scholarly journals The data archive as factory: Alienation and resistance of data processors

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395172110075
Author(s):  
Jean-Christophe Plantin

Archival data processing consists of cleaning and formatting data between the moment a dataset is deposited and its publication on the archive’s website. In this article, I approach data processing by combining scholarship on invisible labor in knowledge infrastructures with a Marxian framework and show the relevance of considering data processing as factory labor. Using this perspective to analyze ethnographic data collected during a six-month participatory observation at a U.S. data archive, I generate a taxonomy of the forms of alienation that data processing generates, but also the types of resistance that processors develop, across four categories: routine, speed, skill, and meaning. This synthetic approach demonstrates, first, that data processing reproduces typical forms of factory worker’s alienation: processors are asked to work along a strict standardized pipeline, at a fast pace, without acquiring substantive skills or having a meaningful involvement in their work. It reveals, second, how data processors resist the alienating nature of this workflow by developing multiple tactics along the same four categories. Seen through this dual lens, data processors are therefore not only invisible workers, but also factory workers who follow and subvert a workflow organized as an assembly line. I conclude by proposing a four-step framework to better value the social contribution of data workers beyond the archive.

2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Michael Werz

Recent debates about the future of the European Union have focusedin large part on institutional reforms, the deficit of democratic legitimacy,and the problem of economic and agrarian policies. As importantas these issues may be, the most crucial question at the momentis not whether Europe will prevail as a union of nations or as a thoroughlyintegrated federal structure. What is of much greater concernis the fact that political structures and their corresponding politicaldiscourses have lagged far behind the social changes occurring inEuropean societies. The pivotal transformation of 1989 has not beengrasped intellectually or politically, even though its results areincreasingly visible in both the east and west.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Roberts

The notion that the Earth has entered a new epoch characterized by the ubiquity of anthropogenic change presents the social sciences with something of a paradox, namely, that the point at which we recognize our species to be a geologic force is also the moment where our assumed metaphysical privilege becomes untenable. Cultural geography continues to navigate this paradox in conceptually innovative ways through its engagements with materialist philosophies, more-than-human thinking and experimental modes of ontological enquiry. Drawing upon the philosophy of Gilbert Simondon, this article contributes to these timely debates by articulating the paradox of the Anthropocene in relation to technological processes. Simondon’s philosophy precedes the identification of the Anthropocene epoch by a number of decades, yet his insistence upon situating technology within an immanent field of material processes resonates with contemporary geographical concerns in a number of important ways. More specifically, Simondon’s conceptual vocabulary provides a means of framing our entanglements with technological processes without assuming a metaphysical distinction between human beings and the forces of nature. In this article, I show how Simondon’s concepts of individuation and transduction intersect with this technological problematic through his far-reaching critique of the ‘hylomorphic’ distinction between matter and form. Inspired by Simondon’s original account of the genesis of a clay brick, the article unfolds these conceptual challenges through two contrasting empirical encounters with 3D printing technologies. In doing so, my intention is to lend an affective consistency to Simondon’s problematic, and to do so in a way that captures the kinds of material mutations expressive of a particular technological moment.


Author(s):  
Quan Gao ◽  
Orlando Woods ◽  
Xiaomei Cai

This paper explores how the intersection of masculinity and religion shapes workplace well-being by focusing on Christianity and the social construction of masculinity among factory workers in a city in China. While existing work on public and occupational health has respectively acknowledged masculinity’s influences on health and the religious and spiritual dimensions of well-being, there have been limited efforts to examine how variegated, and especially religious, masculinities influence people’s well-being in the workplace. Drawing on ethnography and in-depth interviews with 52 factory workers and 8 church leaders and factory managers, we found that: (1) Variegated masculinities were integrated into the factory labor regime to produce docile and productive bodies of workers. In particular, the militarized and masculine cultures in China’s factories largely deprived workers of their dignity and undermined their well-being. These toxic masculinities were associated with workers’ depression and suicidal behavior. (2) Christianity not only provided social and spiritual support for vulnerable factory workers, but also enabled them to construct a morally superior Christian manhood that phytologically empowered them and enhanced their resilience to exploitation. This paper highlights not only the gender mechanism of well-being, but also the ways religion mediates the social-psychological construction of masculinity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 687-691 ◽  
pp. 4056-4059
Author(s):  
Cheng Li Pang

With the mass production and use of car, the social are also increasing the requirements the automotive industry development. More and more automobile manufacturers are hoping to establish an efficient identification system, so that management would be enhanced to improve the efficiency and reduce the error rate. What’s more, motor-dom has been the important application field of RFID technique. In this paper, the paper is to carry out a detailed analysis of technology and research for RFID anti-collision system to guide manufacturers to improve the efficiency of RFID systems in the automotive assembly line and to solve the problem of collision multi-tag identification.


2021 ◽  

The Social Media Handbook provides guidance on long-term developments in the ever-changing social media sector and explains fundamental interrelationships in this field. It describes a strategy model for the development of one’s own solutions, summarises the theories, methods and models of leading authors and shows their practical application, while also highlighting current developments and dealing with the topic of data processing in social media. An examination of the platform economy with its economic functions facilitates the classification of business models in social media. The book also shows how platforms and their algorithms can influence our actions and shape our opinions. With contributions by Prof. Karin Bjerregaard Schlüter, Andrea Braun, Franziska Geue, Tobias Knopf, Markus Korbien, Prof. Dr. Daniel Michelis, Stefan Pfaff, Thanh H. Pham, Tom Reichstein, Prof. Dr. Anna Riedel, Michael Sarbacher, Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schildhauer, Prof. Dr. Hendrik Send, Dr. Stefan Stumpp, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Volkmann, Jan-Benedikt Weber, Julia Weißhaupt, Norman Wiebach und Prof. Dr. Christian Wissing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S336) ◽  
pp. 443-444
Author(s):  
I. D. Litovchenko ◽  
S. F. Likhachev ◽  
V. I. Kostenko ◽  
I. A. Girin ◽  
V. A. Ladygin ◽  
...  

