The nature of information society is discussed in the Institute of Social Studies

The University of Tartu Institute of Social Studies in cooperation with the UT Centre of Information Society organise the high-level interdisciplinary seminar “Age of information (overload)” on 4 November at 10:00. The seminar is free for everyone interested.

At the seminar different aspects of the age of information are analysed and the topics of risks and opportunities involved in an information society are discussed. The speakers in the event are excellent and inspiring researchers who study the information society and its phenomena (e.g. social media).

“I am very pleased that the world-famous anthropologist Professor Daniel Miller is visiting Estonia for the first time and he is coming to our seminar to talk about his brand new book “Why Do We Post?””, said the organiser of the seminar, Professor Andra Siibak.

The seminar gives an opportunity to hear about the soon-to-be completed book by the president of the Association of Internet Researchers (AOIR) Axel Bruns (Queensland Technology University). Professor Bruns analyses changes in the role of journalism/journalists in the era of social media.

Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt (Malmö University) speaks about her recent empirical studies. Another speaker at the seminar is Michael Krona (Malmö University), who studies the practices of social media usage by the ISIS terrorist group and will talk about the background to these practices at the seminar.

In addition to foreign scientists, the faculty members of the Institute of Social Sciences, Professor Veronika Kalmus and Mari-Liis Madisson make presentations at the seminar. They talk about perspectives from which the information society issues are researched by the political scientists and psychologists of UT.

The seminar will take place in the University of Tartu Institute of Social Studies, room 215. For participation online registration is required in yti.ut.ee website.

Further information and timetable can be found here: http://www.yti.ut.ee/en/studies/international-seminar-age-information-overload

Additional information: Andra Siibak, Professor in Media Studies, e-mail: andra.siibak@ut.ee