Political reporting of Australian election campaigns. Up to 40% of Australian voters decide their vote during an election campaign but most never have any direct contact with candidates and rely instead on information from newspapers, radio, television and the Internet. According to democratic theory, these media should act as a site for political information and debate to enable voters to make an informed choice. If they are not performing this role well, then as a community, Australians are mi ....Political reporting of Australian election campaigns. Up to 40% of Australian voters decide their vote during an election campaign but most never have any direct contact with candidates and rely instead on information from newspapers, radio, television and the Internet. According to democratic theory, these media should act as a site for political information and debate to enable voters to make an informed choice. If they are not performing this role well, then as a community, Australians are missing out. This project assesses the quality of election reporting to find out how well or badly we are served by those who report and comment on politics.Read moreRead less
Promissory Democratic Representation: Campaign Promises in Australia. This project aims to investigate the extent to which campaign promises made by politicians are kept or broken. It intends to conduct new research on Australian politics while advancing an established international research program. This project expects to generate and disseminate new knowledge that is urgently needed due to declining levels of trust among citizens in politicians. The expected outcomes include new theory and in ....Promissory Democratic Representation: Campaign Promises in Australia. This project aims to investigate the extent to which campaign promises made by politicians are kept or broken. It intends to conduct new research on Australian politics while advancing an established international research program. This project expects to generate and disseminate new knowledge that is urgently needed due to declining levels of trust among citizens in politicians. The expected outcomes include new theory and internationally comparative evidence on which campaign promises are kept and broken. This should provide significant benefits, such as greater public awareness of actual levels of promise keeping. It should also benefit policymakers who use campaign promises to anticipate and prepare government policies.Read moreRead less
Understanding and Combatting 'Dark Political Communication'. This project examines an emergent series of tactics used by political actors (i.e. politicians, lobbyists, political groups, etc.) that we are calling 'Dark Political Communication' (DPC). DPC differs markedly from existing, well-established modes of political communication, as it often involves the deliberate spread of disinformation, use of highly inflammatory language, antagonism towards the press and democratic institutions, as wel ....Understanding and Combatting 'Dark Political Communication'. This project examines an emergent series of tactics used by political actors (i.e. politicians, lobbyists, political groups, etc.) that we are calling 'Dark Political Communication' (DPC). DPC differs markedly from existing, well-established modes of political communication, as it often involves the deliberate spread of disinformation, use of highly inflammatory language, antagonism towards the press and democratic institutions, as well as actions that seek to exacerbate social discord. In this project, we will provide the first-ever complete account of DPC tactics, and provide a series of recommendations to journalists about how their practice can best evolve to address this novel communication paradigm. Read moreRead less
Television, globalisation and social change in India. Since the economic liberalisation beginning in the late 1980s and the introduction of direct broadcast satellite television in 1991, television in India has become a highly dynamic and self-reflexive agent for an increasingly 'globalised' sensibility. This study seeks to examine the process in which a commercial, mass-mediated public culture has been generated. By engaging in an innovative and systematic approach which will integrate direc ....Television, globalisation and social change in India. Since the economic liberalisation beginning in the late 1980s and the introduction of direct broadcast satellite television in 1991, television in India has become a highly dynamic and self-reflexive agent for an increasingly 'globalised' sensibility. This study seeks to examine the process in which a commercial, mass-mediated public culture has been generated. By engaging in an innovative and systematic approach which will integrate direct studies of audiences, program production, modes of commercialization and the role of the state, the study will provide the basis for a definitive book on this key aspect of Indian media culture.Read moreRead less
Online@asia/pacific: A comparative study of online networks in the Asia-Pacific. In the 21st century, the role of the Internet will increasingly become part of everyday life - for individuals, communities, businesses and government agencies. Thus it is imperative that we have a robust comparative understanding of online life in Australia and across the region, and its relation to local life offline. Such an understanding is fundamental to Australia's technology and cultural sectors, thus contrib ....Online@asia/pacific: A comparative study of online networks in the Asia-Pacific. In the 21st century, the role of the Internet will increasingly become part of everyday life - for individuals, communities, businesses and government agencies. Thus it is imperative that we have a robust comparative understanding of online life in Australia and across the region, and its relation to local life offline. Such an understanding is fundamental to Australia's technology and cultural sectors, thus contributing to National Research Priority 3 through one of the strongest currencies in 21st century global market, web 2.0, as well as contributing to the broader long-term project of locating Australia in the region.
