"Trolls, bots and dictators" - On the current state of social media research Digital Methods Summer School 2019 1-12 July 2019 Media Studies, University of Amsterdam https://www.digitalmethods.net <https://www.digitalmethods.net/> Trolls, bots and dictators could be considered a summary of how social media and particularly its dominant study have evolved over a few short years. If one considers the chronology of research, one could begin with the dictators and the related debunking of the naiveté and euphoria associated with the web's potential. Instead of emancipatory, the web became authoritarian, as scholars turned to concentrate on state censorship and surveillance, developing such terms as networked authoritarianism. With respect to the second term, bots, studies of automation now routinely discuss Internet toxicity (as Microsoft’s Tay ‘learned') as well as so-called computational propaganda that includes autonomous agents inflating follower counts and thus symbolic power. Finally, trolls in themselves were once tolerated (and unfed) as part of the new media landscape, but recently scholars have turned to the study of the “ambivalent” or ridiculing web, characterised by insincere mockery, and how attention to it amplifies and gives it "oxygen”. Taking up this topic (and many others) within a culture of experimentation and skill-sharing, participants bring their laptops, learn method, undertake research projects, make reports and graphics, as well as present them and write them up on the wiki. About the Summer School The Summer School is one training opportunity provided by the Digital Methods Initiative (DMI). DMI also has a Winter School <https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool>. The Summer School has a technical staff as well as a design staff, drawn from the ranks of Density Design in Milan. The Summer School also relies on a technical infrastructure of servers hosting tools and storing data. There are tutorials as well as two projects undertaken, one per week. The Summer School concludes with final presentations. Often there are subject matter experts from non-governmental or other organizations who present their analytical needs and issues at the outset and the projects seek to meet those needs, however indirectly. Please see previous Digital Methods Summer Schools, 2007-2018, https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DmiSummerSchool <https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/DmiSummerSchool>. See also previous Digital Methods Winter Schools, 2009-2019, https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool <https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool>. The Digital Methods Initiative was founded with a grant from the Mondriaan Foundation, and the Summer School has been supported by the Center for Creation, Content and Technology (CCCT <http://ccct.uva.nl/>), University of Amsterdam, organized by the Faculty of Science with sponsorship from Platform Beta. The Digital Methods Summer School is self-sustaining. Applications To apply for the Digital Methods Summer School 2019, please use the University of Amsterdam Summer School form <https://pontifex-survey.uva.nl/IntakeRTE/index.jsp?language=en&formid=MS_Summer_DigitalMethods> (http://bit.ly/applic_form <http://bit.ly/applic_form>). If the form is not working, please send a one-page letter explaining how digital methods training would benefit your current work, and also enclose a CV (with full postal address), a copy of your passport (details page only), a headshot photo as well as a 100-word bio. Mark your application "DMI Summer Program," and send to summerschool [at] digitalmethods.net <http://digitalmethods.net/>. The deadline for applications for the Summer School is 20 May 2019. Notifications will be sent on 21 May. If you need early admission, please let us know. Any questions may be addressed to the Summer School coordinators, summerschool [at] digitalmethods.net <http://digitalmethods.net/>. Informal queries may be sent to the email address as well. The Summer School costs EUR 995. Accepted applicants will be informed of the bank transfer details upon notice of acceptance to the Summer School on 21 May. The fee must be paid by 30 June. University of Amsterdam students are exempt from tuition and should state on the application form that they wish to apply for a fee waiver and provide their student number. Scholarships The Digital Methods Summer School is part of the University of Amsterdam Summer School <http://summerschool.uva.nl/> programme, which has materials giving a flavor of the Summer School experience. Students from universities in the LERU <http://www.leru.org/> and U21 <http://www.universitas21.com/> networks (outside of the Netherlands) are eligible for a scholarship to help cover part of the cost for tuition (EUR 500). Please indicate that you are a member of LERU or U21 when applying. Accommodations and Catering The Summer School is self-catered, and there are abundant cafes and sandwich shops nearby. For a map we made of nearby lunch (and coffee) places, see http://bit.ly/lunchandcoffee <http://bit.ly/lunchandcoffee>. Apply as early as possible to the reasonably priced Student Hotel <http://www.thestudenthotel.com/> and mention that you are attending the Digital Methods Summer School 2019. Successful Completion and Completion Certificates (including 6 ECTS) To successfully complete the Summer School and receive a Completion Certificate (and 6 ECTS), you must complete a significant contribution to two Summer School projects (one in week one and the other in week two), evidenced by co-authorship of the project reports as well as final (joint) presentations. Templates for the project report <https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/ProjectTemplate> as well as for the presentation slides are supplied. Schedule The Summer School meets every weekday. Please bring your laptop. (An iPad is not enough.) We start generally at 9:15 in the morning, and end around 5:30. There are morning talks at the beginning of each week, followed by hands-on tutorials. All other time is devoted to project work with occasional collective and individual feedback sessions. On the last Friday we have a festive closing. Prof. Richard Rogers Professor of New Media & Digital Culture Media Studies University of Amsterdam http://www.uva.nl/profiel/r/o/r.a.rogers/r.a.rogers.html <http://www.uva.nl/profiel/r/o/r.a.rogers/r.a.rogers.html> r.a.rogers@uva.nl Digital Methods Initiative http://www.digitalmethods.net/ Academic Director Netherlands Research School for Media Studies http://www.rmes.nl