Books by Mirko Tobias Schaefer
The Datafied Society. Studying Culture through Data
The large corpus of empirical data and available tools for data collection and analysis are chang... more The large corpus of empirical data and available tools for data collection and analysis are changing the ways knowledge is produced. For the humanities, this transformation requires not only that we must critically inquire into how technology affects our understanding of knowledge and how it alters our epistemic processes, but that we also need to employ the new data resources and technologies in new ways of scholarly investigation.
The Datafied Society: Studying Culture Through Data thinks through the opportunities and pitfalls of doing research with data provides within the humanities (and media studies in particular). It covers different research methods, considers how researchers can engage with the datafied society, and reflects on moral and discrimination issues that need to be tackled when embarking on research. Through a series of four short interviews with leading scholars it furthermore pinpoints the key ideas in big data research.
This book is a collection of scholarly investigations into computer-aided methods and practices. While several contributors offer essays representing their skills, methods and exemplary research projects, others reflect on the sensibilities and competencies that scholars need to develop in order to study contemporary culture through data. Together they make a volume that will stimulate and engage humanities scholars via their perspectives on debates and reflections on the theory and practices of digital data research.
"New online technologies have brought with them a great promise of freedom. The computer and part... more "New online technologies have brought with them a great promise of freedom. The computer and particularly the Internet have been represented as enabling technologies, turning consumers into users and users into producers. Furthermore, lay people and amateurs have been enthusiastically greeted as heroes of the digital era. This thoughtful study casts a fresh light on the shaping of user participation in the context of, among others, popular discourse in and around new media.
Schäfer’s research into hacking, fan communities and Web 2.0 applications demonstrates how the dynamic of innovation, control and interaction have shifted the boundaries of the traditional culture industry into the user domain. The media industry undergoes a shift from creating content to providing platforms for user driven social interactions and user‐generated content. In this extended culture industry, participation unfolds not only in the co‐creation of media content and software‐based products, but also in the development and defense of distinctive media practices."
Three decades of societal and cultural alignment of new media have yielded a host of innovations,... more Three decades of societal and cultural alignment of new media have yielded a host of innovations, trials, and problems, accompanied by versatile popular and academic discourse. New Media Studies crystallized internationally into an established academic discipline, and this begs the question: where do we stand now? Which new questions are emerging now that new media are being taken for granted, and which riddles are still unsolved? Is contemporary digital culture indeed all about 'you', the participating user, or do we still not really understand the digital machinery and how this constitutes us as 'you'? The contributors to the present book, all employed in teaching and researching new media and digital culture, assembled their 'digital material' into an anthology, covering issues ranging from desktop metaphors to Web 2.0 ecosystems, from touch screens to blogging and e-learning, from role-playing games and cybergothic music to wireless dreams. Together the contributions provide a showcase of current research in the field, from what may be called a 'digital-materialist' perspective.
Papers by Mirko Tobias Schaefer
The Datafied Society: Studying Culture Through Data, Feb 1, 2017
In this article, we argue that Big Data research is in need of its own, well-tailored research fr... more In this article, we argue that Big Data research is in need of its own, well-tailored research framework and therefore its own ethical framework. We will start by discussing some important ethical guidelines that are the historical basis of the ethical research guidelines that are currently being used such as the Nuremberg Code (1947), the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association 2013) and the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (UNESCO 2006). We will argue that the existing ethical guidelines are from discourses and times that have very little to do with Big Data research as it is being done now. Second, we will explain why the concept informed consent, a basic principle of all guidelines, is practically unfeasible in Big Data research on SNS’s. Third, we will argue that contextual integrity is not applicable to Big Data research on SNS’s by definition. We will conclude by a proposal for research structure consisting of three stages: a design stage, an exploratory stage and an explanatory stage, each with specific ethical considerations.
The past several years have seen a huge number of publications, conferences and campaigns on ''la... more The past several years have seen a huge number of publications, conferences and campaigns on ''land grabbing " or large-scale acquisition of land, most often in Africa. Land-grabbing became a fiercely debated issue and the attention rapidly evolved into a real hype which has generated a wealth of knowledge. This global land grab awareness has coincided in time with the ''big data " discussion which is one of the most hyped terms today in both academia and business, suggesting that the availability of datasets of increasing volume, velocity and variety can help to better understand reality. This article aims to critically review to what extent the availability of huge amounts of information about the land grab debate, including new sources of big data, has helped to untangle land grabbing and – more particularly – raising new questions and formulating new hypotheses that have been overlooked in the past. What is the value of digital methods and data driven research through online platforms for identifying knowledge gaps and proposing solutions? Our article shows the value of big data in uncovering new realities but also challenges to not become overwhelmed – while making more efforts than ever to look at the quality – and reliability – of information. Keep doing empirical research – and keep our feet on the ground while also learning from ''virtual space " – is a sine qua non – for keeping track and making sensible interpretations. In many cases, however, there is a discrepancy between what is reported (big data) and what is important.
