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This open access book provides an overview of urban digital platforms such as Airbnb and Deliveroo, which, along with Amazon, Google, Facebook, and other IT companies, constitute by now the infrastructures for other businesses to operate on and for our social life to go on. These platforms serve as standards-based techno-economic systems that simultaneously capture cooperation through remote coordination and organize labor via algorithm management. Based on a three-years research project, this contributed book outlines a general theory of platform capitalism that conceives these platforms not only as technical devices, but as generative engines that operate at the interface of several aspects, such as digitalization of forms of social cooperation; algorithm-based management of labor and participation; and private and vertical appropriation of profits. These elements are somehow iconic of the capitalist evolution of the last decades, and they open up a reflection on new forms of “primitive accumulation” (in particular regarding data), on the mechanisms used to capture and extract social surplus value, and on the logistic-financial dimensions of capital. Finally, in light of the transformations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors examine how platforms can evolve into hegemonic organizational structures. Assuming we are all already living in the age of the platform, this book takes a multifaceted approach—combining sociology with urban studies, and political sciences with economics—to grasp the challenges our societies face in terms of ensuring fair economic growth, adequate social protections, and labor rights. It will appeal to anyone interested in digital platforms and how they are changing the organization of labor, urban spaces, and forms of governance.

What are the practical effects of the Network Enforcement Act, which came into force in 2017 and was controversial from the start? Which compliance structures have the big three social networks Facebook, YouTube and Twitter implemented with regard to the removal of illegal user content? In addition to a presentation and evaluation of previous studies, monitoring reports and NetzDG reports from the social networks, possible criteria for “over-blocking” are identified and subsumed in this third volume of the series. On the occasion of the NetzDG evaluation commissioned by the federal government, the study was carried out additionally and independently of this. It is not based on any commissioning by public or private bodies., Welche Auswirkungen hat das 2017 in Kraft getretene, von Beginn an umstrittene Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz in der praktischen Anwendung? Welche Compliance-Strukturen haben die großen drei Sozialen Netzwerke Facebook, YouTube und Twitter in Bezug auf die Entfernung rechtswidriger Nutzerinhalte umgesetzt? Neben einer Darstellung und Bewertung bisheriger Studien, Monitoring-Berichte und NetzDG-Reports der Sozialen Netzwerke werden im vorliegenden dritten Band der Schriftenreihe auch mögliche Kriterien für ein “Overblocking” eruiert und subsumiert. Die Studie ist aus Anlass der von der Bundesregierung beauftragten NetzDG-Evaluation zusätzlich und unabhängig hiervon durchgeführt worden. Ihr liegt keine Beauftragung durch öffentliche oder private Stellen zugrunde.

Facebook, the Media and Democracy examines Facebook Inc. and the impact that it has had and continues to have on media and democracy around the world. Drawing on interviews with Facebook users of different kinds and dialogue with politicians, regulators, civil society and media commentators, as well as detailed documentary scrutiny of legislative and regulatory proposals and Facebook’s corporate statements, the book presents a comprehensive but clear overview of the current debate around Facebook and the global debate on the regulation of social media in the era of ‘surveillance capitalism.’ Chapters examine the business and growing institutional power of Facebook as it has unfolded over the fifteen years since its creation, the benefits and meanings that it has provided for its users, its disruptive challenge to the contemporary media environment, its shaping of conversations, and the emerging calls for its further regulation. The book considers Facebook’s alleged role in the rise of democratic movements around the world as well as its suggested role in the election of Donald Trump and the UK vote to leave the European Union. This book argues that Facebook, in some shape or form, is likely to be with us into the foreseeable future and that how we address the societal challenges that it provokes, and the economic system that underpins it, will define how human societies demonstrate their capacity to protect and enhance democracy and ensure that no corporation can set itself above democratic institutions. This is an important research volume for academics and researchers in the areas of media studies, communications, social media and political science.

The internet has fundamentally transformed society in the past 25 years, yet existing theories of mass or interpersonal communication do not work well in understanding a digital world. Nor has this understanding been helped by disciplinary specialization and a continual focus on the latest innovations. Ralph Schroeder takes a longer-term view, synthesizing perspectives and findings from various social science disciplines in four countries: the United States, Sweden, India and China. His comparison highlights, among other observations, that smartphones are in many respects more important than PC-based internet uses. Social Theory after the Internet focuses on everyday uses and effects of the internet, including information seeking and big data, and explains how the internet has gone beyond traditional media in, for example, enabling Donald Trump and Narendra Modi to come to power. Schroeder puts forward a sophisticated theory of the role of the internet, and how both technological and social forces shape its significance. He provides a sweeping and penetrating study, theoretically ambitious and at the same time always empirically grounded.The book will be of great interest to students and scholars of digital media and society, the internet and politics, and the social implications of big data.

