Shenja van der Graaf - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Books by Shenja van der Graaf
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology, 2022
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology highlights a more robust value-based pers... more Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology highlights a more robust value-based perspective on public service development and delivery, helping structure co-creation processes that foster responsible innovation and a systemic, value-based approach to sustainable urban development.
Palgrave, 2018
This book contributes to the debate over how mod communities shape labour and the economy by yiel... more This book contributes to the debate over how mod communities shape labour and the economy by yielding insight into the way a developer firm invites its user base to partner with it in product development, indicating how aspects of user participation associated with non-market dynamics are embedded in commercial activity and professionalism. The concept of modding helps to draw meaningful connections between the technical, economic, aesthetic, and social aspects of game design, and contemporary society and economy more widely, demonstrating the centrality of communal processes in the market. The principal aim of the book is to understand the relations between market forces and the community, between professionalism and amateurism, between top-down and bottom-up, established and emerging structures, as a symbiotic relationship and not as alternative or mutually exclusive possibilities, challenging existing ideas about production and consumption associated with market and community in this context.
"This book provides a collection of theoretical and empirical strands that, with the growing usag... more "This book provides a collection of theoretical and empirical strands that, with the growing usage of communication technologies such as the Internet and
mobile phones, what used to be understood as the domain of consumption seems to have become a player in, on the one hand, production, distribution, and inte-
gration processes and, on the other hand, seems to potentially impact on a firm’s competitive dis)advantage. It is indirectly the result of a collaboration of Hakuhodo Inc., Ericsson Consumer & Enterprise Lab, and the Utrecht University that came up with an international comparative survey program, named Media Landscape Survey 2003-2004 to examine and compare communication technology environments in the U.S., The Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, and China.
This very broad initiative brought us in contact with other researchers and practitioners interested in similar issues that center on the relationships among emerging and existing firms, markets, and consumers. Specifically, this book focuses on the wide and rapid diffusion of the use of various new media, such
as e-mail, mobile phones, Internet, interactive TV, games, and Web logs, and the way they have impacted the paradigm of human and business communications.
These new communication means that are major products of ICTs, are gradually complementing or even replacing some more conventional communication means, such as physical mailing or using fixed phones rather than wireless ones. As some of the chapters will show, new technologies have contributed to changes in the way we communicate and seem to have given way to
new or alternative social norms and cultures within and across cultures, for example, striking differences between Japan, Europe, and the U.S. regarding
the way various media are used, seemingly based in each region’s political, economical, cultural, and social contexts.
The most important viewpoint in the examination of communication means and new technologies are, we believe, innovation processes that occur while
these technologies diffuse among users. Investigating the changes of interpretation in our society for each communication means and its technology is significant from various disciplines as we have sought to represent in this volume.
By investigating such innovation processes, we can examine emerging business strategies—especially in the creative industries—processes of innovation, community-thinking, the evolution of social norms, and emergence of new (sub)cultures, emerging markets, and organizational cultures rather than merely
tracing superficial trends of ICTs.
All chapters combined, provide an in-depth overview and at times a challenging framework, in which a variety of new media technologies are mapped, based on empirical and theoretical studies and not on mere subjective impressions or fashions in the forefront of ICT industries in the East and West.
"
Papers by Shenja van der Graaf
![Research paper thumbnail of [PDF]The Fabric of Social Media](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/119138007/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](is a senior researcher at iMinds-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). She obtained her PhD... more is a senior researcher at iMinds-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). She obtained her PhD at the LSE in 2009. Furthremore, she is a honorary fellow at MIT Media Lab ID³ Hub, and a Futures of Entertainment fellow. Her research is concerned with the management of technological innovation in firms and communities; (new) media users and 'cultures of expertise'; mediation of social and economic life, theoretical perspectives; software/code markets; trust, legitimate vulnerability, and institutional corruption.
Research Evaluation, 2014
A methodology for the self-assessment of the socioeconomic impact of Software-as-a-Service and In... more A methodology for the self-assessment of the socioeconomic impact of Software-as-a-Service and Internet of Services research projects is presented in the context of EU-funded research. The SEQUOIA methodology was developed by assessing thirty existing projects with their close collaboration. This process was documented to provide a basis for future research projects to apply the methodology on their own. The model and the empirical findings are discussed in detail, focussing on five projects that qualified as "best practices". The main findings are that an "impact assessment culture" needs to be cultivated, encouraged, and strengthened by the European Commission and all the stakeholders. The five projects that scored highest were strong in three different ways: one group maximised internal return on investment (ROI), a second group maximised external ROI, and a third group was able to strike a balance between the two. To integrate better the assessment methodology within each project, its partners need to feel that they "own" it, and that it has been optimised for its specific institutional, organisational, and epistemological requirements. We therefore recommend the inclusion in project consortia of socioeconomic experts who are able to translate the ICT research language into measurable (potential) socioeconomic impacts. SEQUOIA's assumption that in the development of an effective socioeconomic impact assessment methodology it is important to integrate the social and economic dimensions of potential impact was verified and validated through an ex post rationalisation informed by economic anthropology, the usefulness of our quantitative model, and empirical evidence obtained through in-depth qualitativequantitative data gathering techniques.
