Digital Society

For the last of our 2024 student produced episodes, we have Dusty Fitzpatrick looking at the history of the net, Charlie Willis chatting convergence, Angus Turner tackling AI, and Josh Faulkner and Keely Bullivant looking at internet regulation.

It's another student-produced episode of Digital Society. This one features segments all about social media, by Anna Tayler, Courtney Baker, Amy Bunyan, and Fiona Powell.

Welcome to a student-produced episode of Digital Society, featuring contributions by Matt Adams, Matt Buckley, Ben Cullen-Ward, Bayden Girvan and Emily Riches.

The conversation explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on writing, communication, and creativity. The guest, Daniel Whelan-Shamy, discusses his research on AI and authorship, focusing on the blurring boundaries between human and AI-generated content. Travis and Daniel also touch on the challenges of peer review in keeping up with rapidly evolving AI technologies. The conversation del...

In this conversation, Jordan Millward, a PhD student at Imperial College in London, discusses the role of digital and social media in education and science communication. He emphasises the importance of providing accurate information to students from non-traditional backgrounds who may rely on social media for information. Jordan also highlights the need for scientists to use social media as a too...

Host Travis is joined by A/Prof Ben Hayward from Monash Uni to discuss how cross-border trade regulations impact digital goods while Facebook group admin Karina explains how she moderates large and active Simpsons shitposting Facebook groups. Thrillhouse Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/4YxFiq3xWePGBkduHuljDL?si=a224351571004965 Thrillhouse Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/87449...

In this conversation, Travis and guest Martin Feld discuss the concept of convergence culture and its impact on media platforms and audience behaviour. They explore the challenges and opportunities presented by convergence, including the democratisation of communication and the rise of disinformation. The conversation also delves into the industrial changes brought about by convergence, such as th...

Host Travis and guest Tom discuss Bo Burnham's musical special 'Inside' (2021) and explore its themes related to technology, society, and the pandemic. They delve into the dominance of online content, the impact of technology on relationships, the generational divide, the pressure to conform to online norms, and the challenges of accountability in the digital age. They also examine the...

In this episode of Digital Society , we revisit the question of generative AI and it's application in the media and communication industries. Michelle O'Connor and Travis Holland discuss the role and potential uses of AI in radio, journalism, podcasting and other aspects of media production and education. Student Rachel Vanderhel reflects on the links between AI and social media. This is a...

From Instagram to Snapchat and Facebook, social media has come to dominate how we communicate. For many, social media is the internet. Using these platforms subjects us to the whims of the huge social corporations. And occasionally, we push back. What’s more cyberpunk than that?

Four student-produced segments attack aspects of community building in participatory media.

Flynn, Ruby, Luna, Charlotte, Annabelle and Gemma studied selfies this week, and now they're here to tell you all about it.

Students discuss challenges with internet regulation via perspectives thrown up from two major case studies.

This is the first episode in Digital Society in which the mic is fully turned over to students. They're asked to produce segments up to around five minutes in length examining internet topics from their own perspectives and ideas. This week, it’s the history of the internet, which Georgia Fisher has covered with a segment looking at Dril and his relationship with the rise, and now fall, of Twi...

This episode focuses on tips to craft effective audio storytelling via podcasts. __ Referenced material and websites: Berry, R. (2006). Will the iPod Kill the Radio Star? Profiling Podcasting as Radio. Convergence , 12(2), 143–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856506066522 Euritt, A. (2022). Podcasting as an Intimate Medium . Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003340980 Spotify for Podcasters....

Professor David Marshall convenes a discussion about the way we represent ourselves online.  ___ Extra info  Ellen DeGeneres' celebrity selfie: https://twitter.com/theellenshow/status/440322224407314432   Marshall, D., & Redmond, S. (2015). A Companion to Celebrity . Wiley Blackwell. https://www.amazon.com.au/Companion-Celebrity-P-David-Marshall-ebook/dp/B016PI948Y  

Is social media really social? Is it good for society? How do we respond to the unprecedented power and influence of such global corporations? These are just some of the questions asked in this episode. Plus, a chat about cyberpunk with Dr David Cameron, and everything AI with Ph. D. candidate Jasmyn Connell. __ More to read: Carr, M. (2022, May 4). Is TikTok A Social Media Or Entertainment Platfo...

Featuring a look at whether the internet can and should be regulated, and three case studies of regulation from around the world: the 'Great Firewall of China', the Christchurch Call, and Australian Mandatory Data Retention. The episode also engages with JP Barlow's thirty-year-old D eclaration of the Independence of Cyberspace .  ____  Sources discussed:  Barlow, J. P. (1996). A De...

As much as it might seem natural to participate in the creation of media and culture through uploading photos to Instagram, slapping text on an image to create a meme, setting video to a trending song on TikTok, or producing a podcast and sending it out onto the web, this mode of media production is unusual by recent historical standards. This episode discusses participatory media and the way it h...

The internet is the realisation of a centuries-old dream: instantaneous global communication. It has shaped and continues to shape global economic, political, and social structures in extraordinary ways. It is a relatively new technology and yet we can find numerous traces of the internet throughout human history. In this episode, we will introduce some ideas about the internet and describe both i...