerita of Sociology, University of Connecticut All Media Are Social <https://www.routledge.com/All-Media-Are-Social-Sociological-Perspectives-on…> By Andrew M. Lindner, Stephen R. Barnard >From TV to smartphone apps to movies to newspapers, mass media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this introduction to media sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about the power of big media companies, state-media relations, new developments in journalism, representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media, and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains, among other topics. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape. Read more <https://www.routledge.com/All-Media-are-Social-Critical-Perspectives-in-the…> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Stephen Barnard Associate Professor and Chair Sociology Department St. Lawrence University Email: sbarnard(a)stlawu.edu Phone: 315-229-5499 Web: http://www.stephenrbarnard.com/ Author: Citizens at the Gates: Twitter, Networked Publics, and the Transformation of American Journalism <https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783319904450> ; All Media Are Social: Sociological Perspectives on Mass Media <https://www.routledge.com/All-Media-are-Social-Critical-Perspectives-in-the…>

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Ad Astra PhD Scholarship in the School of Information and Communications Studies, University College Dublin
by Fabio Giglietto 23 Apr '20

23 Apr '20

Dear AoIRers, I thought hat you or someone you know may be interested in this 4-year fully-funded PhD position in the School of Information and Communication studies at University College Dublin. Tuition fees are waived by the school and there’s a research budget along with the scholarship. Please share it with your contacts, mailing lists, and potential candidates. The post is open to candidates of all backgrounds and nationalities. Starting date is September or as soon as academic activities resume post-COVID-19. See below for more info. https://www.ucd.ie/ics/study/phdresearchprogrammes/ (Click on Ad Astra PhD Scholarship) For questions related to this post please contact Marco Bastos at marco.bastos(a)ucd.ie ---- Ad Astra PhD Scholarship in the School of Information and Communications Studies, University College Dublin School: Information and Communications Studies Supervisor: Marco Bastos marco.bastos(a)ucd.ie Starting date: 1st Sept 2020 (likely later, when academic activities resume post-COVID-19) Position: 100%, full-time position, tuition fees waived by the School Remuneration: PhD studentship renewable for up to four years and consisting of: - PhD student stipend of €18k per annum (tax free) - €4k per annum towards research costs of the PhD student. Eligibility: EU and non-EU students are equally eligible for studentships under this award Requirement: Students accepted under this scheme must meet the university entry standards. Description of the post: The School of Information and Communications Studies at University College Dublin is offering one fully funded PhD scholarship under the supervision of Dr Marco Bastos. The PhD student will work on quantifying offline phenomena through online data and/or new theories, methods, and objectives to the study of problematic content and misinformation online. We also welcome candidates interested in the social implications of technology, including the dynamics of social influence and contagion, computational communication science, ethics of computational research on human behaviour, and the forecasting of social phenomena with digital trace data. The candidate will explore computational models of social phenomena, including behaviour modelling, social network analysis and modelling, mining of large-scale social data, algorithms and protocols driving information diffusion on social platforms, and data mining of social media platforms. The candidate will be provided a desk in the School’s dedicated PhD office and a dedicated budget for research expenses is included with the Scholarship. The School of Information and Communications Studies has a healthy cohort of 10+ PhD students. Substantive research area: The post holder will be supervised by Dr Bastos, whose research addresses the cross-effects between online and offline social networks, including the association between geography and network formation, the direction of homophily, and the elapsed effects of online activity on physical groups. The substantive research question explored by the candidate may draw from communication and information studies, sociology, political communication, geographic information systems, and social network analysis or related areas. Responsibilities: The post holder will be expected to write and successfully defend a PhD thesis focused on the areas listed in the description of the post and meet the degree requirements set by UCD to advance through the PhD programme. The candidate is also expected to produce research outputs in relation to their doctoral research and attend conferences to disseminate the research findings. Conferences of interest to the post holder include the Association of Internet Researchers, the International Conference on Social Media & Society, the International Communication Association, the International Conference on Social Informatics, and the International Conference on Web and Social Media. The candidate is expected to assist in the organisation of project meetings, workshops, and activities within the scope of this research area. The candidate should take part in seminars, workshops, and events organised within the School and across University College Dublin that are relevant to the project. Finally, the development of teaching skills and teaching activities will be considered at a later stage of the PhD in discussion with the candidate and the supervisors. Role profile: Candidates are expected to be familiar with or interested in developing skills in computational methods. Familiarity with leveraging digital media to the study of social phenomena is highly desirable. Other key skills include familiarity with data mining, text-as-data, network analysis, spatial statistics, machine-learning, and natural language processing. Requirements: Strong command of English is required. English proficiency at the C2 or C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is advised. UCD Graduate Studies TOEFL and IELTS score requirements can be viewed here. Candidates are expected to hold a Master’s Degree in Media and Communication, Information Sciences, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Digital Methods or comparable Master’s Degree in the Social Sciences, preferably a research master/Mlitt. Organisational experience and skills. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate experience and expertise in quantitative methods, including network analysis and modelling, spatial statistics, automated text analysis, and machine-learning in application material. Affinity for data-driven research, preferably as evidenced by your Master’s dissertation, publications, and research project. Proven experience with R, Python, MATLAB, Julia, Ruby, JavaScript, TypeScript or equivalent object-oriented programming language is highly desirable. Experience with the analysis of social media data is desirable. Applications are open to students of all nationalities and backgrounds. Apply: Applications need to be submitted via UCD’s application portal. The candidate should apply to Programme Code W139 using the UCD Admissions online application portal (a €50 application fee applies). The School of Information and Communication Studies requires PhD applicants to submit their curriculum vitae, an applicant statement, and a personal statement. Candidates are advised to describe their research interests, explain why they believe this position fits their profile, and include a brief description of the topic they would like to explore in their PhD project. In addition to that, applicants should submit a writing sample, preferably a piece that has been published, as additional information. Applications will be reviewed through our system of open, transparent, and merit-based recruitment of researchers. For questions related to this post please contact Marco Bastos at marco.bastos(a)ucd.ie

