New Book by Thomas Allmer: Towards a Critical Theory of Surveillance in Informational Capitalism
published on August 13, 2012
NEW BOOK:
Allmer, Thomas. 2012. Towards a Critical Theory of Surveillance in Informational Capitalism. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
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More information:
www.peterlang.com/?263220
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NEW BOOK:
Allmer, Thomas. 2012. Towards a Critical Theory of Surveillance in Informational Capitalism. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Â
More information:
www.peterlang.com/?263220
Â
4th ICTs and Society-Conference 2012 (Uppsala, May 2nd-4th, 2012)
published on November 15, 2011
Uppsala University. May 2nd-4th, 2012.
A unique event for networking, presentation of critical ideas,
critical engagement, and featuring leading critical scholars in the area
of Critical Internet Studies and Critical Studies of Media &
Society.
Call for Abstracts
More information http://www.icts-and-society.net/events/uppsala2012/
Announcement and Call-Flyer PDF
Confirmed Keynote Speakers
* Andrew Feenberg (Simon Fraser University, Canada): Great Refusal and Long March: How to Use Critical Theory to Think About the Internet.
* Charles Ess (Aarhus University, Denmark): Digital Media Ethics and Philosophy in 21st Century Information Society
* Christian Christensen (Uppsala University, Sweden): WikiLeaks: Mainstreaming Transparency?
* Christian Fuchs (Uppsala University, Sweden): Critique of the Political Economy of Social Media and Informational Capitalism
* Graham Murdock (Loughborough University, UK): The Peculiarities of Media Commodities: Consumer Labour, Ideology, and Exploitation Today
* Gunilla Bradley (KTH, Sweden): Social Informatics and Ethics: Towards a Good Information Society
* Mark Andrejevic (University of Queensland, Australia): Social Media: Surveillance and Exploitation 2.0
* Nick Dyer-Witheford (University of Western Ontario, Canada): Cybermarxism Today: Cycles and Circuits of Struggle in 21st Century Capitalism
* Peter Dahlgren (Lund University, Sweden): Social Media and the Civic Sphere: Perspectives for the Future of Democracy
* Tobias Olsson (Jönköping University, Sweden): Social Media Participation and the Organized Production of Net Culture
* Trebor Scholz (New School, USA): The Internet as Playground and Factory
* Ursula Huws (University of Hertfordshire, UK): Virtual Work and the Cybertariat in Contemporary Capitalism
* Vincent Mosco
(Queen’s University, Canada): Marx is Back, but Will Knowledge Workers
of the World Unite? On the Critical Study of Labour, Media, and
Communication Today
* Wolfgang Hofkirchner (Vienna University of Technology, Austria): Potentials and Risks for Creating a Global Sustainable Information Society
Conference Topic
This conference provides a forum for the discussion
of how to critically study social media and their relevance for
critique, democracy, politics and philosophy in 21st century information society.
We are living in times of global capitalist crisis. In this
situation, we are witnessing a return of critique in the form of a
surging interest in critical theories (such as the critical political
economy of Karl Marx, critical theory, etc) and revolutions, rebellions,
and political movements against neoliberalism that are reactions to the
commodification and instrumentalization of everything. On the one hand
there are overdrawn claims that social media (Twitter, Facebook,
YouTube, mobile Internet, etc) have caused rebellions and uproars in
countries like Tunisia and Egypt, which brings up the question to which
extent these are claims are ideological or not. On the other hand, the
question arises what actual role social media play in contemporary
capitalism, power structures, crisis, rebellions, uproar, revolutions,
the strengthening of the commons, and the potential creation of
participatory democracy. The commodification of everything has resulted
also in a commodification of the communication commons, including
Internet communication that is today largely commercial in character.
The question is how to make sense of a world in crisis, how a different
future can look like, and how we can create Internet commons and a
commons-based participatory democracy.
This conference deals with the question of what kind of society and
what kind of Internet are desirable, what steps need to be taken for
advancing a good Internet in a sustainable information society, how
capitalism, power structures and social media are connected, what the
main problems, risks, opportunities and challenges are for the current
and future development of Internet and society, how struggles are
connected to social media, what the role, problems and opportunities of
social media, web 2.0, the mobile Internet and the ubiquitous Internet
are today and in the future, what current developments of the Internet
and society tell us about potential futures, how an alternative Internet
can look like, and how a participatory, commons-based Internet and a
co-operative, participatory, sustainable information society can be
achieved.
Time Plan
February 29th, 2012, 17:00, Central European Time (CET): Abstract Submission Deadline
Until March 11th, 2012: information about acceptance or rejection of presentations
March 30th, 2012, 17:00, CET: registration deadline
May 2nd-4th, 2012: Conference, Ekonomikum, University of Uppsala, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10, Uppsala
Abstract Submission
a) For submission, please first register your profile on the ICTs and Society platform:
http://www.icts-and-society.net/register/
b) Please download the abstract submission form:
http://fuchs.uti.at/wp-content/uploads/ASF.doc
, insert your presentation title, contact data, and an abstract of
200-500 words. The abstract should clearly set out goals, questions, the
way taken for answering the questions, main results, the importance of
the topic for critically studying the information society and/or social
media and for the conference.
Please submit your abstract until February 29th, 2012, per e-mail to Marisol Sandoval: marisol.sandoval@uti.at
Organizer
Uppsala University, Department of Informatics and Media, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10, Box 513, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden http://www.im.uu.se
Contact for academic questions in respect to the conference:
Prof. Christian Fuchs, christian.fuchs@im.uu.se , Tel +46 18 471 1019
Contact for questions concerning conference organization and administration:
Marisol Sandoval, marisol.sandoval@uti.at
Co-organizers:
* ICTs and Society Network http://www.icts-and-society.net
* European Sociological Association – Research Network 18: Sociology of Communications and Media Research, http://tiny.cc/hpdao
* tripleC – Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, http://www.triple-c.at
* Unified Theory of Information Research Group (UTI), Austria, http://www.uti.at
* Department of Information and Media Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark, http://www.imv.au.dk/en/studies/
* Institute for Design & Assessment of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Austria http://igw.tuwien.ac.at/
* Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication, Sweden,
http://hj.se/en/about-the-university/information-material/campus-in-360-degrees/school-of-education-and-communication.html
Conference Board and Organization Committee
Charles Ess, Aarhus University
Christian Christensen, Uppsala University
Christian Fuchs, Uppsala University + UTI Research Group
Göran Svensson, Uppsala University
Marisol Sandoval, Unified Theory of Information Research Group
Sebastian Sevignani, Unified Theory of Information Research Group
Sylvain Firer-Blaess, Uppsala University
Thomas Allmer, Unified Theory of Information (UTI) Research Group
Tobias Olsson, Jönköping University
Verena Kreilinger, Unified Theory of Information Research Group
Wolfgang Hofkirchner, Vienna University of Technology + UTI Research Group
Uppsala University. May 2nd-4th, 2012.
A unique event for networking, presentation of critical ideas, critical engagement, and featuring leading critical scholars in the area of Critical Internet Studies and Critical Studies of Media & Society.
