The television message as social object: a comparative study of the structure and content of television programmes in Britain

THE TELEVISION MESSAGE AS SOCIAL OBJECT: A comparative study of the structure and content of television programmes in Britain (excluding public affairs, children's television and shorts). The thesis will be both a theoretical and empirical examination of the applicability of the varieties of analysis of symbolic orders which have been advanced by such writers as Levi-Strauss and Foucault. The thesis is an exploration, through the study of the narrative structure of a series of television drama programmes, of the relationship between television, myths and folktales. Following upon work done principally by Claude Levi-Strauss and Vladimir Propp, but also others writing in the field of semiological and structural analysis, a detailed examination of the video-recorded texts of a thirteen part drama series is presented. It is argued in the context of an examination of, respectively, television and language, television and the mythic, and of the nature of narrative, that the television drama preserves the forms which otherwise might be thought of as particular to oral culture and communication. Television, in its preservation of these forms, and in its generally mythic character, gains its effectiveness thereby and must be understood sociologically in such terns. The effect of such an understanding, it is argued, will be to challenge any comprehension of the medium simply as the particular product of a particular historical period and/or an imposition in culture of one world view on an other. The television message is both a collective product and a transhistorical one. It is argued that on both counts it needs to be understood as a genuine expression of a social need, though in its expression of that need it does not necessarily simply act to preserve existing social and cultural conditions

Telework and the changing relationship of home and work

The social, political and technological implications of the information revolution are the focus of this textbook. It explores the major social and technological issues surrounding the introduction of information technology (IT) into everyday life; presents historical and comparative perspectives on the social and technological processes involved in the uses of, control of and access to IT; and critically examines the assumptions underpinning technological development. Divided into five sections, each with a detailed introduction, the book provides a comprehensive overview of information technology, and its implications for all of us. Contributors place the debates around IT in an international context, illustrating the importance of social values as well as government policy

Media Policy Norms for a Europe in Crisis

Europe is in crisis. Millions of its citizens are living in poverty and subject to sustained programmes of austerity that are widening the gap between rich and poor. Communicative possibilities are squeezed by the realities of media market behaviour: public service broadcasters are facing challenges of legitimacy and funding while established news outlets are increasingly distrusted by audiences. Despite the scale of the crisis, however, there appears to be little appetite amongst media researchers to develop a professional or policy response that rises to the challenge and attempts to offer necessary solutions. This article reflects on existing policy norms and suggests that we need fresh ones that better articulate how best to respond to neoliberalisation and both communicative and economic crisis. Rhetorical commitments to democracy, free speech, privacy and transparency are being squeezed by a more pragmatic emphasis on efficiency and competition, leaving little room for more expansive ambitions of social justice and equality. By focusing on several case studies, the article argues that we need more radical policy frames to confront the serious attacks we are facing on the public media and the public interest more generally

Researching AI Legibility Through Design

Everyday interactions with computers are increasingly likely to involve elements of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Encompassing a broad spectrum of technologies and applications, AI poses many challenges for HCI and design. One such challenge is the need to make AI’s role in a given system legible to the user in a meaningful way. In this paper we employ a Research through Design (RtD) approach to explore how this might be achieved. Building on contemporary concerns and a thorough exploration of related research, our RtD process reflects on designing imagery intended to help increase AI legibility for users. The paper makes three contributions. First, we thoroughly explore prior research in order to critically unpack the AI legibility problem space. Second, we respond with design proposals whose aim is to enhance the legibility, to users, of systems using AI. Third, we explore the role of design-led enquiry as a tool for critically exploring the intersection between HCI and AI research

Supporting stimulation needs in dementia care through wall-sized displays

Beside reminiscing, the increasing cognitive decline in dementia can also be addressed through sensory stimulation allowing the immediate, nonverbal engagement with the world through one’s senses. Much HCI work has prioritized cognitive stimulation for reminiscing or personhood often on small screens, while less research has explored sensory stimulation like the one enabled by large displays. We describe a year-long deployment in a residential care home of a wall-sized display, and explored its domestication through 24 contextual interviews. Findings indicate strong engagement and attachment to the display which has inspired four psychosocial interventions using online generic content. We discuss the value of these findings for personhood through residents’ exercise of choices, the tension between generic/personal content and its public/private use, the importance of participatory research approach to domestication, and the infrastructure-based prototype, illustrated by the DementiaWall and its generative quality