abstract: The aim of this research study is to develop a passive architectural design morphology, tuned to the Sonoran Desert, which redefines Desert Modernism and integrates: (a) mitigation of heat transfer through the exterior envelope, and (b) use of daylight to inform appropriate architectural massing. The research investigation was delimited to mid-nineteenth century European modernist examples, and ends with mid-twentieth century modern architecture in the southwestern United States as viewed through the lens of environmental design. The specific focus was on Desert Modernism, a quasi-architectural movement, which purportedly had its beginnings in 1923 with the Coachella Valley, Popinoe Desert Cabin. A mixed-method research strategy comprised of interpretive-historical research, virtual simulation/modeling analysis and logical argumentation is used. Succinct discussions on desert vernacular design, Modernism’s global propagation, and the International Style reinterpretations were illustrated to introduce the possibility of a relationship between Modernism and the vernacular. A directed examination of climatic responses included within examples of California Modernism, the Case Study Houses and Desert Modernism follows. Three case studies: a) the Frey House II, b) the Triad Apartments, and c) the Analemma House were assessed using virtual simulation and mathematical calculations, to provide conclusive results on the relevance of regionally tuned exterior envelope design and planning tactics for the Phoenix, Arizona area. Together, these findings suggest a correlation between environmental design principles, vernacular architecture, and Modernism. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Architecture 2019

Abstract This dissertation examines how online Christian communities reconcile the democratizing, anti-hegemonic effects of dialogic web tools, such as wikis, blogs, and video-sharing sites with the authoritarian characteristics of some organized religions. In the first chapter, I discuss technodeterminism and what I call the theme of "revolutionary architectures" in digital humanities scholarship. This theme occurs in narratives that assume that a new interface, Internet tool, or type of coding will redefine the rhetorical relationship between writers, readers, and site administrators, usually in a benevolent way. I argue that scholars within the field of Computers and Composition use narratives of architectural revolution to inscribe communication technologies with certain inherent values even as they claim that these tools require responsible use from an informed, reflective citizenry. The theme of revolutionary architecture reveals the desire within the field of Computers & Composition to view technology as both a space for ideological conflict and a redemptive tool to cure social ills. In the second chapter I analyze how narratives about the democratizing and collaborative potential of wikis collide with the needs and practices of three Christian wikis. The three wikis--Theopedia, OrthodoxWiki, WikiChristian--are opinionated encyclopedias intended to simultaneously inform and persuade their viewers of each website's respective version of the Christian faith. Opinionated wiki writing complicates assumptions about what should be argued and who should be able to author thesiss. To respond to these complications, the Christian wikis emphasize two different types of ethotic appeals, what I coin "genesis-ethos" and "composed-ethos." Genesis-ethos refers to the rhetor's character outside of the text, whereas composed ethos refers to the textual representation of the rhetor's credibility. I argue that Christian wikis must rely on a combination of genesis and composed-ethos in order to manage a point-of-view argumentative wiki. In the third chapter, I examine how dialogic web technologies have provided the Emergent Church with an opportunity to create an updated gospel narrative. I define and analyze this narrative with a kairotic lens, especially as defined by German theologian Paul Tillich. The leaders of the Emergent Church movement draw upon the ideas, language, and metaphors of post-Web 2.0 technologies to explain how Christianity can thrive in a 21st century world. Several Emergent Church writers recognize that traditional organized religion has become increasingly irrelevant in a culture that prioritizes decentralized decision making, networked organization, and the opinions of the laity alongside more authoritative voices (i.e. clergy, pastors, and church leaders). They view blogging tools, open source technology, and social networks as a way to convey Christianity to a frustrated audience of Christians and non-believers. In the fourth chapter, I speculate on the collaborative possibilities of video-sharing sites, such as YouTube. Even though technologists and compositionists have reinforced a narrative of YouTube as a revolutionary collaborative tool, the website fails to foster intimacy between users. This lack of intimacy stultifies the potential for collaboration between video authors and viewers; in turn, the efforts of writing instructors to use YouTube have not yet taken full advantage of the site's possibilities. One alternative Christian video-sharing site, GodTube, has the potential to engage video authors and viewers in meaningful dialogue and a more intimate online atmosphere. Martin Buber's I-You and I-It relationships are used as a lens to describe the difference between the two video-sharing sites. In the final chapter, I discuss how my research into online Christian rhetoric can be used in writing-intensive classes, especially composition courses. My argument about genesis-ethos applies to previous scholarship on wikis and procedural rhetoric; I speculate on how writing teachers can teach with wikis in new ways. Finally, the rhetoric of the Emergent Church offers an example for how scholars within the field Computers & Composition can articulate their values to students, faculty, and administrators outside of the field of English Studies. In the conclusion, I argue that the counterintuitive uses of these dialogic web tools opens up new imaginative opportunities for their use in the writing classroom.