Call for Abstracts
More information http://www.icts-and-society.net/events/uppsala2012/
Announcement and Call-Flyer PDF
Confirmed Keynote Speakers
* Andrew Feenberg (Simon Fraser University, Canada): Great Refusal and Long March: How to Use Critical Theory to Think About the Internet.
* Charles Ess (Aarhus University, Denmark): Digital Media Ethics and Philosophy in 21st Century Information Society
* Christian Christensen (Uppsala University, Sweden): WikiLeaks: Mainstreaming Transparency?
* Christian Fuchs (Uppsala University, Sweden): Critique of the Political Economy of Social Media and Informational Capitalism
* Graham Murdock (Loughborough University, UK): The Peculiarities of Media Commodities: Consumer Labour, Ideology, and Exploitation Today
* Gunilla Bradley (KTH, Sweden): Social Informatics and Ethics: Towards a Good Information Society
* Mark Andrejevic (University of Queensland, Australia): Social Media: Surveillance and Exploitation 2.0
* Nick Dyer-Witheford (University of Western Ontario, Canada): Cybermarxism Today: Cycles and Circuits of Struggle in 21st Century Capitalism
* Peter Dahlgren (Lund University, Sweden): Social Media and the Civic Sphere: Perspectives for the Future of Democracy
* Tobias Olsson (Jönköping University, Sweden): Social Media Participation and the Organized Production of Net Culture
* Trebor Scholz (New School, USA): The Internet as Playground and Factory
* Ursula Huws (University of Hertfordshire, UK): Virtual Work and the Cybertariat in Contemporary Capitalism
* Vincent Mosco
(Queen’s University, Canada): Marx is Back, but Will Knowledge Workers
of the World Unite? On the Critical Study of Labour, Media, and
Communication Today
* Wolfgang Hofkirchner (Vienna University of Technology, Austria): Potentials and Risks for Creating a Global Sustainable Information Society
Conference Topic
This conference provides a forum for the discussion of how to critically study social media and their relevance for critique, democracy, politics and philosophy in 21st century information society.
We are living in times of global capitalist crisis. In this situation, we are witnessing a return of critique in the form of a surging interest in critical theories (such as the critical political economy of Karl Marx, critical theory, etc) and revolutions, rebellions, and political movements against neoliberalism that are reactions to the commodification and instrumentalization of everything. On the one hand there are overdrawn claims that social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, mobile Internet, etc) have caused rebellions and uproars in countries like Tunisia and Egypt, which brings up the question to which extent these are claims are ideological or not. On the other hand, the question arises what actual role social media play in contemporary capitalism, power structures, crisis, rebellions, uproar, revolutions, the strengthening of the commons, and the potential creation of participatory democracy. The commodification of everything has resulted also in a commodification of the communication commons, including Internet communication that is today largely commercial in character. The question is how to make sense of a world in crisis, how a different future can look like, and how we can create Internet commons and a commons-based participatory democracy.
This conference deals with the question of what kind of society and what kind of Internet are desirable, what steps need to be taken for advancing a good Internet in a sustainable information society, how capitalism, power structures and social media are connected, what the main problems, risks, opportunities and challenges are for the current and future development of Internet and society, how struggles are connected to social media, what the role, problems and opportunities of social media, web 2.0, the mobile Internet and the ubiquitous Internet are today and in the future, what current developments of the Internet and society tell us about potential futures, how an alternative Internet can look like, and how a participatory, commons-based Internet and a co-operative, participatory, sustainable information society can be achieved.
Time Plan
February 29th, 2012, 17:00, Central European Time (CET): Abstract Submission Deadline
Until March 11th, 2012: information about acceptance or rejection of presentations
March 30th, 2012, 17:00, CET: registration deadline
May 2nd-4th, 2012: Conference, Ekonomikum, University of Uppsala, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10, Uppsala
Abstract Submission
a) For submission, please first register your profile on the ICTs and Society platform:
http://www.icts-and-society.net/register/
b) Please download the abstract submission form:
http://fuchs.uti.at/wp-content/uploads/ASF.doc
, insert your presentation title, contact data, and an abstract of
200-500 words. The abstract should clearly set out goals, questions, the
way taken for answering the questions, main results, the importance of
the topic for critically studying the information society and/or social
media and for the conference.
Please submit your abstract until February 29th, 2012, per e-mail to Marisol Sandoval: marisol.sandoval@uti.at
Organizer
Uppsala University, Department of Informatics and Media, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10, Box 513, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden http://www.im.uu.se
Contact for academic questions in respect to the conference:
Prof. Christian Fuchs, christian.fuchs@im.uu.se , Tel +46 18 471 1019
Contact for questions concerning conference organization and administration:
Marisol Sandoval, marisol.sandoval@uti.at
Co-organizers:
* ICTs and Society Network http://www.icts-and-society.net
* European Sociological Association – Research Network 18: Sociology of Communications and Media Research, http://tiny.cc/hpdao
* tripleC – Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, http://www.triple-c.at
* Unified Theory of Information Research Group (UTI), Austria, http://www.uti.at
* Department of Information and Media Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark, http://www.imv.au.dk/en/studies/
* Institute for Design & Assessment of Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Austria http://igw.tuwien.ac.at/
* Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication, Sweden,
http://hj.se/en/about-the-university/information-material/campus-in-360-degrees/school-of-education-and-communication.html
Conference Board and Organization Committee
Charles Ess, Aarhus University
Christian Christensen, Uppsala University
Christian Fuchs, Uppsala University + UTI Research Group
Göran Svensson, Uppsala University
Marisol Sandoval, Unified Theory of Information Research Group
Sebastian Sevignani, Unified Theory of Information Research Group
Sylvain Firer-Blaess, Uppsala University
Thomas Allmer, Unified Theory of Information (UTI) Research Group
Tobias Olsson, Jönköping University
Verena Kreilinger, Unified Theory of Information Research Group
Wolfgang Hofkirchner, Vienna University of Technology + UTI Research Group
CfP: Marx is Back: The Importance of Marxist Theory and Research for Critical Communication Studies Today
published on July 20, 2011
Marx is Back: The Importance of Marxist Theory and Research for Critical Communication Studies Today
?
Call for Papers for a Special Issue of tripleC – Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society.?
Edited by Christian Fuchs and Vincent Mosco??
http://fuchs.uti.at/wp-content/uploads/CfP_Marx_tripleC.pdf
For inquiries, please contact the two editors.
In
light of the global capitalist crisis, there is renewed interest in
Karl Marx’s works and in concepts like class, exploitation and surplus
value. Slavoj Žižek argues that the antagonisms of contemporary
capitalism in the context of the ecological crisis, the massive
expansion of intellectual property, biogenetics, new forms of apartheid
and growing world poverty show that we still need the Marxian notion of
class. He concludes that there is an urgent need to renew Marxism and to
defend its lost causes in order to render problematic capitalism as the
only alternative (Žižek 2008, 6) and the new forms of a soft capitalism
that promise, and in its rhetoric makes use of, ideals like
participation, self-organization, and co-operation, without realizing
them. Žižek (2010, chapter 3) argues that the global capitalist crisis
clearly demonstrates the need to return to the critique of political
economy. Göran Therborn suggests that the “new constellations of power
and new possibilities of resistance” in the 21st century require
retaining the “Marxian idea that human emancipation from exploitation,
oppression, discrimination and the inevitable linkage between privilege
and misery can only come from struggle by the exploited and
disadvantaged themselves” (Therborn 2008, 61). Eric Hobsbawm (2011, 12f)
insists that for understanding the global dimension of contemporary
capitalism, its contradictions and crises, and the persistence of
socio-economic inequality, we “must ask Marx’s questions” (13). ??
