New Media and Public Communication: Mapping Australian User-Created Content in Online Social Networks. Understanding the ways people contribute to and use the Internet for a wide range of purposes is important to Australia's future from both a social and an economic perspective. Effective, evidence-based policy depends on developing a vastly improved understanding of the current level of Australians' online activities and interests. This project provides crucial, detailed baseline data on the so ....New Media and Public Communication: Mapping Australian User-Created Content in Online Social Networks. Understanding the ways people contribute to and use the Internet for a wide range of purposes is important to Australia's future from both a social and an economic perspective. Effective, evidence-based policy depends on developing a vastly improved understanding of the current level of Australians' online activities and interests. This project provides crucial, detailed baseline data on the social, cultural and technological dynamics of Australian online public communication, which can inform further government initiatives to strengthen the country's digital economy and to maximise civic engagement through media participation.Read moreRead less
Soft Infrastructure, New Media and Creative Clusters: Developing Capacity in China and Australia. The project will position Australia at the forefront of the creative industries internationally and enhance national capacities in the rejuvenation and design of creative urban precincts. A greater appreciation of, and strong links with China, particularly its design and urban sectors, will result. Australian firms will benefit through greater trade opportunities as a result.
The uses of romance for new demographics and multimedia platforms: A model of media innovation in international women's fiction publishing. The national benefit of this project is both economic and socio-cultural. Economically, it investigates new ways to produce and distribute Australian creative content for local and export markets. It identifies how branch offices of global firms can be creative offices. Culturally, it develops scenarios for maximizing the acceptance, uptake and use of digita ....The uses of romance for new demographics and multimedia platforms: A model of media innovation in international women's fiction publishing. The national benefit of this project is both economic and socio-cultural. Economically, it investigates new ways to produce and distribute Australian creative content for local and export markets. It identifies how branch offices of global firms can be creative offices. Culturally, it develops scenarios for maximizing the acceptance, uptake and use of digital technologies by both large-scale publishers and young Australians. It investigates agents along the length of the creative value chain - from authors to audiences - to determine the uses of creative fiction, identifying the features that attract / repel users of published fiction in these genres. Finally it extends the capabilities of users to create their own romance content.Read moreRead less
An ethnographic investigation into the everyday work and communication cultures of public transport transit guards: reducing risk and injury. This research improves the safety of public transport for workers and passengers with flow-on benefits at local and national levels. The main health and safety risk transit guards face is attacks upon them, or injury incurred while intervening in assaults they witness. Conventional initiatives have not impacted greatly on injury rates but culture and commu ....An ethnographic investigation into the everyday work and communication cultures of public transport transit guards: reducing risk and injury. This research improves the safety of public transport for workers and passengers with flow-on benefits at local and national levels. The main health and safety risk transit guards face is attacks upon them, or injury incurred while intervening in assaults they witness. Conventional initiatives have not impacted greatly on injury rates but culture and communication change strategies offer potential ways forward. Strategies that reduce incidents confer clear community benefits and competitive advantage. Effective management of such challenges assists with the recruitment and retention of appropriate staff, improving profitability. Benefits include reduced costs of public transport, increased passenger load, and positive environmental impacts.Read moreRead less
Swarms in Urban Villages: New Media Design to Augment Social Networks of Residents in Inner-City Developments. This study will develop advanced knowledge of how urban neighbourhood communities can be assisted to grow in healthy ways by the use of new media and ICTs. By careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. This will lead to greater social inclusion, fair access to and smart use of informatio ....Swarms in Urban Villages: New Media Design to Augment Social Networks of Residents in Inner-City Developments. This study will develop advanced knowledge of how urban neighbourhood communities can be assisted to grow in healthy ways by the use of new media and ICTs. By careful attention to cultural and social assets in the community, innovations will be engendered which enhance economic and social development. This will lead to greater social inclusion, fair access to and smart use of information and services, urban sustainability and healthier local economies. Understanding the opportunities afforded by digital augmentation of social networks will help Australians negotiate the complex web of daily choices, access a greater social safety net and participate in the socio-cultural and socio-economic life of their neighbourhood and city.Read moreRead less
