In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, with so many organizations and activities moving online, I’ve seen a remarkable push to ‘professionalize’ [for want of a better word] everything online. You might think that is a good thing, but to me, it is undermining, if not destroying, the free and open culture of the Internet. … Continue reading Stop Professionalizing Our Internet
Internet and Everyday Life
How People Look for Information about Politics
The following lists papers and work in progress flowing from our research, which began at MSU, and was funded by Google Inc., on how people get access to information about politics. It was launched when I was director of the Quello Center at Michigan State University, but continues with me and colleagues at Quello and … Continue reading How People Look for Information about Politics
Social Distancing Can Travel Online
Social Distancing Can Travel Online So much has been said about how online chats, email and conferencing are filling the void left by social distancing, I thought it would be worth sending a word of caution. Courtesy Arthur Asa Berger Communication online is not a real substitute for person-to-person face-to-face communication. It is most often … Continue reading Social Distancing Can Travel Online
Libraries without Buildings
What is a library if the building is closed? One response to the coronavirus pandemic has been the closing of libraries around the world. In light of these closures, Don Means - @donmeans - of Gigbit Libraries (GLN) , has been holding weekly video conferences or Webinars on ‘What is a library if the building is closed?’, … Continue reading Libraries without Buildings
Zoom-bombing the Future of Education
Zoom-bombing the Future of Education by Bill Dutton and Arnau Erola based on their discussions with Louise Axon, Mary Bispham, Patricia Esteve-Gonzalez, and Marcel Stolz In the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools and universities across the globe have moved to online education as a substitute rather than a complement for campus-based instruction. While this … Continue reading Zoom-bombing the Future of Education
Britain’s Digital Nanny State
The way in which the UK is approaching the regulation of social media will undermine privacy and freedom of expression and have a chilling effect on Internet use by everyone in Britain. Perhaps it is because discussion of a new approach to Internet regulation occurred in the midst of the public’s focus on Brexit, this … Continue reading Britain’s Digital Nanny State
Society and the Internet
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the Internet and related social media and digital technologies to the forefront of societies across the globe. Whether in supporting social distancing, working at home, or online courses, people are increasingly dependent on online media for everyday life and work. If you are teaching courses on the social aspects of … Continue reading Society and the Internet
Fake News Nation – a new book by Aspray and Cortada is out!
I'd like to recommend to you a new book, entitled Fake News Nation: The Long History of Lies and Misinterpretations in America (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Information about the book is at: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538131107/Fake-News-Nation-The-Long-History-of-Lies-and-Misinterpretations-in-America As I noted in my endorsement of this book: "James W. Cortada and Willam Aspray's brilliantly selected and crafted case studies are … Continue reading Fake News Nation – a new book by Aspray and Cortada is out!
Society and the Internet, 2nd Edition
It is such a pleasure to see the publication today of the second edition of Society and the Internet by Oxford University Press. My co-editor, Mark Graham, and I worked long and hard to assemble a wonderful set of authors to build on the first edition. The success of the original volume led to this … Continue reading Society and the Internet, 2nd Edition