Information technology affords that almost all aspects of our lives can be translated into data, ... more Information technology affords that almost all aspects of our lives can be translated into data, data that are used for forecasting, assessment, real-time tracking, targeted advertising and polling. The practice of digitization and the role of electronic information media technology affects to various degrees almost all aspects of everyday life. Web platforms, such as popular social media are constantly generating data through simply recording almost all user activities. In a way the user generated content, is less the individual posts, comments, selfies and cat images the platform's users create, upload and distribute, but rather the data generated while using the platform's interface and interacting with other users. This 'datafication' affects our public sphere as much as our consumption behaviour. A datafied public sphere changes the practices of opinion polling, political debate and civic action. As a result, our understanding of citizenship, democracy, public sphere, and public space is fundamentally transformed.
A Reader in International Media Piracy: Pirate Essays
When Microsoft launched its first video game console it quickly became a prime target for hackers... more When Microsoft launched its first video game console it quickly became a prime target for hackers who modified the common computer technology used in the black box to expand its features far beyond the original design. Microsoft tried to prevent the execution of non-licensed software, such as pirated games or applications programmers did not license with Microsoft. This control feature could be easily circumvented with a device replacing Microsoft's original processor. The device was modified chip, called mod-chip and it lead to the emergence of a significant grey market where
European hackers provided the hacking of the original Xbox, the design of mod-chips and the encryption technologies to protect their 'illegal' hack from cloning through Asian producers. Using a mod-chip users could not also play unlicensed copies of video console games, but also execute
software applications that would significantly expand functional range of the Xbox. The growing demand of mod-chips has been answered by a complex network of hackers, producers, and distributors. However, the original vendors of video game consoles immediately saw their business model threatened by the possibility to circumvent the inscribed control features allowing the execution of copied games.
There have been long-standing discussions of "participation" in political theory. So, what ideas ... more There have been long-standing discussions of "participation" in political theory. So, what ideas from this literature do we think might be useful for discussing the "participatory turn" in contemporary culture? To what degree has the rise of networked computing encouraged us to reimagine the public sphere? If we can move this discussion beyond established frames, such as "Twitter revolutions" or "slactivism," what meaningful claims can we make about the ways that expanding access to the means of media production and circulation has impacted the available political identities, tactics, and discourses? Has the expansion of communicative capacity impacted the range of political options available to groups that have historically been disenfranchised from political elites and institutionalized politics? What obstacles have blocked the full achievement of the promises of a more participatory culture?
Die Kritik der Massenmedien hat traditionell deren Distributionsfunktion angeprangert, gemäß der ... more Die Kritik der Massenmedien hat traditionell deren Distributionsfunktion angeprangert, gemäß der ein Sender zu vielen Empfängern sprechen kann, ohne dass diese die Möglichkeit hätten, zu antworten. Bertold Brechts Text "Der Rundfunk als Kommunikationsapparat" kann in diesem Zusammenhang insofern als paradigmatisch betrachtet werden, als er die Vision entwickelt, das Radio von einem Distributionsapparat in einen Kommunikationsapparat zu verwandeln. "Der Rundfunk wäre der denkbar großartigste Kommunikationsapparat des öffentlichen Lebens, […] wenn er es verstünde, nicht nur auszusenden, sondern auch zu empfangen, also den Zuhörer nicht nur hören, sondern auch sprechen zu machen und ihn nicht zu isolieren, sondern ihn in Beziehung zu setzen." (Brecht 1999, S. 260) Wir wissen heute, dass sich diese Vision nicht verwirklichen ließ: Radio wie Zeitung und Fernsehen sind reine massenmediale Distributionsinfrastrukturen geblieben. Benjamin, Walter (1996): Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. Brecht, Bertold (1999): Der Rundfunk als Kommunikationsapparat. In: Pias, Claus; Vogl, Joseph; Engell, Lorenz; Fahle, Oliver & Neitzel, Britta (Hrsg.) (1999): Kursbuch Medienkultur. Stuttgart: DVA, S. 259-263. Europe vs. Facebook (2012): Abgerufen unter: http://europe-v-facebook.org/DE/de.html [Stand vom 30.06.2012]. Foucault, Michel (1983): Der Wille zum Wissen. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp. Foucault, Michel (1994): Überwachen und Strafen. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.
