Summary: danah boyd | apophenia
making connections where none previously existed
Pew Internet & American Life Project just released a new study
called “The tone of life on social networking sites” where they
examine adult meanness and cruelty. This complements their piece on
“Teens, kindness, and cruelty on social network sites.” Like teens,
most adults find people on social network sites to be kind. But
what [...]
Date Published: Feb 10, 2012 - 6:46 pm
I spent the last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland. When my friends (y’all) learned I was going, some were
supportive while others were horrified. A few called me an outright
traitor. Given how much mythology there is around this event, I
want to take a moment and briefly share my own [...]
Date Published: Jan 29, 2012 - 8:16 pm
In 2005, I started asking teenagers about their password habits. My
original set of questions focused on teens’ attitudes about giving
their password to their parents, but I quickly became enamored with
teens’ stories of sharing passwords with friends and significant
others. So I was ecstatic when Pew Internet & American Life
Project decided to [...]
Date Published: Jan 23, 2012 - 2:24 pm
Much to my happiness, the internets are in a frenzy about the “Stop
Online Piracy Act” (aka SOPA). Congress is currently in recess, but
the House announced a hearing on the potential impact to the Domain
Name Service on January 18 and everyone expects the Senate to begin
discussing a similar bill “PROTECT IP Act” [...]
Date Published: Jan 17, 2012 - 7:51 am
::bounce:: I am *ecstatic* to announce that Nancy Baym, Kate
Crawford, and Mary L. Gray are all joining Microsoft Research New
England in Cambridge, MA. See Jennifer Chayes’ announcement.
::bounce:: Three years ago (this week), I joined Microsoft Research
to help integrate social scientists and computer scientists. I have
known about and admired MSR since [...]
Date Published: Jan 12, 2012 - 8:19 am
I love talking with smart journalists. When they’re good at what
they do, journalists can really prompt me to think deeply (and
differently) about issues. Nothing makes me happier than coming out
of a discussion with a journalist with my brain on fire. My
conversation with Bob Safian from Fast Company did precisely that.
I [...]
Date Published: Jan 10, 2012 - 12:05 pm
OMG do I love vacation. A chance to live a different lifestyle,
explore the world, and refresh my brain. This year’s adventure
began in Easter Island where we traversed the island looking at the
amazing Moai statues and engaging in all sorts of discussions about
the fraught/uncertain history of the Rapa Nui people. Next, we
[...]
Date Published: Jan 09, 2012 - 8:00 pm
Penguins and statues and glaciers oh my! I’m off to see the wizard,
the wonderful wizard of … OH MY GOD I AM ON VACATION!!!! Can you
hear my enthusiasm? My complete and utter joy? Cuz I’m bouncing up
and down here. For the next month I will be here: And here: Yes,
that’s Easter [...]
Date Published: Dec 14, 2011 - 10:23 pm
Over the last couple of years, I’ve laid awake at night asking
myself uncomfortable questions about bullying and teen suicide. I
don’t have answers to most of the questions that I have, but I’m
choosing to voice my questions, fears, and doubts because I’m not
confident that our war on bullying is taking us down [...]
Date Published: Dec 12, 2011 - 9:21 am
Over the last six weeks, I’ve posted various opportunities for
students, academics, and other scholars that I’m
co-directing/hosting, many of which have deadlines looming. I want
to summarize them in one post for those who either missed them or
wanted some synthesis: Microsoft Research Postdocs. Who: Newly
minted/about-to-be-minted PhD students working on social media
topics [...]
Date Published: Dec 08, 2011 - 12:46 pm