The Emergence, Development and Transformation of Media Ratings Conventions and Methodologies in Australia, 1930-2008. The media industry depends upon ratings. However, the ability of audience measurement companies to predict audience behaviour is in decline. Investigation into the conventions that govern the relationship between measurement and markets is now urgent. This project provides the first historical study of media ratings in Australia and internationally, the companies providing rat ....The Emergence, Development and Transformation of Media Ratings Conventions and Methodologies in Australia, 1930-2008. The media industry depends upon ratings. However, the ability of audience measurement companies to predict audience behaviour is in decline. Investigation into the conventions that govern the relationship between measurement and markets is now urgent. This project provides the first historical study of media ratings in Australia and internationally, the companies providing ratings and the media organisations using them. The study provides a detailed analysis of the emergence and transformation of media ratings in order to assist in the development of new practices and to promote better public and media industry understanding of the character, productivity, limits and challenges facing ratings conventions.
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The Monitored Audience: Control of Personal Information in the Digital Era. In an era when the internet can gather detailed information about citizens and mobile phones can target ads to them based on their location, consumers need a say in the policies and practices governing the use of their personal information. Research indicates Australians are concerned about the collection and use of their information. This project would explore what they are doing about it and what information handling p ....The Monitored Audience: Control of Personal Information in the Digital Era. In an era when the internet can gather detailed information about citizens and mobile phones can target ads to them based on their location, consumers need a say in the policies and practices governing the use of their personal information. Research indicates Australians are concerned about the collection and use of their information. This project would explore what they are doing about it and what information handling policies and practices they support. The findings will provide a citizen perspective on deliberations over information and data handling policy as well as on ethical and legal debates about commercial monitoring at a time when the technology for capturing personal information continues to develop at a rapid pace.Read moreRead less
Participatory public space: a right to the networked city. The National Broadband Network (NBN) is the largest single public investment in Australian history. This research seeks to understand how digital networks such as the NBN can contribute to improvements in civic life. Improving participation in public space can address problems such as social isolation, enhance citizen empowerment and develop a sense of collective belonging.
Mobile Culture: A Biography of the Mobile Phone. The Mobile Culture project will investigate the mobile phone as cultural object, investigating its history, cultural production, consumption, political economy and regulation. It will contribute new knowledge on the culture of a widely used new media technology, mobile communications. The study will provide fresh insights into central theoretical questions in cultural and media studies, such as the relationship between culture and technology, and ....Mobile Culture: A Biography of the Mobile Phone. The Mobile Culture project will investigate the mobile phone as cultural object, investigating its history, cultural production, consumption, political economy and regulation. It will contribute new knowledge on the culture of a widely used new media technology, mobile communications. The study will provide fresh insights into central theoretical questions in cultural and media studies, such as the relationship between culture and technology, and the use of political economy for cultural analysis. The study will devise innovative methods for new media study. Outcomes include a two-volume book, and workshop proceedings on mobile consumption, use, and policy.Read moreRead less
Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, an ....Talkback radio in Australia: Content, audience and influence. This project is the most comprehensive study of talkback radio in Australia to date. It examines the content, influence and consumption of the programs as well as presenting a detailed investigation of the processes of production. Using evidence drawn from two high profile commercial sector programs and one ABC program, it will set out to explain the audience's interest in the format, the relations between the host and the callers, and the social, political and cultural placement of the format. The outcomes will be published in a series of articles in refereed journals and a monograph.Read moreRead less
Skin Jobs: Biopolitics, Embodiment and Haptic Technologies. Haptic technologies use a combination of mechanical pressure and electrical impulses to simulate human touch, and have potential applications in a wide variety of fields including medicine, education, disability services, and entertainment. This project will contribute to the development of this technology, by locating the cultural meanings associated with touch and so enabling applications to be developed for specific audiences and u ....Skin Jobs: Biopolitics, Embodiment and Haptic Technologies. Haptic technologies use a combination of mechanical pressure and electrical impulses to simulate human touch, and have potential applications in a wide variety of fields including medicine, education, disability services, and entertainment. This project will contribute to the development of this technology, by locating the cultural meanings associated with touch and so enabling applications to be developed for specific audiences and users. The project thereby contributes to the development of smart technologies and, in its combination of resources from science and the arts, promotes a culture of innovation - both of which are essential to Australia's economic future.Read moreRead less