BMJ open, Jan 16, 2018
Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a severe form of schizophrenia. In the European Union,... more Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a severe form of schizophrenia. In the European Union, approximately 40% of people with schizophrenia have TRS. Factors such as the persistence of positive symptoms or higher risk of comorbidities leave clinicians with a complex scenario when treating these patients. Intervention strategies based on mHealth have demonstrated their ability to support and promote self-management-based strategies. Mobile therapeutic attention for treatment-resistant schizophrenia m-RESIST), an innovative mHealth solution based on novel technology and offering high modular and flexible functioning, has been developed specifically for patients with TRS and their caregivers. As intervention in TRS is a challenge, it is necessary to perform a feasibility study before the cost-effectiveness testing stage. This manuscript describes the protocol for a prospective multicentre feasibility study in 45 patients with TRS and their caregivers who will be attended in the pu...
Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2023
Citizen science is challenged by a participation inequality that is not compatible with a democra... more Citizen science is challenged by a participation inequality that is not compatible with a democratic approach to science. To include the voices of underrepresented groups, this article presents “STORCIT”, a framework for making citizen science inclusive with storytelling methods. This framework was trialed in the project “Climate Stories” with two small-scale pilot studies in Hasselt and Brussels (Belgium). This project involved around 50 young people with a diverse background, since they are often overlooked as agents of change in the climate debate. During the project, they recorded their experiences related to the changing climate through citizen science and storytelling methods. The STORCIT-framework was designed through five consecutive phases: i) setting the scene, ii) generating knowledge and learning, iii) sharing personal narratives iv) developing stories, and v) exhibiting to the public. The results reflect on the implementation of this approach, together with the experienced challenges, limitations, and gains. Overall, the approach is highly participatory, multi-faceted and supports the democratization of knowledge generation. The gathered knowledge helps participants to reflect on their story, raise their voice and catalyze actions for social change. In the context of citizen science research, practitioners are encouraged to explore and further adapt this framework to other (justice) domains and involve other vulnerable target groups. In particular, it can be deployed by those who aim to include diverse audiences and stimulate inclusive dialogue between science, society and policy with actions for social change.
Big data & society, 2023
Borrowing from insights produced in urban planning, media and governance studies thereby leveragi... more Borrowing from insights produced in urban planning, media and governance studies thereby leveraging the Ostrom-nian ideas of institutions and polycentricity, this paper examines how to govern commons in the smart city. It offers a reflection upon whether Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) could be a key notion for the commons discourse which centers around stakeholders, self-organization, and a rights-based framework. By decentralizing ledgers and enabling the interoperability of the various interfaces, DLTs make records more accessible, exchanges more transparent, and reduce costs while increasing efficiency, and permit automation, therefore commoning interactions both offline and online are facilitated. We argue that the use of DLTs to preserve the spatiotemporal integrity of key urban spaces is a common value question that needs to be elucidated or renegotiated in order to provide any useful guidance to DLTs integrity-preserving potential. In doing so, we draw attention to DLT-based urban commons and urban governance, and point to inherent incompatibilities that may lead to radical and not-so-smooth changes in urban institutions, while providing a way of thinking which can move the smart city closer towards a values-centered process and away from a preoccupation with technology and efficiency.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2023
Prosumers can actively participate in electricity markets through new market models. Peer-to-peer... more Prosumers can actively participate in electricity markets through new market models. Peer-to-peer, community self-consumption, and transactive energy are the three market models which are said to complement traditional electricity markets, enabling prosumers to create and capture value. To date, however, the characteristics of these models and incentivisation opportunities for prosumers cannot be easily distilled. Here, we propose a framework to distinguish between these market models based on involved parties (peers, communities, and grid operators) and traded commodities (electricity and flexibility). Furthermore, we compare the capacity of the different models in value generation for and by prosumers, which extend beyond financial benefits, by differentiation. In doing so, we systematically draw out the value generation potential in the dynamic between market models' capacities and prosumers business models. In doing so, a larger number of prosumers can be engaged and empowered in becoming active market actors, stimulating the ongoing energy transition towards achieving sustainability goals.
Baltic Screen Media Review, 2022
Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 2022
Digiworld economic journal, 2014
The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more ... more The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more with less, particularly at the local level where government services have the greatest impact on citizens' everyday lives. Thereby the roles of information and communication technologies and citizens are highlighted. This article is designed to yield insights into how local city administrations can facilitate and optimize citizen involvement in the context of the co-production of city services deploying mobile devices. Cities can be seen to open up public data aiming at offering new opportunities for the generation, use and integration of, among others, economic, social and environmental data. They seek to do so via city-hosted toolkits allowing users-which are the most important users of the city's urban environment and generating the most current data and knowledge that may inform and enrich governing practices, such as planning-to develop mobile applications emphasizing local deployment. The analytical framework focuses on the role of the (purposefully) city-provided toolkit and the citizens' capacities to engage in the public domain guided by the Living Lab approach. In doing so, the dynamics between the provided tools (and data) addressing the needs of the city and citizens underpinning citizens' everyday life experience in navigating and appropriating the urban space, are drawn out. The empirical results are used as preliminary evidence to yield a more rounded understanding of co-production of e-government information and services leveraged as a core innovative process, currently being played out, in the city of Athens (Greece) and Ghent (Belgium).