This
special issue will publish articles that address the importance of Karl
Marx’s works for Critical Media and Communication Studies, what it
means to ask Marx’s questions in 21st century informational capitalism,
how Marxian theory can be used for critically analyzing and transforming
media and communication today, and what the implications of the revival
of the interest in Marx are for the field of Media and Communication
Studies. ?
Questions that can be explored in contributions include, but are not limited to:??
*
What is Marxist Media and Communication Studies? Why is it needed
today? What are the main assumptions, legacies, tasks, methods and
categories of Marxist Media and Communication Studies and how do they
relate to Karl Marx’s theory? What are the different types of Marxist
Media/Communication Studies, how do they differ, what are their
commonalities??
* What is the role of Karl Marx’s theory in different
fields, subfields and approaches of Media and Communication Studies?
How have the role, status, and importance of Marx’s theory for Media and
Communication Studies evolved historically, especially since the 1960s?
* In addition to his work as a theorist and activist, Marx was a
practicing journalist throughout his career. What can we learn from his
journalism about the practice of journalism today, about journalism
theory, journalism education and alternative media??* What have been the
structural conditions, limits and problems for conducting
Marxian-inspired Media and Communication Research and for carrying out
university teaching in the era of neoliberalism? What are actual or
potential effects of the new capitalist crisis on these conditions???*
What is the relevance of Marxian thinking in an age of capitalist crisis
for analyzing the role of media and communication in society??
* How
can the Marxian notions of class, class struggle, surplus value,
exploitation, commodity/commodification, alienation, globalization,
labour, capitalism, militarism and war, ideology/ideology critique,
fetishism, and communism best be used for analyzing, transforming and
criticizing the role of media, knowledge production and communication in
contemporary capitalism??
* How are media, communication, and information addressed in Marx’s work?
*
What are commonalities and differences between contemporary approaches
in the interpretation of Marx’s analyses of media, communication,
knowledge, knowledge labour and technology??
* What is the role of
dialectical philosophy and dialectical analysis as epistemological and
methodological tools for Marxian-inspired Media and Communication
Studies??
* What were central assumptions of Marx about media,
communication, information, knowledge production, culture and how can
these insights be used today for the critical analysis of capitalism?
* What is the relevance of Marx’s work for an understanding of social media??
* Which of Marx’s works can best be used today to theorize media and communication? Why and how?
?*
Terry Eagleton (2011) demonstrates that the 10 most common held
prejudices against Marx are wrong. What prejudices against Marx can be
found in Media and Communication Studies today? What have been the
consequences of such prejudices? How can they best be contested? Are
there continuities and/or discontinuities of prejudices against Marx in
light of the new capitalist crisis?
?All contributions shall
genuinely deal with Karl Marx’s original works and discuss their
relevance for contemporary Critical Media/Communication Studies.?
Eagleton Terry. 2011. Why Marx was right. London: Yale University Press.
Hobsbawm, Eric. 2011. How to change the world. Marx and Marxism 1840-2011. London: Little, Brown.
Therborn, Göran. 2008. From Marxism to post-Marxism? London: Verso.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2008. In defense of lost causes. London: Verso.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2010. Living in the end times. London: Verso.
?
Editors
??Christian Fuchs
is chair professor for Media and Communication Studies at Uppsala
University’s Department of Informatics and Media. He is editor of the
journal tripleC – Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society.
His areas of interest are: Critical Theory, Social Theory, Media &
Society, Critical Political Economy of Media/Communication, Critical
Information Society Studies, Critical Internet Studies. He is author of
the books “Foundations of Critical Media and Information Studies”
(Routledge 2011) and “Internet and Society: Social Theory in the
Information Age” (Routledge 2008, paperback 2011). He is co-editor of
the collected volume “The Internet and Surveillance. The Challenges of
Web 2.0 and Social Media” (Routledge 2011, together with Kees Boersma,
Anders Albrechtslund, Marisol Sandoval). He is currently writing a book
presenting a critical theory of social media. http://fuchs.uti.at ??
Vincent Mosco
is professor emeritus of sociology at Queen's University and formerly
Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society. Dr. Mosco is the
author of numerous books on communication, technology, and society. His
most recent include Getting the Message: Communications Workers and
Global Value Chains (co-edited with Catherine McKercher and Ursula Huws,
Merlin, 2010), The Political Economy of Communication, second edition
(Sage, 2009), The Laboring of Communication: Will Knowledge Workers of
the World Unite (co-authored with Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books,
2008), Knowledge Workers in the Information Society (co-edited with
Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books, 2007), and The Digital Sublime:
Myth, Power, and Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2004). He is currently writing a
book on the relevance of Karl Marx for communication research today.??
Publication Schedule and Submission??
Structured
Abstracts for potential contributions shall be submitted to both
editors (christian.fuchs@im.uu.se, moscov@mac.com) per e-mail until
September 30th, 2011 (submission deadline). The authors of accepted
abstracts will be invited to write full papers that are due five months
after the feedback from the editors. Full papers must then be submitted
to tripleC. Please do not instantly submit full papers, but only
structured abstracts to the editors.?The abstracts should have a maximum
of 1 200 words and should be structured by dealing separately with each
of the following five dimensions: ?
1) Purpose and main questions of the paper?
2) Description of the way taken for answering the posed questions?
3) Relevance of the topic in relation to the CfP
?4) Main expected outcomes and new insights of the paper?
5) Contribution to the engagement with Marx’s works and to Marxian-inspired Media and Communication Studies??
Journal
??tripleC
(cognition, communication, co-operation): Open Access Journal for a
Global Sustainable Information Society, http://www.triple-c.se ??
Focus and Scope:
Critical Media-/Information-/ Communication-/Internet-/Information Society-Studies?
tripleC provides a forum to discuss the challenges humanity is facing today.
It
publishes contributions that focus on critical studies of media,
information, communication, culture, digital media, social media and the
Internet in the information society. The journal’s focus is especially
on critical studies and it asks contributors to reflect about normative,
political, ethical and critical implications of their research.
??Indexing:
Scopus, EBSCOHost Communication and Mass Media Complete, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
?
Open Access:
tripleC
is an open access journal that publishes articles online and does not
charge authors or readers. It uses a Creative Commons license
(Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License) that allows reproduction of
published articles for non-commercial purposes (without changes of the
content and only with naming the author). Creative Commons publishing
poses a viable alternative to commercial academic publishing that is
dominated by big corporate publishing houses.
Marx is Back: The Importance of Marxist Theory and Research for Critical Communication Studies Today
?
