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
The Emergence, Development and Transformation of Media Ratings Conventions and Methodologies in Australia, 1930-2008. The media industry depends upon ratings. However, the ability of audience measurement companies to predict audience behaviour is in decline. Investigation into the conventions that govern the relationship between measurement and markets is now urgent. This project provides the first historical study of media ratings in Australia and internationally, the companies providing rat ....The Emergence, Development and Transformation of Media Ratings Conventions and Methodologies in Australia, 1930-2008. The media industry depends upon ratings. However, the ability of audience measurement companies to predict audience behaviour is in decline. Investigation into the conventions that govern the relationship between measurement and markets is now urgent. This project provides the first historical study of media ratings in Australia and internationally, the companies providing ratings and the media organisations using them. The study provides a detailed analysis of the emergence and transformation of media ratings in order to assist in the development of new practices and to promote better public and media industry understanding of the character, productivity, limits and challenges facing ratings conventions.
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Young, Mobile, Networked: Mobile Media and Youth Culture in Australia. Mobiles are a common part of life for young Australians, yet there is very little reliable data about how these are used and their social and cultural implications - especially new services such as mobile music, cameras and television. The qualitative and quantitative data from this project will give a detailed, national picture of mobile media use, and will be highly valuable for Australian companies, policymakers, regulator ....Young, Mobile, Networked: Mobile Media and Youth Culture in Australia. Mobiles are a common part of life for young Australians, yet there is very little reliable data about how these are used and their social and cultural implications - especially new services such as mobile music, cameras and television. The qualitative and quantitative data from this project will give a detailed, national picture of mobile media use, and will be highly valuable for Australian companies, policymakers, regulators, non-governmental organizations as well as researchers. It will provide new knowledge to inform planning and innovation, and contribute to a better understanding of the social and cultural implications of mobile technologies.Read moreRead less
Local Culture/Global Space: Japanese Minority Sexualities and the Internet. After English (43%), Japanese (9%)is the most used language on the Internet. No study has addressed the specific ways in which Japanese language use affects Internet communication or how the Internet is being used by minoritised groups and individuals. The project will examine Internet use by minority sexualities in Japan in order to ascertain how individuals and communities who fall outside the 'mainstream' of society i ....Local Culture/Global Space: Japanese Minority Sexualities and the Internet. After English (43%), Japanese (9%)is the most used language on the Internet. No study has addressed the specific ways in which Japanese language use affects Internet communication or how the Internet is being used by minoritised groups and individuals. The project will examine Internet use by minority sexualities in Japan in order to ascertain how individuals and communities who fall outside the 'mainstream' of society interact with this new technology. The project will contribute to our understanding of how the Internet, a supposedly global medium, also facilitates the emergence of very local subcultures. The project will result in a series of conference presentations, journal papers and a book.Read moreRead less
Mobile Culture: A Biography of the Mobile Phone. The Mobile Culture project will investigate the mobile phone as cultural object, investigating its history, cultural production, consumption, political economy and regulation. It will contribute new knowledge on the culture of a widely used new media technology, mobile communications. The study will provide fresh insights into central theoretical questions in cultural and media studies, such as the relationship between culture and technology, and ....Mobile Culture: A Biography of the Mobile Phone. The Mobile Culture project will investigate the mobile phone as cultural object, investigating its history, cultural production, consumption, political economy and regulation. It will contribute new knowledge on the culture of a widely used new media technology, mobile communications. The study will provide fresh insights into central theoretical questions in cultural and media studies, such as the relationship between culture and technology, and the use of political economy for cultural analysis. The study will devise innovative methods for new media study. Outcomes include a two-volume book, and workshop proceedings on mobile consumption, use, and policy.Read moreRead less
Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, an ....Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, and the social, political and cultural placement of the format. The outcomes will be published in a series of articles in refereed journals and a monograph.Read moreRead less
The Monitored Audience: Control of Personal Information in the Digital Era. In an era when the internet can gather detailed information about citizens and mobile phones can target ads to them based on their location, consumers need a say in the policies and practices governing the use of their personal information. Research indicates Australians are concerned about the collection and use of their information. This project would explore what they are doing about it and what information handling p ....The Monitored Audience: Control of Personal Information in the Digital Era. In an era when the internet can gather detailed information about citizens and mobile phones can target ads to them based on their location, consumers need a say in the policies and practices governing the use of their personal information. Research indicates Australians are concerned about the collection and use of their information. This project would explore what they are doing about it and what information handling policies and practices they support. The findings will provide a citizen perspective on deliberations over information and data handling policy as well as on ethical and legal debates about commercial monitoring at a time when the technology for capturing personal information continues to develop at a rapid pace.Read moreRead less
Speed, Time and the Political Process in Australia. The project represents the first empirically-based study to research the traditional processes of political decision-making from the perspective of time and speed in the context of economic globalisation and the networked society. A clearer understanding of how political processes function in a globally-networked setting will provide valuable insight into how well the fundamental, politically grounded, aspects of Australian life and culture are ....Speed, Time and the Political Process in Australia. The project represents the first empirically-based study to research the traditional processes of political decision-making from the perspective of time and speed in the context of economic globalisation and the networked society. A clearer understanding of how political processes function in a globally-networked setting will provide valuable insight into how well the fundamental, politically grounded, aspects of Australian life and culture are functioning. This unique perspective will form the basis of an incisive method of applying 'time-awareness' not only to the political process, but to the many national/community sectors across Australian society that depend upon responsible and effective decision-making practices.Read moreRead less
Investigating the future of Australian television. This project investigates the future of Australian television and the society 'served' by it. Regulation of free-to-air TV has tightly controlled the production and dissemination of news, information and entertainment in Australia. Now digital technology offers audio-visual content on many extra platforms, fixed and mobile. This sets up profound changes in Australian economics, politics and culture. Yet there is a marked lack of independent rese ....Investigating the future of Australian television. This project investigates the future of Australian television and the society 'served' by it. Regulation of free-to-air TV has tightly controlled the production and dissemination of news, information and entertainment in Australia. Now digital technology offers audio-visual content on many extra platforms, fixed and mobile. This sets up profound changes in Australian economics, politics and culture. Yet there is a marked lack of independent research available to Government and Industry to assist them to plan for the changes. And there is almost no context for careful public debate about these crucial changes. This project will play a vital role in promoting knowledge and informed, strategic decision-making for all constituencies.Read moreRead less