AbstractWe discuss specific aspects of space-ground VLBI (SVLBI) data processing of spectral line experiments (H2O & OH masers) in Radioastron project. In order to meet all technical requirements of the Radioastron mission a new software FX correlator (ASCFX) and the unique data archive which stores raw data from all VLBI stations for all experiments of the project were developed in Astro Space Center. Currently all maser observations conducted in Radioastron project were correlated using the ASCFX correlator. Positive detections on the space-ground baselines were found in 38 sessions out of 144 (detection rate of about 27%). Finally, we presented upper limits on the angular size of the most compact spots observed in two galactic H2O masers, W3OH(H2O) and OH043.8-0.1.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 586
Author(s):  
Valdeci Reis

Estudo etnográfico, com revisão de literatura sobre a construção social do conceito juventude, tem como objetivo relatar e analisar narrativas juvenis em torno do direito à educação. A análise empírica seleciona duas ondas de mobilizações protagonizadas por jovens estudantes: Atos em defesa das Universidades e Institutos Federais ocorridos na cidade de Florianópolis-SC; Na capital da Argentina, Buenos Aires, a narrativa etnográfica se debruça na análise de mobilizações protagonizadas por jovens portenhos que tomaram as ruas exigindo a manutenção da Ley Nacional de Educación, além de se posicionarem radicalmente contra as medidas de austeridade anunciadas pelo Governo Maurício Macri. A análise dos dados etnográficos aponta que a pauta em defesa da educação é capaz de unir coletivos e organizações dos mais variados espectros ideológicos.Palavras-chave: Juventude. Neoliberalismo. Participação social. Etnografia. América Latina.NARRATIVES ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION IN DISPUTE: anthropological lights to understand youth mobilizationsAbstractEthnographic study, with a review of the literature on the social construction of the concept of youth, in order to report and analyze youth narratives around the right to education.The empirical analysis selected two waves of mobilizations carried out by young students: Acts in defense of public educational institutions occurred in the city of Florianópolis-SC, Brazil;In the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, the ethnographic narrative focused on the analysis of mobilizations carried out by young people who went to the streets demanding the maintenance of the “National Education Law”, as well as to stand radicallyagainst the austerity measures announced by the MaurícioMacri Government. The analysis of the ethnographic data indicates that the agenda in defense of education is capable of uniting collectives and organizations affiliated to the mostdiverse ideological currents.Keywords: Youth. Neoliberalism. Social participation. Ethnography. Latin America.


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 758
Author(s):  
Katie Christine Gaddini

The popularity of digital media has spurred what has been called a “crisis of authority”. How do female evangelical microcelebrities figure in this crisis? Many of these women belong to churches led by male pastors, have amassed a large following online, and are sought-after speakers and teachers. This paper analyses how gender, religious authority, and the digital sphere collide through the rise of female evangelical microcelebrities. Bringing together ethnographic data, textual analysis, and social media analysis of six prominent women, I emphasize the power of representation to impact religious practices and religious meaning. This article examines how evangelical women are performing and negotiating their legitimacy as the Internet and fluid geographical boundaries challenge local models of religious authority. Moving away from a binary perspective of “having” or “not having” authority, this paper considers the various spheres of authority that evangelical microcelebrities occupy, including normative womanhood, prosperity theology, and politics. Finally, by examining the social media content put forth by female evangelical microcelebrities, I interrogate the political stakes of evangelical women’s authority.


Anduli ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 235-251
Author(s):  
Marta Pérez-Castro

Relationships among visual signs, society and memory reveal the dominant cultural order in a given context as well as the causes that maintain it (influence and imposition) and the effects on the population where it occurs (alienation and cultural resilience). Therefore, it is possible to identify deeper social processes with a purely visual and symbolic reading. Visual signs (two-dimensional), in addition to configuring the way space is understood (three-dimensional), reflect social and political dynamics (the time factor). To have a more complete vision of the moment and context, it is necessary to interrelate art with sociology and history. In the specific case of al-Andalus, there is a turning point at which there are changes in visuality that are mainly reflected in writing (Arabic and Latin), the use of symbols (the Mudejar, the cross) and the organization of the spaces designated for art (temples, museums, exhibition halls); hence, these changes function as visual indexes of social dynamics that reach to the present day. The visual supports the social and vice versa, configuring and maintaining a certain worldview. If there is visual continuity, there is continuity in the social sphere.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 58-74
Author(s):  
Raquel Marta

Sublinhando as formas fundamentais da subjectividade subjacentes à intervenção do assistente social, o presente artigo explora diferentes contributos para a ética no serviço social contemporâneo. O trabalho do filósofo alemão Fichte fornece-nos o ponto de partida para a incorporação da imaginação e da liberdade no pensar ético. O acto da invenção criativa não é um acto solitário, mas antes um acto animado na e pela relação com o Outro. Nesta relação, a atenção ao contexto, ao instante, ao acontecimento e à singularidade que contribuem para o pensar e o agir ético do assistente social são ainda considerados sob diferentes perspectivas. Underlining the fundamental forms of subjectivity implicit on the of social work intervention, this article explores different contributions to contemporary social ethics. The work of the German philosopher Fichte provides a starting point from which to incorporate imagination and freedom in ethical thinking. The act of creative invention is not a solitary act, but developed in and through the relation with the Other. In this relation, attention to the context, to the moment and uniqueness of the ethical event are also considered as contributes to the social worker ethical thinking and action.


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