The 2017 DMRC Summer School was held at the Kelvin Grove campus of QUT from 6 – 10 February. Approximately 50 people participated, mostly early career researchers from doctoral students up to five years post-completion. The participants were from 11 countries (including Australia), and came from as far as the United Kingdom, Germany and Israel.
The intensive five day programme showcased the work of the DMRC and offered participants new perspectives and methods for studying digital media. The week included workshops and masterclasses as well as talks on such topics as “Spaceless violence: Technology-facilitated abuse and stalking” and “Sourcing the ‘Arab Spring’: Journalistic sourcing practices and verification techniques during the 2011 Egyptian revolution”. It also featured prominent international guests including Nancy Baym from Microsoft Research USA as well as Pat Aufderheide, who is visiting DMRC from American University as a Senior Fulbright Fellow between February and June 2017.
The highlight of the week was the free public event Digital Media Research Unplugged at the Brisbane Powerhouse. The speakers addressed a full house on the state of digital media and society in 2017, discussing the roles and impacts of digital media, debating whether digital media is making people less engaged, and considering if the changes and disruptions brought about by social media are beneficial to society.