PLEASE NOTE! We will have three guests and three "mini-guest lectures" that are topically related to each other this coming Friday. Each mini-lecture will be 30 minutes long.
Guest lecturer: Henrik Åhman, Ph.D. student at KTH/Human Computer Interaction group.
Title: A war on totality: Social media from a postmodern perspective
Time: Friday November 25 at 10.15 - 10.45
Place: Lecture hall V3
Abstract:
Much has been said about the role of social media in contemporary society. On the one hand, it has been accused of having a negative impact on society by contributing to the creation of a superficial and consumerist image of human life. On the other hand, it has been argued that social media contributes to society by providing the ordinary citizen with effective information and communication tools, thereby countering the erosion of democratic institutions and contributing to the establishment of a new democratic paradigm.
By describing the development from modern to postmodern thinking, Henrik positions social media in relation to questions of diversity, knowledge, what it means to be human, and to the boundaries between the individual and society at large.
[Please take a moment to think about these issues. What do you imagine or expect Henrik to talk about? Can you in advance think of a question you would like to pose? / Daniel]
About Henrik:
Henrik is a Ph.D. student at the Human Computer Interaction Group at KTH. His research focuses on questions regarding ICT in relation to democracy and social sustainability. Henrik has a BA in Theology and a MSc in Library and Information Science.
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Guest lecturer: Gustaf Lundström, Master's Degree Student at the Media Management Program
Title: Social media: A shortcut to democracy?
Time: Friday November 25 at 10.50-11.20
Place: Lecture hall V3
Abstract:
Blogs and Twitter, along with other social media, have been heralded as important technologies for creating a democratic exchange of information, and the connection between social media and democracy has been widely discussed in the aftermath of the past Arab spring.
But what is the real connection between liberty and social media? Should we trust the cyber-utopians in their unyielding trust of digital technologies, or are there reasons to doubt the political benefits of social media?
[Please take a moment to think about these issues. What do you imagine or expect Gustaf to talk about? Can you in advance think of a question you would like to pose? / Daniel]
Literature:
Gustaf suggests you re-read chapter 7, "Political Freedom Part 2: Emergence of the Networked Public Sphere", primarily pages 261-272.
About Gustaf:
Gustaf is currently a master's student at the KTH Media Management Master's program and has has previously studied Media Technology for three years. He wrote his Bachelor's thesis about the use of social media in marketing during the spring.
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Guest lecturer: Wu Qi, journalist for the Southern People Weekly, China
Title: Passive Governor: Censorship in Chinese online forums
Time: Friday November 25 at 11.30-12.00
Place: Lecture hall V3 - JOINING US BY SKYPE
Abstract:
After having conducted a field study of two major Chinese online forums and 13 in-depth interviews of Chinese Internet workers/censors, Wu Qi wrote his Master's Thesis about the material and everyday practices of censoring the Internet by the people whose job it is to do it.
Wu Qi will describe how the people who actually conduct censorship and self-censorship for Chinese new media institutions perceive themselves and act accordingly on both a personal and a professional level. He will also describe the tension between regulation and self-awareness.
[Please take a moment to think about these issues. What do you imagine or expect Wu Qi to talk about? Can you in advance think of a question you would like to pose? / Daniel]
About Wu Qi:
Wu Qi is a journalist, working in Beijing for one of the leading Chinese news magazines, the Southern People Weekly. He was a visiting student at KTH in 2010 as part of an exchange program between KTH and Beijing University and he is a graduate from the School of Journalism and Communication at Beijing University.
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