Tag Archives: emerging media and communication

A new Facebook application developed by a team in the UT Dallas Emerging Media and Communications program allows users to now list enemies as opposed to just friends.

EnemyGraph, an app that explores social dissonance on Facebook, is the creation of EMAC faculty Dean Terry, developed by Emerging Media and Communications graduate student Bradley Griffith, with invaluable help from undergraduate Harrison Massey.

“When I saw the first friends list at the beginning of the social media era, I thought where’s the enemies list?” said Dean Terry.

EnemyGraph is an attempt to further define relationships between users and other entities across Facebook’s social graph.

“In a way, EnemyGraph is a social media blasphemy. Because we’re suggesting that you share differences you have with people or talk about the things you don’t like,” Terry said.

Users of EnemyGraph aren't limited to making enemies of people -- any object, place or thing that has a Facebook page can be an enemy.

“Most social networks attempt to connect people based on affinities. But people are also connected and motivated by things they dislike.”

Users of EnemyGraph aren’t limited to making enemies of people — any object, place or thing that has a Facebook page can be an enemy. “You can have an entire list with no people on it at all,” Terry said. “In a way we are misusing the word ‘enemy’ just as much as Facebook and others have misused ‘friend.’”

One early user described EnemyGraph as a way to “interact with friends over common enemies … creating alliances based on shared animosities.”

Dean Terry writes on his blog, “We look at EnemyGraph as a test to learn from for the new project we are about to start on for this semester. Because these kinds of tools have not been available previously we are interested to see how they are used. We plan to take what we learn and apply it to a site outside of Facebook that explores similar territory, but in a broader fashion.”

Terry recently shared his thoughts about EnemyGraphy in an interview on Outriders, a program dedicated to exploring the frontiers of the web from BBC Radio 5 live. Listen to the audio of the program below.

Try out EnemyGraph on Facebook.

At the dawning of the Internet age, some believed the vast digital network would put unlimited freedom at everyone’s fingertips.

But connecting the world has brought watchful eyes, as the Internet also created digital portals into the private lives of the masses.

Dr. David Parry

This unintended consequence is discussed in Ubiquitous Surveillance, a new digital publication edited by Dr. David Parry.

“Advances in technology, an increasingly regulated and monitored digital network, and a general atmosphere of securitization have yielded a world of ubiquitous, if not always visible, surveillance,” Parry, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communication, wrote in the introduction.

The publication is a collection of interdisciplinary research that pinpoints problems with technology and developing polices, as well as privacy concerns. The publication also explores the way people view the boundaries of the public and private realms.

Parry said “surveillance” is becoming more and more pervasive, but issues raised about this trend haven’t connected with those working in the sciences and other fields.

Parry also points to the positive power of the digital medium.

Social media didn’t lead to the recent uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, but this new system of communication certainly played a role in the process of the revolt.

Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square had to organize without Internet communication after the Egyptian government crackdown. (Photograph by Ramy Raoof)

Dr. David Parry, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communication at The University of Texas at Dallas, argues that anInternet-equipped public is substantially different from a non-Internet-enabled one, and that while we haven’t been deluded by the Internet’s possibilities, we ought to be careful not to overestimate them.

“What happened in Egypt and Tunisia would have looked much different, played out differently if the ‘how’ of the revolution had been different, if social media had not been one of the tools used as a means of communication,” Parry stated.

Parry homed in specifically on the Egyptian government’s decision to shut down citizen access to the Internet. The government also cut mobile phone service, forcing protesters to rely on more traditional means of communication.

“While other countries have ‘pulled the plug’ on the Internet, namely Burma in 2007 and Nepal in 2005, this is the first time that a country with such a large Internet penetration had entirely shut off access. But while the Egyptian government could shut down the hardware of the Internet, it could not shut down the social effects of the digital network.

“In the same way a public is fundamentally changed by the existence of print technology, a public is fundamentally altered by access to the digital network,” Parry said. “This is what makes the situation in Egypt different from Burma and Nepal – in the latter cases the government was shutting down access to information from the outside and controlling the flow of news; but Egypt was shutting down the way that a substantial portion of their populace was communicating.”

“In the same way a public is fundamentally changed by the existence of print technology, a public is fundamentally altered by access to the digital network,” Dr. David Parry said.

Parry also cites China as an example of an authoritarian government that can shut off access to the Internet at any time. Internet censorship in China is conducted under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations, and is considered more extensive and more advanced than in any other country in the world, Parry said. The regime not only blocks website content but also monitors the Internet access of individuals.

However, Parry argues that the situation in China differs from that in Egypt because the Chinese people use Chinese-based Internet services, and remain largely unaffected when Western sites such as Facebook or even Google are shut down. The Egyptians were much more reliant on Western services, and therefore felt the effects and demanded change.

