Ethically A’twitter, or A-twitter? Attending, Attention, and Access with or without the Live-Tweet (A Panel Discussion)
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Special Session
Organizer Name
Benjamin Ambler
Organizer Affiliation
Arizona State Univ./Dwight Englewood School
Presider Name
Benjamin Ambler
Paper Title 1
Panelist
Presenter 1 Name
Jonathan Hsy
Presenter 1 Affiliation
George Washington Univ.
Paper Title 2
Panelist
Presenter 2 Name
Angela R. Bennett-Segler
Presenter 2 Affiliation
Univ. of Nevada-Reno
Paper Title 3
Panelist
Presenter 3 Name
Peter Konieczny
Presenter 3 Affiliation
Medievalists.net
Paper Title 4
Panelist
Presenter 4 Name
Kristen Mapes
Presenter 4 Affiliation
Michigan State Univ.
Paper Title 5
Panelist
Presenter 5 Name
Eileen A. Joy
Presenter 5 Affiliation
BABEL Working Group
Paper Title 6
Panelist
Presenter 6 Name
John P. Sexton
Presenter 6 Affiliation
Bridgewater State Univ.
Start Date
14-5-2016 10:00 AM
Session Location
Schneider 1140
Description
The recent rise in (Medieval Studies) conference attendees’ “live tweeting” of the goings-on of sessions raises a number of ethical questions about how we might respectfully engage with colleagues present and absent, such as (1) to what extent is session attendees’ attention drawn away from the presenter when tweeting via an in-hand smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer? Does, or can, live-tweeting distract any more than hand-writing one’s own notes? (2) Do “cross-pollinating” live-tweets of simultaneous, but related, sessions enhance post-session/conference scholarly discourse, or further diminish attentive engagement with the session — or some measure of both? (3) Where a presenter’s paper, or an attendee's question, is often given as ephemeral, preliminary, or a work in progress, should it be published, as it were, to the public forum of the internet — and can presented research be accurately represented in segments of 140 characters or less? (4) Does live-tweeting of sessions provide intellectually reasonable access to our colleagues, or others, who may not be able to physically attend the session due to, e.g., financial hardship or physical dis/ability?
This session's panelists will offer a full range of opinions on these and other questions in opening remarks, considering also how medieval notions of readership and authorship might inform the conversation. They will then open conversation with all those in attendance.
Ethically A’twitter, or A-twitter? Attending, Attention, and Access with or without the Live-Tweet (A Panel Discussion)
Schneider 1140
The recent rise in (Medieval Studies) conference attendees’ “live tweeting” of the goings-on of sessions raises a number of ethical questions about how we might respectfully engage with colleagues present and absent, such as (1) to what extent is session attendees’ attention drawn away from the presenter when tweeting via an in-hand smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer? Does, or can, live-tweeting distract any more than hand-writing one’s own notes? (2) Do “cross-pollinating” live-tweets of simultaneous, but related, sessions enhance post-session/conference scholarly discourse, or further diminish attentive engagement with the session — or some measure of both? (3) Where a presenter’s paper, or an attendee's question, is often given as ephemeral, preliminary, or a work in progress, should it be published, as it were, to the public forum of the internet — and can presented research be accurately represented in segments of 140 characters or less? (4) Does live-tweeting of sessions provide intellectually reasonable access to our colleagues, or others, who may not be able to physically attend the session due to, e.g., financial hardship or physical dis/ability?
This session's panelists will offer a full range of opinions on these and other questions in opening remarks, considering also how medieval notions of readership and authorship might inform the conversation. They will then open conversation with all those in attendance.