Despite the rapid development in technology that enables metal music producers today to create “perfect” sound mixes, many bands, artists and producers choose to make their creations sound old or “retro”. A song is created for this study and mixed in two different ways, one with a more“retro” direction and the other with a more “modern” direction. Five respondents were then made to listen to both mixes and were interviewed on what they thought of each respective mix and why they think retro culture is so prevalent today. The data gathered from the interviews show that the respondents describe retro mixes as dirty, saturated and raw while they described modern mixes as clean, hi-fi and overly compressed. The respondents associate old sounding mixes to authenticity, genuinity and honesty but don’t describe modern mixes as fake or dishonest. The respondents comment that the streamlined nature of music production today leads to very uniform sounding mixes and the abundance of similar sounding mixes creates a demand for more honest, authentic and genuine music. The respondents claim that retro culture would not be possible without the aid of modern technology.

Africa’s way forward requires integration, democracy, good governance, participation and inclusive communication of all issues. Intergovernmental organizations are essential to facilitate the above mentioned goals. New thinking highlights the role of new media especially the Internet in democracy and governance in Africa. Therefore, the question solicited here is whether e-governance facilitates continental governance in Africa and under what circumstances would this be possible? This research introduced the internet (web) as a distinct medium of communications with distinct features and characteristics. A number of scholars argue that the Internet as a distinct medium of communication can better facilitate the democratizing role of the media in society, while others argues that the internet has not changed the nature of politics since ordinary politics in all its complexity and vitality has invaded and captured cyberspace. These arguments are divided respectively between Technological Determinism and the Social Shaping of Technology. This research investigates (AU, EU and Nepad) e-governance websites in order to understand practices, prospects and challenges of continental e-governance systems. It was found that the AU and Nepad use the websites for institutional information rather than interaction with citizens and online service delivery. However, significant steps are taken to enhance interaction in Nepad. It is therefore recommended that, the AU and Nepad need to invest time and commitment in enhancing interactivity and rising awareness for these e-governance systems. As projected, EU performs much better than the above two in terms of interactivity. This is because it has more experience and internet penetration and uses is widespread in Europe than it is here in Africa.

My research is comprised of two connected components – a written report, and an original artwork. In the written segment of the research, I critically assess arguments sourced from digital theorists writing mainly in the 1990s, who positioned “cyberspace” as means of bodily escape, physical transcendence and disconnection from lived reality. I link their writings to a larger notion of technological determinism. I use a combination of theoretical sources and case studies to argue that these determinist attitudes are being challenged by the emergence of a recent artistic practice (termed “locative art”), itself made possible through changes in the understanding of the integration of digital information into the material world. The second part of my research consists of an original locative work, entitled “Tree ID”. It is integrated into my written research in my third chapter, in which I discuss the technical function and conceptual background of the work. “Tree ID” functions alongside my case studies as an artistic response to technological determinism, and, additionally, as a practical investigation into the South African context of locative art.

This study is an attempt for providing a socio-historical perspective to the smart home concept that is a proposal for the future domestic sphere by the application of intelligent technologies. For achieving this attempt, the smart home is investigated with its roots within the social history of domestic technology, by posing the question of a relation between the machine house idea of modern architecture and the smart home concept as the main question of the research. After an inquiry on the smart home concept and on the future private sphere that is envisaged within it, the emergence of modern private sphere, the transformation of private sphere under the impacts of industrialization, the appearance and the social consequences of the machine house idea, the introduction of mass produced appliances to the home and the impacts of it on private sphere, the development of communication and information technologies and their domestication processes are investigated. The coconstructive relationship of technology with the private sphere is pursued throughout this investigation. The research questions of the study are answered in the light of the gained knowledge and critical perspective throughout the investigations. At the end, it is revealed that the smart home has conceptual, technical, and ideological constructive roots within the histories of the modern private sphere, modern architecture and design, and domestic communication and information technologies. It is discussed that these roots constitute the smart home as a domain of social reproduction, which also provides the ground for its conceptualization and promotion as the future domestic sphere.