Parry takes issue with the belief that social media produces a revolution in and of itself, but also acknowledges that the tools we use alter our means of communication. Social media is able to give a voice to those who previously had none – dissidents, anarchists, and even the average everyman – and in the case of Egypt, that voice appears to have been heard and answered.

But Parry warns potential copycats hoping for a similar outcome: “A digitally networked public can just as easily be used for social ill as for social justice; nothing guarantees that civic engagement yields civic progress. But it does guarantee that a public with the Internet has a substantially different relation to its government than a public without the Internet.”

Go digital or go home. That was the message Dr. Dave Parry, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communication (EMAC) at UT Dallas, told an audience of journalists at the National Conference of Editorial Writers (NCEW), held Sept. 22–25 in Dallas.

UT Dallas was a sponsor of the event, which included an appearance by Gov. Rick Perry and a keynote address by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Dr. Dave Parry urged the news business to make use of digital media formats. “There is a larger opportunity for journalists to do something new,” he said.

In a session titled, “Emerging Media: What Works, What Doesn’t: How You Can Get Ahead of the Curve,” Parry sat on a panel alongside Paul Burka, senior executive editor of Texas Monthly; and Mark Medici, director of audience development at The Dallas Morning News.

While each discussed their connection to and thoughts on emerging media, Parry differentiated himself right away, saying, “I am not a journalist. It is my job to look at broad cultural changes.” He went on to say that newspapers and their vertical communication business model were in decline and had no future.

“There is a larger opportunity for journalists to do something new,” Parry said. “They have an inherent value and social function. The Internet is creating a sense of horizontal communication, where readers can address other readers and form a crowd, a consensus. Now that anyone with a smartphone can be a ‘reporter,’ journalists are hosting, not driving, conversations.”

According to Parry, within five years the desktop computer will disappear, as the Internet moves into “real space” via mobile devices. He added that this shift means “online and offline aren’t separate spaces anymore.” Journalists must move with this trend, or be left behind, he said.

Parry’s co-panelists had varied opinions about his assessment. Burka, who said he was told to start blogging by his boss, at first felt it was a demotion from his magazine column. But he now feels that the power to reach an audience in the electronic world is much greater than what he experienced  in print-only media.

As a newspaper man, Medici took issue with some of Parry’s points, but acknowledged the growing importance of mobile devices and the need to re-evaluate the large core audiences of newspapers to better address their wants and needs.

When an audience member asked how journalists should best strike a balance between their newspaper columns and their online presence, the panel was split. O. Ricardo Pimentel, an editorial writer at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, said, “The answer was elusive, but all speakers urged editorial boards to go digital as a concrete means to address the changing needs of new audiences.”

And Parry went for broke, advising, “Burn the presses. The more you try to have one foot in each, the more you’ll fail at both.”

Birds of a feather flock together in cyberspace.

At least that’s what Dr. Cuihua (Cindy) Shen, assistant professor of Emerging Media and Communication at UT Dallas, has shown in a research article published in the journal First Monday.

"We found that accomplished developers tend to connect with other accomplished developers, essentially forming an elitist circle," said Dr. Cuihua (Cindy) Shen.

Examining an online community using social network analysis, Shen tested the social drivers that shaped the collaboration dynamics among a group of users from SourceForge, the largest open source community on the Web.

Who Connects with Whom? A Social Network Analysis of an Online Open Source Software Community co-written by Peter Monge shows that users in online communities choose which users to interact with, and that their choices reveal the motivations and processes that create collective networks.

“Taken together, we found that accomplished developers tend to connect with other accomplished developers, essentially forming an elitist circle in the OSS (open source software) community. By contrast, it is more difficult for less successful developers to establish collaborative relations, and even if they do, they tend to connect with others who have a similar lower level of performance and experience,” Shen writes in the article.

OSS refers to computer software products that permit users to study, change, improve and re-distribute the software. This process is different from the traditional and proprietary model of software development, and it allows developers to establish social relations by collaborating in software project teams.

“Developers who are working or have worked on the same project are linked to each other thereby creating collaboration networks,” Shen said of OSS communities.

“By conceptualizing an online community as a network of participants and examining the formation of social ties, this research demonstrates that social network analysis can be a useful approach to studying the dynamics of online social systems.”

Shen hopes the article will lead to new discoveries in her field:

“Testing and comparing network formation mechanisms in online social networks across different domains will open new avenues for understanding the social and collaborative dynamics in contemporary networked media environments.”

A social media platform for mobile devices created by Emerging Media and Communication (EMAC) students is creating buzz at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin.

Placethings is one of 32 finalists in the second annual Accelerator Competition at SXSW Interactive, which has become the world’s premier emerging technology event.

