Dear CITAMS Members,

Below are several announcements that may be of interest. But, first, if you haven't done so already, I would like to encourage you to renew your section membership prior to the upcoming ASA Elections, which open next Tuesday, April 27th. To read more about our candidates for section office, please see our recent CITAMS newsletter (https://citams.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/citams-newsletter-spring-2021.pdf). Thanks!

Best,
Andrew

Table of Contents

1. The Digital Sociology Collective (un)Conference is back!

2. Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2021—Human and Machine Normativity: New Connections Conference

3. Position: Postdoctoral Scholar in Online Deviance

The Digital Sociology Collective (un)Conference is back!

CALL FOR PROPOSALS/WORKS IN PROGRESS/WORKSHOPS/THOUGHTS
The Digital Sociology Collective is in the process of planning our annual (un)Conference and we want your input!

This year’s theme is inspired by the critical science fiction of Octavia Butler, whose Parable of the Sower is presciently set in this decade. Lauren Oya Olamina, the narrator and protagonist of the novel posits that power lies in shaping Change, that “God is Change.” Change is inevitable, change prevails, but through forethought and preparedness we can harness change.
“From the second law of thermodynamics to Darwinian evolution, from Buddhism’s insistence that nothing is permeant and all suffering results from our delusions of permanence to the third chapter of Ecclesiastes (“To everything there is a season…..”), change is part of life, of existence, of the common wisdom. But I don’t believe we’re dealing with all that that means. We haven’t even begun to deal with it” (23).

We invite applicants to direct their submission toward the challenge of shaping this current decade. The following list of topics includes some (but not all!) welcome topics of inquiry:

• Content moderation
• Digital labor and labor exploitation
• Deconstructing algorithmic logics
• Surveillance technologies and infrastructures
• AI ethics
• Digital finance and the fringe economy
• Digital inequality
• The gig economy/the digital hustle
• Search and information seeking
• Communications history
• FCC and other policy focus
• Digital subversion
• Digital redlining
• Disability, Accessibility, and Cyborg Sociology
• The physical structure of the Internet
• Media literacy

Please take some time to fill out this preliminary interest formhttps://forms.gle/CpnQNq6tqu9tiHJ38. In it we’ll collect info about who is interest in participating, what topics the DSC should organize our (u)C around, and who would want to lead breakout sessions or present works-in-progress.

As always, the (u)C will be driven largely by those who choose to participate.  We’ve also shifted our dates a bit to align with ASA and future (u)Cs will align with this timetable August 3-4, 2021. We hope that this will mean greater attendance/networking in the future when we can meet F2F again. As always, the (u)C is FREE OF CHARGE. We hope that by aligning with ASA it will allow scholars to maximize their travel funds and create a less formal space to engage with other likeminded folx.

We know Zoom can be a bummer, but we promise this event will be as engaging, interactive, and energizing as before and, if nothing else, allow for networking!

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon –
Leslie, Rachel & Francesca

Francesca Bolla Tripodi, PhD
Assistant Professor, Senior Researcher (she/her)
School of Information and Library Science
Center for Information, Technology and Public Life
Department of Sociology (By Courtesy)
www.ftripodi.comhttp://www.ftripodi.com/

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) at the University of Toronto presents:

[cid:d1d4215b-fc5e-4584-9c58-5ca6e094d47e]

Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2021—Human and Machine Normativity: New Connectionshttps://absolutelyinterdisciplinary.com/

Dates
June 16-18, 2021

About Absolutely Interdisciplinary
Understanding the capacities and limitations of complex new technologies like AI calls for more than just a technical perspective. Absolutely Interdisciplinary will convene researchers from across disciplines to build new, interdisciplinary approaches to advance our understanding of how to meet the challenge of ensuring AI and other powerful technologies promote human well-being. This year, Absolutely Interdisciplinary takes place virtually, with a one-day graduate workshop on June 16th, followed by four scheduled sessions across two days on June 17th and 18th. Visit the conference website for more information.https://absolutelyinterdisciplinary.com/

About this year’s theme
Humans are a fundamentally normative species, with complex cognitive and social systems for shaping behaviour to implement collectively-determined values and norms in support of cooperation. Building AI systems that are robustly aligned with human values requires deep understandings of how these normative systems work. At the same time, advances in AI present unique opportunities to investigate and test what capacities contribute to our ability to build, maintain, and abide by norms. This year, Absolutely Interdisciplinary takes up the challenge of exploring these dynamics under the theme Human and Machine Normativity: New Connections.
Speakers
Jeff Clunehttp://jeffclune.com/research.html, Vincent Conitzerhttps://www.philosophy.ox.ac.uk/people/vincent-conitzer, Deborah Gordonhttp://web.stanford.edu/~dmgordon/, Mortiz Hardthttps://mrtz.org/, Joel Z. Leibohttp://www.jzleibo.com/, Sarah Mathewhttp://www.sarahmathew.net/, Deirdre Mulliganhttps://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/people/deirdre-mulligan, and Johanna Thomahttps://johannathoma.com/.

