Online@asia/pacific: A comparative study of online networks in the Asia-Pacific. In the 21st century, the role of the Internet will increasingly become part of everyday life - for individuals, communities, businesses and government agencies. Thus it is imperative that we have a robust comparative understanding of online life in Australia and across the region, and its relation to local life offline. Such an understanding is fundamental to Australia's technology and cultural sectors, thus contrib ....Online@asia/pacific: A comparative study of online networks in the Asia-Pacific. In the 21st century, the role of the Internet will increasingly become part of everyday life - for individuals, communities, businesses and government agencies. Thus it is imperative that we have a robust comparative understanding of online life in Australia and across the region, and its relation to local life offline. Such an understanding is fundamental to Australia's technology and cultural sectors, thus contributing to National Research Priority 3 through one of the strongest currencies in 21st century global market, web 2.0, as well as contributing to the broader long-term project of locating Australia in the region.
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Internationalising Creative Industries: China, the WTO and the Knowledge-based Economy. This project investigates the challenges facing the creative industries internationally as the rationales for government support and industry development are seen variously as cultural, as part of the burgeoning services sector, and/or as contributing to the knowledge-based economy. To place the creative industries in an international frame, comparing developed countries? policy and industry strategies with t ....Internationalising Creative Industries: China, the WTO and the Knowledge-based Economy. This project investigates the challenges facing the creative industries internationally as the rationales for government support and industry development are seen variously as cultural, as part of the burgeoning services sector, and/or as contributing to the knowledge-based economy. To place the creative industries in an international frame, comparing developed countries? policy and industry strategies with those of China, the most important developing country, after its admission to the WTO, is a significant conceptual advance and innovation not attempted before. Australia will benefit from international comparisons of industry strategy and growth and from strategic knowledge of China's creative economy dynamics.Read moreRead less
The Future of Television: Australian Legal Protection of Digital Broadcast Content. Free-to-air broadcasting performs central democratic, economic and cultural functions, with a key place in Australia's media. But technological changes pose fundamental and urgent challenges for broadcasters. By investigating mechanisms to protect digital content, the project will advance understanding of a crucial issue in the digital economy. The project will increase understanding of options for protecting bro ....The Future of Television: Australian Legal Protection of Digital Broadcast Content. Free-to-air broadcasting performs central democratic, economic and cultural functions, with a key place in Australia's media. But technological changes pose fundamental and urgent challenges for broadcasters. By investigating mechanisms to protect digital content, the project will advance understanding of a crucial issue in the digital economy. The project will increase understanding of options for protecting broadcast content to promote innovation in content production and distribution, while not restraining reasonable content uses nor hindering innovative consumer electronics. Australian policies should foster an innovative and diverse broadcasting sector to serve Australian public interests. The project promotes this vital objective.Read moreRead less
Struggling for Possession: The Control and Use of Online Media Sport. Policy debates about the private ownership of sport content by media companies and sports organisations, and citizens' rights of access to content in new media environments, are characterised by considerable regulatory and legal uncertainty. This Project will identify and analyse the sources of this uncertainty, and provide informed, evidence-based policy direction. There is a pressing need for such evidence, with regulatory a ....Struggling for Possession: The Control and Use of Online Media Sport. Policy debates about the private ownership of sport content by media companies and sports organisations, and citizens' rights of access to content in new media environments, are characterised by considerable regulatory and legal uncertainty. This Project will identify and analyse the sources of this uncertainty, and provide informed, evidence-based policy direction. There is a pressing need for such evidence, with regulatory authorities already expressing concern over the locking up of exclusive content rights by major media companies. This Project also contributes to the conceptual development of Communication and Media Studies in a key area of national popular culture - sport.Read moreRead less
Genealogies of digital light. The first interdisciplinary account of practice in light technologies, this project will look in detail at the innovation process in the techniques and technologies used in depicting, recording and projecting light. It will explore how contemporary digital media imitate, advance or retreat from the achievements of older techniques and devices; how accidental artefacts of specific media become desirable outcomes in others; and how these past processes impact on desig ....Genealogies of digital light. The first interdisciplinary account of practice in light technologies, this project will look in detail at the innovation process in the techniques and technologies used in depicting, recording and projecting light. It will explore how contemporary digital media imitate, advance or retreat from the achievements of older techniques and devices; how accidental artefacts of specific media become desirable outcomes in others; and how these past processes impact on design and innovation of new tools. Outcomes will include print and online publications, a conference and collaboration between three universities.Read moreRead less
