Vol. 2: No. 2: 2020

‘Blockchain Good, Bitcoin Bad’: The Social Construction of Blockchain in Mainstream and Specialized Media

ABSTRACT

Blockchain is one of the most widely debated technologies in recent years. Pundits and scholars have described it as a disruptive technology that will impact many sectors of society. Skeptics argue blockchain’s popularity is fuelled by the media’s obsession for the ‘next big thing’ rather than the intrinsic potential of the technology. In this paper, we follow a social constructivist approach with the aim of explaining how different discourses are creating new meanings about this technology. As Communication scholars, we focus on the role media play in framing debates about blockchain. Our analysis relies on a human coding of the most popular news about blockchain circulating on Twitter from October 2014 to July 2018. The findings show the general attitude about blockchain is predominantly positive. The discourses developing around crypto technologies are complex and multifaceted and indicate a general transition in the rhetorical definition of blockchain.

The Case for Digital Activism: Refuting the Fallacies of Slacktivism

ABSTRACT

This paper argues for the importance and value of digital activism. We first outline the arguments against digitally mediated activism and then address the counter-arguments against its derogatory criticisms. The low threshold for participating in technologically mediated activism seems to irk its detractors. Indeed, the term used to downplay digital activism is slacktivism, a portmanteau of slacker and activism. The use of slacker is intended to stress the inaction, low effort, and laziness of the person and thereby question their dedication to the cause. In this work we argue that digital activism plays a vital role in the arsenal of the activist and needs to be studied on its own terms in order to be more fully understood.

What is Global Sports Law? The View from the Twittersphere

ABSTRACT

Sports competitions are some of the oldest global activities and have been extensively organized and regulated on a global level. As a result, it is common to speak of global sports law. However, what is global about sports law and the extent of globalization of sports law’s globalization process is unclear. This article sheds new light on these questions by studying conversations about sports law on Twitter. It confirms the parallel existence of local and global sports law and explores what constitutes each. Finally, it uncovers geography-based differences in the level of globality.

A Book Review of ‘Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism’

ABSTRACT

Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism by Nick Dyer-Witheford, Atle Mikkola Kjøsen, and James Steinhoff is part of the Digital Barricades series that addresses concerns in the nexus of digital media, geopolitics, and political economy. In this wider context, Inhuman Capital assesses the relationship of AI and capitalism with a twofold purpose. On an empirical level, the book surveys the current state of AI research and development while, on a theoretical level, it explores in depth the utility of Marxist thought toward an analysis of a capitalist project beyond and without human involvement. Despite their unambiguous ideological leanings, the authors’ deliberate situating of the work among literature in the discourse, the attention to underlying political economies, and a detailed overview of AI technologies - and this can be said at the outset of the review - are certain to broaden the prospective readership of Inhuman Power beyond academic circles.