Over the past decade, social media has become a widely used umbrella term that refers to the set ... more Over the past decade, social media has become a widely used umbrella term that refers to the set of tools, applications, and services that enable people to interact with others using network technologies such as personal computers and smartphones. Social media tends to be associated with a convergence of production, distribution, and consumption practices and a blending of user creativity, collaboration, and sharing-enabled and sharing-assisted network technologies. In this way, social media is said to have deeply penetrated into the mechanics of everyday life, affecting people’s interactions, institutional structures and professional routines. This paper offers an inclusive perspective of the “fabric of social media”, which underpins understandings of both social and media. In particular, it highlights the dynamics of empowerment, always-on lifestyle, and professionalization. ––––– Media@LSE Working Paper #27 –––––
Communications & Strategies, 2014
The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more ... more The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more with less, particularly at the local level where government services have the greatest impact on citizens' everyday lives. Thereby the roles of information and communication technologies and citizens are highlighted. This article is designed to yield insights into how local city administrations can facilitate and optimize citizen involvement in the context of the co-production of city services deploying mobile devices. Cities can be seen to open up public data aiming at offering new opportunities for the generation, use and integration of, among others, economic, social and environmental data. They seek to do so via city-hosted toolkits allowing users – which are the most important users of the city's urban environment and generating the most current data and knowledge that may inform and enrich governing practices, such as planning - to develop mobile applications emphasizing lo...
Clouds have considerably changed the design and provisioning of modern ICT applications creating ... more Clouds have considerably changed the design and provisioning of modern ICT applications creating ecosystems of services that ease and simplify the related technical and business processes. However, the above mainly refers to the private sector with the solutions targeting the public sector and cities to be few and also limited in terms of capabilities and acceptance. In this paper we present an innovative solution based on a cloud platform that enables smart cities to realize their digital agendas. Our vision is the development of an “innovation ecosystem” that offers ample opportunities for sustainable, user-driven “intelligent services”, by combining open innovation processes, advanced e-Government service applications and cloud computing technologies to create a truly scalable and flexible pan-European ecosystem for effective, user-driven public service delivery.
This chapter provides the theoretical and conceptual foundations of this book. Theories focusing ... more This chapter provides the theoretical and conceptual foundations of this book. Theories focusing on user participation, user-driven innovation and communities of practice are discussed and applied to modification practices in the setting of commercial digital innovation platforms. The roles of users in knowledge production and development practices using firm-provided toolkits are illuminated, as they aid product and platform development efforts across firm boundaries.
The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more ... more The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more with less, particularly at the local level where government services have the greatest impact on citizens' everyday lives. Thereby the roles of information and communication technologies and citizens are highlighted. This article is designed to yield insights into how local city administrations can facilitate and optimize citizen involvement in the context of the co-production of city services deploying mobile devices. Cities can be seen to open up public data aiming at offering new opportunities for the generation, use and integration of, among others, economic, social and environmental data. They seek to do so via city-hosted toolkits allowing users – which are the most important users of the city's urban environment and generating the most current data and knowledge that may inform and enrich governing practices, such as planning - to develop mobile applications emphasizing local deployment. The analytical framework focuses on the role of the (purposefully) city-provided toolkit and the citizens' capacities to engage in the public domain guided by the Living Lab approach. In doing so, the dynamics between the provided tools (and data) addressing the needs of the city and citizens underpinning citizens' everyday life experience in navigating and appropriating the urban space, are drawn out. The empirical results are used as preliminary evidence to yield a more rounded understanding of co-production of e-government information and services leveraged as a core innovative process, currently being played out, in the city of Athens (Greece) and Ghent (Belgium).
2020 16th International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS)
This paper performs an analysis on emergent peerto-peer (p2p) electricity trading markets utilizi... more This paper performs an analysis on emergent peerto-peer (p2p) electricity trading markets utilizing the resourcebased theory based on the sharing economy concept to identify possible opportunities for assets/data sharing amongst existing and emerging market players. First, the study introduces actors in the future electricity market and identifies their objectives. Second, valuable resources of each actor are recognized and categorized under physical and digital groups. Third, interested actors in each resource and benefits they can gain by having access to the resource are discussed. Last, a matrix of sharing opportunities amongst the actors in the electricity market is built and the current state of sharing is compared with the possibilities in the future. This paper provides and serves as a benchmark for implementing the sharing economy concept in future design of electricity markets. It highlights sharing opportunities as a means for circular economy in the electricity market. Implementing the identified sharing opportunities requires more collaborative (open) business models.
Tools and Methods for Value Co-Creation
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology
Fostering Energy Transition in Smart Cities: DLTs for Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology, 2022
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology highlights a more robust value-based pers... more Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology highlights a more robust value-based perspective on public service development and delivery, helping structure co-creation processes that foster responsible innovation and a systemic, value-based approach to sustainable urban development.
