Toddlers and tablets: exploring the risks and benefits 0-5s face online. Children aged between zero and five are experiencing an extraordinary shift in media consumption. They intuitively swipe screens and press buttons on tablet computers and smartphones, using apps and accessing the internet. With an estimated five-fold increase in their tablet usage (2012 to 2013), there is an urgent need for research and policy development to maximise benefit and minimise risk. This project is intended to in ....Toddlers and tablets: exploring the risks and benefits 0-5s face online. Children aged between zero and five are experiencing an extraordinary shift in media consumption. They intuitively swipe screens and press buttons on tablet computers and smartphones, using apps and accessing the internet. With an estimated five-fold increase in their tablet usage (2012 to 2013), there is an urgent need for research and policy development to maximise benefit and minimise risk. This project is intended to investigate family practices and attitudes around very young children's internet use in Australia and the United Kingdom, and is expected to contribute to public debate and evidence-based policy in Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland. It aims to develop recommendations for policy makers and offers guidelines for parents of three age groups: zero to one, two to three and four to five.Read moreRead less
Navigating urban spaces. This project aims to study how disabled people use smartphones to navigate the urban environment. Smartphones could improve urban accessibility and social participation for people with impairments. The project will study how this group uses smartphones to mitigate the effects of their impairments and compensate for inaccessibility in urban spaces. The study is expected to comprehensively map mobile phone use in urban space to inform design of the urban space, and the dev ....Navigating urban spaces. This project aims to study how disabled people use smartphones to navigate the urban environment. Smartphones could improve urban accessibility and social participation for people with impairments. The project will study how this group uses smartphones to mitigate the effects of their impairments and compensate for inaccessibility in urban spaces. The study is expected to comprehensively map mobile phone use in urban space to inform design of the urban space, and the development of apps as disabled people integrate with these spaces. This project intends to address wider problems related to the social participation of people with disability.Read moreRead less
Evaluating the Challenge of ‘Fake News’ and Other Malinformation. Encompassed by the disputed term ‘fake news’, overtly or covertly biased, skewed, or falsified reports claiming to present factual information present a critical challenge to the effective dissemination of news and information across society. This project conducts a systematic, large-scale, mixed-methods analysis of empirical evidence on the dissemination of, engagement with, and impact of ‘fake news’ and other malinformation in p ....Evaluating the Challenge of ‘Fake News’ and Other Malinformation. Encompassed by the disputed term ‘fake news’, overtly or covertly biased, skewed, or falsified reports claiming to present factual information present a critical challenge to the effective dissemination of news and information across society. This project conducts a systematic, large-scale, mixed-methods analysis of empirical evidence on the dissemination of, engagement with, and impact of ‘fake news’ and other malinformation in public debate, in Australia and beyond. It takes a triangulated approach, combining computational big data analytics with deep forensic analysis, to reveal the complex ‘fake news’ ecosystem, replace 'fake news' with more precise terminology, and provide recommendations for policy responses based on robust evidence.Read moreRead less
Locating television: an international study of the changing socio-cultural functions of television. This project investigates the socio-cultural function of television in nation-states so far largely ignored by media studies: Mexico, Cuba and the Philippines. Combining cultural studies and anthropology, it uses publications and symposia to provide a more detailed global account of television's continuing influence in the post-broadcast era.
When Your Face is Your ID: Public Responses to Automated Facial Recognition. This project would explore public attitudes toward the use of facial recognition technology in public and commercial spaces, schools, and workplaces with a national survey, focus group interviews, and four case studies. The project aims to generate new knowledge about public attitudes through a multi-method interdisciplinary approach that anticipates the future of the technology by studying its use in China. Expected ou ....When Your Face is Your ID: Public Responses to Automated Facial Recognition. This project would explore public attitudes toward the use of facial recognition technology in public and commercial spaces, schools, and workplaces with a national survey, focus group interviews, and four case studies. The project aims to generate new knowledge about public attitudes through a multi-method interdisciplinary approach that anticipates the future of the technology by studying its use in China. Expected outcomes include public reports on the survey and case studies, seven academic journal articles, and a book. The research would provide significant benefits by contributing new knowledge about how to implement the technology in accordance with Australian commitments to civil rights, ethics and democratic values.
