The working group will explore how workers in the IT industry are involved in shaping public life. In an increasingly datafied society, we ask how this industry engages in political decision making, how this political economy translates into IT products, and how both are then materialized in the lives of individuals and communities.
We draw on a critical strand in communication research that qualitatively examines backstage practices and relations that translate into the content offered on the screen and its public meanings, viewing IT executives and workers as culture producers. Studying them is of crucial importance, as they now develop and maintain key digital infrastructures on which most other social domains depend, and are in many polities explicitly involved in politics.
We hope this exploration will lead to joint publications and provide members with a multi-national understanding of this topic as we discuss it with students and the broader public.
Main research areas
- IT workers
- Cultural production
- Politics
- Infrastructure
- Public