Networked Society Stories

Leila Takayama, Co-founder of Hoku Labs and A/Prof of Psychology at University of California, Santa Cruz delivered this engaging talk on the relationships between robots and humans at University of Melbourne's Networked Society Symposium 2018. For more information visit networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au or find us on Twitter @MelbNSI

Automation and artificial intelligence are making their mark in the legal industry. Lawyer-bots give rudimentary legal advice online while AI tools are performing document review tasks. What is the future of work for those in the legal industry when robot lawyers are on the rise?

In a world that is increasingly connected with a society living increasingly digital lives, the networked society has emerged. Adam Lodders and Ken Clarke from the University of Melbourne's Networked Society Institute explain this key concept that forms the basis of their research scope.

On 1 February 2018 four teams of students competed at the grand final of a two-month long hackathon. This was AutoHack18, a unique extended-form hackathon facilitated by University of Melbourne's Networked Society Institute in collaboration with Ciena and NBN Co. Hit play and step into the room with us to experience the excitement, stress and innovative ideas that fuelled the grand final event.

For more information visit networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au or check out #AutoHack18 Feature photo by Kwanghui Lim

Prof Luciano Floridi, Director of the Digital Ethics Lab at Oxford Internet Institute delivered this engaging talk on philosophy, sustainability, and technology at University of Melbourne's Networked Society Symposium 2017. For more information visit networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au or find us on Twitter @MelbNSI

Why do some facts about the world become well known and ubiquitous, whereas others are relegated to the status of opinion, or become so mired in controversy that they cannot survive the onslaught that they receive from those opposed to them? Why do bad facts travel far and wide, while good ones are stopped short in their tracks? Who has the greatest power over our factual information when facts are born digital?

Dr Heather Ford from the University of Leeds answers these questions and more by looking at Wikipedia as an infrastructure upon which facts travel.

The talk was delivered to an audience of academics in the conference rooms at the University of Melbourne's Networked Society Institute. You can find the presentation slides and more at networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au

Innovations in communication and information technology have generated controversies over their political implications. From the printing press to the Internet, debate has revolved around utopian versus dystopian outcomes.

In this keynote speech delivered at the Networked Society Symposium 2016 at the University of Melbourne, Prof William H Dutton addresses the role of the internet and related communication technologies in social and political power shifts.

Prof Dutton focuses on the use of the Internet and related technologies in shaping an emerging Fifth Estate composed of networked individuals able to use the Internet strategically to hold institutions, and other estates and of the Internet realm, more accountable.

For show notes and accompanying slides to this talk visit networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au/

Imagine you have just been handed an immense amount of leaked information that could change the world. How do you navigate the data, how do you locate the important details and form them into a story for the general public?

The Panama Papers were a milestone event in data journalism and mobile collaboration. When the Panama Papers were leaked to a German newspaper they realised the volume of data they had been given was immense. They called on the help of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and soon 107 media companies from over 80 countries were working on the data.

Hamish Boland-Rudder is the online editor of ICIJ. In this talk he reveals how the Panama Papers investigation was done and how they turned scores of leaked data into a visually engaging, searchable system for journalists to explore.

Special thanks to Neo Technology for making this event possible. For more information visit http://networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au/

We love our technology. It is convenient, entertaining, and in many instances it makes life easier. But how often do you stop to think about the security implications of your online sharing and connectivity?

Melissa Hathaway delivered this talk at the University of Melbourne in February 2016. Hathaway is a leading expert in cyberspace policy and cybersecurity who advised both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. She was invited to speak as a guest of CISCO and the Melbourne Networked Society Institute.

The Internet supports the development of economic growth, drives innovation and the delivery of services. However, as connectivity has increased so to have security risks. In this public lecture, Melissa Hathaway discusses the need for cyber security and how Australia is placed to respond to this challenge.

For more information and links to the references made in this talk, visit http://networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au/news/cybersecurity-is-australia-ready

Mike Quigley delivered a lecture titled NBN: From 2009 to 2016 and Beyond in an event hosted by the Melbourne Networked Society Institute and the Telecommunications Society of Australia (TelSoc) at the University of Melbourne in June 2016.

Mike was the first ever employee of NBN Co and its CEO from its inception to his retirement in September 2013, giving him a unique expert perspective on Australia's broadband network options.

In his talk, Mike presents an NBN history coloured by political interference. He praises the talent within NBN Co both past and present, and tells of the struggles and hurdles in place for any group attempting a large-scale technical deployment.

This is a must for anyone with an interest in Australia's national broadband network - from engineers to voters, there is something in this talk for everyone. Please enjoy.

Accompanying slides and an extended transcript can be found on the MNSI website: networkedsociety.unimelb.edu.au