Mirko Tobias Schäfer, Universiteit Utrecht (m.t.schaefer@uu.nl) Nikos Overheul, Universiteit Utre... more Mirko Tobias Schäfer, Universiteit Utrecht (m.t.schaefer@uu.nl) Nikos Overheul, Universiteit Utrecht (n.w.j.overheul@uu.nl) Thomas Boeschoten, Universiteit Utrecht (thomas@boeschoten.eu) * Een bewerkte versie van deze tekst is verschenen als: Politiek in 140 tekens. Een analyse van twitterende Nederlandse politici. In: Christian van 't Hof, Jelte Timmer and Rinie van Est (eds.) 2012, Voorgeprogrammeerd. Hoe Internet ons leven leid. Boom: The Hague Voor recent onderzoek over Twitter data zie ook www.tweetonderzoek.nl
Participation Inside? User Activities between Design and Appropriation.
Navigating YouTube. Constituting a Hybrid Information Management System
In this article, we will first consider the growing cultural significance of software in order to... more In this article, we will first consider the growing cultural significance of software in order to establish a motive for having a closer look at software production. We will show how new practices of technical creation are connected to and stimulated
by this curious artifact, the computer, the Universal Machine. We will then argue that because culture and technology have become increasingly difficult to distinguish, we must reevaluate the way in which we create tools, think about culture, and regulate technical creativity.
Britta Neitzel/Rolf F. Nohr (Hgg.): Das Spiel mit dem …, Jan 1, 2006
Drafts by Mirko Tobias Schaefer
Static Glow
Static Glow refers to the phenomenon by which data persists in the network long after the person ... more Static Glow refers to the phenomenon by which data persists in the network long after the person it relates to is dead. Such as the so-called Facebook ‘ghost profiles’; accounts owned by the deceased that continue to appear in ‘Friends’, ‘Suggestions’, and somewhat more disturbingly, ‘Birthday reminders’. This paper examines the phenomenon of deceased user's online social life.
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Books by Mirko Tobias Schaefer
The Datafied Society: Studying Culture Through Data thinks through the opportunities and pitfalls of doing research with data provides within the humanities (and media studies in particular). It covers different research methods, considers how researchers can engage with the datafied society, and reflects on moral and discrimination issues that need to be tackled when embarking on research. Through a series of four short interviews with leading scholars it furthermore pinpoints the key ideas in big data research.
This book is a collection of scholarly investigations into computer-aided methods and practices. While several contributors offer essays representing their skills, methods and exemplary research projects, others reflect on the sensibilities and competencies that scholars need to develop in order to study contemporary culture through data. Together they make a volume that will stimulate and engage humanities scholars via their perspectives on debates and reflections on the theory and practices of digital data research.
Schäfer’s research into hacking, fan communities and Web 2.0 applications demonstrates how the dynamic of innovation, control and interaction have shifted the boundaries of the traditional culture industry into the user domain. The media industry undergoes a shift from creating content to providing platforms for user driven social interactions and user‐generated content. In this extended culture industry, participation unfolds not only in the co‐creation of media content and software‐based products, but also in the development and defense of distinctive media practices."
Papers by Mirko Tobias Schaefer
European hackers provided the hacking of the original Xbox, the design of mod-chips and the encryption technologies to protect their 'illegal' hack from cloning through Asian producers. Using a mod-chip users could not also play unlicensed copies of video console games, but also execute
software applications that would significantly expand functional range of the Xbox. The growing demand of mod-chips has been answered by a complex network of hackers, producers, and distributors. However, the original vendors of video game consoles immediately saw their business model threatened by the possibility to circumvent the inscribed control features allowing the execution of copied games.
by this curious artifact, the computer, the Universal Machine. We will then argue that because culture and technology have become increasingly difficult to distinguish, we must reevaluate the way in which we create tools, think about culture, and regulate technical creativity.
Drafts by Mirko Tobias Schaefer