Urban Informatics: The Internet, locative media and mobile technology for urbanites by Marcus Foth - Cities are exciting. Cities are buzzing. They are alive with movement. A rapid flow of exchange is facilitated by a meshwork of infrastructure connections: road systems, building complexes, information and communication technology and people networks. In this environment, the Internet has advanced to become the prime communication medium that connects many threads across the fabric of urban life.

The increasing ubiquity of Internet services and applications has led many scholars to question the dichotomy between cyberspace and real space. New media and information and communication technology afford an increasingly seamless transition between mediated and unmediated forms of interaction. Driven by curiosity, initiative and interdisciplinary exchange, ‘urban informatics’ is an emerging cluster of people interested in research and development at the intersection of people, place and technology with a focus on cities, locative media and mobile technology. Archived webcast here.

Through the Network (of Networks) - the Fifth Estate by William Dutton - The media are often seen as central to democratic processes: a ‘fourth estate’ independent of government and other powerful institutions. Now, the Internet and Web are creating a new space for networking institutions, people, information and other resources, with individuals being linked in ways that support greater accountability in politics and the media. Professor Dutton examines the emergence of such a ‘fifth estate’ and its social, political and other implications, including its impact on the quality and integrative capability of our information environment. Full text [PDF]. Archived webcast here.

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