Greetings to all listeners who just heard the interview with me on today's All Things Considered. If you'd like to learn more about CCM and my research about the practice and people who do it, please hop over to this page for an overview and detailed discussion. For those who missed the story, you may… Continue reading NPR’s All Things Considered: Commercial Content Moderation (CCM) and the Internet Shadows
Author: Sarah R.
“The Trouble with Ethics Tests” Online at the Chronicle of Higher Ed
My article on the problematic and ubiquitous university/state employee "ethics test" can be found in an edited version at the Chronicle of Higher Ed's "Conversation" website. Please visit and add your voice! One commenter described the tone as "whiny and PC," so I must be doing something right...
Congratulations to Dr. Miriam Sweeney!
Hearty congratulations to Dr. Miriam Sweeney, on the successful passage of her dissertation defense, "Not Just a Pretty (Inter) Face: A Critical Analysis of Microsoft's 'Ms. Dewey'", at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS). Dr. Sweeney is an Assistant Professor at SLIS, University of Alabama. The defense was lively,… Continue reading Congratulations to Dr. Miriam Sweeney!
The Trouble with “Ethics”
If you are an employee of a higher education institution, you can likely set your watch by it: the dread annual ethics test. Usually presented as a self-paced, online "learning module," the test is designed, ostensibly, to measure your ability to deal with complex workplace situations. Some of the situations require use of your best… Continue reading The Trouble with “Ethics”
IAMCR 13 in Dublin – A Report from Our Panel
It's been a whirlwind of a week in Dublin, Ireland, as I've been visiting with colleagues and participating in IAMCR13. The conference has been time well spent, with a critical mass of critical media and communications scholars assembled in one place to talk about very real issues. At the fore has been that of continued… Continue reading IAMCR 13 in Dublin – A Report from Our Panel
Transition: Joining FIMS at the University of Western Ontario
The time has come for me to share some big news. I am honored and thrilled to report that I will be joining the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS) at the University of Western Ontario, at the rank of Assistant Professor, this summer. Thanks to all who supported me through this process. I… Continue reading Transition: Joining FIMS at the University of Western Ontario
NCSA Mosaic is 20
Today, the IEEE Computer Society reported, via its Facebook page, on the 20th anniversary of NCSA Mosaic. This web browser, developed at the University of Illinois' National Center for Supercomputing Applications, was distributed free of charge and its GUI interface was largely credited with sparking widespread interest in the Web. As I reflect on my… Continue reading NCSA Mosaic is 20
“How about a nice game of chess?” An Interview with Stephanie Ricker Schulte, author of “Cached”
Sarah T. Roberts: Stephanie, thanks so much for taking time to talk with the HASTAC community about your excellent new book, Cached: Decoding the Internet in Popular Culture. I think this book will speak to many different kinds of people involved with HASTAC, given its interdisciplinary nature and its locus at the intersection of policy, history,… Continue reading “How about a nice game of chess?” An Interview with Stephanie Ricker Schulte, author of “Cached”
Chester Roberts November 1997 – April 18, 2013
Acknowledging the passing of my best pal, Chesterfield "Chester" Roberts. Born November 1997 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Chester passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his mom, his uncle, and his feline sister and littermate, Lucy. We'll miss him a whole bunch.
IAMCR Dublin
Just a brief note to share that my colleagues Miriam Sweeney, of GSLIS, Ergin Bulut, of the ICR, and I have had our panel proposal accepted for IAMCR 2013 Dublin, to be held June 25-29th at Dublin City College. This year's conference theme is "Crises, ‘Creative Destruction’ and the Global Power and Communication Orders," and had… Continue reading IAMCR Dublin