Between Screen and Band saw line 4.0: Mediatization and Subjectivation in the Austrian Forestry and Sawmill Industry

April 30th                       11:45 – 13:15                         HS Kosuta (S.2.05 in case of rain)

Manfred Rosenzopf, BA MA (Doctoral studies in Philosophy)

Abstract of the talk:
This presentation introduces a dissertation project that explores the mediatization and subjectivation of work in traditional industrial sectors. With the increasing integration of digital media and communication technologies, the Austrian forestry and sawmill industry is undergoing significant transformation. But what does this mean for the people working in this sector? The ongoing digitalization and technological transformation of work are of interest not only in media and communication studies but also in the sociology of work.
The project aims to analyse everyday experiences in the Austrian forestry and sawmill industry to examine how new digital work and communication practices influence work culture and social interactions. The dissertation is situated within the tradition of Workplace Studies, an interdisciplinary field concerned with the impact of new technologies on work and subjectivity. Theoretically, the project draws on the concept of communication as a form of agency and its effects on work and subjectivation in everyday life. Empirically, employees of a medium-sized forestry and sawmill company will be interviewed in qualitative studies, work processes will be observed, and documents will be analysed.
Preliminary research has shown that a discursive field around the topic of the digitalized world of work is emerging. The more deeply digital transformation penetrates the world of work, the more it alters its organization, conditions, routines, patterns of knowledge, and value systems. This will be examined and discussed using the Austrian forestry and sawmill industry as a case study.

 

New Book Release: “Democratic Algorithms” by Nikolaus Poechhacker

We are excited to announce the publication of “Democratic Algorithms: Ethnography of a Public Recommender System” by Nikolaus Poechhacker, an exploration into the intersection of algorithm design and democratic values, published by meson press. In his work, Nikolaus Poechhacker ethnographically examines the creation of an algorithmic recommender system within a public broadcaster, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of integrating democratic principles into algorithmic design, raising questions not only about organizational and technical implementation, but also about the possible compatibility of such an algorithmic system with democratic constitutions.

Through comprehensive ethnographic research, Nikolaus Poechhacker addresses pivotal questions on value-by-design processes in the making of algorithmic systems and highlights that making democratic algorithms is an ongoing process, even after the implementation of the software. Further, the book provides careful suggestions, how social theory can help to grasp the complex phenomenon of algorithmic systems. As such, Democratic Algorithms explores theoretically and empirically informed perspectives on how we can imagine and design algorithms for a democratic society, and what we even mean by that.

This publication is available in both print and pdf (open access). For more information and to obtain a copy, visit meson press.

About the Author: Nikolaus Poechhacker is post-doctoral researcher at the Digital Age Research Center (D!ARC) of the University of Klagenfurt and research fellow at the Department of Innovation and Digitalization of Law, University of Vienna. His work focuses on the sociopolitical and -legal dimensions of digital technology bringing together perspectives from media theory, STS, computer science, and sociology.

AI in Programmin Education

June 25th 2024              2.00-4.00pm            HS outdoor Košuta

Univ.-Ass. Mag. Markus Alfred Wieser (Institute for Informatics Didactics)

Abstract:

Teaching programming poses significant challenges in both school and university contexts. This talk is about the potential of ChatGPT as a sustainable didactic tool to support students, freshmen, and teachers, focusing on the possibilities and problems using ChatGPT as guidance or solver in programming and the opportunities for evaluation and assessment, using ChatGPT.

Bio:

Markus Wieser is a University Assistant at the Institute for Informatics Didactics at the University of Klagenfurt, and his research focuses on the use of AI systems in the didactics of programming. He studied Informatics and Mathematics for a teaching degree at the University of Klagenfurt and is now writing his PhD Thesis in Informatics Didactics titled “Learning Programming in the Dawn of AI.”

Polizei und Digitalisierung. Im Spannungsfeld zwischen nostalgischem Schutzmann und modernem Hightech.

27. Mai 2024        16.00 – 18.00  Uhr      Z.1.08

Nils Zurawski

Forschungsstelle für strategische Polizeiforschung (FOSPOL), Akademie der Polizei Hamburg

Abstract

Polizei sei ein Erfahrungsberuf, hört man immer wieder gern von Polizist:innen, wenn man auf theoretisches Wissen verweist. Theorie sei eher hinderlich und echte Polizist:in wird man auf der Straße. Der “Schutzmann” wird zum nostalgischen Idealbild, der (inzwischen auch die) seine oder ihre Erfahrungen auf der Straße im Einsatz gemacht hat. Noch jeder höhere Polizist oder ehemalige, die jetzt in Wirtschaft oder Politik etwas geworden sind, verweisen in Selbstdarstellungen auf ihre Anfänge auf der Straße. Technik, zumal moderne, digitale Technik kann dagegen nicht ankommen, besitzt kein eigenes Narrativ.

Dennoch ist die Polizei gleichzeitig voll mit Technik (da auch Waffen hierzu zu zählen wären), insbesondere mit digitaler Technik. Und die meisten Polizeien können davon nicht genug bekommen. Kameras, Bodycams, Mobilfunk, predictive policing Software, Gesichtserkennung und und und … Wie jetzt, könnte man fragen, passt das zusammen, zumal im Alltag der Umgang mit Technik oft rudimentär ist, bis hin zu Problemen, einfache Bürosoftware zu bedienen.

Welche Narrative werden hier bedient? Wie passen Wirklichkeit und Nostalgie zusammen und was bedeutet eine zunehmend digitalisierte Polizei für das „klassische“ Bild des Schutzmanns, der an der Ecke seinen/ihren Dienst versieht?

Zur Person

Prof. Dr. Nils Zurawski ist Sozialanthropologe und Kriminologe und seit 2020 wissenschaftlicher Leiter der Forschungsstelle für strategische Polizeiforschung an der Akademie der Polizei in Hamburg. Er publiziert zu Themen wie Überwachung & Kontrolle, Polizei, Stadtsoziologie, Ethnographie und Konfliktforschung und lehrt u.a. an der Akademie der Polizei Hamburg sowie der Universität Hamburg.