Changing the media diet - Investigating the power of the news media to prevent obesity. Australia has 3.7 million obese people - twice as many are overweight. Australian experts say this epidemic, which costs Australia $58 billion a year, requires novel solutions at individual and societal levels. The news media are powerful shapers of public and policymakers' understandings of health issues. This project investigates competing arguments in news media and reality TV and how these frames influenc ....Changing the media diet - Investigating the power of the news media to prevent obesity. Australia has 3.7 million obese people - twice as many are overweight. Australian experts say this epidemic, which costs Australia $58 billion a year, requires novel solutions at individual and societal levels. The news media are powerful shapers of public and policymakers' understandings of health issues. This project investigates competing arguments in news media and reality TV and how these frames influence consumer understandings to discover what role the media are playing in the obesity epidemic. The goal is to relate the findings to scientific evidence and design novel strategic communication interventions to promote health through individual and societal interventions.Read moreRead less
Liberal Machines: Information poverty, political culture and the uses of new communications technologies. This project examines two contentious issues in scholarly and policy debate: the nature and consequences of information poverty, and the consequences of new communications technologies for western political culture. Rather than focussing on the emancipatory potential of new technologies, we see these problems through the prism of liberal government, its history and prospects. In particular w ....Liberal Machines: Information poverty, political culture and the uses of new communications technologies. This project examines two contentious issues in scholarly and policy debate: the nature and consequences of information poverty, and the consequences of new communications technologies for western political culture. Rather than focussing on the emancipatory potential of new technologies, we see these problems through the prism of liberal government, its history and prospects. In particular we are concerned with liberalism's longstanding concerns with security, civil peace, freedom, and disadvantage. We explore contemporary developments in electronic government, digital media, online learning, cyber-democracy and wired communities. The result will contribute to our understanding of the political and intellectual uses of information technology.Read moreRead less
Amateur Hour: The Sociolegal Construction of Amateur Media. This project addresses Research Priority 3, specifically the priority goal of Promoting an Innovation Culture and Economy. The rise of amateur networked production is a highly significant transformation in Australia's cultural and media industries. Innovation policy provides incentives for the socially-optimal production of new works, but amateurs do not produce for commercial gain, and may not respond to commercial incentives of inte ....Amateur Hour: The Sociolegal Construction of Amateur Media. This project addresses Research Priority 3, specifically the priority goal of Promoting an Innovation Culture and Economy. The rise of amateur networked production is a highly significant transformation in Australia's cultural and media industries. Innovation policy provides incentives for the socially-optimal production of new works, but amateurs do not produce for commercial gain, and may not respond to commercial incentives of intellectual property. The project articulates motivations, incentive and conditions for amateur content production.Read moreRead less
Books as Media: The Cultural Economy of Literary Adaptation. The project will benefit three key Australian communities: (1) researchers; (2) cultural creators; and (3) cultural policy-makers. (1) The project builds upon Australia's existing research excellence in Media and Cultural Studies and cross-blends this with emerging research strengths in publishing studies and book history. (2) Australian authors, publishers and screen producers who seek access and exposure to international audiences wi ....Books as Media: The Cultural Economy of Literary Adaptation. The project will benefit three key Australian communities: (1) researchers; (2) cultural creators; and (3) cultural policy-makers. (1) The project builds upon Australia's existing research excellence in Media and Cultural Studies and cross-blends this with emerging research strengths in publishing studies and book history. (2) Australian authors, publishers and screen producers who seek access and exposure to international audiences will gain a detailed understanding of how adaptation's global economy functions. (3) The project informs Australia's cultural policy framework by focusing on enhanced marketing and promotion of Australian cultural content rather than input assistance schemes.Read moreRead less
Imperial Designs: Remaking the Institutions of Global Communications. Fresh perspectives about markets, hierarchies and networks as ways of organising economic activity will come from better understanding the governance and performance of Australia's overseas communications in the second half of the 20th century. In the internet era, when so much online activity involves overseas access, global links are even more important to the cultural and economic innovation sought through improved broadban ....Imperial Designs: Remaking the Institutions of Global Communications. Fresh perspectives about markets, hierarchies and networks as ways of organising economic activity will come from better understanding the governance and performance of Australia's overseas communications in the second half of the 20th century. In the internet era, when so much online activity involves overseas access, global links are even more important to the cultural and economic innovation sought through improved broadband infrastructure. Answering the recent call for 'a wide-ranging reassessment of Australia's imperial experience across a broad front', research about the post-war Commonwealth telecommunications scheme will be particularly valuable as the global financial crisis tests forms of globalization that seemed durable.Read moreRead less