Placethings beat out hundreds of other companies to become a finalist. Its EMAC student creators will present before a live audience and panel of judges at SXSW on March 15 at the Hilton Austin.

“Placethings creates personal, shareable layers of media on top of real-world locations, connecting places with stories,” according to Dean Terry, director of the UT Dallas EMAC program.  “Tell people about your trip, guide them through a city, tell stories about where you’ve been, what happened, and what is important with video, pictures, sound, and beautiful, shareable maps.”

Placethings was developed in EMAC’s MobileLab research group under Terry’s direction.  It was co-created by Terry, undergraduate Arts and Technology student Nicholas Spencer and EMAC graduate student John Syrinek.

Research Aims to Further Expand Connections Between Real and Virtual Worlds

UT Dallas researchers are working with Texas Instruments Inc. and GetFugu Inc. to enable next-generation human-device interaction (HDI) technologies that merge a physical, real-world environment with virtual, computer-generated imagery on mobile devices.

EMAC students Kate Aronson and John Syrinek check out a Texas Instruments OMAP processor development board.

The $100,000 project brings together TI’s OMAP processor and WiLink connectivity technology with GetFugu’s search tool and innovative work by researchers in the UT Dallas MobileLab.

When it’s all combined, users will gain quick access to information, seamless connections and vivid multimedia experiences, providing them with information about the world around them instantaneously.

Practically speaking, that means object-recognition technology that allows you to snap a picture of a company logo with a smartphone camera and instantly receive company information via the phone’s Internet connection – all because the smartphone identified the logo and searched for relevant information. It means taking a picture of an ad for a band and immediately obtaining the band’s latest tour dates and ticket information.

TI introduced the idea of next-generation human-device interaction at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2010 in February.

While HDI is just starting to emerge in commercial applications, GetFugu has been in the field for more than two years. By integrating mobile phones’ core strengths into a single search tool, GetFugu provides user-friendly access via mobile devices to Web content previously available only on computers.

“TI is excited about the promise of HDI and how it will change the way we interact with our mobile devices,” said Leo Estevez, technology strategist for TI’s wireless business unit. “Our applications processors and connectivity solutions provide the powerful technology mix that sets a foundation for these applications and offers quicker access, improved user experiences and out-of-this-world advancements. As we demonstrated during MWC in February, we truly are at the cusp of a mobile revolution.”

MobileLab researchers at UT Dallas are now testing and running these concepts on the Zoom OMAP34x-II Mobile Development Platform, which features high-performance low-power capabilities that enable easier acquisition of content, an improved search experience and enhanced voice- and visual-recognition capabilities. OMAP processors are the sophisticated chips used in many smartphones.

“Our researchers from MobileLab and the University’s electrical engineering department are excited to collaborate with TI and GetFugu not only on the compelling technology of emerging HDI, but also on the new kinds user experiences it introduces,” said MobileLab’s director, Dean Terry.

Added Rich Jenkins, GetFugu’s co-founder and business development executive: “Our applications are designed to utilize vision- and voice-recognition, bypassing the mobile device’s cumbersome keyboard to connect with the content people want quickly and conveniently. The technology, while spectacular, remains a function of the search and is almost invisible to the consumer. We expect this to proliferate among mobile users and, when combined with powerful engines from TI, bring new levels of interactivity to mobile devices.”

Mona Kasra has combined her Iranian culture with her graduate studies in emerging media and communication (EMAC) to organize an interactive panel for the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival in Austin.

The annual South by Southwest Interactive Conference is one of the most popular events of its type.

The panel, “2009 Iran Election: Women’s Revolution? Twitter Revolution?,” will address how Iranian women surprised onlookers with their participation in the events surrounding the contested vote last year.

Panel members will discuss what led to the sudden appearance of women in dissent, a previously invisible part of Iranian society, and what role emerging media played.

“Having a panel selected for SXSW is a tremendous achievement,” said Dr. David Parry, assistant professor of EMAC at UT Dallas.

“This is one of the largest and most popular conferences of the year — I think they had over 2,000 submissions,” Parry said. “The fact that Mona’s panel was selected speaks to the strength and importance of her work.”

Besides Kasra, panelists include Dr. Parry; Shireen Mitchell, a self-proclaimed “digitalsista” and advocate for women in technology, media and politics; and Roja Bandari, an Iranian-born women’s rights activist. The panel is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, at 11 a.m. at the Austin Convention Center.

Lecture by Digital Culture Expert to Discuss Ramifications for Universities

Are academic libraries as we know them relics of the past?

The rapidly changing structure of information flow has brought into question the relevancy of certain academic institutions, says Dr. David Parry, an assistant professor at UT Dallas.

“Scholars estimate that every 15 minutes the amount of information produced online equals that housed in the 200-year history of the Library of Congress,” says Dr. David Parry, an assistant professor of emerging media.

