The Digital Culture and Communication conference was dedicated to the topic Digital Culture meets data: Critical approaches. Hosted by the University of Brighton, the discussion throughout two days was very fruitful. There were 14 panels with a total of 49 presentations during 6 and 7 November 2017, reflecting on how algorithms and big data are today shaping our sociocultural and technical relations and our everyday experiences. The contributions ranged from looking at politics, to bodies and cities, from literacy and regulation to older citizens, as well as methods and critical research.
The keynotes were given by Rob Kitchin (Maynooth) and Helen Thornham (Leeds). Kitchin reflected on the emergence of data-driven urbanism, through the advent of smart cities and urban big data, from the perspective of critical data studies. Focusing, in particular, on the creation of city dashboards and the case of Dublin Dashboard (www.dublindashboard.ie), the talk examined the politics and praxes of data production, analysis and use in these contexts.
With a keynote on “Being data: Gender, class and the datalogical turn”, Helen Thornham presented empirical research with NEET populations (16–24-year-olds not in education, employment or training) in the U.K. to discuss digital bureaucracy and datalogical systems, and the way these ideologically and politically shape people’s lives, particularly from a gender perspective.
The YECREA representative for DCC, Ysabel Gerrard, organized a useful workshop for young scholars, on interviews for academic jobs, how to get a book contract, publishing research, and careers in the digital media, with participation from Caroline Bassett, Aristea Fotopoulou and Arne Hintz.
Ana Jorge, CECC/ Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal