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This master's thesis is a grounded theory study of the development of the Internet as a tool for political action in Japan by groups and individuals producing web pages on the issue of history textbook reform. Through the analysis of 14 in-depth interviews, a framework is developed for understanding the role the Internet has taken in political action in Japan. As activists utilize the Internet in political activism, the Internet appears to be developing into an anchor for continuing political activism. For activists, the Internet is a central point of reference for both mass communication and interpersonal communication activities. The model indicates that the political alignment of an activist is an important factor in determining his or her preference for either interpersonal or mass communication on the Internet. Activists on the left tend to use the Internet as a tool for interpersonal communication and coordination, while activists on the right tend to view the Internet as a tool for mass persuasion. The model of Internet activism developed in the thesis is also compared with models of communication derived from theories of technological determinism and social shaping of technologies. Consistent with technological determinist ideas, the Japanese case demonstrates that as activists rely on the Internet, other media show signs of becoming content for the new medium. However, the Japanese case also shows that pre-existing needs and the political framework of an activist have a strong shaping effect on Internet use, indicating the importance of a social shaping of technologies approach.

Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / The use of communication technologies has brought changes to our daily ways of doing things. Youth use technology for different purposes at different locations. As technology grows everyday with various advantages, its benefits come along with some disadvantages. Road accidents are one of the major problems that South Africa experiences. The focus of this study was to explore the danger of texting and driving and its potentials for road accidents. This research focused on the negative impact of technology, mainly technological distraction, while driving. Broadly, this research looks at the social and cultural impact of texting and mobility, with specific focus on distracted driving. This study is significant in the social analysis of technology use and distraction; this significance is made more important considering that there is very limited study of this social issue in South Africa. The always-available communication culture (such as texting while driving) should be viewed as a problematic phenomenal. For data collection, the researcher conducted a survey with adults and youth drivers to explore the perceptions and attitudes of drivers towards cell phone use, texting and driving. The researcher also conducted roadside observations of drivers to investigate the occurrence of distracted driving due to technology use, and interviews were conducted with Traffic Officers to share their professional experience on observing incidences of texting and driving. The study reveals that technology use, texting and driving is a common problem among young drivers, while adults tend to be more careful and engage less in this activity. Aspect of the findings of the study shows that 60% of drivers report that they have sent a text while driving. Moreover, the study explores ways of curbing cell phone use texting and driving on South African roads. There should be more research on distracted driving and technology use, so that more suggestions on how to curb technology use while driving can be offered

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur AI gestaltas i tidningarna Resumé och Dagens Media som är inriktade på media- och kommunikation. Detta uppnås genom att studera tidningarnas artiklar om AI. Studien undersöker vilka gestaltningar som förekommer i artiklarna och om tidningarna uppfyller UNESCO:s riktlinjer om hur journalister bör rapportera om AI. De gestaltningar som undersöks är sociala framsteg, Pandora´s box, ekonomisk utveckling/konkurrenskraft, utfallsframe och tidsperspektiv. Det undersöks även hur ofta AI ersätter syssla förekommer. De riktlinjer från UNESCO som undersöktes var AI:s begränsningar, det mänskliga arbetet, land, andra röster, suggestiva bilder och miljöaspekter. Det teoretiska ramverk som studien bygger på är gestaltningsteorin och teknologisk determinism. Studiens resultat visar att Resumé och Dagens Media Resumé tenderar att skildra AI som eftersträvansvärt genom att beskriva konsekvenserna av att använda AI som något läsaren vinner på. AI gestaltas även som en teknik som, helt eller delvis, kommer ersätta sysslor och arbetsuppgifter i mediabranschen. De variabler som kommer från UNESCO:s riktlinjer förekommer generellt sätt mindre. Resultatet visar att tidningarna skildrar AI som en teknik som utvecklas av sig själv, inte går att kontrollera, har få begränsningar, inte får mycket kritik, inte påverkar miljön och kan likställas med en människa. Således anammar de teorin teknologisk determinism, och i synnerhet de typer som kallas justificatory och normative. / The purpose of this study is to examine how AI is framed in Swedish news media oriented toward media and communication. This is achieved by studying the magazines Resumé and Dagens Media´s articles about AI. This study examines which frames can be found in the articles and if the magazines manage to fulfill recommended guidelines created by UNESCO on how journalists should report on AI. The frames that are examined are social progress, Pandora´s box, economic development/competitiveness, outcome frame and temporal frame. It is also examined how often AI replaces a task.  The UNESCO guidelines that are examined are the limitations of AI, the human labor behind AI, country, other voices, suggestive images and environmental aspects. The theoretical frameworks the study is built upon are framing theory and technological determinism. The study´s results show that Resumé and Dagens Media tend to portray AI as something desirable by describing the consequences of using AI as something the reader will benefit from. AI is also portrayed as a technology that will, completely or partially, replace tasks within the media industry. The variables that derive from the UNESCO guidelines generally occur less. The result shows that the magazines portray AI as a technology that can evolve by itself, cannot be controlled, have few limitations, does not get much critique, does not affect the environment, and can be equated with a human being. Therefore, the theory technological determinism is applied by the magazines, especially the types that are called justificatory and normative.