Parry, who specializes in emerging media, digital culture and literary theory in the School of Arts and Humanities, will discuss his viewpoints in a free public presentation titled, “The University and the Future of Knowledge,” at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

The event, part of the McDermott Library Lecture Series, and will be held in the McDermott Suite located on the fourth floor of the library. The presentation is also part of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the establishment of UT Dallas.

“Scholars estimate that every 15 minutes, the amount of information produced online equals that housed in the 200-year history of the Library of Congress,” he says. “What were once powerful intellectual institutions are now being made irrelevant by the new structure of information flow. Wikipedia replaces Britannica, newspapers are crumbling, and students admit that they complete a college education without stepping foot in the library.

“In this rapidly changing knowledge, what is the role of the university? And perhaps more importantly, what is the future of knowledge production, dissemination, and archivization?”

Blend of Technology and Creativity Has Industry Players Taking Notice

At the MobileLab at UT Dallas, cell phones do more than allow people to communicate with one another. In the hands of MobileLab researchers, these ubiquitous hand-held devices are like Alice’s rabbit hole: a portal to experience a different reality.

Students at the UT Dallas MobileLab are encouraged to hold brainstorming sessions to keep a steady stream of ideas coming.MobileLab creations include an iPhone application that works with GPS to produce location-specific photos and video.

“Mobile technology, because it is also a social tool, is radically changing the way we think about our world and interact with it,” said Dean Terry, director of MobileLab and an associate professor in the School of Arts and Humanities. “A lot of our work explores the difference between the mobile experience and the desktop one, and the collaboration with others on new kinds of meaningful interactions with people and places via mobile devices.”

Less than 2 years old, MobileLab is supported by some of the world’s biggest technology and wireless companies. Ericsson, Texas Instruments,Research in Motion, Samsung and Apple are helping fund hardware, software and graduate student stipends. Ideas in the development stage include:

• An iPhone application called Placethings, which uses Global Positioning System technology to enable the creation, placement and viewing of photos, video and audio in a specific locale. This platform creates virtual layers of information and “place-based conversations” accessible via an iPhone.
• My Mobile Pet. A 3-D avatar created with an emerging technology called augmented reality, in which graphics appear superimposed over a real field of vision, creating a somewhat hallucinatory effect. When viewed through the camera phone, the avatar is seen as a virtual object moving in actual space and time.

Graduate students from engineering, computer science, and arts and technology – which includes specialties in game, animation and Web design, among other disciplines – collaborate on projects. Some students have technology expertise, while others focus on design and user experience. The result is an interdisciplinary team that can do the back-end engineering for a technology project and design a user-friendly interface, too.

MobileLab creations include an iPhone application that works with GPS to produce location-specific photos and video.

Industry collaboration is important. Last year Ericsson gave the lab $100,000 with the only stipulation that it devise new uses for its wireless technology. A team of faculty and graduate students from the Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and ATEC worked with Ericsson engineers over the course of nine months to come up with the idea of a bicycle outfitted with a wireless sensor network that monitors a rider’s vital signs and streams that data to the athlete’s coach.

In addition to Terry, the team included Dinesh Bhatia, an associate professor of electrical engineering and director of the school’s Embedded and Adaptive Computing Group, and Balakrishnan Prabhakaran, associate professor of computer science.

The team performed hardware and software systems integration and created a slick user interface. Ericsson executives were so impressed by the bike that it was featured at the company’s trade booth last spring during CTIA Wireless, the world’s largest wireless industry event. And the resulting system operates on very low power, which will be particularly important in spin-off applications under consideration for firefighters, soldiers and recently discharged patients, Dr. Bhatia noted.

“That’s what comes of giving free rein to a multidisciplinary team of bright graduate students and faculty,” said Dr. Bhatia.

A 3-D avatar created with augmented reality superimposes graphical images over a real field of vision.

Terry, a former West Coast entrepreneur, designed MobileLab to be more like a technology startup than a traditional university research lab. To keep a steady stream of ideas coming, his team holds regular brainstorming meetings, where ideas flow freely and industry partners are invited.

“Although the MobileLab relies on technology at its core, it functions more like a creative community,” said Simon Kane, graduate student in arts and technology. “I credit Dean Terry and his academic and industry background for this open approach. He lets students conceptualize and develop their own ideas with a tremendous amount of freedom and creativity.”

The wireless industry is taking notice of MobileLab. The students have been invited to present their ideas at such influential tech conferences asMobilize, which is organized by the wireless technology blog, GigaOm; and Supernova, whose host is the technology startup blog TechCrunchand the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Terry says the ideas from MobileLab are an example of the kinds of research that students majoring in Emerging Media and Communication at UT Dallas will have a chance to pursue once the new degree program begins in the fall.