"Online advertising will soon form the largest share of global advertisement revenues. Google and Facebook netted profits of US $29 billion in 2016. While these two giants control more than 66% of all online advertising revenues complex legal company structures have minimised their tax liabilities. This extended policy report considers where they should be taxed and where the value of their activities is actually created. It argues that tax paid by those platforms should be levied in the country where platform users are located when they click on or view an advertisement. Furthermore, the report examines the practical steps needed to ensure transparent accounting of taxed transactions in order to avoid long term negative effects for media and democracy. Considering counter-arguments the author makes the case for an online advertising tax alongside a public service Internet strategy that could support other viable platforms and counter the dangers of duopoly or oligopoly and the high risks of financial bubbles in a world where advertising is the Internet's dominant business model."

"Google and Facebook currently control close to two-thirds of global advertising revenue. While dominating the online advertising market, these two companies have thus far avoided paying adequate taxes. This CAMRI policy brief presents a new policy innovation, the online advertising tax. Considering the key role of user activity and user data for the value of Google and Facebook’s services, it explains how digital advertising companies’ revenues could be taxed based on the respective country in which targeted users are located. The author reviews existing policy arguments and policy options and sets out practical steps to ensure that tax avoidance by online advertising companies is mitigated. Furthermore, he illustrates how tax revenues could be used to support public service internet platforms."

Is software dead? Services like Google, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, or Social Media apps are all-pervasive in our digital media landscape. This marks the (re)emergence of the service paradigm that challenges traditional business and license models as well as modes of media creation and use. The short essays in this edited collection discuss how services shift the notion of software, the cultural technique of programming, conditions of labor as well as the ecology and politics of data and how they influence dispositifs of knowledge.

The days of donation boxes are numbered. An increasing number of clubs and associations, projects and foundations no longer wish to (exclusively) collect donations on the street or via post, but rather are looking to collect funds and mobilize supporters in a more affordable and effective way online. In this book, you will find out how that works. Using various practical examples, the fundamentals of successful online fundraising are explained: from user-friendly website design through efficient social media management, up to planning and evaluation of fundraising campaigns., Die Tage der Spendenbüchsen sind gezählt. Immer mehr Vereine, soziale Initiativen, Projekte und Stiftungen möchten nicht mehr (nur) auf der Straße oder via Brief, sondern kostensparend und effektiv im Internet Spenden sammeln und Unterstützer mobilisieren. In diesem Buch lernen Sie, wie das geht. Anhand vieler Praxisbeispiele werden die Grundlagen für erfolgreiches Online-Fundraising erläutert: von der nutzerfreundlichen Website-Gestaltung über effizientes Social-Media-Management bis hin zur Planung und Evaluation von Fundraising-Kampagnen.

This book examines the impact of the "Big Five" technology companies – Apple, Alphabet/Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft – on journalism and the media industries. It looks at the current role of algorithms and artificial intelligence in curating how we consume media and their increasing influence on the production of the news. Exploring the changes that the technology industry and automation have made in the past decade to the production, distribution and consumption of news globally, the book considers what happens to journalism once it is produced and enters the media ecosystems of the internet tech giants – and the impact of social media and AI on such things as fake news in the post-truth age.

This book discusses one of the most frequently discussed subjects in history education during the last two decades, namely how secondary school pupils use the World Wide Web for their learning activities. Based on two case studies in two Dutch schools, the book shows some ways in which the use of the Web has changed history education in at least three respects: first, the findings of the two case studies show that the Web has a huge potential to turn the history class – previously described as boring and too abstract – into a livelier and more attractive environment, where concepts, events, phenomena and processes of the past almost always have textual and/or [audio]visual representations; second, strong indications were observed showing that the Web fosters historical understanding, not only by triggering thinking processes that take pupils beyond the shown contents, but also by prompting them to evaluate sources and sample relevant fragments for their assignments; third, the Web has brought into history education sources that were previously excluded, including those described as unconventional. This book shows, among other things, that convergence is underway on both the user side – since pupils use both conventional and unconventional online sources – and the content-production side, where heritage institutions are increasingly getting involved in unconventional platforms like Wikipedia. The latter emerged from the two case studies as the most popular source of historical information, while the websites of heritage institutions tended to appear at the bottom of the list of references. Unlike personal sites, which also scored better, heritage sites face some obstacles, including the still dominant desire to preserve institutions’ identity and uniqueness, conservatism – which often prevents the redefinition of collection management tasks – and the tax-payers’ money dilemma. For that reason, collections are not hyperlinked and, therefore, remain invisible and not easy to find online.

