What users see - Structures in search engine results pages

Introduction and Aims. Despite the fact that most young people who use ‘party drugs’ also use the Internet, accounts of drugs research involving qualitative interviewing using real-time instant messaging or online chat are yet to be published. This paper assesses the efficacy of conducting qualitative research interviews with young party drug users through instant messaging.



Design and Methods. In 2007–2008, 837 Australian residents who reported recent use of psychostimulants and/or hallucinogens and participated in online drug discussion completed a web survey and a subsample of 27 completed online interviews (median age 21, range 17–37, 59% male).



Results. Experienced drug users were more likely to volunteer to be interviewed than novices. The time and space flexibility provided by the online interviews was convenient; however, interviews were more prone to interruption. Establishing legitimacy, personal disclosure, appropriate linguistic style and humour facilitated the development of rapport and enabled the production of more detailed and in-depth data. These strategies were not successful in all cases and when unsuccessful, interviewees were more easily able to exit the interview by choosing not to respond.



Discussion and Conclusions. Young drug users already using the Internet to chat about drugs find online interviewing an acceptable and convenient way to contribute to research. With adequate preparation to develop technical and cultural competencies, online interviewing offers an effective way of engaging with young people that is worthy of consideration by researchers in the alcohol and other drug field.[Barratt MJ. The efficacy of interviewing young drug users through online chat. Drug Alcohol Rev 2012;31:566–572]

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The efficacy of interviewing young drug users through online chat

NEW MODES OF INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN NETWORK SOCIETY Jessica R. Lang, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2015 Dissertation Director: Dr. Hugh Gusteron This dissertation examines the Anonymous network, as well as the 4chan imageboard from which Anonymous emerged, to explore the status of intellectual life today and the ways in which networks are using technology and leveraging changes in media structures to create alternative discourses and recast the terms of public debate. Aiming to identify new modes of intellectual engagement in America today, the first half of this dissertation reviews prominent definitions of the intellectual, sets forth a clear denotation, and reviews the role of the intellectual as an historical actor in American since the 20 th century. The case studies that follow focus on the activities of the Anonymous network since 2008, when Anonymous announced a staunch commitment to social justice, as well as 4chan, an imageboard known for its vile depravity. The aim of this research is not to determine whether these networks are liberatory or oppressive, but to delineate what can be learned from their activities and operations, and the ways in which network society can be used in the service of intellectual aims.

New Modes of Intellectual Life in the Network Society

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the aspects to be considered when evaluating web search engines' accessibility for people with disabilities. The authors provide an overview of related work and outline a theoretical framework for a comprehensive accessibility study of web search engines, regarding the principles of disability studies and the idea of inclusion.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a literature review, and an aggregation of recommended actions in practice, mainly the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative's (WAI) evaluation model.Findings – A good way to conduct an accessibility study in a comprehensive manner is the WAI methodology consisting of three‐steps: preliminary review to quickly identify potential accessibility problems; conformance evaluation to determine whether a website meets established accessibility standards; and user testing to include real people with disabilities in a practical use. For the use case “web search engines” some special issues have ...

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Accessibility of web search engines: Towards a deeper understanding of barriers for people with disabilities

Adopting the framework of Benjamin’s 1936 essay ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ (1999, 2008), and thinking through central themes of value, context and circulation, this thesis examines how language moves through digital space. Concentrating on Google’s search and advertising platforms, the thesis explores the concept of ‘linguistic capitalism’ (Kaplan 2014), arguing that the ongoing effects on digitally mediated language are both linguistic and political. Indeed, the politics and power which lurk behind these technologies are often obscured, or normalised, by their ubiquity and aesthetics, a process which, following Benjamin, can perhaps only be exposed by the repoliticisation of language through art. Using poetry and classic texts such as Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, as well as existing and experimental writing, the thesis harnesses the power of language and literature to critique and resist the technologies that exploit it in today’s digital economy. Adopting what I am calling a post-digital (auto)ethnographic approach, the thesis offers an innovative new method in order to make visible the workings and effects of linguistic capitalism, using data gathered from Google AdWords for both quantitative and qualitative analysis, as well as introducing and documenting the development and reception of my own piece of ‘political’ art in the form of a critical creative intervention called {poem}.py. DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, Pip Thornton, hereby declare that the work presented in this thesis is the result of original research I conducted whilst enrolled in the Information Security Group and Department of Geography as a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This work has not been submitted for any other degree or award in any other university or educational establishment. Where I have consulted the work of others or worked in collaboration, this is clearly stated. Pip Thornton 17th December 2018

Language in the age of algorithmic reproduction : a critique of linguistic capitalism

Web search engines have emerged as one of the dominant technologies of modern life, leaving few aspects of our everyday activities untouched. Search engines are not just indispensable tools for finding and accessing information online, but have become a defining component of the human condition and can be conceptualized as a complex behavior embedded within an individual's everyday social, cultural, political, and information-seeking activities. This book investigates Web search from the non-technical perspective, bringing together chapters that represent a range of multidisciplinary theories, models, and ideas about Web searching. They examine the various roles and impacts of Web searching on the social, cultural, political, legal, and informational spheres of our lives, such as the impact on individuals, social groups, modern and postmodern ways of knowing, and public and private life. By critically examining the issues, theories, and formations arising from, and surrounding, Web searching, Web Search: Multidisciplinary Perspectives represents an important contribution to the emerging multidisciplinary body of research on Web search engines. The new ideas and novel perspectives on Web searching gathered in this volume will prove valuable for research and curricula in the fields of social sciences, communication studies, cultural studies, information science, and related disciplines.

Christine G. Nicometo

Papers

Web search : multidisciplinary perspectives