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The internet of toys: examining connected toys for children. This project aims to investigate the emerging communication world of the internet of toys where toys relate one-on-one to children and also connect to other toys, other children and/or database data. The project will examine the emerging benefits and risks of these connected toys through engaging with families and industry, as well as with regulatory and policy developments. It will inform and influence policy makers, toy designers and ....The internet of toys: examining connected toys for children. This project aims to investigate the emerging communication world of the internet of toys where toys relate one-on-one to children and also connect to other toys, other children and/or database data. The project will examine the emerging benefits and risks of these connected toys through engaging with families and industry, as well as with regulatory and policy developments. It will inform and influence policy makers, toy designers and families of children too young to understand the implications of data privacy and security that these toys bring. It will benefit decision-making regarding the design and regulatory environments in which these toys are made.Read moreRead less
Chinese-language digital/social media in Australia. This project aims to study the production, content and use of digital/social media by mainland Chinese migrants in Australia. China’s global rise has generated widespread anxiety about its possible use of diasporic Chinese media to influence the world. This project expects to generate a new framework for analysing soft power and propaganda in digital/social media, while also undertaking a major rethinking of the concept of flexible citizenship. ....Chinese-language digital/social media in Australia. This project aims to study the production, content and use of digital/social media by mainland Chinese migrants in Australia. China’s global rise has generated widespread anxiety about its possible use of diasporic Chinese media to influence the world. This project expects to generate a new framework for analysing soft power and propaganda in digital/social media, while also undertaking a major rethinking of the concept of flexible citizenship. The study will produce a more accurate assessment of China’s influence through migrant media in Australia and elsewhere.Read moreRead less
Transnational Environmental Campaigns in the Australia-Asian Region. Conflict over environments, resources and landscapes has become a feature of contemporary political life. Increasingly, these conflicts are articulated, negotiated and potentially resolved across national boundaries and complex networks of media and communications. In the context of intensifying pressure for resource access, market opportunities and changing media practices in Australia and the Asian region, it is critical to e ....Transnational Environmental Campaigns in the Australia-Asian Region. Conflict over environments, resources and landscapes has become a feature of contemporary political life. Increasingly, these conflicts are articulated, negotiated and potentially resolved across national boundaries and complex networks of media and communications. In the context of intensifying pressure for resource access, market opportunities and changing media practices in Australia and the Asian region, it is critical to examine how competing environmental claims are mediated, and how this mediation influences public debate, policy and market viability. Providing evidence-based analysis of transnational conflicts as they emerge and travel, this project is expected to inform debate on Australia's environmental and economic sustainability.Read moreRead less
5G and the Future of Public Telecommunications. This project aims to examine the rollout of 5G and assess the implications of this emerging technology for public telecommunications from the perspective of multiple stakeholders (including emergency services). 5G will radically transform the role and function of the telecommunications sector, and this project will examine the evolution of public telecommunications as part of this larger transformation. It will provide an evidence base for stakehol ....5G and the Future of Public Telecommunications. This project aims to examine the rollout of 5G and assess the implications of this emerging technology for public telecommunications from the perspective of multiple stakeholders (including emergency services). 5G will radically transform the role and function of the telecommunications sector, and this project will examine the evolution of public telecommunications as part of this larger transformation. It will provide an evidence base for stakeholders and chart a new role for public telecommunications during a period of structural change. It will also help scholars reconceptualise core tenets of public telecommunications policy. Benefits include the more efficient use of public resources in the telecommunications sector.Read moreRead less
The new screen ecology and innovation in production and distribution. The project aims to explore new models of online and screen content creation. Major United States information technology corporations are challenging Hollywood and television networks and are likely to come to dominate new screen services into the future. This project focuses on the most challenging and potentially disruptive and innovative forms of production and distribution this new screen ecology is taking. Processes of pr ....The new screen ecology and innovation in production and distribution. The project aims to explore new models of online and screen content creation. Major United States information technology corporations are challenging Hollywood and television networks and are likely to come to dominate new screen services into the future. This project focuses on the most challenging and potentially disruptive and innovative forms of production and distribution this new screen ecology is taking. Processes of professionalisation and monetisation of previously amateur content creation are underpinning an explosive growth of a lower-budget, more diverse and structurally innovative tier of advertising- and sponsor-supported online content. Centred on strategies of platforms such as YouTube, but international in scope, the project aims to contribute to innovation in Australian screen production and distribution.Read moreRead less