The Bournemouth University Civic Media research cluster is hosting a series of ‘Innovation Lunches’ with invited guests from institutions across the UK. Bringing together BU faculty, PGR and UG students from different faculties and areas of expertise, the innovation lunches offer time to discuss new methodological practices and share interdisciplinary approaches to questions around data, digital media and society. With the aim of fostering collaborations for future grant bidding and strengthening our interdisciplinary connections, innovation lunches foster a space for inspiring research.
Unless otherwise noted, lunches will be catered. Events are open to all staff and students, but places are limited.
RSVP to attend an innovation lunch to afeigenbaum [at] bournemouth [.] ac [.] uk
Past Lunches
Drawing on Professor Cristianini’s broad experience of quantitative content analysis and applying data science methods to media analysis, we will discuss the possibilities and challenges of bringing together data science and media studies.
Bio: Nello Cristianini is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bristol since March 2006, and a recipient of both a ERC Advanced Grant, and of a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award. He has wide research interests in the areas of data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and applications to computational social sciences, digital humanities, news content analysis.
Exploring Methods for Fostering Data Literacy and Agency w/ Jennifer Pybus (London College of Communication, University of the Arts London)
Wednesday February 15th @ 13:00-14:00 F111 (Fusion Building, Talbot Campus)
Building off of Dr. Jennifer Pybus’ work running mobile phone ‘hackdays’ to help enhance young people’s data literacy, in this innovation lunch we will explore the following questions together:
- How can we understand the app economy and the data driven ecosystem that supports it?
- Can we use interdisciplinary methodological interventions to create more opportunities for the everyday users to gain more agency?
- What methods can help people gain a better understanding of the data they produce and how it gets both (re)used and circulated?
Bio: Jennifer’s research focuses on digital culture, with a specific interest in the area of big data, data literacy, privacy and digital pedagogies. Some of Jennifer’s recent published work comes out of an AHRC-funded project that examined the big social data that young people generate on their smartphone devices. Her current research focuses on the political economy and architecture of third party applications, and the role they play in intensifying new sites wherein data can be exchanged for value, particularly within the mobile ecosystem.
Exploring Methods for Investigating Algorithms and Data Processes w/ Lina Dencik (Cardiff University)
Wednesday December 7th @ 13:00-14:00 F305 (Fusion Building, Talbot Campus)
As algorithms tell us what we want to watch and predict the years we have left to live, few aspects of our social, cultural and economic lives are left untouched from data processes. Despite popular claims, this datification of society is never neutral. What does it look like to study data as emerging sets of power relations? How can we approach algorithms as social processes? Join us for an interdisciplinary discussion on methods for investigating algorithms and data processes.
Bio: Dr Lina Dencik is Senior Lecturer and Director of the MA iJournalism, Media and Communication in the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University, UK. Her research is concerned with the interplay between media developments and social and political change, with a particular focus on globalization and resistance. She has recently been working on issues relating to surveillance, visibility, and the politics of data. Her most recent book is Critical Perspectives on Social Media and Protest: Between Control and Emancipation (co-edited with Oliver Leistert, Rowman & Littlefield International, 2015).