The Memeplex. The three regimes of online communication
With Prof Tommaso Venturini
Tommaso will discuss the “New World Order” super-conspiracy theory to illustrate why it is so difficult to make sense of contemporary digital communication.
Studying online ‘adoption advocacy’: The digital representation, monetisation and transfer of children in the USA
With Dr Isabelle Higgins
Isabelle explores how children deemed eligible for adoption in the USA are represented and monetised by a range of digital ‘adoption advocates’, including governments, private adoption agencies and adoptive parents.
Glocks, Animal Emoji, and ‘Rulay’: How Cartel-Related Gangs Recruit Young Ecuadorians through Viral Content on TikTok
With Professor Gabriel Brito
This talk explores the under-researched yet highly relevant phenomenon of cartel-related gang recruitment via social media.
The Reopen Movement: Protest and Radicalisation in the Digital Age
With Clara Martiny
This presentation is based on a book set to be published in late 2025 with Cambridge University Press investigating the online "Reopen" protest movement against COVID-19 public health shutdowns in the United States.
The OII Podcast Ep. 8: The science behind successful start-ups
With Dr Fabian Braesemann and Professor Paul X. McCarthy
The impact of founder personalities on startup success, how a predictive model outperforms industry standards to predict company success, and what factors can help us predict which startups will succeed.
AI’s Ripple Effect on Skills and Labour Markets: Evidence from Two Years with the SkillScale Project
With Dr Fabian Stephany
Fabian Stephany presents the latest findings on the changing relevance of AI skills at the Oxford Future of Professionals seminar with Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
The OII Podcast Ep. 7: How can AI be deployed ethically in the defence sector?
With Professor Mariarosaria Taddeo and Sir Chris Deverell
Our experts discuss why AI adoption in defence is slow - covering procurement, regulation, and tech hurdles - and how conflicts like the Ukraine war shape its future. They also call for public debate on risks and ethics.
Global Southing Internet, Data and AI Studies Workshop
With Dr Andrea Medrado, Prof Cheryll Soriano, Dr Janaki Srinivasan, Dr Jian Xiao, Dr Fadi Salem, Rutendo Chabikwa, Dr Mohammad Amir Anwar, Prof Tanja Bosch, Prof Patricia Peña, Prof César Ricardo Siqueira Bolaño, and Dr Andrés Domínguez Hernández
This workshop aims to facilitate dialogues between UK scholars and approaches from the Global South in the field of Internet and Data Studies.
The OII Podcast Ep. 6: Why social media is the new frontier for misinformation, and what we can do about it
With Dr Mohsen Mosleh and Cameron Martel
The link between misinformation and polarisation on social media, what's being done to combat misinformation and disinformation, the role of social media platforms and regulators, and where the research gaps are.
Who rules the AI age? Big Tech, the US and Chinese states and the space left for digital sovereignty
With Dr Cecilia Rikap
By exploring the interplay between the world’s corporate and political (super)powers, this presentation addresses the question: Who rules global capitalism, and why are digital technologies so crucial for governance and control?
Online Politics in India and the US: what went wrong?
With Professor Ralph Schroeder
I will argue that non-gatekept online media are here to stay as part of the public arena. They allow counterpublics to challenge elites and traditional media, for better and worse. This has given rise to populism in the US and India.
Dr Fabian Stephany gives his perspective on the AI wage premium
With Dr Fabian Stephany
Watch Dr Fabian Stephany sharing key findings from his latest co-authored research which examines shifts in the labour market and the growing trend of skills-based hiring in the AI sector.