Publication Type: Session Paper
Abstract: My paper will review and discuss recent the findings of CRACIN researchers on the role played by community informatics initiatives in fostering civic participation, social capital and a sense of belonging in local communities in Canada. CRACIN (The Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking) is a SSHRC-funded research alliance based in the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto (Principal Investigator: Dr. Andrew Clement). CRACIN brings together academics, community practitioners and federal government officials to study the impact of community-based ICT initiatives in Canada.

Civic participation lies at the core of both the practice and intended outcomes of community networking, giving rise to hopes that community networks and other community informatics initiatives can help reverse downward trends in civic participation, social capital and the sense of belonging observed in many countries and communities in recent years. As a growing international and Canadian body of research suggests, community networks serve both as sites of civic participation, (where community members are actively engaged in the development, management, and maintenance of networks as community assets) and as enablers of civic participation, particularly among marginalized populations without access to new ICTs, by providing access, training, and content services and supports.

Recent CRACIN-supported research conducted at community networking sites across Canada has yielded some new insights in this regard, particularly with regard to the civic participation and community-building activities of new immigrants and youth, two groups that are typically less engaged and involved in their local communities than the average Canadian. The presentation will review and discuss a number of CRACIN-supported qualitative studies, as well as the early results of a quantitative survey of community network staff and users that explores how community network resources and services contribute to local community engagement.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Muslims in Europe and the United States have been trying to redefine their political aspirations through a new urban-based western Islamic identity, especially since 9-11. They are attempting to move away from traditionalist Islamist categories by forging a new urban Islamic culture based both on an individualistic ethic that promotes economic success and a certain conception of spiritual well-being. Taking into consideration this focus on culture and consumption, it thus seems that the Islamic identity need no longer be represented as political, ideological, and institutional, but as the choice of an individual consumer. Western Islamic Identity appears to be departing from Islamism and to be no longer concerned with Islam?s political side.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This article examines how the ‘discovery’ and development of the social construction of ‘Hispanics’ as a commercially attractive audience has reshaped and fragmented the Latino media market in mid-size U.S. cities. This confirms a national trend in which the unitary creation of Hispanics has blurred. Using the newspapers of Austin, TX as a case study this article explores how these newspapers have evolved as new corporate players entered the marketplace. This study also examines market fragmentation as five Hispanic publications compete for two main audiences: the Spanish-language papers target the new immigrants as bilingual publications aim for U.S.-born Latinos. The newspapers have taken different approaches to news production in order to attract their imagined publics. The formats and story selection are dissimilar; as journalists personal and professional experiences. The advertisers also vary.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Despite its increasing use and potential benefits for college education, podcasts have been little studied in the literature of the use and gratifications theory. To explore the relationship between podcasts use and its levels of gratifications among college students, this study investigated students’ motivations, behaviors and attitudes in uses with respect to podcasts as the medium. Based on a survey sample of 636 college students at a Midwestern university, this study found that students may have six motivations for podcasts: 1) Voyeurism/Social interaction/Companionship, 2) Entertainment/Relaxation/Arousal, 3) Education/Information, 4) Pastime/Escape, 5) Habit, and 6) Convenience. Of the six identified motivations, Education/Information clearly showed that podcasts have become widely used among students as an appealing medium for their school work. Moreover, as similar as the cellular phone study, this study identified a Fashion motivation for podcasts use. Lastly, this study found and discussed noticeable differences and similarities between podcasts and television regarding users’ motivations, the interrelationships among motivations, and the predictive relationships between motivations and behavioral/attitudinal aspects of using the medium.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Abstract: This presentation addresses the conventional wisdom surrounding graffiti writing and the production of crime. For years criminologists have uncritically utilized the “Broken windows” theory to argue that graffiti provides a context for more serious crimes to occur. I begin by testing the links between graffiti and crime comparing the crime statistics in two different New York City neighborhoods, (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn and Soho, Manhattan) with visual sociological evidence of the actual amount of graffiti in each neighborhood. Next I show how despite the actual amount of graffiti, graffiti writing is used symbolically in the media to brand a space “bad” or “good”. This presentation will show that the ubiquity of graffiti tags in Manhattan neighborhoods like Soho, (in which there were zero homicides in 2006) do not provide a context for crime but rather is actually good for business. Graffiti writers transform everyday space into “cool” space, and thus this act of criminal mischief gives consumers the impression that their forays into downtown super-hip boutiques are not only consumption experiences in which goods are purchased, but also a marker of identity.