Palgrave, 2018
This book contributes to the debate over how mod communities shape labour and the economy by yiel... more This book contributes to the debate over how mod communities shape labour and the economy by yielding insight into the way a developer firm invites its user base to partner with it in product development, indicating how aspects of user participation associated with non-market dynamics are embedded in commercial activity and professionalism. The concept of modding helps to draw meaningful connections between the technical, economic, aesthetic, and social aspects of game design, and contemporary society and economy more widely, demonstrating the centrality of communal processes in the market. The principal aim of the book is to understand the relations between market forces and the community, between professionalism and amateurism, between top-down and bottom-up, established and emerging structures, as a symbiotic relationship and not as alternative or mutually exclusive possibilities, challenging existing ideas about production and consumption associated with market and community in this context.
"This book provides a collection of theoretical and empirical strands that, with the growing usag... more "This book provides a collection of theoretical and empirical strands that, with the growing usage of communication technologies such as the Internet and
mobile phones, what used to be understood as the domain of consumption seems to have become a player in, on the one hand, production, distribution, and inte-
gration processes and, on the other hand, seems to potentially impact on a firm’s competitive dis)advantage. It is indirectly the result of a collaboration of Hakuhodo Inc., Ericsson Consumer & Enterprise Lab, and the Utrecht University that came up with an international comparative survey program, named Media Landscape Survey 2003-2004 to examine and compare communication technology environments in the U.S., The Netherlands, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, and China.
This very broad initiative brought us in contact with other researchers and practitioners interested in similar issues that center on the relationships among emerging and existing firms, markets, and consumers. Specifically, this book focuses on the wide and rapid diffusion of the use of various new media, such
as e-mail, mobile phones, Internet, interactive TV, games, and Web logs, and the way they have impacted the paradigm of human and business communications.
These new communication means that are major products of ICTs, are gradually complementing or even replacing some more conventional communication means, such as physical mailing or using fixed phones rather than wireless ones. As some of the chapters will show, new technologies have contributed to changes in the way we communicate and seem to have given way to
new or alternative social norms and cultures within and across cultures, for example, striking differences between Japan, Europe, and the U.S. regarding
the way various media are used, seemingly based in each region’s political, economical, cultural, and social contexts.
The most important viewpoint in the examination of communication means and new technologies are, we believe, innovation processes that occur while
these technologies diffuse among users. Investigating the changes of interpretation in our society for each communication means and its technology is significant from various disciplines as we have sought to represent in this volume.
By investigating such innovation processes, we can examine emerging business strategies—especially in the creative industries—processes of innovation, community-thinking, the evolution of social norms, and emergence of new (sub)cultures, emerging markets, and organizational cultures rather than merely
tracing superficial trends of ICTs.
All chapters combined, provide an in-depth overview and at times a challenging framework, in which a variety of new media technologies are mapped, based on empirical and theoretical studies and not on mere subjective impressions or fashions in the forefront of ICT industries in the East and West.
"
is a senior researcher at iMinds-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). She obtained her PhD... more is a senior researcher at iMinds-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). She obtained her PhD at the LSE in 2009. Furthremore, she is a honorary fellow at MIT Media Lab ID³ Hub, and a Futures of Entertainment fellow. Her research is concerned with the management of technological innovation in firms and communities; (new) media users and 'cultures of expertise'; mediation of social and economic life, theoretical perspectives; software/code markets; trust, legitimate vulnerability, and institutional corruption.
Research Evaluation, 2014
A methodology for the self-assessment of the socioeconomic impact of Software-as-a-Service and In... more A methodology for the self-assessment of the socioeconomic impact of Software-as-a-Service and Internet of Services research projects is presented in the context of EU-funded research. The SEQUOIA methodology was developed by assessing thirty existing projects with their close collaboration. This process was documented to provide a basis for future research projects to apply the methodology on their own. The model and the empirical findings are discussed in detail, focussing on five projects that qualified as "best practices". The main findings are that an "impact assessment culture" needs to be cultivated, encouraged, and strengthened by the European Commission and all the stakeholders. The five projects that scored highest were strong in three different ways: one group maximised internal return on investment (ROI), a second group maximised external ROI, and a third group was able to strike a balance between the two. To integrate better the assessment methodology within each project, its partners need to feel that they "own" it, and that it has been optimised for its specific institutional, organisational, and epistemological requirements. We therefore recommend the inclusion in project consortia of socioeconomic experts who are able to translate the ICT research language into measurable (potential) socioeconomic impacts. SEQUOIA's assumption that in the development of an effective socioeconomic impact assessment methodology it is important to integrate the social and economic dimensions of potential impact was verified and validated through an ex post rationalisation informed by economic anthropology, the usefulness of our quantitative model, and empirical evidence obtained through in-depth qualitativequantitative data gathering techniques.
BMJ open, Jan 16, 2018
Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a severe form of schizophrenia. In the European Union,... more Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a severe form of schizophrenia. In the European Union, approximately 40% of people with schizophrenia have TRS. Factors such as the persistence of positive symptoms or higher risk of comorbidities leave clinicians with a complex scenario when treating these patients. Intervention strategies based on mHealth have demonstrated their ability to support and promote self-management-based strategies. Mobile therapeutic attention for treatment-resistant schizophrenia m-RESIST), an innovative mHealth solution based on novel technology and offering high modular and flexible functioning, has been developed specifically for patients with TRS and their caregivers. As intervention in TRS is a challenge, it is necessary to perform a feasibility study before the cost-effectiveness testing stage. This manuscript describes the protocol for a prospective multicentre feasibility study in 45 patients with TRS and their caregivers who will be attended in the pu...
Frontiers in Environmental Science, 2023
Citizen science is challenged by a participation inequality that is not compatible with a democra... more Citizen science is challenged by a participation inequality that is not compatible with a democratic approach to science. To include the voices of underrepresented groups, this article presents “STORCIT”, a framework for making citizen science inclusive with storytelling methods. This framework was trialed in the project “Climate Stories” with two small-scale pilot studies in Hasselt and Brussels (Belgium). This project involved around 50 young people with a diverse background, since they are often overlooked as agents of change in the climate debate. During the project, they recorded their experiences related to the changing climate through citizen science and storytelling methods. The STORCIT-framework was designed through five consecutive phases: i) setting the scene, ii) generating knowledge and learning, iii) sharing personal narratives iv) developing stories, and v) exhibiting to the public. The results reflect on the implementation of this approach, together with the experienced challenges, limitations, and gains. Overall, the approach is highly participatory, multi-faceted and supports the democratization of knowledge generation. The gathered knowledge helps participants to reflect on their story, raise their voice and catalyze actions for social change. In the context of citizen science research, practitioners are encouraged to explore and further adapt this framework to other (justice) domains and involve other vulnerable target groups. In particular, it can be deployed by those who aim to include diverse audiences and stimulate inclusive dialogue between science, society and policy with actions for social change.
Big data & society, 2023
Borrowing from insights produced in urban planning, media and governance studies thereby leveragi... more Borrowing from insights produced in urban planning, media and governance studies thereby leveraging the Ostrom-nian ideas of institutions and polycentricity, this paper examines how to govern commons in the smart city. It offers a reflection upon whether Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) could be a key notion for the commons discourse which centers around stakeholders, self-organization, and a rights-based framework. By decentralizing ledgers and enabling the interoperability of the various interfaces, DLTs make records more accessible, exchanges more transparent, and reduce costs while increasing efficiency, and permit automation, therefore commoning interactions both offline and online are facilitated. We argue that the use of DLTs to preserve the spatiotemporal integrity of key urban spaces is a common value question that needs to be elucidated or renegotiated in order to provide any useful guidance to DLTs integrity-preserving potential. In doing so, we draw attention to DLT-based urban commons and urban governance, and point to inherent incompatibilities that may lead to radical and not-so-smooth changes in urban institutions, while providing a way of thinking which can move the smart city closer towards a values-centered process and away from a preoccupation with technology and efficiency.
Energy Research & Social Science, 2023
Prosumers can actively participate in electricity markets through new market models. Peer-to-peer... more Prosumers can actively participate in electricity markets through new market models. Peer-to-peer, community self-consumption, and transactive energy are the three market models which are said to complement traditional electricity markets, enabling prosumers to create and capture value. To date, however, the characteristics of these models and incentivisation opportunities for prosumers cannot be easily distilled. Here, we propose a framework to distinguish between these market models based on involved parties (peers, communities, and grid operators) and traded commodities (electricity and flexibility). Furthermore, we compare the capacity of the different models in value generation for and by prosumers, which extend beyond financial benefits, by differentiation. In doing so, we systematically draw out the value generation potential in the dynamic between market models' capacities and prosumers business models. In doing so, a larger number of prosumers can be engaged and empowered in becoming active market actors, stimulating the ongoing energy transition towards achieving sustainability goals.
Baltic Screen Media Review, 2022
Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, 2022
Digiworld economic journal, 2014
The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more ... more The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more with less, particularly at the local level where government services have the greatest impact on citizens' everyday lives. Thereby the roles of information and communication technologies and citizens are highlighted. This article is designed to yield insights into how local city administrations can facilitate and optimize citizen involvement in the context of the co-production of city services deploying mobile devices. Cities can be seen to open up public data aiming at offering new opportunities for the generation, use and integration of, among others, economic, social and environmental data. They seek to do so via city-hosted toolkits allowing users-which are the most important users of the city's urban environment and generating the most current data and knowledge that may inform and enrich governing practices, such as planning-to develop mobile applications emphasizing local deployment. The analytical framework focuses on the role of the (purposefully) city-provided toolkit and the citizens' capacities to engage in the public domain guided by the Living Lab approach. In doing so, the dynamics between the provided tools (and data) addressing the needs of the city and citizens underpinning citizens' everyday life experience in navigating and appropriating the urban space, are drawn out. The empirical results are used as preliminary evidence to yield a more rounded understanding of co-production of e-government information and services leveraged as a core innovative process, currently being played out, in the city of Athens (Greece) and Ghent (Belgium).
