Centro de Estudos de Comunicação e Cultura

The research line Technology and Communication focuses the intertwinedness between technology, communication and culture. From a social science’s perspective we develop an active interest into the implications and consequences of the penetration and absorption of information and communication technologies by societies at large and by the individual, the family and the groups. We stand for an interactive perspective between technology and society, thus, accepting that it is both society that shapes technology, and technology that shapes society – it all depends on a great many complexities and moments. We assume as well that communication, the way in which we are together, forming a commonness, is what makes us, humans, what we are. This background lays the foundations for an addressing of key topics of the contemporary changing technological, mediatized, and communicational society.

1) TECHNOLOGY, MOBILITY AND GENDER

Researchers: Isabel Capeloa Gil, Fernando Ilharco, Carla Ganito, Patricia Dias

The aim of the project is to study the impact that technological mediation has had on the process of constructing women’s identity. It is focused on determining the role that technological mediation plays in this; the way in which women’s relations with IT have been culturally constructed as a product and subject of that technology; the way in which new information technology (cell-phones, the internet) condition or empower women. It also aims at identifying consumer patterns and their implications for the industry. The line of research also aims to produce two doctoral theses and four papers.

2) THE IN-THE-WORLDNESS OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Researcher: Fernando Ilharco (with Lucas Introna, Lancaster University)

The main objective of the project is twofold: a methodological one and a substantive one. We will use a phenomenological approach to investigate into the fundamental meanings of the ongoing human involvement with information and communication technologies and some of its most important implications and consequences, vis-à-vis mobility, globalisation and languaging. In what concerns the substantive objective of this research project, it aims at three books (i) Managing-In-The-World: A Fundamental New Approach To Contemporary Action (provisional title), co-authored with Lucas Introna; (ii) On Backgrounds: An Account of the Elusive Decisive (provisional title), a phenomenological account of the nature, contours and meanings of natural, cultural and technological backgrounds; (iii) Screens, Screening, Screenness (provisional title), co-authored with Lucas Introna, a phenomenological description about the essential meanings of screenings in-the-world.

3) INTERNET, ORGANISATION AND NEW COMMUNICATION INTERFACES

Researchers: Fernando Ilharco, Patrícia Dias

Contemporary society, particularly economy, is undoubtedly shaped by ICT. New technologies are regarded as new markets, new communication channels, new opportunities and threats to organizations. This project focuses on the use of ICT in organizations and intends to contribute to develop new theoretical approaches and innovative business models, which are able to unleash the full economic potential of ICT. The outputs expected are a few scientific papers and a PhD thesis by Patrícia Dias.

4) NEW WORLDS = NEW PLATFORMS OF MASS COMMUNICATION

Researchers: Gonçalo Silva

5) THE MESSAGE IS THE MEDIA

Researchers: Fernando Ilharco, Carla Ganito, Patricia Dias

McLuhan’s retribalization of the global society: simultaneity of information all over the planet. The overload of data and the new sensorium. On the human, personal, social, political, cultural and economic consequences of the information and communication technologies. The output of this project, still under design, is set for now as two books: (i) Supercool: … by Fernando Ilharco; and McLuhan Lite: Um Manual Para Entender McLuhan, by Fernando Ilharco, Patricia Dias and Carla Ganito.

6) LEADERS, HEROES AND GLOBAL CULTURE

Researchers: Fernando Ilharco, Isabel Gil

To research into the nature of phenomenon of leadership and its contextualisation in contemporary culture. This project aims at exploring concepts and notions such as hero, leader, group, conflict, image within the context of the global and technological culture. The output of this subproject should be a few papers in peered reviewed journals and one or two books (still under design).