Cardiff Cardiff, a port city with a long history of migration, is one of the oldest, most ethnica... more Cardiff Cardiff, a port city with a long history of migration, is one of the oldest, most ethnically diverse communities in the UK. In the period from the early 1800s to the Second World War, alone, people from more than 50 countries came to Cardiff to work in jobs linked to international trade (Cardiff Council, 2020: 9). Cardiff now has the highest number of non-UK born residents in Wales, accounting for around 13% of the local population (Krausova & Vargas-Silva, 2014; Statistics Wales, 2021). Over 100 languages are spoken. One in 5 residents is from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background, as is 1 in 3 children of primary school age (Cardiff Council, 2020). 4.1 Lack of Data on City's Precarious Migrants Cardiff is one of four designated asylum dispersal areas in Wales and, as of December 2021, there were 1351 asylum seekers living in Cardiff in receipt of Home Office subsistence support (Home Office, 2022a, b). It continues to be the home for some of those whose applications have been refused. The lack of data on the number or characteristics of these and other precarious migrants in the city is no surprise. Nor, however, does Cardiff Council itself have accessible data on the status of those who are receiving its services, for instance on 'looked-after' children in the care system. From our interviews we know that precarious migrants in Cardiff represent a wide range of demographics, including those with a regular status (from resettled refugees, dispersed asylum seekers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and those on spousal visas, to irregular migrants and others). Nationalities similarly are varied including Sudanese, Ethiopians, Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis, Egyptians, Algerians, Zimbabweans, Congolese, Syrians, Chinese and Vietnamese. There are various ages and durations of residence in the UK, from a single day to decades; as well as diversity by gender and marital status-interviewees stressing
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many activities online. However, there is little research on the di... more The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many activities online. However, there is little research on the digital inclusion of undocumented immigrants and their experience of the pandemic in the United States. We conducted 32 interviews with undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States to examine how digital technologies mediated their experiences of the pandemic. We find that undocumented immigrants (1) face barriers to telehealth services, (2) are at high risk of COVID-19 misinformation, (3) experience difficulties in assessing privacy risks, and (4) experienced heterogeneous outcomes of technology use during the pandemic. Our analysis shows that digital technologies both supported and further marginalized undocumented immigrants during the pandemic. Future research on the digital inclusion of vulnerable populations should pay particular attention to the interaction between their underlying vulnerabilities, on one hand, and attitudes, uses, and outcomes associated with technology, on the other.
Undocumented immigrants are a highly vulnerable group that can both benefit and suffer from digit... more Undocumented immigrants are a highly vulnerable group that can both benefit and suffer from digital technologies. However, little is known about their digital inclusion and the ways in which this amplifies or attenuates the vulnerabilities of their undocumented status. This paper provides rare and novel evidence from 44 in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States. It reports on findings regarding the digital employment of undocumented immigrants, the use of the internet in supporting their transnational family practices, and their uses and attitudes towards telehealth services. It highlights the importance of providing insight and analysis on digital life at the margins of society.
A growing literature is emerging on the believability and spread of disinformation, such as fake ... more A growing literature is emerging on the believability and spread of disinformation, such as fake news, over social networks. However, little is known about the degree to which malicious actors can use social media to covertly affect behavior with disinformation. A lab-based randomized controlled experiment was conducted with 233 undergraduate students to investigate the behavioral effects of fake news. It was found that even short (under 5-min) exposure to fake news was able to significantly modify the unconscious behavior of individuals. This paper provides initial evidence that fake news can be used to covertly modify behavior, it argues that current approaches to mitigating fake news, and disinformation in general, are insufficient to protect social media users from this threat, and it highlights the implications of this for democracy. It raises the need for an urgent cross-sectoral effort to investigate, protect against, and mitigate the risks of covert, widespread and decentralized behavior modification over online social networks.
While the Internet is often touted as a revolutionary technology, it might be noted that democrat... more While the Internet is often touted as a revolutionary technology, it might be noted that democratic institutions have witnessed no digital revolution through the Internet. This observation leads this chapter to argue that the field of e-democracy has generally failed to live up to its own reformist rhetoric. It argues that instead of reforming government processes through technology, e-democracy projects have tended to focus either on lowering the costs and increasing the efficiency of existing political processes or on analysing the civic participation that occurs outside of purpose-built e-democracy platforms. The chapter suggests that this lack of attention to the Internet's potential for systemic change in formal political institutions has little normative impact on the democratization of society and may even re-enforce, rather than challenge, the sociopolitical status quo. Further, it suggests that the current approach of e-democracy risks normalizing the Internet to the norms and expectations of the offline world. To elucidate this argument, this chapter overviews both the general trend of e-democracy projects and criticisms of those projects. Finally, the chapter proposes a more radical vision of e-democracy that, it suggests, would usher a larger potential for democratization. This more radical vision of e-democracy consists of recognizing the attributes of the Internet that transcend the limits of the analogue world and applying these to democracy. Such an approach would open the path for envisaging new political processes and systems, allowing the field of e-democracy to live up to its own rhetoric, and affording society the means to address multiple of the centuries-old problems faced by democracy.
Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2013
Authors' Note: We are unaware of a single authoritative, definitive and concise history of the Fr... more Authors' Note: We are unaware of a single authoritative, definitive and concise history of the French Americans -a historically impactful but contemporary understudied group. We set out here to provide a brief history.
which provide for virtual communities have typically evolved in a cross-dichotomous manner, such ... more which provide for virtual communities have typically evolved in a cross-dichotomous manner, such that technical constructs of the technology have evolved independently from the social environment of the community. The present paper analyses some limitations of current implementations of computer-mediated communication technology that are implied by such a dichotomy, and discusses their inhibiting effects on possible developments of virtual communities. A Socio-Technical Indicator Model is introduced that utilizes integrated feedback to describe, simulate and operationalise increasing representativeness within a variety of structurally and parametrically diverse systems. In illustration, applications of the model are briefly described for financial markets and for ecosystems. A detailed application is then provided to resolve the aforementioned technical limitations of moderation on the evolution of virtual communities. The application parameterises virtual communities to function as self-transforming social-technical systems which are sensitive to emergent and shifting community values as products of on-going communications within the collective.
Computer-mediated communication technologies which provide for virtual communities have typically... more Computer-mediated communication technologies which provide for virtual communities have typically evolved in a cross-dichotomous manner, such that technical constructs of the technology have evolved independently from the social environment of the community. The present paper analyses some limitations of current implementations of computer-mediated communication technology that are implied by such a dichotomy, and discusses their
inhibiting effects on possible developments of virtual communities.
A Socio-Technical Indicator Model is introduced that utilizes integrated feedback to describe, simulate and operationalise increasing representativeness within a variety of structurally and
parametrically diverse systems. In illustration, applications of the model are briefly described for financial markets and for ecosystems. A detailed application is then provided to resolve the
aforementioned technical limitations of moderation on the evolution of virtual communities. The application parameterises virtual communities to function as self-transforming social-technical systems which are sensitive to emergent and shifting community values as products of on-going communications within the collective.
This paper details and interprets evidence of the historical shift of internet control, and parti... more This paper details and interprets evidence of the historical shift of internet control, and particularly the control of the Domain Name System, from a public trust to private parties. It examines the ramifications of these shifts on (i) political dynamics and user autonomy in the Internet’s infrastructure, (ii) ‘freedom of speech’, and, more generally, (iii) the power of the Internet to influence individuals and to shape societies. It concludes that future policy should recognise the possibilities of non-linear and plural control structures as alternative mechanisms for promoting greater eInclusion, eAccessibility and democratisation than is permitted by the hierarchical control structures of Internet History. Within this context, the paper notes that Internet free speech and future priorities of global society are being seeded at this very moment by policies of Domain Name System and Internet architecture control that need to be more fully and more publicly monitored.
Massive/Micro Autoethnography: Creative Learning in COVID Times, 2022
During the lockdowns and social distancing mandates of the coronavirus pandemic, many turned to d... more During the lockdowns and social distancing mandates of the coronavirus pandemic, many turned to digital media to obtain information on COVID-19 and to make sense of the pandemic. At the same time, there has been ongoing scrutiny over the trustworthiness and authenticity of online spaces, such as the risk of fake news and algorithms promoting misinformation and echo chambers. In this chapter, I explore a tangential question: How does being aware of the dangers of our digital environment affect our experience of sensemaking? I present my own journey of reflexivity in making sense of the pandemic, and invite the reader to analyze how their awareness of filter bubbles, disinformation, platform governance decisions, and other influences over online spaces affects their experience of sensemaking and sheds light on relationship between the self, the other, and the machine.