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WEBCAST TODAY: WSIS TalkX 4 - The role of information, journalism and media in countering COVID-19
by Joly MacFie 23 Apr '20

23 Apr '20

8am EDT, WSIS are into Microsoft Teams because the AI captions have a built-in translate option. However those captions are one line and fleeting. By contrast, AI captions on the ISOC livestream will be regular 3 line style, but English only. ISOC Live posted: "On Tuesday 20 April 2020, at 12:00 UTC, the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2020 (WSIS+15) presents 'The role of information, journalism and media in countering COVID-19'. This panel is the fourth in the ongoing virtual interactive TalkX ser" [image: livestream] <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/talkx4>On *Tuesday 21 April 2020*, at *12:00 UTC*, the *World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2020 <https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2020/>* (WSIS+15) presents '*The role of information, journalism and media in countering COVID-19*'. This panel is the fourth in the ongoing virtual interactive *TalkX series <https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2020/Home/WSISTalkX>*, Speakers: *Giacomo Mazzone* — Head of Institutional Relations, European Broadcasting Union (EBU); *Rachel Pollack* — WSIS Action Line Focal Point C9: Media, UNESCO; *Christophe Deloire* — Secretary General, Reporters Without Borders (RSF); *Mira Milosevic* — Executive Director, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD). Participation is via *Microsoft Teams <https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2020/Home/WSISTalkX>*, with closed AI captions available. *LIVESTREAM: http://livestream.com/internetsociety/talkx4 <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/talkx4> (open AI captions)* *PARTICIPATE: https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2020/Home/WSISTalkX <https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2020/Home/WSISTalkX>* *TWITTER: #WSIS <https://bit.ly/2XIzSz3>* *Permalink* https://isoc.live/11995/ -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +2185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Webinar Invitation: Running an Online Conference: Best Practices from Organising LAK20
by Vitomir Kovanovic 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

[apologies for multiple copies] Hi all, It is my pleasure to invite you to SoLAR Webinar "Running an Online Conference: Insights from LAK20" presented by Dr Vitomir Kovanovic<http://people.unisa.edu.au/Vitomir.Kovanovic> from the University of South Australia, Australia, and Dr Maren Scheffel<https://research.ou.nl/en/persons/maren-scheffel-2> from the Open Universiteit, The Netherlands. To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/running-an-online-conference-insights-from-… Time and date: Mon April 27, 2020, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern US time (5:00 PM - 6:00 PM London, UK time) Location: Zoom (meeting URL provided in the registration email) We are looking forward to seeing you at the webinar! Kind regards, Vitomir Running an Online Conference: Best Practices from Organising LAK20 Besides a major shift towards online learning and teaching, the recent COVID-19 pandemic also had a massive impact on the organisation of academic conferences. Most events got cancelled, postponed, and few brave ones moved to cyberspace. As Program Co-chairs for The Tenth International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK20)<http://lak20.solaresearch.org/>, we were faced with the significant challenge of adjusting the whole conference program to online mode in less than two weeks. The conference was a huge success, and we wanted to share some of our experience and some guidance on how to transfer your conference to an online format. We will cover issues around conference program and technical aspects of conference organisation, including website and live stream setup. We hope that this information will be useful for conference organisers who are in a similar situation as we were.

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