Thomas Nicolai

Mapping the Australian Networked Public Sphere

This article reports on a research program that has developed new methodologies for mapping the Australian blogosphere and tracking how information is disseminated across it. The authors improve on conventional web crawling methodologies in a number of significant ways: First, the authors track blogging activity as it occurs, by scraping new blog posts when such posts are announced through Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds. Second, the authors use custom-made tools that distinguish between the different types of content and thus allow us to analyze only the salient discursive content provided by bloggers. Finally, the authors are able to examine these better quality data using both link network mapping and textual analysis tools, to produce both cumulative longer term maps of interlinkages and themes, and specific shorter term snapshots of current activity that indicate current clusters of heavy interlinkage and highlight their key themes. In this article, the authors discuss findings from a yearlong observation of the Australian political blogosphere, suggesting that Australian political bloggers consistently address current affairs, but interpret them differently from mainstream news outlets. The article also discusses the next stage of the project, which extends this approach to an examination of other social networks used by Australians, including Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. This adaptation of our methodology moves away from narrow models of political communication, and toward an investigation of everyday and popular communication, providing a more inclusive and detailed picture of the Australian networked public sphere.

Challenges of Tracking Topical Discussion Networks Online

Attempts to map online networks, representing relationships between people and sites, have covered sites including Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. However, the predominant approach of static network visualization, treating months of data as a single case rather than depicting changes over time or between topics, remains a flawed process. As different events and themes provoke varying interactions and conversations, it is proposed that case-by-case analysis would aid studies of online social networks by further examining the dynamics of links and information flows. This study uses hyperlink analysis of a population of French political blogs to compare connections between sites from January to August 2009. Themes discussed in this period were identified for subsequent analysis of topic-oriented networks. By comparing static blogrolls with topical citations within posts, this research addresses challenges and methods in mapping online networks, providing new information on temporal aspects of linking behaviors and information flows within these systems.

The Web of augmented physical objects

This article investigates the growing complexity and connectivity between two former separated interaction spaces - the real and the virtual world. It is our attempt to augment the physical world to a world of digitally augmented objects. Moreover we are looking at real products tagged with digital communication units like embedded systems or the RFID technology. To understand these impacts we need to identify the different levels of connectivity between real and virtual worlds and therefore the relationship of a product with its digital counterpart. As a point of departure we define the terms medium and agent to get a theoretical view on the associations in the real and virtual world. We identify the digital identification of virtually enhanced products as a main part for the creation of a new networked physical world where real products are heavily connected to and with their digital counterparts.

The disappearing screen: scenarios for audible interfaces

The world of ubiquitous computing, which by definition includes mobile devices of every kind, leads us to an era of small computer devices, usable in everyday situations. Computers are becoming smaller and operate discreetly in the background. This paper deals with the disappearance of the screen that is described and specified according to Lev Manovich. In doing research on radio frequency identification, this paper shows one possible way to interact with ubiquitous computers—primarily exploring suitability and scenarios for audible interfaces. The paper describes a research project of the University of Arts Berlin and the University of St. Gallen and proposes future research questions.

The disappearance of the screen: research on audible interfaces in the ubiquitous computing environment

The world of ubiquitous computing, which by definition includes mobile devices of every kind, leads us to an era of small computer devices, usable in everyday situations. Computers are becoming smaller and operate discreetly in the background. This paper deals with the disappearance of screen that is described and specified according to Lev Manovich. In doing research on radio frequency identification (RFID), this paper shows one possible way to interact with ubiquitous computers - primarily exploring audible interfaces. The paper describes a research project of the University of Arts Berlin and the University of St. Gallen and proposes future research questions.