News
“The Myth of the Disconnected Life” Published in The Atlantic
My article, "The Myth of the Disconnected Life," was published in The Atlantic this past week. It discusses the emerging practices of taking a "Digital Sabbath" in which people set aside a day (or days) out of the week to disconnect from their digital devices. Advocates of this practice note that our always-on lifestyles have led to an overwhelming sense of disconnection with the people and places in our lives. My article argues that this cultural response has been with us throughout history: every time a new medium or technology emerges, there have been claims that this new technology is causing social disconnection. I end by noting ways that our digital devices are actually fostering a deep connection to people and places rather than eliminating it. I've received an abundance of great feedback from everyone, especially on Twitter. Thank you for the kind words and for offering such compelling responses
Read more“Encouraging Distraction?” Published in the Chronicle of Higher Ed
My article, "Encouraging Distraction? Classroom Experiments with Mobile Media," was published in the ProfHacker section of the Chronicle of Higher Education. In the article, I talk about how I used iPads in my undergraduate class last semester. I teach in a program that gives all entering students an iPad, so I had to figure out how to use it effectively (having never before used an iPad)! You can read the article here: http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/encouraging-distraction-classroom-experiments-with-mobile-media/38454
Read moreInvited Talk: Emerging Media, Acceleration, and Information Overload
On March 8th, I'll be giving a guest lecture to the Critical Studies Colloquium at George Mason University. My talk will be titled, "Emerging Media, Acceleration, and Information Overload: A Media Archaeology Approach." Here's my brief description of the talk: In the conclusion of my book, Mobile Interface Theory, I discuss the ideas of acceleration and information overload, pointing toward how we have experienced these effects every time a new medium emerges. I argue that the cultural imaginaries around cellphones and pervasive computing tend to simplify the complex ways we use these devices. These reactions also tend to lean toward nostalgia rather than historic tracings of our cultural reactions to emerging media. In this talk, I will discuss the history of information overload and how cellphones have been the latest medium to be accused of disconnecting us from the people and places immediately around us. I also look at
Read moreMy Conference Presentation, “Mapping Virtual Communities”
I will present a paper at this year's Association of American Geographers conference in New York. My presentation is titled, "Mapping Virtual Communities: Cultural Imaginaries of the Diaspora and the Production of Crisis Maps." I will be a part of the panel titled, "Communicating Through Crisis" that meets on Sunday, February 26 at 12:40pm in Concourse F in the Hilton. Here's my abstract: When a massive earthquake hit the island country of Haiti in 2010, most emergency response organizations were unable to navigate through the destroyed landscape since many of the roads in the area had not been adequately mapped by major digital mapping distributors like Google. In response, a community of open source developers created a platform for the creation of “crisis maps” of Haiti, which included specifics about emergencies and individual needs throughout the country. The primary cartographers and translators for this project were people worldwide who were
Read moreMobile Interface Theory Published!
My book was officially released by Routledge Press on December 9th. I received my copies a few days later. Here's a picture: The book is now available on Amazon and on Routledge's site. It will be released in January in Europe and Japan.
Read moreMobile Interface Theory Available for Pre-Order
I'm pretty thrilled that my book is now available for pre-order on Amazon. I heard from Routledge that the book should be out by the second week in December, 2011. Here's the link: http://amzn.com/0415878918
Read moreEditing a Special Issue of “Future Internet”
I've been asked to edit a special issue of the journal Future Internet, which will be on the "Social Transformations from the Mobile Internet." We're publishing articles on an ongoing basis until the final deadline of November 15. Our first article was written by Rich Ling, Scott Campbell, and Katie Brown on issues of the digital divide as seen through an analysis of mobile internet use in the United States. The second article will be by Gerard Goggin on incorporations of the mobile internet in automobiles. You can access the articles and the CFP here: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/futureinternet/special_issues/mobile-social/
Read more“Mapping the Digital Empire” Republished in The Map Reader
I just got word that my article, "Mapping the Digital Empire: Google Earth and the Process of Postmodern Cartography," has been republished in the edited volume, The Map Reader: Theories of Mapping Practice and Cartographic Representation. This great anthology is edited by Martin Dodge, Rob Kitchin, and Chris Perkins. You can get a copy here: http://amzn.com/0470742836
Read moreMateriality and Networked Society Syllabus Posted
In the fall of 2011, I will be teaching a graduate seminar titled, "Materiality and Networked Society." I've posted the syllabus online and would love any feedback you can offer as I prep for the course! http://www.jasonfarman.com/amst629/
Read moreTalks I’m Giving, Fall 2010
I have been transitioning very well to my new position at UMD and will be giving two talks this semester on campus. First, I will be giving a Digital Dialogues talk for the Maryland Institute of Technology in the Humanities (MITH) on Tuesday, October 12. My talk, titled "Mapping the Mobile Interface: Geolocation Meets Visualization," will begin at 12:30pm in the MITH Conference Room in McKeldin Library. My second talk will be for the Critical Theory Colloquium, where I'll be discussing the opening chapter to my book, Mobile Interface Theory. This talk will be on Friday, October 22 at 4pm in Tawes 3134.
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