Instructor: Cindy Royal, Ph.D.
Week of April 30
Please review as many of these studies and resources as possible. We will have an opportunity to discuss these topics with some of the authors and leaders in this area during the Bootcamp.
Introduction
These articles should be able to be found in your libraries’ online services. I have also included pdfs in the #scholarship channel.
Technology Firms Shape Political Communication: The Work of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Google With Campaigns During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Cycle, Political Communication, Daniel Kreiss & Shannon McGregor, 2018 – this article provides a fascinating look at how technology companies assisted the Presidential campaigns in 2016. I feel this type of work will need to be continued to better understand the broad reach of companies like Facebook and Google. Daniel Kreiss will be joining us on Skype during the Bootcamp.
Algorithmic Transparency in the News Media, Digital Journalism by Nicholas Diakopolous and Michael Koliska – this article discusses the opportunities and ethics of the use of algorithms for news production.
Location-based news in mobile news apps: Broadcast leads in geolocated news content, newspapers lag behind, Newspaper Research Journal, Amy Schmitz Weiss, 2018 – this article studied the way that news organizations are employing location-based services. In an increasingly mobile world, it will be important to understand how traditional media incorporates these and other features. Amy Schmitz Weiss will be joining us via Skype during the Bootcamp.
Amy is also the Research Chair for the International Symposium on Online Journalism. I highly recommend reviewing all their recent content and looking through their research. Below is the video from April 14, 2018. Please watch the interview with Evan Smith and Ben Smith and the following panel on Tech Trends in Journalism. ISOJ always assembles the most provocative professionals and scholars, and it is a conference that any digital educator should put on their calendar!
Zeynep Tufekci is a professor in the School of Information at the University of North Carolina. She articulates some of the moral issues associated with machine learning (artificial intelligence).
Jaron Lanier is an technology pioneer. He discusses how the Internet should be rebuilt and the risks if we do nothing. I don’t necessarily agree with all his points, but I think he starts an important conversation.
Publication Opportunities
One of the items I’d like you to discuss is the challenge of getting new and emerging ideas published in traditional journals, you know, the ones that count for tenure. Many are slow to publish, which makes them less relevant for digital trends that are fast-paced. And the methods that are valued in traditional journals may not be the right approaches for new topics. Here are some articles published in new places that allow research to reach a broader audience more quickly.
The Bots Beat: How Not to Get Punked By Automation, CJR by Nicholas Diakopolous
How Facebook, Google and Twitter “Embeds” Helped Trump in 2016, Politico by Nancy Scola – this article appeared before the Political Communication Article above was published. It began the conversation at earlier point and engaged a different audience than an academic journal.
The Programmer Majored in English, Nieman Journalism Lab by Megan Garber – Nieman Lab is known for elevating emerging research topics to a broader audience. This article addresses the study I did with the NYT Interactive News Technology team in 2009. Note that this study was rejected by AEJMC. However, after presenting it at ISOJ, it received attention for being one of the first studies on the emerging role of data journalism. As you know, Nieman Lab also does the annual predictions which engage a bevy of big thinkers in exploring the items they think will be important in the future.
My article The Journalist as Programmer: A Case Study of the NYT Interactive News Technology Department was eventually published in the ISOJ Journal (download pdf). It looks like ISOJ moved the original link to the paper I presented at the conference.
Research centers are also the home to many relevant and meaningful research projects. The Tow Center for Digital Journalism has published many articles on emerging topics. Here are two:
https://towcenter.org/the-art-and-science-of-data-driven-journalism/
https://towcenter.org/research/post-industrial-journalism-adapting-to-the-present-2/
Research Centers – here are a few other research centers doing important digital research.
Center for Media Engagement, The University of Texas, Talia Stroud, the director of the Media Engagement Center will be joining us via Skype during the Bootcamp.
Tow Center for Digital Journalism
Pew Research Center – Internet and Technology
Also, I have taught a Digital Media Issues course in our master’s program for many years. In it, I attempt to provide students with an appreciation for the history of the Internet and Web and some of the seminal work, leading to more contemporary activities. This platform provides much opportunity for discussion and debate. Students use the WordPress platform to engage the readings. I provide this an example of curriculum and assignments around digital research.
Discussion
You have been introduced to many studies and topics in this module. How will you make sense of this in your own academic careers? Use the #scholarship channel.
- This week, I’d like you to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with researching emerging topics. What areas do you find most fruitful for your research agenda? Why? What are some ways that you might begin to measure or analyze these trends?
- What challenges do you see in terms of publishing this type of work? What venues do you think are most relevant? How does that fit into your goal of achieving tenure, and what are some strategies you think you will need to develop to deal with this environment?
And please provide links to any additional resources or studies you find relevant.