Over the past decade, social media has become a widely used umbrella term that refers to the set ... more Over the past decade, social media has become a widely used umbrella term that refers to the set of tools, applications, and services that enable people to interact with others using network technologies such as personal computers and smartphones. Social media tends to be associated with a convergence of production, distribution, and consumption practices and a blending of user creativity, collaboration, and sharing-enabled and sharing-assisted network technologies. In this way, social media is said to have deeply penetrated into the mechanics of everyday life, affecting people’s interactions, institutional structures and professional routines. This paper offers an inclusive perspective of the “fabric of social media”, which underpins understandings of both social and media. In particular, it highlights the dynamics of empowerment, always-on lifestyle, and professionalization. ––––– Media@LSE Working Paper #27 –––––
Communications & Strategies, 2014
The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more ... more The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more with less, particularly at the local level where government services have the greatest impact on citizens' everyday lives. Thereby the roles of information and communication technologies and citizens are highlighted. This article is designed to yield insights into how local city administrations can facilitate and optimize citizen involvement in the context of the co-production of city services deploying mobile devices. Cities can be seen to open up public data aiming at offering new opportunities for the generation, use and integration of, among others, economic, social and environmental data. They seek to do so via city-hosted toolkits allowing users – which are the most important users of the city's urban environment and generating the most current data and knowledge that may inform and enrich governing practices, such as planning - to develop mobile applications emphasizing lo...
Clouds have considerably changed the design and provisioning of modern ICT applications creating ... more Clouds have considerably changed the design and provisioning of modern ICT applications creating ecosystems of services that ease and simplify the related technical and business processes. However, the above mainly refers to the private sector with the solutions targeting the public sector and cities to be few and also limited in terms of capabilities and acceptance. In this paper we present an innovative solution based on a cloud platform that enables smart cities to realize their digital agendas. Our vision is the development of an “innovation ecosystem” that offers ample opportunities for sustainable, user-driven “intelligent services”, by combining open innovation processes, advanced e-Government service applications and cloud computing technologies to create a truly scalable and flexible pan-European ecosystem for effective, user-driven public service delivery.
This chapter provides the theoretical and conceptual foundations of this book. Theories focusing ... more This chapter provides the theoretical and conceptual foundations of this book. Theories focusing on user participation, user-driven innovation and communities of practice are discussed and applied to modification practices in the setting of commercial digital innovation platforms. The roles of users in knowledge production and development practices using firm-provided toolkits are illuminated, as they aid product and platform development efforts across firm boundaries.
The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more ... more The current era of austerity is placing increasing pressure on governments everywhere to do more with less, particularly at the local level where government services have the greatest impact on citizens' everyday lives. Thereby the roles of information and communication technologies and citizens are highlighted. This article is designed to yield insights into how local city administrations can facilitate and optimize citizen involvement in the context of the co-production of city services deploying mobile devices. Cities can be seen to open up public data aiming at offering new opportunities for the generation, use and integration of, among others, economic, social and environmental data. They seek to do so via city-hosted toolkits allowing users – which are the most important users of the city's urban environment and generating the most current data and knowledge that may inform and enrich governing practices, such as planning - to develop mobile applications emphasizing local deployment. The analytical framework focuses on the role of the (purposefully) city-provided toolkit and the citizens' capacities to engage in the public domain guided by the Living Lab approach. In doing so, the dynamics between the provided tools (and data) addressing the needs of the city and citizens underpinning citizens' everyday life experience in navigating and appropriating the urban space, are drawn out. The empirical results are used as preliminary evidence to yield a more rounded understanding of co-production of e-government information and services leveraged as a core innovative process, currently being played out, in the city of Athens (Greece) and Ghent (Belgium).
2020 16th International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS)
This paper performs an analysis on emergent peerto-peer (p2p) electricity trading markets utilizi... more This paper performs an analysis on emergent peerto-peer (p2p) electricity trading markets utilizing the resourcebased theory based on the sharing economy concept to identify possible opportunities for assets/data sharing amongst existing and emerging market players. First, the study introduces actors in the future electricity market and identifies their objectives. Second, valuable resources of each actor are recognized and categorized under physical and digital groups. Third, interested actors in each resource and benefits they can gain by having access to the resource are discussed. Last, a matrix of sharing opportunities amongst the actors in the electricity market is built and the current state of sharing is compared with the possibilities in the future. This paper provides and serves as a benchmark for implementing the sharing economy concept in future design of electricity markets. It highlights sharing opportunities as a means for circular economy in the electricity market. Implementing the identified sharing opportunities requires more collaborative (open) business models.
Tools and Methods for Value Co-Creation
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology
Fostering Energy Transition in Smart Cities: DLTs for Peer-to-Peer Electricity Trading
ComMODify! User Creativity at the Intersection of Commerce and Community, 2017
London, Easter Day, 2006, was the first day of my Second Life. It was the year that Second Life g... more London, Easter Day, 2006, was the first day of my Second Life. It was the year that Second Life gatecrashed worldwide making news headlines such as Second Life Will Save Copyright (Wired, 20/11/06), Get a (Second) Life (Financial Times, 17/11/06), Talent-Spotting in Virtual World's (BBC News, 21/6/06) and A Virtual World's Real Dollars (BusinessWeek, 28/3/06). 1 The reason it gained so much attention was that Second Life, developed by Linden Lab, was presented as a threedimensional (3D) web-based environment where users, rather than the developer firm, are central to the design and maintenance of the platform. Instead of offering a developer-imposed narrative, Second Life operates as a rather open and extensible platform for development drawing in users who have an interest in participating in practices with others, bringing their competencies as artists, programmers and businessmen into their Second Life experience. Also, the intellectual property rights of these user-made contributions were said to rest in the hands of their respective creators. These features were considered a dramatic departure from what was common in the larger (3D) games and in the digital platform industry. These strategic arrangements seemed to point to a dynamic
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2016
In this paper we present research results from the multi-disciplinary EU research project USEMP (... more In this paper we present research results from the multi-disciplinary EU research project USEMP (USEMP is a project funded from EU research framework, additional information about project scope and deliverables are available at project’s public website at: http://www.usemp-project.eu/). In particular, we look at the legal aspects of personal data licensing and profile transparency, the development of a personal data value model in Online Social Networks (OSNs) and the development of disclosure scoring and personal data value frameworks. In the first part of the paper we show how personal data usage licensing and profile transparency for OSN activities provides for Data Protection by Design (DPbD). We also present an overview of the existing personal data monetization ecosystem in OSNs and its possible evolutions for increasing privacy and transparency for consumers about their OSN presence. In the last part of the paper, we describe the USEMP scoring framework for personal information disclosure and data value that can assist users to better perceive how their privacy is affected by their OSN presence and what the value of their OSN activities is.