Call for Papers for a Special Issue of tripleC – Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society.?
Edited by Christian Fuchs and Vincent Mosco??
http://fuchs.uti.at/wp-content/uploads/CfP_Marx_tripleC.pdf
For inquiries, please contact the two editors.
In
light of the global capitalist crisis, there is renewed interest in
Karl Marx’s works and in concepts like class, exploitation and surplus
value. Slavoj Žižek argues that the antagonisms of contemporary
capitalism in the context of the ecological crisis, the massive
expansion of intellectual property, biogenetics, new forms of apartheid
and growing world poverty show that we still need the Marxian notion of
class. He concludes that there is an urgent need to renew Marxism and to
defend its lost causes in order to render problematic capitalism as the
only alternative (Žižek 2008, 6) and the new forms of a soft capitalism
that promise, and in its rhetoric makes use of, ideals like
participation, self-organization, and co-operation, without realizing
them. Žižek (2010, chapter 3) argues that the global capitalist crisis
clearly demonstrates the need to return to the critique of political
economy. Göran Therborn suggests that the “new constellations of power
and new possibilities of resistance” in the 21st century require
retaining the “Marxian idea that human emancipation from exploitation,
oppression, discrimination and the inevitable linkage between privilege
and misery can only come from struggle by the exploited and
disadvantaged themselves” (Therborn 2008, 61). Eric Hobsbawm (2011, 12f)
insists that for understanding the global dimension of contemporary
capitalism, its contradictions and crises, and the persistence of
socio-economic inequality, we “must ask Marx’s questions” (13). ??
This
special issue will publish articles that address the importance of Karl
Marx’s works for Critical Media and Communication Studies, what it
means to ask Marx’s questions in 21st century informational capitalism,
how Marxian theory can be used for critically analyzing and transforming
media and communication today, and what the implications of the revival
of the interest in Marx are for the field of Media and Communication
Studies. ?
Questions that can be explored in contributions include, but are not limited to:??
*
What is Marxist Media and Communication Studies? Why is it needed
today? What are the main assumptions, legacies, tasks, methods and
categories of Marxist Media and Communication Studies and how do they
relate to Karl Marx’s theory? What are the different types of Marxist
Media/Communication Studies, how do they differ, what are their
commonalities??
* What is the role of Karl Marx’s theory in different
fields, subfields and approaches of Media and Communication Studies?
How have the role, status, and importance of Marx’s theory for Media and
Communication Studies evolved historically, especially since the 1960s?
* In addition to his work as a theorist and activist, Marx was a
practicing journalist throughout his career. What can we learn from his
journalism about the practice of journalism today, about journalism
theory, journalism education and alternative media??* What have been the
structural conditions, limits and problems for conducting
Marxian-inspired Media and Communication Research and for carrying out
university teaching in the era of neoliberalism? What are actual or
potential effects of the new capitalist crisis on these conditions???*
What is the relevance of Marxian thinking in an age of capitalist crisis
for analyzing the role of media and communication in society??
* How
can the Marxian notions of class, class struggle, surplus value,
exploitation, commodity/commodification, alienation, globalization,
labour, capitalism, militarism and war, ideology/ideology critique,
fetishism, and communism best be used for analyzing, transforming and
criticizing the role of media, knowledge production and communication in
contemporary capitalism??
* How are media, communication, and information addressed in Marx’s work?
*
What are commonalities and differences between contemporary approaches
in the interpretation of Marx’s analyses of media, communication,
knowledge, knowledge labour and technology??
* What is the role of
dialectical philosophy and dialectical analysis as epistemological and
methodological tools for Marxian-inspired Media and Communication
Studies??
* What were central assumptions of Marx about media,
communication, information, knowledge production, culture and how can
these insights be used today for the critical analysis of capitalism?
* What is the relevance of Marx’s work for an understanding of social media??
* Which of Marx’s works can best be used today to theorize media and communication? Why and how?
?*
Terry Eagleton (2011) demonstrates that the 10 most common held
prejudices against Marx are wrong. What prejudices against Marx can be
found in Media and Communication Studies today? What have been the
consequences of such prejudices? How can they best be contested? Are
there continuities and/or discontinuities of prejudices against Marx in
light of the new capitalist crisis?
?All contributions shall
genuinely deal with Karl Marx’s original works and discuss their
relevance for contemporary Critical Media/Communication Studies.?
Eagleton Terry. 2011. Why Marx was right. London: Yale University Press.
Hobsbawm, Eric. 2011. How to change the world. Marx and Marxism 1840-2011. London: Little, Brown.
Therborn, Göran. 2008. From Marxism to post-Marxism? London: Verso.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2008. In defense of lost causes. London: Verso.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2010. Living in the end times. London: Verso.
?
Editors
??Christian Fuchs
is chair professor for Media and Communication Studies at Uppsala
University’s Department of Informatics and Media. He is editor of the
journal tripleC – Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society.
His areas of interest are: Critical Theory, Social Theory, Media &
Society, Critical Political Economy of Media/Communication, Critical
Information Society Studies, Critical Internet Studies. He is author of
the books “Foundations of Critical Media and Information Studies”
(Routledge 2011) and “Internet and Society: Social Theory in the
Information Age” (Routledge 2008, paperback 2011). He is co-editor of
the collected volume “The Internet and Surveillance. The Challenges of
Web 2.0 and Social Media” (Routledge 2011, together with Kees Boersma,
Anders Albrechtslund, Marisol Sandoval). He is currently writing a book
presenting a critical theory of social media. http://fuchs.uti.at ??
Vincent Mosco
is professor emeritus of sociology at Queen's University and formerly
Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society. Dr. Mosco is the
author of numerous books on communication, technology, and society. His
most recent include Getting the Message: Communications Workers and
Global Value Chains (co-edited with Catherine McKercher and Ursula Huws,
Merlin, 2010), The Political Economy of Communication, second edition
(Sage, 2009), The Laboring of Communication: Will Knowledge Workers of
the World Unite (co-authored with Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books,
2008), Knowledge Workers in the Information Society (co-edited with
Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books, 2007), and The Digital Sublime:
Myth, Power, and Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2004). He is currently writing a
book on the relevance of Karl Marx for communication research today.??
Publication Schedule and Submission??
Structured
Abstracts for potential contributions shall be submitted to both
editors (christian.fuchs@im.uu.se, moscov@mac.com) per e-mail until
September 30th, 2011 (submission deadline). The authors of accepted
abstracts will be invited to write full papers that are due five months
after the feedback from the editors. Full papers must then be submitted
to tripleC. Please do not instantly submit full papers, but only
structured abstracts to the editors.?The abstracts should have a maximum
of 1 200 words and should be structured by dealing separately with each
of the following five dimensions: ?
1) Purpose and main questions of the paper?
2) Description of the way taken for answering the posed questions?
3) Relevance of the topic in relation to the CfP
?4) Main expected outcomes and new insights of the paper?
5) Contribution to the engagement with Marx’s works and to Marxian-inspired Media and Communication Studies??
