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The article aims to capture the significatory diversity of the concepts of Europeanity and Europeanisation, through the development of a semantic map in order to visualize the different concepts that define Europeanity and... more
The article aims to capture the significatory diversity of the concepts of Europeanity and Europeanisation, through the development of a semantic map in order to visualize the different concepts that define Europeanity and Europeanisation, and their interconnections. Embedded in the field of Communication and Media Studies, this semantic map combines 19 different approaches, structured through one main dimension, the discursive versus the material, which allows bridging the major rift in the conceptual reflections about Europeanity and Europeanisation. Moreover, the semantic map uses two support dimensions, with the discursive dimension intersecting with the essentialist versus relationist dimension, and the material dimension intersecting with the socio-spatial versus politico-spatial dimension. In order to construct this semantic map, phases of both general and targeted literature reviews were combined with a participatory theory-building method, which was grounded in collaborativ...
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This article studies the role of the material in four Prague-based zines. The analysis is theoretically embedded in the model of the discursive-material knot, which is a non-hierarchical articulation of the discursive and the material,... more
This article studies the role of the material in four Prague-based zines. The analysis is theoretically embedded in the model of the discursive-material knot, which is a non-hierarchical articulation of the discursive and the material, and it is contextualized by a reflection on post-digital culture, which allows revalidating the role of the material in zine production and distribution more. The case study combines the analysis of personal interviews and zine content with an ethnography of the production and distribution processes, including zine fairs. This analysis shows how the alternative media discourse, with its focus on particular aesthetics and amateurism, intersects with networks of bodies, spaces, paper and related objects, many different machines and scarce capitals. This allows arguing that the material is omnipresent in zine production and distribution, also in intermaterial and transmaterial ways, but also that zines then use the particularity of this material component to signify their cultural specificity.
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The importance of zines – as documents of history and contemporary media – has recognisably increased in the past decade, and not only media scholars but also historians are paying closer attention to this type of alternative media. We... more
The importance of zines – as documents of history and contemporary media – has recognisably increased in the past decade, and not only media scholars but also historians are paying closer attention to this
type of alternative media. We have witnessed both the building of zine archives – digital and physical – and zines being acknowledged as historical resources. Traditionally, zines have been studied from the
discursive perspective of subcultures, identities, fan objects and musical genres; therefore, the material component has been overlooked or taken as a matter of course. But with the post-digital situation, the material is more visible and reminds us of the intertwined relationship of the discursive and the material. This paper argues for the possible contribution of media theory to historical research and calls for a deeper understanding of the materiality of zines and the material networks surrounding them as well as the research environment for historians.
type of alternative media. We have witnessed both the building of zine archives – digital and physical – and zines being acknowledged as historical resources. Traditionally, zines have been studied from the
discursive perspective of subcultures, identities, fan objects and musical genres; therefore, the material component has been overlooked or taken as a matter of course. But with the post-digital situation, the material is more visible and reminds us of the intertwined relationship of the discursive and the material. This paper argues for the possible contribution of media theory to historical research and calls for a deeper understanding of the materiality of zines and the material networks surrounding them as well as the research environment for historians.
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The aim of this study is to critically analyze the role of printed fanzines in the post-digital era. Fanzines are non-commercial magazines which are mainly produced by subculture members. They used to bring fresh information to readers,... more
The aim of this study is to critically analyze the role of printed fanzines in the post-digital era. Fanzines are non-commercial magazines which are mainly produced by subculture members. They used to bring fresh information to readers, but their role has changed. The main research question of this study is why Czech authors who are members of hardcore-punk subculture (who are currently the most active producers) still produce printed magazines when fresh information can be easily found on the in-ternet. Fanzines in contrast with mainstream media are participatory media which turn consumers into producers-subculture has a non-hierarchical structure therefore it offers a bigger space for participation. I chose the method of qualitative in-depth interviews with 8 informers to learn more about subcultural mechanisms; a part of the informers were active in the pre-digital era and the second part of the informers were active in the post-digital era. This range of informers helped me to depict the change which came along with digital media.
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Techno-pessimistic and technooptimistic visions of surveillance and resistance in Europe Vaia Doudaki et al. Futures of algorithms and choices: Structuration of algorithmic imaginaries and digital platforms in Europe Miloš Hroch et al.
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The increasing impact of algorithmically driven processes on human societies, which can exacerbate political, economic, and cultural asymmetries, raises questions about reducing human agency by constraining platform structures. We draw on... more
The increasing impact of algorithmically driven processes on human societies, which can exacerbate political, economic, and cultural asymmetries, raises questions about reducing human agency by constraining platform structures. We draw on the theoretical concept of algorithmic imaginary, which captures users' appropriations and ideas of these processes. In this paper, we focus on the dynamics between agency and structure in algorithmic imaginaries regarding the future of digital media platforms in Europe. The paper takes structuration theory as a theoretical starting point and employs methods of futures studies to analyze how the future is constructed in scenarios developed by a diversity of experts participating in a series of workshops. The future scenarios analysis is mapped around four actors, namely platform users, platform corporations, algorithms and institutions. By considering the role of various actors, particularly institutions, and their interdependencies this paper contributes to more balanced conceptualizations of algorithmic imaginaries, which tend to be centered around users' perspectives.
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This is an edited transcript of the audio recording of the roundtable on Future, Democracy, and Platforms, which was organized at the EUMEPLAT project meeting at Charles University in Prague on 15 January 2024, in collaboration with the... more
This is an edited transcript of the audio recording of the roundtable on Future, Democracy, and Platforms, which was organized at the EUMEPLAT project meeting at Charles University in Prague on 15 January 2024, in collaboration with the MeDeMAP (Mapping Media for Future Democracies) project. The current digital public spaces have been transformed by platformization, and besides the positive consequences such as democratization of communication or access to information, these processes driven by algorithms have brought political, cultural, and economic asymmetries. At the roundtable, we discussed challenges and threats to fostering more democratic platform environments in the future with experts from fields such as digital and economic anthropology or new media philosophy. Among the discussed platform related topics were public and cooperative ownership, the need to strengthen their democracy and imagination or pleasure as the key principles.
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This is an edited transcript of the audio recording of the roundtable on Future, Democracy, and Platforms, which was organized at the EUMEPLAT project meeting at Charles University in Prague on 15 January 2024, in collaboration with the... more
This is an edited transcript of the audio recording of the roundtable on Future, Democracy, and Platforms, which was organized at the EUMEPLAT project meeting at Charles University in Prague on 15 January 2024, in collaboration with the MeDeMAP (Mapping Media for Future Democracies) project. The current digital public spaces have been transformed by platformization, and besides the positive consequences such as democratization of communication or access to information, these processes driven by algorithms have brought political, cultural, and economic asymmetries. At the roundtable, we discussed challenges and threats to fostering more democratic platform environments in the future with experts from fields such as digital and economic anthropology or new media philosophy. Among the discussed platform related topics were public and cooperative ownership, the need to strengthen their democracy and imagination or pleasure as the key principles.