The ways in which we envision and talk about the internet matter. This is especially the case in the context of plans and projects to use the internet for human development, and at a time when charismatic Silicon Valley champions of new technologies are popularising narratives about its impact. This is a point that Charlotte… Read More: Spatial discourses around Internet access in the developing world (new… »
I was asked by my colleague and friend Oliver Belcher to act as a discussant in a session that he put together at the 2016 meeting of the Association of American Geographers: ‘Historicizing Big Data and Geo-information’. The session contained a set of truly excellent and provocative talks by Louise Amoore, Matthew Hannah, Patrick McHaffie,… Read More: Historicizing Big Data and Geo-information »
The Digital Transformations of Work Conference that Alex Wood and I organised brought together a room full of brilliant and passionate speakers and 80 guests to have a wide-ranging and critical conversation about what digital transformations mean for the future of work (and workers). Sadly, the room could only accommodate 80 and we had a huge… Read More: ‘Digital Transformations of Work’ 🎬 Conference Webcasts 🎬 »
I’m happy to announce a new paper to come out of our previous project studying Development and Broadband Internet Access in East Africa. The project looked at the role that changing connectivity in East Africa was having on three sectors of the economy: tea, tourism, and business process outsourcing (BPO). This paper, written with Laura Mann, focuses… Read More: The Domestic Turn: Business Process Outsourcing and the Growing Automation… »
As part of the Green Templeton College Future of Work Programme we are bringing together leading researchers to consider the ways in which digitalisation and the internet are globally transforming work, employment and labour markets. This one-day conference features: Professor Saskia Sassen (Columbia University) and Professor Linda McDowell (University of Oxford) on digital work and exploitation;… Read More: Digital Transformations of Work [Conference, March 10 2016] »
All are invited to our new ‘big data’ and development seminar series. The schedule for the coming term is, as follows: 26 January 2016: “Big Data, Data Activism, and the Global Civil Society” Speaker: Professor Stefania Milan Associate Professor of New Media and Digital Culture, Univ. of Amsterdam Register interest here! 9 February 2016: “Big Data… Read More: ‘big data’ and development seminar series »
A new publication of ours in now out in The African Technopolitan. Graham, M., and Foster, C. 2016. Geographies of Information Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa, The African Technopolitan. 5 78-85. The piece draws on some of our previous empirical research to reflect on what connectivity means to inclusion in the ‘network society.’ Connectivity certainly isn’t a sufficient condition… Read More: Geographies of Information Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa (new publication) »
A new publication of ours in now out in The African Technopolitan. Graham, M., Mann, L., Friederici, N. and Waema, T. 2016. Growing the Kenyan Business Process Outsourcing Sector, The African Technopolitan. 5 93-95 The short piece is based on our longer report on the Internet and Business Process Outsourcing in East Africa. It offers a summary… Read More: Growing the Kenyan Business Process Outsourcing Sector (new publication) »
We are lucky to have Mohammad Amir Anwar joining our team in the Geonet project! Amir is a Human Geographer by training, and his work has focused on geography of globalisation, political economy and development in the Global South, with a special focus on India and Africa. He is currently researching the growth of knowledge… Read More: Introducing Mohammad Amir Anwar to the Geonet project »
Who could possibly be against free internet access? This is the question that Mark Zuckerberg asks in a piece for the Times of India in which he claims Facebook’s Free Basics service “protects net neutrality”. Free Basics is the rebranded Internet.org, a Facebook operation where by partnering with local telecoms firms in the developing world… Read More: Facebook is no charity, and the ‘free’ in Free Basics… »