Journal
??tripleC
(cognition, communication, co-operation): Open Access Journal for a
Global Sustainable Information Society, http://www.triple-c.se ??
Focus and Scope:
Critical Media-/Information-/ Communication-/Internet-/Information Society-Studies?
tripleC provides a forum to discuss the challenges humanity is facing today.
It
publishes contributions that focus on critical studies of media,
information, communication, culture, digital media, social media and the
Internet in the information society. The journal’s focus is especially
on critical studies and it asks contributors to reflect about normative,
political, ethical and critical implications of their research.
??Indexing:
Scopus, EBSCOHost Communication and Mass Media Complete, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
?
Open Access:
tripleC
is an open access journal that publishes articles online and does not
charge authors or readers. It uses a Creative Commons license
(Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License) that allows reproduction of
published articles for non-commercial purposes (without changes of the
content and only with naming the author). Creative Commons publishing
poses a viable alternative to commercial academic publishing that is
dominated by big corporate publishing houses.
New book by Christian Fuchs: Foundations of Critical Media and Information Studies
published on March 23, 2011
New book by Christian Fuchs: Foundations of Critical Media and
Information Studies
Christian Fuchs' book "Foundations of Critical Media and Information
Studies" (Routledge 2011) provides foundations for the analysis of
media, information, and information technology in 21st century
information society and introduces the theoretical and empirical tools
necessary for the critical study of media and the information society.
More information:
http://fuchs.uti.at/books/foundations-of-critical-media-and-information-studies/
New book by Christian Fuchs: Foundations of Critical Media and
Information Studies
Christian Fuchs' book "Foundations of Critical Media and Information
Studies" (Routledge 2011) provides foundations for the analysis of
media, information, and information technology in 21st century
information society and introduces the theoretical and empirical tools
necessary for the critical study of media and the information society.
More information:
http://fuchs.uti.at/books/foundations-of-critical-media-and-information-studies/
Uppsala University: PhD Student Position in Critical Media/Internet Studies
published on November 5, 2010
Uppsala University hereby declares the following position to be open for application:
PhD position in Media and Communication Studies
at the Department of Informatics and Media as of January 1st, 2011.
The candidate is supposed to participate in the department’s ongoing
research in the field of web 2.0/social media/social networking sites
& economic online surveillance/Internet prosumer labour. Therefore
applicants with a solid background in the combination of the
following areas are solicited to apply: critical media and communication
studies, Critical Theory, critical political economy, critical
political economy of media, ICTs and communication; Internet studies,
surveillance and privacy studies, critical advertising and consumer
culture studies.
Qualifications: master’s degree (candidates with any suited
disciplinary and interdisciplinary background are welcome to apply),
excellent command of written and spoken English.
The application should include
a) an application form including a copy of a degree certificate that
proves the applicant’s eligibility for studies at the research level
in Media and Communication Studies;
b) a CV;
c) a copy of the master thesis (additional works related to the advertised position’s topic may also be included);
d) an outline of experience in and motivation for conducting research in the advertised research field (minimum: 1000 words)
Education at the research level has a duration of five years, of
which the first year is financed with a scholarship (utbildningsbidrag)
and the four following years with employment as PhD candidate. PhD
candidates are expected to conduct their education at the research
level by working full time and by participating actively in the
activities of the department. Obligatory administrative and teaching
duties at the department may not exceed 20 % of full-time.
The application form and instructions in English are available from:
http://www.uppdok.uadm.uu.se/blanketter/BLfoant.pdf
http://www.uppdok.uadm.uu.se/blanketter/BLfo-enginstr.pdf
More information about PhD studies at Uppsala University and at the Faculty of Social Sciences are available at:
http://www.uu.se/en/node76
http://www.doktorandhandboken.nu (click on the link “English”)
http://info.uu.se/uadm/dokument.nsf
http://regler.uu.se/
Uppsala University cannot cover travel and accommodation costs for
short-listed candidates, who are invited for a job interview.
Uppsala University is striving to promote equality and gender
balance. The majority of employees are men, therefore we encourage women
to apply to positions.
Information about the employment: Professor for Media and Communication Studies Christian Fuchs (christian.fuchs@im.uu.se):
+46 18 471 1019; Head of the Department and Professor Mats Edenius:
+46 18 471 11 76. Representatives from the Union are: Anders
Grundström, Saco-rådet, tel. +46 18-471 53 80, Carin Söderhäll, TCO/ST
tel. +46 18-471 19 96 och Stefan Djurström, Seko, tel. +46 18-471 33
15.
The application should be sent, not later than November 26, 2010, preferably by e-mail to registrator@uu.se,
or by fax +46-184712000, or by mail to Registrar’s Office, Uppsala
University, Box 256, SE-751 05 UPPSALA, Sweden. In any correspondence,
please use the reference number UFV-PA 2010/2775.
Uppsala University hereby declares the following position to be open for application:
PhD position in Media and Communication Studies
at the Department of Informatics and Media as of January 1st, 2011.
The candidate is supposed to participate in the department’s ongoing
research in the field of web 2.0/social media/social networking sites
& economic online surveillance/Internet prosumer labour. Therefore
applicants with a solid background in the combination of the
following areas are solicited to apply: critical media and communication
studies, Critical Theory, critical political economy, critical
political economy of media, ICTs and communication; Internet studies,
surveillance and privacy studies, critical advertising and consumer
culture studies.
Qualifications: master’s degree (candidates with any suited disciplinary and interdisciplinary background are welcome to apply), excellent command of written and spoken English.
The application should include
a) an application form including a copy of a degree certificate that
proves the applicant’s eligibility for studies at the research level
in Media and Communication Studies;
b) a CV;
c) a copy of the master thesis (additional works related to the advertised position’s topic may also be included);
d) an outline of experience in and motivation for conducting research in the advertised research field (minimum: 1000 words)
Education at the research level has a duration of five years, of which the first year is financed with a scholarship (utbildningsbidrag) and the four following years with employment as PhD candidate. PhD candidates are expected to conduct their education at the research level by working full time and by participating actively in the activities of the department. Obligatory administrative and teaching duties at the department may not exceed 20 % of full-time.
The application form and instructions in English are available from:
http://www.uppdok.uadm.uu.se/blanketter/BLfoant.pdf
http://www.uppdok.uadm.uu.se/blanketter/BLfo-enginstr.pdf
More information about PhD studies at Uppsala University and at the Faculty of Social Sciences are available at:
http://www.uu.se/en/node76
http://www.doktorandhandboken.nu (click on the link “English”)
http://info.uu.se/uadm/dokument.nsf
http://regler.uu.se/
Uppsala University cannot cover travel and accommodation costs for short-listed candidates, who are invited for a job interview.
Uppsala University is striving to promote equality and gender balance. The majority of employees are men, therefore we encourage women to apply to positions.
Information about the employment: Professor for Media and Communication Studies Christian Fuchs (christian.fuchs@im.uu.se): +46 18 471 1019; Head of the Department and Professor Mats Edenius: +46 18 471 11 76. Representatives from the Union are: Anders Grundström, Saco-rådet, tel. +46 18-471 53 80, Carin Söderhäll, TCO/ST tel. +46 18-471 19 96 och Stefan Djurström, Seko, tel. +46 18-471 33 15.
