Kath Albury – författare

Queer men’s cultures of intimacy have long been sites of fierce contestation. Indeed, debates have raged for decades over issues such as monogamy, safer sex, sexual racism and gay marriage. This open access book explores these debates, intensified by the introduction of the smartphone in 2008, whilst exploring further questions.Through interviews with a diverse group of 43 queer men about their smartphone mediated intimacies, Digital Intimacies reveals that queer men use their smartphones, not simply to arrange intimate encounters, but more specifically to gain a sense of control over the parts of their intimate lives that make them feel most vulnerable. For instance, some use messaging apps to gain a sense of control over intimate conversations that they feel too vulnerable to have in person. Others use the ‘block’ function on dating apps to feel in control of the racism and transphobia they are vulnerable to on these apps. Digital Intimacies therefore illuminates not only hitherto underexplored aspects of queer men’s cultures of intimacy but crucially also brings into view previously obscured cultural dynamics, gaining insight into the historical moments in which they occur.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by UKRI.

The Porn Report is a radical new way of thinking about the place of pornography in society. The writers draw on wide-ranging empirical research to show the production, distribution and consumption of pornography, its content, its consumers and the public debates within which people make sense of it. During a groundbreaking three-year investigation, the authors conducted interviews and surveys to produce a detailed picture of the adult-content industries. They interviewed the models, photographers and distributors involved in the pornography industry to find out why they are involved and what they think of it. They have analysed the contents of best-selling videos and conducted a large-scale survey of consumers to find out who they are and what they think of the materials they watch and read. The authors do not assume pornography is a bad thing, nor do they ignore the difficult issues that surround its production and consumption. The Porn Report engages with the most controversial issues relating to the industry, and provides an insight into the everyday uses of pornography by ordinary consumers, and the place of pornography in society.

Queer men’s cultures of intimacy have long been sites of fierce contestation. Indeed, debates have raged for decades over issues such as monogamy, safer sex, sexual racism and gay marriage. This open access book explores these debates, intensified by the introduction of the smartphone in 2008, whilst exploring further questions.Through interviews with a diverse group of 43 queer men about their smartphone mediated intimacies, Digital Intimacies reveals that queer men use their smartphones, not simply to arrange intimate encounters, but more specifically to gain a sense of control over the parts of their intimate lives that make them feel most vulnerable. For instance, some use messaging apps to gain a sense of control over intimate conversations that they feel too vulnerable to have in person. Others use the ‘block’ function on dating apps to feel in control of the racism and transphobia they are vulnerable to on these apps. Digital Intimacies therefore illuminates not only hitherto underexplored aspects of queer men’s cultures of intimacy but crucially also brings into view previously obscured cultural dynamics, gaining insight into the historical moments in which they occur.The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by UKRI.

The AI revolution can seem powerful and unstoppable, extracting data from every aspect of our lives and subjecting us to unprecedented surveillance and control. But at ground level, even the most advanced ‘smart’ technologies are not as all-powerful as either the tech companies or their critics would have us believe.From gig worker activism to wellness tracking with sex toys and TikTokers' manipulation of the algorithm, this book shows how ordinary people are negotiating the datafication of society. The book establishes a new theoretical framework for understanding everyday experiences of data and automation, and offers guidance on the ethical responsibilities we share as we learn to live together with data-driven machines.Everyday Data Cultures is essential reading for students and researchers in digital media and communication, as well as for anyone interested in the role of data and AI in society.

The AI revolution can seem powerful and unstoppable, extracting data from every aspect of our lives and subjecting us to unprecedented surveillance and control. But at ground level, even the most advanced ‘smart’ technologies are not as all-powerful as either the tech companies or their critics would have us believe.From gig worker activism to wellness tracking with sex toys and TikTokers' manipulation of the algorithm, this book shows how ordinary people are negotiating the datafication of society. The book establishes a new theoretical framework for understanding everyday experiences of data and automation, and offers guidance on the ethical responsibilities we share as we learn to live together with data-driven machines.Everyday Data Cultures is essential reading for students and researchers in digital media and communication, as well as for anyone interested in the role of data and AI in society.

This open access book provides practical guidance for non-profits and community sector organisations about how to get started with data analytics projects using their own organisations’ datasets and open public data. The book shares best practices on collaborative social data projects and methodology. For researchers, the work offers a playbook for partnering with community organisations in data projects for public good and gives worked examples of projects of various sizes and complexity.