Registration and information
Register for the conference at this link.https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/absolutely-interdisciplinary-tickets-145537439399Early-bird pricing is available until April 30, 2021.
Follow SRI on Twitterhttps://twitter.com/TorontoSRI and LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/53504040/ for conference updates.
Share the conference announcement via this Tweethttps://twitter.com/TorontoSRI/status/1380192577631174665 or this LinkedIn post.https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6783460425938845696/

Questions?
Email hello@torontosri.camailto:hello@torontosri.ca

Postdoctoral Scholar in Online Deviance
A postdoctoral scholar position is available in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Iowa, starting Summer 2021. The postdoctoral scholar is expected to develop sociological theories and computational methods to understand behavioral deviance and group radicalization in online communities. The postdoctoral scholar will analyze large-scale social media datasets, develop manuscripts to submit to leading journals, and take an active role in current and future research. The postdoctoral scholar will work as a part of collaborative team including faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. The position is a two-year full-time appointment, funded by the National Science Foundation.

Formal screening will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. A late start date can be considered. Electronic attachments to the online application should include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, one writing sample, and email contact information for three letters of recommendation. References for the finalists will be sent a link to electronically upload their letters of recommendation. Informal inquiries about the position can be directed to Yongren Shi (PI) at yongren-shi@uiowa.edumailto:yongren-shi@uiowa.edu. Submit your application at https://jobs.uiowa.edu/jobSearch/postdocDetailDisplay.php?requisitionNumber=3511

Required

• PhD in sociology, criminology, communication, computer science, or related field by 8/20/2021
• PhD training with a strong emphasis on computational or quantitative methods
• Proficiency in programming languages such Python or R
• Strong program of research in culture, social networks, social psychology, criminology, or a related area

Desired

• Ability to contribute to department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals
• Individuals who intend to follow a career in academia are especially encouraged to apply.

--
Andrew M. Lindner
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
Skidmore College
Office: 220 Tisch Learning Center
Phone: (518) 580-5446
Web: http://www.andrewmlindner.comhttp://www.andrewmlindner.com/
Book: Order All Media Are Socialhttps://amzn.to/2H5OAGT, an accessible introduction to media sociology for general readers and students alike, today!
[https://amzn.to/2H5OAGT]https://amzn.to/2H5OAGT

Apologies for multiple exposure

The News and Media Research Centre is pleased to announce the launch of the Digital Commons Policy Council’s inaugural report.

DATE/TIME
Wed, 9 June 2021
10:00 – 11:00 CET (Paris)
18:00 – 19:00 AEST (Canberra)

REGISTER FOR ZOOM LINK
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/news-media-research-centre-report-launch-tickets-157144935733

TITLE
The coproduction of open source software by volunteers and big tech firms

AUTHORS
Mathieu O’Neil, Xiaolan Cai, Laure Muselli, Fred Pailler and Stefano Zacchiroli

SUMMARY
This report maps how firms are collaborating with communities of unpaid volunteers to produce open source code, used in most IT applications and infrastructures. We map firm employee contributions to top GitHub repositories, and analyse how the IT press portrays this coproduction. We also show how IT firm and foundation employee presentations at open source conferences reveal contrasting visions of digital infrastructure, business models, and the firm-community relationship. Big tech firms such as Amazon are using cloud computing and Software as a Service to transform open source software, which is intended to be shared and modified, into closed assets. The report outlines strategic responses to big tech appropriation and reviews current debates about the recognition of volunteer work, money in FOSS, software licenses and universal basic incomes. The report also features invited comments exploring alternative perspectives by French open source specialists from the fields of academia, industry and activism.

SCHEDULE
18:00-18:05 (10:00-10:05 CET Paris)
Introduction and launch
Prof. Kerry McCallum, Director N&MRC, University of Canberra

18:05-18:15
Firm-volunteer coproduction on GitHub and in the IT media
Dr Mathieu O’Neil, University of Canberra

18:15-18:25
Firm discourses about open source, ongoing research
Dr Laure Muselli, Telecom Paris
Dr Stefano Zacchiroli, Université de Paris / Inria

18:25-18:30
Some strategic responses to big tech appropriation
Dr Mathieu O’Neil, University of Canberra

18:30-19:00
Debate, Q&A

The coproduction of open source software by volunteers and big tech firms report was made possible by the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Ford Foundation’s Critical Digital Infrastructure fund (2019-2020).

THE COPRODUCTION OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE BY VOLUNTEERS AND BIG TECH FIRMS
Mathieu O’Neil, Xiaolan Cai, Laure Muselli, Fred Pailler and Stefano Zacchiroli

1.THE INTEGRATION OF OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE INTO THE IT FIRM ECOSYSTEM

Time for public authorities to stop blindly supporting big tech, by Sébastien Broca

2. FIRM EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS TO TOP GITHUB REPOSITORIES

The ethics of open source must be enacted across the online service economy, by Hervé Le Crosnier

3. COPRODUCTION AND VOLUNTEER LABOUR IN THE IT MEDIA

Predation is not sustainable, so give big tech a chance, by Thierry Carraz

4. DISCOURSES ABOUT OPEN SOURCE IN THE IT SECTOR

Building common knowledge: The science commons, by Daniele Bourcier

5. STRATEGIC RESPONSES TO PREDATION AND FREE RIDING

Framasoft, a pluralist alternative to big tech, by Pierre-Yves Gosset

6. DEBATING THE RECOGNITION OF UNPAID VOLUNTEER LABOUR: UBIs, MONEY IN FOSS, LICENCES

Federated responses to big tech monopolies, by Celya Gruson-Daniel, Benjamin Jean and Camille Louis