The application should be sent, not later than November 26, 2010, preferably by e-mail to registrator@uu.se, or by fax +46-184712000, or by mail to Registrar’s Office, Uppsala University, Box 256, SE-751 05 UPPSALA, Sweden. In any correspondence, please use the reference number UFV-PA 2010/2775.
Networking Democracy Conference in Cluj-Napoca
published on June 29, 2010
From June 25 until June 27, Alexander Banfield-Mumb and Celina Raffl attended the Symposium: Networking Democracy? New Media Innovations in Participatory Politics which were held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. They gave a presentation
From June 25 until June 27, Alexander Banfield-Mumb and Celina Raffl attended the Symposium: Networking Democracy? New Media Innovations in Participatory Politics which were held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. They gave a presentation
Public Lecture by Wolfgang Hofkirchner
published on June 23, 2010
on 8 june 2010, wolfgang hofkirchner held a public lecture during his stay at the internet interdisciplinary institute in3 in barcelona. the question he put up for discussion was. "ICTs-and-Society research: what's it for?" (please find the presentation for download here: http://www.hofkirchner.uti.at/presentations/ and more details here: http://in3.uoc.edu/web/IN3/activitats/seminaris/seminaris.html?idFitxa=79&hiddenIdioma=en)
on 8 june 2010, wolfgang hofkirchner held a public lecture during his stay at the internet interdisciplinary institute in3 in barcelona. the question he put up for discussion was. "ICTs-and-Society research: what's it for?" (please find the presentation for download here: http://www.hofkirchner.uti.at/presentations/ and more details here: http://in3.uoc.edu/web/IN3/activitats/seminaris/seminaris.html?idFitxa=79&hiddenIdioma=en)
FIS 2010: Deadline Extended to May, 30 2010
published on May 25, 2010
FIS 2010: Fourth International Conference on the Foundations of Information Science: Towards a new science of information, Beijing, China, 20-23 August 2010
The deadline for paper submissions is extended to 30 may 2010.
read more at http://www.sciforum.net/conf/fis2010.
FIS 2010: Fourth International Conference on the Foundations of Information Science: Towards a new science of information, Beijing, China, 20-23 August 2010
The deadline for paper submissions is extended to 30 may 2010.
read more at http://www.sciforum.net/conf/fis2010.
FWF Funding for the Project "SNS in the Surveillance Society"
published on April 10, 2010
Funding by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for the Project ”Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society“
The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) decided in its board meeting on March 1st, 2010, to fund the stand-alone research project ”Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society“ (SNS3). The project is co-ordinated by Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Fuchs, who is executive board member of the Unified Theory of Information (UTI) Research Group. In the March board meeting of the FWF, funding for a total of 51 stand alone projects was approved. “Social Networking Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society“ is assigned to the research fields information society studies and technology assessment. The project duration is 30 months, the funding amounts to € 267 284. The UTI members Thomas Allmer, Christian Fuchs (project co-ordinator), Verena Kreilinger, and Sebastian Sevignani are part of the project team.
Social networking sites (SNS) are Internet-based platforms that allow users to construct profiles, establish displayed connections with other users, and that support various forms of online communication. Examples are studiVZ, MySpace, or Facebook. Christian Fuchs: “On such platforms and other web 2.0 applications, a multiplicity of personal data, such as for example name, address, personal interests, hobby, cultural preferences, friendships and contacts, images, videos, guest book entries, forum discussions, etc, is stored, made available, assessed, and partly sold. The project analyzes the implications of social networking sites for privacy as well as the role of data surveillance on SNS”.
The overall aim of the research project “Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society” is to study electronic surveillance on social networking sites that are used by Austrian students.
The specific research questions are:
(1) How important are the topics data surveillance and privacy in discussions by SNS users? Which arguments do they use for arguing that they disagree or agree with surveillance on SNS?
(2) Which advantages and disadvantages of social networking platforms do Austrian students see? What is the role of surveillance and privacy in this context?
(3) Are knowledge and attitude towards surveillance and privacy of Austrian students and their information behaviour on social networking platforms connected?
Theoretical foundations of surveillance and privacy will be systematically elaborated. The research methods employed are qualitative interviewing and quantitative and qualitative surveys.
The project will be academically guided by an international advisory board that consists of renowned scholars from the research fields Internet research, surveillance studies, information and computer ethics, and information society studies: Dr. Anders Albrechtslund (Aalborg University, Denmark), Dr. David Beer (University of York, United Kingdom), Prof. Kees Boersma (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Prof. Rafael Capurro (Inernational Center for Information Ethics, Steinbeis-Transfer-Institut Information Ethics, Germany), Prof. Charles Ess (Drury University, USA), Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner (Vienna University of Technology, Austria), Prof. James H. Moor (Dartmouth College, USA), Dr. Michael Nagenborg (University of Tübingen, Germany), Dr. Bernd Carsten Stahl (De Monfort University, United Kingdom), Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Scotland).
The project is connected to the EU COST action “Living in Surveillance Societies“, in which 120 European scholars deal with foundations, effects, risks, and political implications of surveillance and surveillance technologies. The EU network is funded from 2009 until 2013, its chair is Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Scotland).
FWF Forschungsförderung für das Projekt „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaft“
Der Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF) hat in seiner Kuratoriumssitzung am 1.3.2010 beschlossen, das Einzelforschungsprojekt „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaft“ zu fördern. Das Projekt wird geleitet von Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Fuchs, Vorstandsmitglied der Unified Theory of Information (UTI)-Forschungsgruppe. Bei der Märzsitzung des FWF wurde die Förderung von 51 Einzelforschungsprojekten beschlossen. „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaften“ ist den Forschungsgebieten Informationsgesellschaft und Technikfolgenabschätzung zugeordnet. Die Projektlaufzeit beträgt 30 Monate, die Fördersumme € 267 284. Das Projektteam besteht aus den UTI Mitgliedern Thomas Allmer, Christian Fuchs (Projektleitung), Verena Kreilinger und Sebastian Sevignani.
Social Networking Seiten (SNS) sind internetbasierte Plattformen, die es den UserInnen erlauben, Profile zu konstruieren, Verbindungen mit anderen UserInnen einzugehen, die dargestellt werden, und die verschiedene Formen der Onlinekommunikation unterstützen. Beispiele sind studiVZ, MySpace oder Facebook. Christian Fuchs: „Auf derartigen Plattformen und anderen Web 2.0 Anwendungen wird eine Vielzahl von persönlichen Daten, wie zum Beispiel Name, Adresse, persönliche Interessen, Hobbys, kulturelle Vorlieben, Freundschaften und Kontakte, Bilder, Videos, Gästebucheinträge, Forumsdiskussionen, etc, gespeichert, zugänglich gemacht, ausgewertet und zum Teil verkauft. Das Projekt analysiert die Implikationen von Social Networking Seiten für die Privatsphäre und die Rolle von Datenüberwachung auf SNS“.
