How metaphors shape the digital society
Cloud, Big Data, Piracy, Virus are common terms in the debates about digital technologies. At the same time they are methaphors that originate from other fields than technology. What normative or political baggage do they therefore carry? How does this vocabulary shape the emerging digital society? In the series of articles on the Politics of Metaphors different authors analyse the assumptions and meanings of metaphors in the digital era....
Understanding Platform Governance
More and more people and institutions communicate via Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and co. They allow us to share photos, news, opinions and status updates of all kinds with the whole world. Therefore its importance for political developments and moods is rising. The rules of platforms for sorting and blocking, for liking and sharing determine whose voices get heard, how content is being framed and who gets access to which data.
Fundamental rights in the digital age
The Internet is a space where social relationships are cultivated, business is conducted, new knowledge is created, and all kinds of networks are built. But do fundamental rights exist in this growing digital habitat? Should there be a right to internet access or anonymity on the world wide web or even for digital disobedience?
Open Science
Scientifically generated data and results should not vanish behind paywalls and in expensive books, but should be publicly accessible. Open Science is on all sides a popular idea, but rarely implemented. Who benefits from that and why do scientists not share their data? How can new technology like Blockchain make science more transparent and how can citizen science contribute?