Assessing the impact of new communication technologies in developing countries and disadvantaged communities. This research will enhance understanding of the role of new technologies in communication with, and education of, disadvantaged groups as well as exploring the social changes they bring. Australia is committed to reducing poverty, to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and measuring the impact of development. Understanding how communication interventions may be better understood i ....Assessing the impact of new communication technologies in developing countries and disadvantaged communities. This research will enhance understanding of the role of new technologies in communication with, and education of, disadvantaged groups as well as exploring the social changes they bring. Australia is committed to reducing poverty, to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and measuring the impact of development. Understanding how communication interventions may be better understood is important to revealing how they support the achievement of better health, wellbeing, education and conflict reduction. This research will strengthen Australia's potential to lead in this field, to develop more effective development assistance and to apply such methods to Australian community development initiatives.Read moreRead less
Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are heralded as remarkable tools for the development of marginalised communities. Research has shown that ICTs can contribute to development, but need to be introduced in ways that recognise local social networks and cultural contexts. This project takes a participatory approach to research, aiming to empower people through finding their own voice. We w ....Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are heralded as remarkable tools for the development of marginalised communities. Research has shown that ICTs can contribute to development, but need to be introduced in ways that recognise local social networks and cultural contexts. This project takes a participatory approach to research, aiming to empower people through finding their own voice. We will establish a research network of local ICT initiatives across Asia and the Pacific region. Using ethnographic action research the network will be populated by local researchers in each of these initiatives, trained and supported by Australian researchers. This will increase understanding of how ICTs can be both effective and empowering.Read moreRead less
Creative digital industries in Australia: innovation in quantitative and qualitative mapping. The creative digital industries have been identified as a national priority for research, policy analysis and industry development as they are a high growth sector of the global and Australian economy. The project will innovate in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. It will enhance the statistical base for this emerging part of the new economy, and examine creative enterprise dynamics as well as ....Creative digital industries in Australia: innovation in quantitative and qualitative mapping. The creative digital industries have been identified as a national priority for research, policy analysis and industry development as they are a high growth sector of the global and Australian economy. The project will innovate in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. It will enhance the statistical base for this emerging part of the new economy, and examine creative enterprise dynamics as well as digital outputs within the creative industries and wider service industry sectors including education, health and government. Project results will be used by policy makers, industry analysts, and sector leaders in formulating strategies to develop the sector.Read moreRead less
Empire and Antipodes: Australian-New Zealand involvement in the Empire/Commonwealth Press Union (1909-1970). This project will investigate the role and changing significance of the Empire/Commonwealth Press Union (1909-1970) focussing on its regular international conferences and the communication issues raised by the Australian-New Zealand delegations which attended. Drawing on the work of Harold Innis on the history of communication across empires and using the E./C.P.U as a case study, the pr ....Empire and Antipodes: Australian-New Zealand involvement in the Empire/Commonwealth Press Union (1909-1970). This project will investigate the role and changing significance of the Empire/Commonwealth Press Union (1909-1970) focussing on its regular international conferences and the communication issues raised by the Australian-New Zealand delegations which attended. Drawing on the work of Harold Innis on the history of communication across empires and using the E./C.P.U as a case study, the project seeks to investigate the ascendancy and decline of British imperial communications in terms of old/new media and British/antipodean communications. Key debates and concerns of the A/NZ press delegations, including press freedom, cable technology and the advent of broadcast media, will be examined within the shifting contexts of private/public monopoly and imperial/national loyalty with reference to parallel developments in India.Read moreRead less
Economic, Legal and Cultural Dynamics of TV Format Flows in the Asia/Pacific Region. Globalisation affects all nation-states, especially through TV systems. Little is known about the extended circumstances of these changes, especially the role played by transfer of ideas and techniques, particularly program formats. This investigation of the international dimension of national TV systems in Asia and the Pacific develops a comparative analysis of complex patterns of contemporary economic, legal ....Economic, Legal and Cultural Dynamics of TV Format Flows in the Asia/Pacific Region. Globalisation affects all nation-states, especially through TV systems. Little is known about the extended circumstances of these changes, especially the role played by transfer of ideas and techniques, particularly program formats. This investigation of the international dimension of national TV systems in Asia and the Pacific develops a comparative analysis of complex patterns of contemporary economic, legal and cultural sovereignty. By studying national, sub-regional and regional currents in TV "copycatting", we will generate significant lessons for TV industries, media policy and legal protection. A book analysing the meaning of format flow will become a landmark in the field.Read moreRead less