Ziel des Forschungsprojektes „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaft“ ist es, elektronische Überwachung auf SNS, die von österreichischen Studierenden verwendet werden, zu analysieren.
Die konkreten Forschungsfragen sind:
(1) Welche Rolle spielen die Themen Überwachung und Privatsphäre in den Diskussionen der Nutzer von SNS? Welche Argumente werden von den Usern für Zustimmung bzw. Ablehnung von Datenüberwachung auf SNS vorgebracht?
(2) Welche Vor- und Nachteile sehen österreichische Studierende in SNS? Welche Rolle spielen dabei Überwachung und Privatsphäre?
(3) Besteht ein Zusammenhang zwischen Wissen und Meinungen österreichischer Studierender über Überwachung und Privatsphäre und ihrem Informationsverhalten auf SNS?
Theoretische Grundlagen der Forschung zu Überwachung und Privatsphäre werden systematisiert. Die verwendeten Forschungsmethoden sind qualitative Interviewführung sowie quantitative und qualitative Befragung.
Das Projekt wird wissenschaftlich begleitet von einem internationalem Beratungsgremium, das aus renommierten Wissenschaftlern aus den Forschungsbereichen Internetforschung, Überwachungsforschung, Informations- und Computerethik und Informationsgesellschaftsforschung besteht: Dr. Anders Albrechtslund (Universität Aalborg, Dänemark), Dr. David Beer (University of York, Großbritannien), Prof. Kees Boersma (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Niederlande), Prof. Rafael Capurro (International Center for Information Ethics, Steinbeis-Transfer-Institut Information Ethics, Deutschland), Prof. Charles Ess (Drury University, USA), Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner (Technische Universität Wien), Prof. James H. Moor (Dartmouth College, USA), Dr. Michael Nagenborg (Universität Tübingen, Deutschland), Dr. Bernd Carsten Stahl (De Monfort University, Großbritannien), Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Schottland).
Das Projekt ist vernetzt mit der EU COST Aktion „Living in Surveillance Societies“ (Leben in den Überwachungsgesellschaften), in der sich 120 ForscherInnen aus Europa mit Grundlagen, Wirkungen, Gefahren und politischen Implikationen von Überwachung und Überwachungstechnologien beschäftigen. Dieses EU Vernetzungsprojekt läuft von 2009 bis 2013 und wird von Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Schottland) geleitet.
The team of the research project "Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society" (from left to right):
Sebastian Sevignani, Christian Fuchs (project co-ordinator), Verena Kreilinger, Thomas Allmer
Funding by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for the Project ”Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society“
The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) decided in its board meeting on March 1st, 2010, to fund the stand-alone research project ”Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society“ (SNS3). The project is co-ordinated by Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Fuchs, who is executive board member of the Unified Theory of Information (UTI) Research Group. In the March board meeting of the FWF, funding for a total of 51 stand alone projects was approved. “Social Networking Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society“ is assigned to the research fields information society studies and technology assessment. The project duration is 30 months, the funding amounts to € 267 284. The UTI members Thomas Allmer, Christian Fuchs (project co-ordinator), Verena Kreilinger, and Sebastian Sevignani are part of the project team.
Social networking sites (SNS) are Internet-based platforms that allow users to construct profiles, establish displayed connections with other users, and that support various forms of online communication. Examples are studiVZ, MySpace, or Facebook. Christian Fuchs: “On such platforms and other web 2.0 applications, a multiplicity of personal data, such as for example name, address, personal interests, hobby, cultural preferences, friendships and contacts, images, videos, guest book entries, forum discussions, etc, is stored, made available, assessed, and partly sold. The project analyzes the implications of social networking sites for privacy as well as the role of data surveillance on SNS”.
The overall aim of the research project “Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society” is to study electronic surveillance on social networking sites that are used by Austrian students.
The specific research questions are:
(1) How important are the topics data surveillance and privacy in discussions by SNS users? Which arguments do they use for arguing that they disagree or agree with surveillance on SNS?
(2) Which advantages and disadvantages of social networking platforms do Austrian students see? What is the role of surveillance and privacy in this context?
(3) Are knowledge and attitude towards surveillance and privacy of Austrian students and their information behaviour on social networking platforms connected?
Theoretical foundations of surveillance and privacy will be systematically elaborated. The research methods employed are qualitative interviewing and quantitative and qualitative surveys.
The project will be academically guided by an international advisory board that consists of renowned scholars from the research fields Internet research, surveillance studies, information and computer ethics, and information society studies: Dr. Anders Albrechtslund (Aalborg University, Denmark), Dr. David Beer (University of York, United Kingdom), Prof. Kees Boersma (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Prof. Rafael Capurro (Inernational Center for Information Ethics, Steinbeis-Transfer-Institut Information Ethics, Germany), Prof. Charles Ess (Drury University, USA), Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner (Vienna University of Technology, Austria), Prof. James H. Moor (Dartmouth College, USA), Dr. Michael Nagenborg (University of Tübingen, Germany), Dr. Bernd Carsten Stahl (De Monfort University, United Kingdom), Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Scotland).
The project is connected to the EU COST action “Living in Surveillance Societies“, in which 120 European scholars deal with foundations, effects, risks, and political implications of surveillance and surveillance technologies. The EU network is funded from 2009 until 2013, its chair is Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Scotland).
FWF Forschungsförderung für das Projekt „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaft“
Der Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (FWF) hat in seiner Kuratoriumssitzung am 1.3.2010 beschlossen, das Einzelforschungsprojekt „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaft“ zu fördern. Das Projekt wird geleitet von Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Fuchs, Vorstandsmitglied der Unified Theory of Information (UTI)-Forschungsgruppe. Bei der Märzsitzung des FWF wurde die Förderung von 51 Einzelforschungsprojekten beschlossen. „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaften“ ist den Forschungsgebieten Informationsgesellschaft und Technikfolgenabschätzung zugeordnet. Die Projektlaufzeit beträgt 30 Monate, die Fördersumme € 267 284. Das Projektteam besteht aus den UTI Mitgliedern Thomas Allmer, Christian Fuchs (Projektleitung), Verena Kreilinger und Sebastian Sevignani.
Social Networking Seiten (SNS) sind internetbasierte Plattformen, die es den UserInnen erlauben, Profile zu konstruieren, Verbindungen mit anderen UserInnen einzugehen, die dargestellt werden, und die verschiedene Formen der Onlinekommunikation unterstützen. Beispiele sind studiVZ, MySpace oder Facebook. Christian Fuchs: „Auf derartigen Plattformen und anderen Web 2.0 Anwendungen wird eine Vielzahl von persönlichen Daten, wie zum Beispiel Name, Adresse, persönliche Interessen, Hobbys, kulturelle Vorlieben, Freundschaften und Kontakte, Bilder, Videos, Gästebucheinträge, Forumsdiskussionen, etc, gespeichert, zugänglich gemacht, ausgewertet und zum Teil verkauft. Das Projekt analysiert die Implikationen von Social Networking Seiten für die Privatsphäre und die Rolle von Datenüberwachung auf SNS“.
Ziel des Forschungsprojektes „Social Networking Seiten in der Überwachungsgesellschaft“ ist es, elektronische Überwachung auf SNS, die von österreichischen Studierenden verwendet werden, zu analysieren.
