Ben Light
YOU?
Author Swipe
View article: Sex education against the algorithm: the algorithmically enforced deplatforming of YouTube sex edutainment
Sex education against the algorithm: the algorithmically enforced deplatforming of YouTube sex edutainment Open
Deplatforming of sexual content has increased across social media, usually operationalized by commercially charged, and algorithmically enforced, platform policies. This paper extends work on the algorithmic deplatforming of sex through th…
View article: NSFW: Sex, Humor, and Risk in Social Media
NSFW: Sex, Humor, and Risk in Social Media Open
An exploration of how and why social media content is tagged as “not safe for work” and an argument against conflating sexual content with risk.
\n
\nThe hashtag #NSFW (not safe for work) acts as both a warning and an invitation. NSFW tell…
View article: The Dick Pic: Harassment, Curation, and Desire
The Dick Pic: Harassment, Curation, and Desire Open
The combined rise of digital photography and social media has expanded what might be considered photo worthy. Among the pouting selfies and food stuffs of the day exists the ubiquitous dick pic. The mainstream media generally focuses on di…
View article: Locked down apps versus the social media ecology: Why do young people and educators disagree on the best delivery platform for digital sexual health entertainment education?
Locked down apps versus the social media ecology: Why do young people and educators disagree on the best delivery platform for digital sexual health entertainment education? Open
This article reports on focus groups exploring the best way to reach young men with vulgar comedy videos that provide sexual health information. Young people reported that they found the means by which the material was presented – as a loc…
View article: Big Data, Method and the Ethics of Location: A Case Study of a Hookup App for Men Who Have Sex with Men
Big Data, Method and the Ethics of Location: A Case Study of a Hookup App for Men Who Have Sex with Men Open
With the rise of geo-social media, location is emerging as a particularly sensitive data point for big data and digital media research. To explore this area, we reflect on our ethics for a study in which we analyze data generated via an ap…
View article: Study protocol: responding to the needs of patients with IgA nephropathy, a social media approach
Study protocol: responding to the needs of patients with IgA nephropathy, a social media approach Open
Patients with chronic diseases are increasingly using social networking channels to connect with others with similar diseases and to search for information to help them understand their condition. This project is a 21st century digital sol…
View article: Data cultures of mobile dating and hook-up apps: Emerging issues for critical social science research
Data cultures of mobile dating and hook-up apps: Emerging issues for critical social science research Open
The ethical and social implications of data mining, algorithmic curation and automation in the context of social media have been of heightened concern for a range of researchers with interests in digital media in recent years, with particu…
View article: Men and networked life
Men and networked life Open
This paper draws upon in-depth interviews conducted with 10 men, focussing upon their everyday experiences of networked digital media and the relationships they see existing between digital media and masculinity. It provides an overview of…
View article: The material role of digital media in connecting with, within and beyond museums
The material role of digital media in connecting with, within and beyond museums Open
The connective potentials of digital media have been positioned as a key part of a contemporary museum visitor experience. Using a sociology of translation, we construct a network of visitor experiences using data from a digital media enga…
View article: The walkthrough method: An approach to the study of apps
The walkthrough method: An approach to the study of apps Open
Software applications (apps) are now prevalent in the digital media environment. They are the site of significant sociocultural and economic transformations across many domains, from health and relationships to entertainment and everyday f…
View article: The Sharing Economy and its discontents
The Sharing Economy and its discontents Open
This panel brings together a series of related critiques over labor and fairness in the sharing economy. The last decade has brought a startling growth in the deployment of networked communications technologies to organize work. Mobile app…
View article: Making Digital Cultures of Gender and Sexuality With Social Media
Making Digital Cultures of Gender and Sexuality With Social Media Open
This article introduces a special issue concerning the interweaving of gender, sexuality, and social media. There are 10 articles included in the issue which together map out a landscape of diverse areas of interest covering topics such as…
View article: The impact of libraries as creative spaces
The impact of libraries as creative spaces Open
The Creative Spaces Impact Framework allows for the evaluation of libraries as creative spaces through the creative activities they enable. These activities may be formally organised by the library, informally enacted by library clients, o…
View article: The rise of speculative devices: Hooking up with the bots of Ashley Madison
The rise of speculative devices: Hooking up with the bots of Ashley Madison Open
I attend to two areas of increasing significance in relation to Web 2.0 since its announcement in 2005. The first is a focus on the non-human in digital media research, and the second is the normalisation of dating apps in society. Buildin…
View article: Branded app implementation at the London Symphony Orchestra
Branded app implementation at the London Symphony Orchestra Open
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the key findings of a yearlong collaborative research project focusing on the London Symphony Orchestra’s development, implementation and testing of a branded smartphone app. This app was …