It has been a long-standing joke that New Yorkers view most of the states that compose the United States as insignificant in relation to New York City. One of the famous images of this view was on the cover of the New Yorker in 1976. Well, it appears that the New York Times, in keeping … Continue reading The Electoral College as Seen from the Windows of the New York Times
Year: 2016
This is the United STATES of America: The Primaries are the Problem!
In the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential elections, the shock of Donald Trump’s surprising win has generated a flurry of initiatives to turn back the clock and rerun or overturn the election, such as Jill Stein’s failed attempt to recount the ballots in a number of key states. The most worrisome efforts – to me … Continue reading This is the United STATES of America: The Primaries are the Problem!
Forthcoming Ukrainian Publication on Distributed Intelligence
Aspects of my work on the role of distributed intelligence in problem solving, what I have called distributed collaborative networks, was published in English as Dutton, W. H. (2015), ‘Lend Me Your Expertise: Citizen Sourcing Advice to Government’, pp. 247-63 in Johnston, E. W. (eds), Governance in the Information Era: Theory and Practice of Policy … Continue reading Forthcoming Ukrainian Publication on Distributed Intelligence
Don’t Panic over Fake News
Fake News is a Wonderful Headline but Not a Reason to Panic I feel guilty for not jumping on the ‘fake news’ bandwagon. It is one of the new new things in the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election. And because purposively misleading news stories, like the Pope endorsing Donald Trump, engage so many people, … Continue reading Don’t Panic over Fake News
Surrogate News: The End of Journalism?
Surrogate News: The End of Journalism? News coverage of the 2016 US presidential election vividly illustrated a worrying trend. It goes well beyond the decline of the newspaper to the decline of quality journalistic reporting in favor of entertaining news commentary. Perhaps I have a romantic view of the past. Perhaps journalism may be better … Continue reading Surrogate News: The End of Journalism?
The New Status Symbol: A Secret Email Address
I have been so wrapped up in communicating with my colleagues and those who contact me, that I have missed the rise of a new status symbol. I recently took on a task that led me to contact a range of academics, with excellent track records in their respective fields. Some are simply known to … Continue reading The New Status Symbol: A Secret Email Address
10th Anniversary of OII’s DPhil in Information, Communication & the Social Sciences
It was a real honour today to speak with some of the alumni (a new word for Oxford) of the Oxford Internet Institute’s DPhil programme. A number came together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the DPhil. It began four seemingly long years after I became the OII’s founding director in 2002. So while I … Continue reading 10th Anniversary of OII’s DPhil in Information, Communication & the Social Sciences
The 2016 US Presidential Election and the Institution of the Presidency
One of the classic works on the governance of England is Walter Bagehot’s (1867) The English Constitution. He observed that through the evolution of its unwritten Constitution entailed two critical but separate components, the ‘dignified’ and the ‘efficient’. The former exercised symbolic power and was represented by the monarch, who did not have effective power … Continue reading The 2016 US Presidential Election and the Institution of the Presidency
Where Am I?
At a Workshop in a Field: What is the Name of that Field? Here are the terms on the workshop whiteboard: Urban Informatics Smart Cities Civic Technology Civic Media Community Informatics Internet Studies Citizen Interaction Design Civic Engagement Urban Planning Meaningful Inefficiencies?
Just Pick Up the Phone
Can You Pick Up the Phone? I’ve written about the lost art of writing with a pen. Now I feel like there is a need to explain in plain English that when you are having difficulties communicating via email or other electronic messaging systems that you can use the telephone, what you may know as … Continue reading Just Pick Up the Phone