There is no doubt that we live in exciting times: Ours is the age of many ‘silent revolutions’ triggered by startups and research labs of big IT companies; revolutions that quietly and profoundly alter the world we live in. Another ten or five years, and self-tracking will be as normal and inevitable as having a Facebook account or a mobile phone. Our bodies, hooked to wearable devices sitting directly at or beneath the skin, will constantly transmit data to the big aggregation in the cloud. Permanent recording and automatic sharing will provide unabridged memory, both shareable and analyzable. The digitization of everything will allow for comprehensive quantification; predictive analytics and algorithmic regulation will prove themselves effective and indispensable ways to govern modern mass society. Given such prospects, it is neither too early to speculate on the possible futures of digital media nor too soon to remember how we expected it to develop ten, or twenty years ago. The observations shared in this book take the form of conversations about digital media and culture centered around four distinct thematic fields: politics and government, algorithm and censorship, art and aesthetics, as well as media literacy and education. Among the keywords discussed are: data mining, algorithmic regulation, sharing culture, filter bubble, distant reading, power browsing, deep attention, transparent reader, interactive art, participatory culture. The interviewees (mostly from the US, but also from France, Brazil, and Denmark) were given a set of common questions as well specific inquiries tailored to their individual areas of interest and expertise. As a result, the book both identifies different takes on the same issues and enables a diversity of perspectives when it comes to the interviewees’ particular concerns. Among the questions offered to everybody were: What is your favored neologism of digital media culture? If you could go back in history of new media and digital culture in order to prevent something from happening or somebody from doing something, what or who would it be? If you were a minister of education, what would you do about media literacy? What is the economic and political force of personalization and transparency in digital media and what is its personal and cultural cost? Other recurrent questions address the relationship between cyberspace and government, the Googlization, quantification and customization of everything, and the culture of sharing and transparency. The section on art and aesthetics evaluates the former hopes for hypertext and hyperfiction, the political facet of digital art, the transition from the “passive” to “active” and from “social” to “transparent reading”; the section on media literacy discusses the loss of deep reading, the prospect of “distant reading” and “algorithmic criticism” as well as the response of the university to the upheaval of new media and the expectations or misgivings towards the rise of the Digital Humanities.

Issue Mapping for an Ageing Europe is a seminal guide to mapping social and political issues with digital methods. The issue at stake concerns the imminent crisis of an ageing Europe and its impact on the contemporary welfare state. The book brings together three leading approaches to issue mapping: Bruno Latour's social cartography, Ulrich Beck's risk cartography and Jeremy Crampton's critical neo-cartography. These modes of inquiry are put into practice with digital methods for mapping the ageing agenda, including debates surrounding so-called 'old age', cultural philosophies of ageing, itinerant care workers, not to mention European anti-ageing cuisine. Issue Mapping for an Ageing Europe addresses an urgent social issue with new media research tools.

The German Copyright Law grants an absolute right to authors, i.e., any use of protected works requires the author's prior consent. This concept is known as opt-in. In this doctoral thesis the author examines five models which turn this concept upside down as they provide for the permission for certain beneficiaries to use protected works without the author's prior consent until the author objects to such use. This concept is known as opt-out. Also, the examined models contain elements of collectivization and, in particular, involve collecting societies. The author examines and compares these models and answers the question whether the underlying opt-out concept together with collectivization may be generalized so that it could replace opt-in., Das Urheberrecht ist als absolutes Ausschließlichkeitsrecht ausgestaltet, d. h. für jede rechtmäßige Nutzung durch Dritte ist die Zustimmung des Urhebers notwendig. Dafür hat sich im Urheberrecht der Begriff Opt-In etabliert. Der Autor vergleicht vier Regelungsmodelle, die dieses Grundkonzept auf den Kopf stellen und es Begünstigten erlauben, urheberrechtlich geschützte Werke ohne vorherige Zustimmung zu nutzen, solange der Rechtsinhaber dieser Nutzung nicht widerspricht. Derartige Konzepte werden als Opt-Out-Modelle bezeichnet. Zugleich binden die Modelle Elemente der kollektiven Verwertung und insbesondere Verwertungsgesellschaften ein. Der Autor untersucht diese Modelle umfassend und vergleicht sie. Schließlich beantwortet der Autor die Frage, ob die verschiedenen Modelle verallgemeinerungsfähig sind, sodass Opt-In zugunsten Opt-Out verdrängt werden könnte.