Like a good sociologist, I joined my tribe in San Francisco this week for the annual American Sociological Association conference. In addition to my usual fare, I conducted a pair of sessions/workshops on public sociology and digital media. I have three social media maxims: be deliberate, be useful, be interesting. Each comes with risks andRead More “Public Sociology at ASA14”
Round-up of Berkman Center Notes and Reflections
I have to thank the entire crew at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard for hosting me yesterday. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CJzIXG0T1A&w=560&h=315] The room was quite full and the audience brought it. We talked about debt, identity, space, place, platforms, policy, and culture. It kept me on my toes while the incredible support of myRead More “Round-up of Berkman Center Notes and Reflections”
Democratizing Ideologies and Inequality Regimes – Berkman Center Primer
I’m very excited to speak at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society tomorrow. The talk is open to the public (with RSVP) and streaming online. I used to post references and slides for my talks but somewhere along the line I either talked too much or posted too little. But, I am synthesizing quiteRead More “Democratizing Ideologies and Inequality Regimes – Berkman Center Primer”
Twyllabus: Labor, Machines, and Undeniable Futures
There’s a great batch of reading and writing happening mostly online right now about the labor, inequality and the machines that are coming for our jobs. Much of the public debate is coming from a series of recent books and research articles on how machines will displace a significant portion of human labor in theRead More “Twyllabus: Labor, Machines, and Undeniable Futures”
Digital Sociology: Conference, Call to Action
It’s no secret that I have some thoughts on U.S. sociology’s intersection with digital methods, praxis, and domains. I have spent about two years now interviewing students, administrators, policy makers, and teachers in for-profit colleges. It has been impossible to discuss the for-profit sector without engaging the technocratic idealism of its branding and the techRead More “Digital Sociology: Conference, Call to Action”
Light Skin, Labor and “Straight Out of Compton”
I could write this post almost entirely with cut and paste, that’s how common this now feels. Gawker released a casting call for a movie about hip-hop group NWA. The call features an explicit race and skin shade hierarchy for the women: SAG OR NON UNION FEMALES – PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR SPECIFIC BREAKDOWN.Read More “Light Skin, Labor and “Straight Out of Compton””
Walking Without Papers at ASU, The “New American University”
It has been an eventful news cycle for Arizona State University. Last week they announced a partnership with Starbucks employees that went from press release to critical analysis in about 48 hours. I chimed in with a few thoughts on a public college extracting revenue from Starbucks employees. It turns out that the public university willRead More “Walking Without Papers at ASU, The “New American University””
Lattes and Letters
This week Starbucks and Arizona State University announced a joint tuition-degree type-ish plan. I am not sure what to call it because it’s a hybrid of what we consider employee sponsored tuition reimbursement plans, workforce development programs at universities, and some kind of technofuturist vision of higher education access. So, in the way of myRead More “Lattes and Letters”
Writing in Public: Social Media, Identity, and Getting Er Done
I’ve been working on a larger project about social groups and digital media. At some point a few dozen people suggested I use data from my blog. And so I’ve been coding comments, content and mapping media relationships for a couple of months now. This weekend I posted a draft paper I workshopped with myRead More “Writing in Public: Social Media, Identity, and Getting Er Done”
Allies, Friends, and the Value of Utopian Visions
I am fortunate to claim economist Sandy Darity as a friend and mentor. I asked him once, after a barn burner of an academic lecture on reparations, why in God’s name would he go all in on something that doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of ever happening. “That’s what they once said aboutRead More “Allies, Friends, and the Value of Utopian Visions”