Mirko Tobias Schäfer / Assistant Professor
University of Utrecht Department for Media and Culture Studies
(Guest editor: Mirko Tobias Schäfer)
The Journal of Computer Supported and Cooperative Work will publish a special issue on how datafication, big data and social media affect civic life, participation and labour.
Information technology affords that almost all aspects of our lives can be translated into data, data that are used for forecasting, assessment, real-time tracking, targeted advertising and polling. The practice of digitization and the role of electronic information media technology affects in various degrees almost all aspects of everyday life. This 'datafication' affects our public sphere as much as our consumption behaviour. A datafied public sphere changes the game of opinion polling, political debate and civic action. As a result our understanding of citizenship, democracy, public sphere and public space is fundamentally transforming.
This special issue investigates to what extent datafication transforms governance, labour and civic participation. We solicit contributions that address the emerging algorithmic governance through public administrations and corporations: the availability of digital records from birth certificate to curricula vitae, the assessment of work performance, financial transactions, communication records, travel data, health data have contributed to shaping novel forms of managing the population of citizens.
Datafication and algorithmic governance affects many areas of everyday life. We, therefore invite a broad spectrum of contributions to provide a broad overview of appropriate case examples and an apt presentation of relevant issues and ongoing discussion.
Proposals
Please submit a 400-600 word proposal outlining theoretical framework, empirical data and argument of the proposed paper.
Deadline for submitting proposals: 20.November 2014 - Please submit your proposal to mts@mtschaefer.net
Note of acceptance: 20 December 2014 with request for submitting full paper by 30 February 2015.
Publication date is planned for fall 2015
Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is a 25 year old journal that disseminates innovative research results and provides an interdisciplinary forum for the debate and exchange of ideas concerning theoretical, practical, technical, and social issues in CSCW. The journal encompasses the diverse nature of research within the field and its related areas. Coverage ranges from ethnographic studies of cooperative work to reports on the development of CSCW systems and their technological foundations. The journal is published by Springer Computer Science: http://www.springer.com/computer/journal/10606
Image credit: Artistic Bokeh
Date October 2014 Category News
I have been asked by the editors of the Journal of Computer Supported and Cooperative Work to edit a special issue on the the transformation of civic life through social media platforms, datafication and big data analysis.