Back to the Future of Academic Conferences

Is the end of hybrid conferences arriving just as they have been invented? I assumed that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifts to more people working remotely and from home, that academic conferences would not think twice about embracing hybrid forms of meeting even as academics begin to travel again. Well, … Continue reading Back to the Future of Academic Conferences

ICA Communication & Technology Awards, 2024

To Members and Friends of ICA's Communication & Technology Division: The Communication and Technology (CAT) Division of the International Communication Association (ICA) seeks nominations for the (1) Frederick Williams Prize for Contribution to the Study of Communication and Technology and the (2) Herbert S. Dordick Dissertation Award. I am pleased to again be chairing the … Continue reading ICA Communication & Technology Awards, 2024

The Fifth Estate Transformed

My book on The Fifth Estate (Oxford University Press) was published in 2023, so it was wonderful to get a Christmas gift of the book transformed into a different form – from a book to a complex paper work. I would never have thought of representing my book in the way Thurle Wright has done … Continue reading The Fifth Estate Transformed

The Magic of Networking in Life and Work

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to an incredibly talented group of rising stars in their respective fields. They were the participants in the Young Muslim Leadership Programme, organized and supported by the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, and The Prince’s Charities. Participants included a British Muslim doctor, a physicist, a senior business … Continue reading The Magic of Networking in Life and Work

Causality Journalism: Can Academics Help?

As a social scientist, I spend much of my working life sorting out spurious claims about cause and effect. In any social science, particularly when it is impossible to adequately control many variables such as through an experimental design, the analysis and attribution of causality is inherently problematic. Too often, that is not the case … Continue reading Causality Journalism: Can Academics Help?

Cybersecurity Capacity Building: The Global Constellation Annual Conference

Cybersecurity Capacity Building: The Global Constellation Annual Conference Theme: Linking Cybersecurity Capacity Research to Development in Africa Organised by the Global Constellation of Cybersecurity Capacity Research Centres Venue: Cape Town, South Africa Dates: 1st – 2nd November 2022 Second Call for Papers and Workshops and Extension The Global Constellation of Cybersecurity Capacity Centres will hold … Continue reading Cybersecurity Capacity Building: The Global Constellation Annual Conference

Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change

My colleagues and I involved with the World Internet Project (WIP) are looking for some inspiring initiatives in the use of the internet and social media for effecting positive social change. A thesis by Ms Emilia Askari in the College of Education at Michigan State University alerted me to this potential, and discussions within WIP … Continue reading Raising Awareness of Social Media for Positive Social Change

History Lessons: 250 Years of the IT Industry in Britain

Question Time Panel at 'Learning from History', BCS, 17 February 2022 The Archives of IT (AIT) held a two-hour seminar on 17 February 2022 in collaboration with the British Computer Society (BCS) and the Computer Conservation Society (CCS). It was entitled ‘Learning from History: Reflections on the past and future of the British IT Industry’. … Continue reading History Lessons: 250 Years of the IT Industry in Britain

Could History be the New, New Thing? Archiving

Could History be the New, New Thing: Archiving Could it be that the digerati are beginning to wonder about the origins of such ‘innovations’ as video communication, AI, remote work, and more? Are they discovering that all these innovations have a long history in the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs)?  These questions arose … Continue reading Could History be the New, New Thing? Archiving

Participating in an Advisory Board: Five Principles

Having created and served on advisory boards in a number of organisations and countries, I've begun to see some principles that can guide others serving on an advisory board. I am not a management consultant nor an expert on advisory boards, but as I try to think through my own experiences on boards, I thought … Continue reading Participating in an Advisory Board: Five Principles