Small acts of audience engagement interrupting content flows

Chapter in Report; This report has been produced by the CEDAR network which was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to run between 2015-2018

Methodological challenges in the transition towards online audience research

This review of the literature published between 2005 and 2014 presents an overview of the methodological environment in which audience research is transiting towards the study of online audiences. Online audience research is a mix of long-established research rationales, methodical adaptations, new venues and convergent thinking. We discuss four interconnected, and sometimes contradictory, methodological trends that characterize this current environment: 1) the expansion of online ethnography and the continued importance of contextualization, 2) the influence of big data and an emphasis on uses, 3) the reliance on mixed methods and the convergence of different rationales of research, and 4) the ambiguous nature of online data and the ethical considerations for the conduct of research. In spite of a massive research activity, there remain gaps and underprivileged areas that call for a re-prioritization of research. In the conclusion of this paper, we offer recommendations to orient future research.COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-0075

It’s in the Name : Technical Nonhumans and Artistic Production

In this conceptual article my aim is to challenge the attribute “creative” when applied to the technical nonhumans (computers, robots or AI). Whilst acknowledging the long history of technical objects involved in a creative production, I suggest that such phrasing carries a surplus of meaning that may lead to ambiguous and possibly deceptive narratives about technical nonhumans amongst non-professional audiences. I shall be using science and technology studies (STS) theories as a methodological backdrop, and I shall rely on the theoretical paradigms about the myth of technology

It’s in the Name : Technical Nonhumans and Artistic Production

In this conceptual article my aim is to challenge the attribute “creative” when applied to the technical nonhumans (computers, robots or AI). Whilst acknowledging the long history of technical objects involved in a creative production, I suggest that such phrasing carries a surplus of meaning that may lead to ambiguous and possibly deceptive narratives about technical nonhumans amongst non-professional audiences. I shall be using science and technology studies (STS) theories as a methodological backdrop, and I shall rely on the theoretical paradigms about the myth of technology

Negotiating anthropomorphism in the Ai-Da robot

The central interest of this paper is the anthropomorphic social robot Ai-Da (Aidan Meller Gallery/Oxford University), perceived as an actor in the interplay of cultural and representational gestures. These gestures determine how this robot is presented—that is, how its activities are articulated, interpreted and promoted. This paper criticises the use of a transhistorical discourse in the presentational strategies around this robot, since this discourse reinforces the so-called “myth of a machine”. The discussion focuses on the individuation and embodiment of this drawing robot. It is argued that the choice to provide Ai-Da with an evocative silicone face, coupled with an anthropomorphic body, is a socio-political decision that shapes public imaginaries about social robots in general.The Robot as a Technocultural Ico

Interruption, disruption or intervention?

Chapter in Report; This report has been produced by the CEDAR network which was fundedby the Arts and Humanities Research Council, to run between 2015-2018