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The Mourning After: Grief, witnessing and mobile media practices. This project aims to understand the role of mobile media in grief rituals as a reflection of our social and cultural lives. Grief is an important cultural practice which is crucial in recovery from loss and developing resilience. As magnified by the pandemic, mobile media rituals—from Instagram memorials to witnessing mass death and online funerals—play a significant role in contemporary grieving processes. Through ethnographic in ....The Mourning After: Grief, witnessing and mobile media practices. This project aims to understand the role of mobile media in grief rituals as a reflection of our social and cultural lives. Grief is an important cultural practice which is crucial in recovery from loss and developing resilience. As magnified by the pandemic, mobile media rituals—from Instagram memorials to witnessing mass death and online funerals—play a significant role in contemporary grieving processes. Through ethnographic inquiry, social media analysis and creative practice intervention, expected outcomes will include codesigned media-in-grief literacy frameworks, online resources and socially-engaged art exhibition. Benefits for understanding grief-in-media include building public empathy, connection and resilience. Read moreRead less
The role of lifestyle television in transforming culture, citizenship and selfhood: Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and India. Television now reaches 97% of the population in China and Indian TV is among the world's fastest growing industries. Despite its dominance as a media form in our region, in Australia we know little about the social and cultural dimensions of television in Asia. By researching lifestyle TV – a genre concerned with promoting new forms of lifestyle and consumption – thi ....The role of lifestyle television in transforming culture, citizenship and selfhood: Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore and India. Television now reaches 97% of the population in China and Indian TV is among the world's fastest growing industries. Despite its dominance as a media form in our region, in Australia we know little about the social and cultural dimensions of television in Asia. By researching lifestyle TV – a genre concerned with promoting new forms of lifestyle and consumption – this project will help us comprehend the shifting cultural, economic and social dynamics of our region, contributing to Research Priority 4. Through engagement with Asian cultures and scholarship, it will also help position Australian media research as relevant both regionally and internationally and will help to inform Australian TV producers of new developments in the region.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. The ARC CoE for Automated Decision-Making and Society aims to create the knowledge and strategies necessary for responsible, ethical, and inclusive automated decision-making (ADM). ADM applies new technologies from machine learning to blockchains across a wide range of social sectors; it carries great potential and risks serious failures. The Centre combines social and technological disciplines in an international industry, rese ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. The ARC CoE for Automated Decision-Making and Society aims to create the knowledge and strategies necessary for responsible, ethical, and inclusive automated decision-making (ADM). ADM applies new technologies from machine learning to blockchains across a wide range of social sectors; it carries great potential and risks serious failures. The Centre combines social and technological disciplines in an international industry, research and civil society network. It will formulate world-leading policy and practice; inform public debate; and train a new generation of researchers and practitioners. Expected benefits include reduced risks and improved outcomes in the priority domains of news and media, transport, social services and health.Read moreRead less
Museum Digital Social Futures. This project aims to understand and transform the digital experience of museum audiences post COVID-19 through collaborating with ACMI who pioneered digital curation methods through a Living Lab model. This project will generate new methods for engaging diverse audiences across social and digital worlds in domestic and public spaces through codesigning with national museum peak body, AGaMA, stakeholders. Expected outcomes include resources (i.e. toolkits for implem ....Museum Digital Social Futures. This project aims to understand and transform the digital experience of museum audiences post COVID-19 through collaborating with ACMI who pioneered digital curation methods through a Living Lab model. This project will generate new methods for engaging diverse audiences across social and digital worlds in domestic and public spaces through codesigning with national museum peak body, AGaMA, stakeholders. Expected outcomes include resources (i.e. toolkits for implementation), online repository (website) and symposium for knowledge sharing and transferring of learnings. This should provide significant benefits to the museums sector including digital innovation for social inclusion strategies and resources.
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The reinvention of Indigenous media: Innovation, expansion and social development. Detailed examination of Remote Indigenous Media Organisations will provide much-needed evidence of the role that community media organisations play in communications uptake and use in remote communities. The success of RIMOs further suggests that investigation at the organisational level may yield lessons for social development more broadly. Content analysis will identify gaps and achievements in Indigenous media ....The reinvention of Indigenous media: Innovation, expansion and social development. Detailed examination of Remote Indigenous Media Organisations will provide much-needed evidence of the role that community media organisations play in communications uptake and use in remote communities. The success of RIMOs further suggests that investigation at the organisational level may yield lessons for social development more broadly. Content analysis will identify gaps and achievements in Indigenous media production, providing a deeper understanding of how local media interacts with and informs national textual systems. The project will also analyse communications innovations occurring in remote communities and assess the possibilities for Indigenous industry development.Read moreRead less