Representing Kanaks: Generic Variation, Identity, and the Politics of the Everyday Semiotic. The project hypothesizes that representational struggles over indigenous identity are crucially shaped by the range of genres in which identity is asserted. Through the case of Kanaks in New Caledonia, as represented by several everyday genres hitherto neglected by scholarship, the representational politics of indigeneity are interrogated with the aim of demonstrating that Kanak existence is constituted ....Representing Kanaks: Generic Variation, Identity, and the Politics of the Everyday Semiotic. The project hypothesizes that representational struggles over indigenous identity are crucially shaped by the range of genres in which identity is asserted. Through the case of Kanaks in New Caledonia, as represented by several everyday genres hitherto neglected by scholarship, the representational politics of indigeneity are interrogated with the aim of demonstrating that Kanak existence is constituted in the semiotic detail of everyday generic variation. The project's significance lies in its radical reconception of identity and representational politics: going beyond indigenous versus colonial binaries, it reveals the complexity of day-to-day competition over and consolidation of indigenous identity through representational systems.Read moreRead less
Avatars and Identities. The avatar, a virtual representation of its user, is the key element of interface technology for everyday computer use in the twenty-first century. While specialist aspects of the avatar have received intensive attention from the technology industries and scholars, the focus of the work to date has been on the technical efficiency of the interface, rather than understanding the full social implications of its use. Through a historical, ethnographic and critical analysis o ....Avatars and Identities. The avatar, a virtual representation of its user, is the key element of interface technology for everyday computer use in the twenty-first century. While specialist aspects of the avatar have received intensive attention from the technology industries and scholars, the focus of the work to date has been on the technical efficiency of the interface, rather than understanding the full social implications of its use. Through a historical, ethnographic and critical analysis of the role of the avatar, in consultation with industry, this project offers a unique opportunity to develop a wider perspective that will contribute to an understanding of the uses and policies for the digital economy.Read moreRead less
Young, Mobile, Networked: Mobile Media and Youth Culture in Australia. Mobiles are a common part of life for young Australians, yet there is very little reliable data about how these are used and their social and cultural implications - especially new services such as mobile music, cameras and television. The qualitative and quantitative data from this project will give a detailed, national picture of mobile media use, and will be highly valuable for Australian companies, policymakers, regulator ....Young, Mobile, Networked: Mobile Media and Youth Culture in Australia. Mobiles are a common part of life for young Australians, yet there is very little reliable data about how these are used and their social and cultural implications - especially new services such as mobile music, cameras and television. The qualitative and quantitative data from this project will give a detailed, national picture of mobile media use, and will be highly valuable for Australian companies, policymakers, regulators, non-governmental organizations as well as researchers. It will provide new knowledge to inform planning and innovation, and contribute to a better understanding of the social and cultural implications of mobile technologies.Read moreRead less
Data Centres and the Governance of Labour and Territory. Focusing on data centres in Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney, the project aims to advance understandings of how these facilities are transforming ways of living and working in the Asia Pacific. Without data centres the world stops; these infrastructures are the core components of a rapidly expanding but rarely discussed digital storage and management industry that has become critical to global economy and society. The intended outcome of th ....Data Centres and the Governance of Labour and Territory. Focusing on data centres in Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney, the project aims to advance understandings of how these facilities are transforming ways of living and working in the Asia Pacific. Without data centres the world stops; these infrastructures are the core components of a rapidly expanding but rarely discussed digital storage and management industry that has become critical to global economy and society. The intended outcome of the project is a broadening of debates and research practices relevant to policymaking on the digital economy. The expected benefit is increased public knowledge about the social and cultural effects of data-driven economic change and, in particular, the growing importance of private data infrastructures.Read moreRead less