Die konkreten Forschungsfragen sind:
(1) Welche Rolle spielen die Themen Überwachung und Privatsphäre in den Diskussionen der Nutzer von SNS? Welche Argumente werden von den Usern für Zustimmung bzw. Ablehnung von Datenüberwachung auf SNS vorgebracht?
(2) Welche Vor- und Nachteile sehen österreichische Studierende in SNS? Welche Rolle spielen dabei Überwachung und Privatsphäre?
(3) Besteht ein Zusammenhang zwischen Wissen und Meinungen österreichischer Studierender über Überwachung und Privatsphäre und ihrem Informationsverhalten auf SNS?
Theoretische Grundlagen der Forschung zu Überwachung und Privatsphäre werden systematisiert. Die verwendeten Forschungsmethoden sind qualitative Interviewführung sowie quantitative und qualitative Befragung.
Das Projekt wird wissenschaftlich begleitet von einem internationalem Beratungsgremium, das aus renommierten Wissenschaftlern aus den Forschungsbereichen Internetforschung, Überwachungsforschung, Informations- und Computerethik und Informationsgesellschaftsforschung besteht: Dr. Anders Albrechtslund (Universität Aalborg, Dänemark), Dr. David Beer (University of York, Großbritannien), Prof. Kees Boersma (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Niederlande), Prof. Rafael Capurro (International Center for Information Ethics, Steinbeis-Transfer-Institut Information Ethics, Deutschland), Prof. Charles Ess (Drury University, USA), Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner (Technische Universität Wien), Prof. James H. Moor (Dartmouth College, USA), Dr. Michael Nagenborg (Universität Tübingen, Deutschland), Dr. Bernd Carsten Stahl (De Monfort University, Großbritannien), Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Schottland).
Das Projekt ist vernetzt mit der EU COST Aktion „Living in Surveillance Societies“ (Leben in den Überwachungsgesellschaften), in der sich 120 ForscherInnen aus Europa mit Grundlagen, Wirkungen, Gefahren und politischen Implikationen von Überwachung und Überwachungstechnologien beschäftigen. Dieses EU Vernetzungsprojekt läuft von 2009 bis 2013 und wird von Dr. William Webster (University of Stirling, Schottland) geleitet.
The team of the research project "Social Networking Sites in the Surveillance Society" (from left to right):
Sebastian Sevignani, Christian Fuchs (project co-ordinator), Verena Kreilinger, Thomas Allmer
Doctoral fellowship for Marisol Sandoval
published on April 9, 2010
Doctoral fellowship by the Austrian Academy of Sciences for Marisol Sandoval
Marisol Sandoval, who is executive board member of the Unified Theory of Information Research Group, has obtained a doctoral fellowship by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) for her dissertation “Corporate Social Responsibility and the (New) Media“. She is one of 38 young Austrian scholars who were successful this year in applying for a scholarship in the ÖAW doctoral programme DOC. On February 26, 2010, the Austrian Federal Minister of Science and Research Beatrix Karl and ÖAW Vice President Sigrid Jalkotzy-Deger awarded ÖAW grants to 38 scholars in the DOC programme, 27 scholars in the DOC-fFORTe programme, 6 scholars in the DOC-team programme, 6 scholars in the MAX KADE programme, and 11 scholars in the APART programme.
The Austrian Academy of Sciences’ DOC programme “is intended to motivate highly talented students to work in academic fields, to raise the standard of Austrian doctoral theses and to accelerate PhD studies in general. […] DOC fellowships offer doctoral candidates the possibility to get the right qualifications for an academic career, that is, to improve their academic qualifications in academic and non-academic fields, increase their capacity to compete internationally or to be involved in inter-national research programmes and projects”. DOC fellowships are “intended to allow recipients to devote their time solely to their scientific work, thus enabling them to complete their doctoral thesis within a definable period of time. […] DOC fellowships are designed to increase Austria's scientific potential and to appeal to female scientists in particular” (http://stipendien.oeaw.ac.at/doc-program-information).
In her dissertation, Marisol Sandoval elaborates theoretical foundations of corporate social responsibility in order to argue how to best define and measure the degree of responsibility of companies and applies these foundations to the media industry and the new media industry. She empirically analyzes to which extent the behaviour of the world’s largest media and new media companies can be considered as being responsible or not. In times of global economic crisis, discussions about the responsibility and irresponsibility of corporate behaviour are present in everyday politics. Therefore a doctoral thesis that covers the topic of corporate social responsibility in relation to one of the largest growth industries, the information industry, is topical and has practical relevance. Sandoval’s work is supervised by Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner and co-supervised by Prof. Manfred Knoche.
From left to right: Beatrix Karl (Austrian Federal Minister of Science and Research), Marisol Sandoval (Source: ÖAW)
Doctoral fellowship by the Austrian Academy of Sciences for Marisol Sandoval
Marisol Sandoval, who is executive board member of the Unified Theory of Information Research Group, has obtained a doctoral fellowship by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) for her dissertation “Corporate Social Responsibility and the (New) Media“. She is one of 38 young Austrian scholars who were successful this year in applying for a scholarship in the ÖAW doctoral programme DOC. On February 26, 2010, the Austrian Federal Minister of Science and Research Beatrix Karl and ÖAW Vice President Sigrid Jalkotzy-Deger awarded ÖAW grants to 38 scholars in the DOC programme, 27 scholars in the DOC-fFORTe programme, 6 scholars in the DOC-team programme, 6 scholars in the MAX KADE programme, and 11 scholars in the APART programme.
The Austrian Academy of Sciences’ DOC programme “is intended to motivate highly talented students to work in academic fields, to raise the standard of Austrian doctoral theses and to accelerate PhD studies in general. […] DOC fellowships offer doctoral candidates the possibility to get the right qualifications for an academic career, that is, to improve their academic qualifications in academic and non-academic fields, increase their capacity to compete internationally or to be involved in inter-national research programmes and projects”. DOC fellowships are “intended to allow recipients to devote their time solely to their scientific work, thus enabling them to complete their doctoral thesis within a definable period of time. […] DOC fellowships are designed to increase Austria's scientific potential and to appeal to female scientists in particular” (http://stipendien.oeaw.ac.at/doc-program-information).
In her dissertation, Marisol Sandoval elaborates theoretical foundations of corporate social responsibility in order to argue how to best define and measure the degree of responsibility of companies and applies these foundations to the media industry and the new media industry. She empirically analyzes to which extent the behaviour of the world’s largest media and new media companies can be considered as being responsible or not. In times of global economic crisis, discussions about the responsibility and irresponsibility of corporate behaviour are present in everyday politics. Therefore a doctoral thesis that covers the topic of corporate social responsibility in relation to one of the largest growth industries, the information industry, is topical and has practical relevance. Sandoval’s work is supervised by Prof. Wolfgang Hofkirchner and co-supervised by Prof. Manfred Knoche.
From left to right: Beatrix Karl (Austrian Federal Minister of Science and Research), Marisol Sandoval (Source: ÖAW)