Proceedings of the 9TH ACM International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, 2020
Figure 1. First are 2 screenshots of contributed content, which are edited into an aggregated sto... more Figure 1. First are 2 screenshots of contributed content, which are edited into an aggregated story. The middle 3 illustrates the first story and the last 3 illustrate the design changes for the study. Each story was included with a Call to Action.
Clouds have considerably changed the design and provisioning of modern ICT applications creating ... more Clouds have considerably changed the design and provisioning of modern ICT applications creating ecosystems of services that ease and simplify the related technical and business processes. However, the above mainly refers to the private sector with the solutions targeting the public sector and cities to be few and also limited in terms of capabilities and acceptance. In this paper we present an innovative solution based on a cloud platform that enables smart cities to realize their digital agendas. Our vision is the development of an "innovation ecosystem" that offers ample opportunities for sustainable, user-driven "intelligent services", by combining open innovation processes, advanced e-Government service applications and cloud computing technologies to create a truly scalable and flexible pan-European ecosystem for effective, user-driven public service delivery.
Today, as city governments struggle to meet the demands for improvement in public service deliver... more Today, as city governments struggle to meet the demands for improvement in public service delivery and the quality of urban life - while facing ever-diminishing resources – an examination is warranted of how we understand current dynamics between smart city (governance) and citizens in public service delivery. This paper seeks to yield insight into how products and services can be co-created between city and citizens, to benefit both the city and everyday urban life.
The concept of co-creation - associated with a participatory turn in digital development practices reflected in the claimed democratization of digital technologies - may, arguably, offer a solution towards delivering sustainable long-term benefits for public service providers and users. It highlights what has been termed the smart city’ as an opportunity for promoting citizen participation and bottom-up innovation approaches. This is also reflected in the concept of ‘Smart Citizenship’ as defined in the literature, where citizens are co-creators of urban design and technology. The underlying, fundamental shift in relationships between public administrations, citizens and stakeholders is, however, easier said than done. Value co-creation has been applied in marketing as a way to strengthen the relationship between company and customers. Also in the public sector, particularly within the Smart City one, the relevance of value co-creation has become increasingly clear in theory and practice. Less clear is how cities can collaborate with citizens in co-creating services and products. Even public administrations that are keen to apply this approach often struggle in identifying the best way to approach it in a sustainable fashion. This is due to changes in practices that are required to integrate the complex co-creation process in organizational design, as well as diffuse understandings of co-creation as a means.
This paper realizes and addresses the evident need for a systematic framework that supports Smart Cities and their administrations in understanding how to develop and implement co-creation to ultimately become more participatory. It aims to support cities in applying a clear- cut user-driven approach to co-creation. This paper is therefore designed to enhance our understanding and offer a systematic approach by deploying the results of several case studies, for which a co-creation methodology for Smart Cities has been defined and tried. By drawing upon European projects the reasoning behind the methodology and its implementation can be illustrated. The methodology rests on three pillars; first, it guides the reader through the overall co-creation process including problem analysis via stakeholder identification to evaluation; second, it helps to identify specific and appropriate means to achieve the set objectives, i.e. co- creation methods and tools to implement; third, it provides guidelines to put them into action. In addition to the presentation of the methodology, the paper discusses feedback from users, how the guidance and structure it provides helps to co-create services and products, to demonstrate the value and feasibility of co-creation, and to promote and strengthen the participatory Smart City.
The Politics of Design, Participation and Schizophrenia Treatment; here comes the revolution?
This paper is about intermediary bias in the current platform-based media marketplace, thereby of... more This paper is about intermediary bias in the current platform-based media marketplace, thereby offering an original empirical investigation of advertising-driven platform ecosystems in particular. Increasingly digital platform organizations like Amazon, Facebook and Google operate as market makers in the digital media value chain, sitting at the very core of a complex media ecology (squeezed between more traditional media companies, audiences, and advertisers). Platforms benefit from substantial economies of scale and scope of operation, facilitating the exploitation of huge volumes of information assets. This position of privilege and power draws attention to how they deploy strategies in ways that seek to control and ultimately monopolize market segments.
In the emergent way this industry of ‘multi-layered platformization’ is developing, it is essential to have a clear understanding of how all actors that interface with platforms are affected by platforms’ intermediary strategies. Thus, where until recently the boundaries of and among markets were considered clear and the level of concentration measurable, the structural features of ‘platformized’ markets seem perpetually in flux in ways not captured or agreed upon in existing (techno-economic) theoretical models.
By ‘revitalizing’ the political economy of new media, this paper contributes a more holistic account laying bare complex webs of vertical and horizontal linkages conditioning today’s platforms. Our analysis concentrates on digital advertising ecologies as they are rapidly becoming the most advanced and influential (intermediary) marketplace for information assets like personal data. A value network mapping analysis is conducted drawing out two stories of a Web and app advertising ecosystem. The findings yield insights into structural and processual multi-layered designs and articulations of value shaping the current digital advertising landscape: offering insights into a.o. knowledge asymmetries as well as new points of control in multi-layered ecosystems.
References
1. Callaway, A. (2016, January 1). Apploitation in a city of instaserfs. Retrieved February 2, 2016, from https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/apploitation-city-instaserfs
2. Helmond, A., Nieborg, D. B., & van der Vlist, F. N. (2017). The Political Economy of Social Data (pp. 1–5). Presented at the The 8th International Social Media & Society Conference, Toronto, CA: ACM Press. http://doi.org/10.1145/3097286.3097324
3. Schudson, M. (2015). The Rise of the Right to Know: Politics and the Culture of Transparency, 1945-1975. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
4. Srnicek, N. (2016). Platform Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.
5. Turow, J. (2011). The daily you: How the new advertising industry is defining your identity and your worth. New Haven, CT.: Yale University Press.
The use of digital healthcare to complement, aid, or replace traditional healthcare has been deba... more The use of digital healthcare to complement, aid, or replace traditional healthcare has been debated as having the potential to empower patients to take responsibility in managing their conditions, streamline workloads of healthcare professionals, and be cost-effective. Despite this, the implementation of digital health solutions have been problematic. With more people living longer than ever before and chronic disease on the rise, healthcare systems are being pushed to their limits. Society's focus has to shift from disease prevention alone toward promoting healthy lifestyles in which citizens have more control over their individual health — in which they are empowered. Digital technologies such as mobile devices, are widely expected to play a key role in this by giving people greater access to their personal health information and equipping them with tools and insights to better manage their lifestyles. Yet to truly enable this, some fundamental questions have to be answered; questions related to technological standardization and integration, for instance – but also related to integrating these new concepts into the overall health system. And how about winning clinicians' favor and getting (and keeping) patients on board by focusing on liability and privacy, usability and persuasive technologies? And finally, how to make sure citizen health empowerment solutions will generate revenues for the companies bringing these solutions to the market? This paper aims to add to the debate from a perspective that considers socioeconomic and technological discourses conditioning multiple stakeholder engagement in an integrative m-health solution for treatment-resistant schizophrenia according to user' needs. The paper will draw on ideas of participation and co-design in popular (digital) culture, thereby highlighting the potential and challenges of this dynamic as choice and commodity. Secondly, I will draw on debates about 'capitalist' processes to understand a seeming push to a so-called 'upgrade culture' of ICT. Against these debates, I will empirically assess the role of co-design vis-à-vis citizen health empowerment in designing a schizophrenia mobile solution.
This chapter will give particular attention to the intersection of the notions of drama and agein... more This chapter will give particular attention to the intersection of the notions of drama and ageing in the context of online fandom by examining networked fan practices that center on the actor Keanu Reeves. The results of documented interpersonal exchanges that could be retrieved on (archived) forums and mailing lists, and so forth are used as evidence. The findings yield insight into how drama and the work it does in adult lives is age-related, and a mechanism to maneuver one's own life course and the role of fandom in it. It demonstrates that notions of ageing in these 'drama' instances seem to defend one's position in the community hierarchy rather than being used for self-reflection in one's fandom over time.
Co-Creation in Cities: A Set of Testimonials
Co-creation and Smart Cities: Looking Beyond Technology
Designing for Mod Development
The introduction identifies and describes the key issues, topics and challenges of the ‘participa... more The introduction identifies and describes the key issues, topics and challenges of the ‘participatory turn’ associated with the claimed democratization of the Internet. It assesses online interactions, work or play, for profit or not, that are largely happening on corporate platforms. Several key concepts and models, such as ‘convergence culture’ and ‘culture of connectivity’, are applied to capture the dynamics and logic of user participation on such platforms, uncovering common assumptions rooted in implied conjectures about technology and creativity, producers and users, commerce and community. The main goal is to raise critical awareness about claims made and mechanisms at work. The chapter sets the stage for discussing user participation in the games/3D-software industry and implications with regard to the transformative potential of mod communities.
Commodify! And Beyond
This chapter summarizes the key insights and arguments and draws out the wider implications for t... more This chapter summarizes the key insights and arguments and draws out the wider implications for the study of the production of complex digital platforms across firm boundaries. The chapter also offers an outlook on what to focus on next by concentrating on the issue of public value. Particular attention is given to the role and responsibilities of the government and those of platform providers.
ch 8 in ComMODify: User Creativity at the Intersection of Commerce and Community, 2017
This book critically analyses user-firm technology relationships and socioeconomic structures at ... more This book critically analyses user-firm technology relationships and socioeconomic structures at the crossroads of community and commerce. It investigates businesses that let users participate in platform development on the internet.