Cardiff Cardiff, a port city with a long history of migration, is one of the oldest, most ethnica... more Cardiff Cardiff, a port city with a long history of migration, is one of the oldest, most ethnically diverse communities in the UK. In the period from the early 1800s to the Second World War, alone, people from more than 50 countries came to Cardiff to work in jobs linked to international trade (Cardiff Council, 2020: 9). Cardiff now has the highest number of non-UK born residents in Wales, accounting for around 13% of the local population (Krausova & Vargas-Silva, 2014; Statistics Wales, 2021). Over 100 languages are spoken. One in 5 residents is from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background, as is 1 in 3 children of primary school age (Cardiff Council, 2020). 4.1 Lack of Data on City's Precarious Migrants Cardiff is one of four designated asylum dispersal areas in Wales and, as of December 2021, there were 1351 asylum seekers living in Cardiff in receipt of Home Office subsistence support (Home Office, 2022a, b). It continues to be the home for some of those whose applications have been refused. The lack of data on the number or characteristics of these and other precarious migrants in the city is no surprise. Nor, however, does Cardiff Council itself have accessible data on the status of those who are receiving its services, for instance on 'looked-after' children in the care system. From our interviews we know that precarious migrants in Cardiff represent a wide range of demographics, including those with a regular status (from resettled refugees, dispersed asylum seekers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and those on spousal visas, to irregular migrants and others). Nationalities similarly are varied including Sudanese, Ethiopians, Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis, Egyptians, Algerians, Zimbabweans, Congolese, Syrians, Chinese and Vietnamese. There are various ages and durations of residence in the UK, from a single day to decades; as well as diversity by gender and marital status-interviewees stressing
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many activities online. However, there is little research on the di... more The COVID-19 pandemic shifted many activities online. However, there is little research on the digital inclusion of undocumented immigrants and their experience of the pandemic in the United States. We conducted 32 interviews with undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States to examine how digital technologies mediated their experiences of the pandemic. We find that undocumented immigrants (1) face barriers to telehealth services, (2) are at high risk of COVID-19 misinformation, (3) experience difficulties in assessing privacy risks, and (4) experienced heterogeneous outcomes of technology use during the pandemic. Our analysis shows that digital technologies both supported and further marginalized undocumented immigrants during the pandemic. Future research on the digital inclusion of vulnerable populations should pay particular attention to the interaction between their underlying vulnerabilities, on one hand, and attitudes, uses, and outcomes associated with technology, on the other.
Undocumented immigrants are a highly vulnerable group that can both benefit and suffer from digit... more Undocumented immigrants are a highly vulnerable group that can both benefit and suffer from digital technologies. However, little is known about their digital inclusion and the ways in which this amplifies or attenuates the vulnerabilities of their undocumented status. This paper provides rare and novel evidence from 44 in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino immigrants in the United States. It reports on findings regarding the digital employment of undocumented immigrants, the use of the internet in supporting their transnational family practices, and their uses and attitudes towards telehealth services. It highlights the importance of providing insight and analysis on digital life at the margins of society.
A growing literature is emerging on the believability and spread of disinformation, such as fake ... more A growing literature is emerging on the believability and spread of disinformation, such as fake news, over social networks. However, little is known about the degree to which malicious actors can use social media to covertly affect behavior with disinformation. A lab-based randomized controlled experiment was conducted with 233 undergraduate students to investigate the behavioral effects of fake news. It was found that even short (under 5-min) exposure to fake news was able to significantly modify the unconscious behavior of individuals. This paper provides initial evidence that fake news can be used to covertly modify behavior, it argues that current approaches to mitigating fake news, and disinformation in general, are insufficient to protect social media users from this threat, and it highlights the implications of this for democracy. It raises the need for an urgent cross-sectoral effort to investigate, protect against, and mitigate the risks of covert, widespread and decentralized behavior modification over online social networks.
While the Internet is often touted as a revolutionary technology, it might be noted that democrat... more While the Internet is often touted as a revolutionary technology, it might be noted that democratic institutions have witnessed no digital revolution through the Internet. This observation leads this chapter to argue that the field of e-democracy has generally failed to live up to its own reformist rhetoric. It argues that instead of reforming government processes through technology, e-democracy projects have tended to focus either on lowering the costs and increasing the efficiency of existing political processes or on analysing the civic participation that occurs outside of purpose-built e-democracy platforms. The chapter suggests that this lack of attention to the Internet's potential for systemic change in formal political institutions has little normative impact on the democratization of society and may even re-enforce, rather than challenge, the sociopolitical status quo. Further, it suggests that the current approach of e-democracy risks normalizing the Internet to the norms and expectations of the offline world. To elucidate this argument, this chapter overviews both the general trend of e-democracy projects and criticisms of those projects. Finally, the chapter proposes a more radical vision of e-democracy that, it suggests, would usher a larger potential for democratization. This more radical vision of e-democracy consists of recognizing the attributes of the Internet that transcend the limits of the analogue world and applying these to democracy. Such an approach would open the path for envisaging new political processes and systems, allowing the field of e-democracy to live up to its own rhetoric, and affording society the means to address multiple of the centuries-old problems faced by democracy.
Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, 2013
Authors' Note: We are unaware of a single authoritative, definitive and concise history of the Fr... more Authors' Note: We are unaware of a single authoritative, definitive and concise history of the French Americans -a historically impactful but contemporary understudied group. We set out here to provide a brief history.
which provide for virtual communities have typically evolved in a cross-dichotomous manner, such ... more which provide for virtual communities have typically evolved in a cross-dichotomous manner, such that technical constructs of the technology have evolved independently from the social environment of the community. The present paper analyses some limitations of current implementations of computer-mediated communication technology that are implied by such a dichotomy, and discusses their inhibiting effects on possible developments of virtual communities. A Socio-Technical Indicator Model is introduced that utilizes integrated feedback to describe, simulate and operationalise increasing representativeness within a variety of structurally and parametrically diverse systems. In illustration, applications of the model are briefly described for financial markets and for ecosystems. A detailed application is then provided to resolve the aforementioned technical limitations of moderation on the evolution of virtual communities. The application parameterises virtual communities to function as self-transforming social-technical systems which are sensitive to emergent and shifting community values as products of on-going communications within the collective.
Computer-mediated communication technologies which provide for virtual communities have typically... more Computer-mediated communication technologies which provide for virtual communities have typically evolved in a cross-dichotomous manner, such that technical constructs of the technology have evolved independently from the social environment of the community. The present paper analyses some limitations of current implementations of computer-mediated communication technology that are implied by such a dichotomy, and discusses their
inhibiting effects on possible developments of virtual communities.
A Socio-Technical Indicator Model is introduced that utilizes integrated feedback to describe, simulate and operationalise increasing representativeness within a variety of structurally and
parametrically diverse systems. In illustration, applications of the model are briefly described for financial markets and for ecosystems. A detailed application is then provided to resolve the
aforementioned technical limitations of moderation on the evolution of virtual communities. The application parameterises virtual communities to function as self-transforming social-technical systems which are sensitive to emergent and shifting community values as products of on-going communications within the collective.
This paper details and interprets evidence of the historical shift of internet control, and parti... more This paper details and interprets evidence of the historical shift of internet control, and particularly the control of the Domain Name System, from a public trust to private parties. It examines the ramifications of these shifts on (i) political dynamics and user autonomy in the Internet’s infrastructure, (ii) ‘freedom of speech’, and, more generally, (iii) the power of the Internet to influence individuals and to shape societies. It concludes that future policy should recognise the possibilities of non-linear and plural control structures as alternative mechanisms for promoting greater eInclusion, eAccessibility and democratisation than is permitted by the hierarchical control structures of Internet History. Within this context, the paper notes that Internet free speech and future priorities of global society are being seeded at this very moment by policies of Domain Name System and Internet architecture control that need to be more fully and more publicly monitored.
Massive/Micro Autoethnography: Creative Learning in COVID Times, 2022
During the lockdowns and social distancing mandates of the coronavirus pandemic, many turned to d... more During the lockdowns and social distancing mandates of the coronavirus pandemic, many turned to digital media to obtain information on COVID-19 and to make sense of the pandemic. At the same time, there has been ongoing scrutiny over the trustworthiness and authenticity of online spaces, such as the risk of fake news and algorithms promoting misinformation and echo chambers. In this chapter, I explore a tangential question: How does being aware of the dangers of our digital environment affect our experience of sensemaking? I present my own journey of reflexivity in making sense of the pandemic, and invite the reader to analyze how their awareness of filter bubbles, disinformation, platform governance decisions, and other influences over online spaces affects their experience of sensemaking and sheds light on relationship between the self, the other, and the machine.
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Papers by Zach Bastick
inhibiting effects on possible developments of virtual communities.
A Socio-Technical Indicator Model is introduced that utilizes integrated feedback to describe, simulate and operationalise increasing representativeness within a variety of structurally and
parametrically diverse systems. In illustration, applications of the model are briefly described for financial markets and for ecosystems. A detailed application is then provided to resolve the
aforementioned technical limitations of moderation on the evolution of virtual communities. The application parameterises virtual communities to function as self-transforming social-technical systems which are sensitive to emergent and shifting community values as products of on-going communications within the collective.
Books by Zach Bastick
inhibiting effects on possible developments of virtual communities.
A Socio-Technical Indicator Model is introduced that utilizes integrated feedback to describe, simulate and operationalise increasing representativeness within a variety of structurally and
parametrically diverse systems. In illustration, applications of the model are briefly described for financial markets and for ecosystems. A detailed application is then provided to resolve the
aforementioned technical limitations of moderation on the evolution of virtual communities. The application parameterises virtual communities to function as self-transforming social-technical systems which are sensitive to emergent and shifting community values as products of on-going communications within the collective.