582
Data and Society
Data and Society
Tuesday, 12 July 2016: 14:15-15:45
Location: Hörsaal 15 (Juridicum)
RC51 Sociocybernetics (host committee) Language: English
The interplay between mass media, data, algorithms and digital technologies is deeply affecting what we know about the world around us and, in turn, our everyday life choices (from what brand to buy to what party to vote). Understanding “media effects”, as clearly pointed out by the tradition of media studies, requires a combination of different approaches and disciplines. At the same time, these effects are always complex and non-linear.
The contemporary scenario is further complicated by the presence of multiple feedback loops: we are not simply a target of the contents produced by the media system. We share and create our own contents becoming part of the media ourselves. The system affecting our choices is thus, in turn, affected by our choices.
Empowering technologies are, at the same time, new subtle and powerful means of control. Participation, self-organization, hierarchies and benevolent dictatorships, once mutually exclusive, happily co-exist in modern communities such as Wikipedia or Linux developers.
Complexity, self-organizations, non-linearity, control and feedback loops are core concepts in cybernetics and general systems theory. Furthermore, both approaches are intrinsically interdisciplinary.
We therefore invite the submission of paper proposals for a regular session aimed at discussing these issues in a perspective that goes beyond the boundaries of traditional disciplines.
Session Organizer:
Chair: