Programme full

Friday 17 April 2015 09:00 - 10:30
ROUNDTABLE SESSIONS
and cognition of the student through algorithmic logics of quantification and predictivity—of 'building a world out there
into a world in here, in the algorithmic machine' (Neyland 2014). As these data and 'organizing algorithms' (Neyland
2014) flow through educational environments, remembering and anticipating what students do, they act to reshape
students' possibilities for action, sheathing them in an algorithmic skin, a digital membrane that can order, pattern and
coordinate their movements, actions and subjectivities.
How Modernisation and Transparency Discourses Shape E-democracy in the UK
Houston, M.
(University of Southampton)
Much has been written about how digital technologies can potentially transform the democratic system, but there has
been little insider exploration of civil servants' conceptualisations of public participation, or how this relates to social
constructions of technology and its enactment within organisational systems. The paper assesses how dominant
discourses on modernisation and transparency are shaping understanding and practices in e-democracy. Civil
servants are situated within organisations, they use discursive mechanisms to navigate and manage organisational
processes, relationships and political agendas. I draw upon interview and participant observation data, to examine
how civil servants make sense of multiple, sometimes conflicting statements in developing social systems of meaning,
producing effects that are both contingent and mediated. The empirical data explores how civil servants define what is
legitimate and how they contest, adapt or modify positions. In doing so, they contribute to the maintenance or
transformation of power relations in particular contexts. I conclude by arguing that uncovering the internal discourses
and the practices that result from them, allows for a more critical analysis of the concept of e-democracy and its
relationship to other forms of democratic participation.
Playing the Game: Habitus, Capitals and the Role of Online Support and Information in Caring Practices
Hope, J.
(University of Surrey)
To date few studies have used sociological theory to explore how the use of online support is embedded in wider
social practices, tending instead to focus upon interactions on single sites. This research used Bourdieu's theory of
practice to investigate the role of online support and information in the wider caring practices of parents of people with
a rare syndrome associated with profound disability and serious health problems. A mixed mode (digital and offline)
and mixed method design (quantitative survey [n=190] and in-depth qualitative interviews [n=19]) was used to explore
the use of online support and information in the caring practices of a case study group of parents of people with Rett
syndrome. Survey results suggested greater use of the Internet and online support among wealthier, younger and
more educated groups, particularly the use of blogs and Twitter. In interviews the use of online and offline sources of
support and information varied both over time and between cohorts. This was related to the availability of alternative
sources of social capital and cultural capital sought and held at different times. Online support sources were used
differentially to fit with wider habitus (e.g. manners, propensity to share emotional or personal information online,
attitude to peer-professional relationships). The overall use of online and offline support sources was related to
'playing the game' within wider research, social, educational and medical fields. This research demonstrates the
importance of exploring the use of online support and information within wider practices, capitals and fields of interest.
Social Divisions/Social Identities 1
ROUNDTABLE 22, CONFERENCE HALL, HAMISH WOOD BUILDING
Theorising the Structure of Institutions: From a Sociological Stance
Halsall, J., Powell, J. L.
(University of Huddersfield)
Institutions are at the centre of theoretical discussions on sociology. Over recent years there has been much media
interest regarding Britain's institutions. The focus of this media interest has revolved around a number of recent
institutional failings, most notably that of Rotherham and Rochdale's child abuse scandals and that of the public
figures Jimmy Saville and Cyril Smith. At the centre of these cases has been the debate on the knowledge of corrupt
activities within the framework of certain institutions and why the authorities repeatedly failed a number of individuals
in society.
BSA Annual Conference 2015 248
Glasgow Caledonian University