Research

Carolin Gerlitz, MA (UdK Berlin) MA PhD (Goldsmiths) is an Assistant Professor in New Media & Digital Culture and Program Director of the MA New Media & Digital Culture. Her research explores the various intersections between new media, methods and economic sociology, with a specific interest web economies, platform and software studies, brands, value, topology, measurement, numeracy, social media, digital (social) methods and issue mapping online. Together with Bernhard Rieder, she coordinates the 'Media of Calculation' research group.

She holds a 4 year NWO Veni grant for her project 'Numbering Life. Measures and Metrics in Digital Media'. The project investigates the effects of the growing quantification of social and cultural life in social media platforms into counts of friends or Likes, rankings of popularity or algorithmic metrics. It claims such digital numbers not only measure but transform social life and allow third-parties to make social media activities economically valuable.

Since 2009, Carolin Gerlitz has been an associate member of the Digital Methods Initiative, University of Amsterdam, investigating digital culture from a medium-specific perspective. 

Until 2012, Carolin was working as post-doctoral researcher for the ESCR Digital Social Research project Issue Mapping Online coordinated by Noortje Marres. The project aimed to identify, explicate and elaborate tactics for issue mapping.  As visiting lecturer, she also taught on the MA Digital Sociology and the MA Brands, Communication and Culture. Carolin completed her PhD supervised by Celia Lury and Angela McRobbie in Sociology at Goldsmiths. Her dissertation entitled "Brands and Continuous Economies" poses an interdisciplinary study of brands as reworking the boundaries between economic and social dynamics.          

Interests

• Digital Culture & Digital Methods  
• Social Media  
• Economic Sociology  
• Issue Mapping Online  
• Topology  
• Numeracy & Evaluation  
• Digital Sociology 
• Brands and Marketing
• Value and Evaluation

Short Bio

• 09/2009-09/2013 Visiting Lecturer in Sociology, Goldsmiths 
• 01-12/2012 Post-Doctoral Researcher Issue Mapping Online, Goldsmiths 
• 09/2008-09/2012 PhD in Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London 
• 09/2007-09/2008 MA Gender, Media & Culture, Goldsmiths 
• 10/2002 - 07/2007 MA Social Science & Business Communication (Dipl. Kommunikationswirtin), The Berlin University of the Arts

Teaching at the UvA

• New Media Research Practices (MA) 
• BA ozwg Studying Social Media (BA)
• Ba ozwg Software Studies, Platform Studies & Digital Methods (BA) 
• Like, Share, Tweet: Social Media and Web Economies (BA)
• The Value of the Social (MA)
• Digitale Methoden voor Nieuwe Media (BA)

Awards

• 2014 NWO Veni grant: 4 year research project 'Numbering Life. Measures and Metrics in Digital Media'
• 2012 working on an ESRC Digital Social Research Programm grant on the Co-word Machine, Goldsmiths and University of Amsterdam.
• 2012 working on an ESRC Digital Social Research Programm Demonstrator Grant on Issue Mapping Online with Noortje Marres, Goldsmiths.
• 2010  FfWG Foundation Grant          
• 2009  DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) one year PhD scholarship      
• 2009  ATACD Academic Residency Grant for visiting the Digital Methods Initiative, Amsterdam    
• 2009  Central Research Fund: travelling grant   
• 2008 Whitehead Scholarship, Centre for the Study of Invention and Social Process, Goldsmiths    
• 2008  FAZIT doctoral scholarship, Fazit-Stiftung Germany   
• 2008  FAZIT travelling grant, Fazit-Stitftung Germany    
• 2008  Scholarship for Seminar in Experimental Critical Theory (SECT) 'Creative Societies/Cultural Industries/New Humanities?', University of California, Irvine   
• 2007  DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) Postgraduate Grant

Publications

• (forthcoming) Marres, N. and Gerlitz, C. Interface Methods. Renegotiating relations between digital research, STS and Sociology https://www.academia.edu/7190087/Interface_Methods_Renegotiating_relations_between_digital_research_STS_and_Sociology
• (2014) Gerlitz, C. and Rieder B. "Data–Mining von einem Prozent Twitter – Sammlungen, Basislinien, Stichproben. In: Reichert, Ramon. Big Data Reader. Bielefeld: transcript Verlag. p 203-220.
• (2014) Paßmann, J. and Gerlitz. C. ‚Good‘ platform-political reasons for ‚bad‘ platform-data. Zur sozio-technischen Geschichte der Plattform¬aktivitä-ten Fav, Retweet und Like. Media Kontrolle. http://www.medialekontrolle.de/beitrage/good-platform-political-reasons-for-bad-platform-data-zur-sozio-technischen-geschichte-der-plattformaktivitaeten/
• (2014) Weltevrede, E., Helmond, A. and Gerlitz, C. The Politics of Real-time: A Device Perspective on Social Media Platforms and Search Engines. Theory, Culture & Society. http://tcs.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/06/20/0263276414537318.abstract

• (2014) Gerlitz, C. and Lury, C. Social Media and Self-Evaluating Assemblages: On Numbers, Orderings and Values. Distinktion. Special Issue on ‘Number Ecologies: Numbers and Numbering Practices’ http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/1600910X.2014.920267

• (2013) Gerlitz, C. and Rieder, B. One Percent of Twitter. M/C Journal special issue on ‘Mining’ http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/620

• (2013) Gerlitz, C. and Helmond, A. The Like economy – Social buttons and the data-intensive web. New Media & Society. Online first at: http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/02/03/1461444812472322.

• (2011) Gerlitz, C. Die Like Economy. Digitaler Raum, Daten und Wertschöpfung. In: Leistert and Röhle (eds.), Generation Facebook. Über das Leben im Social Net, Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. (Book chapter)

• (2011) Gerlitz, C. and Helmond, A. Hit, Link, Like and Share. Organizing the social and the fabric of the web in a Like economy. Conference proceedings Digital Methods Initiative Winter Conference, 24-25 January 2011.

• (2004) Kemmler, S., Gerlitz, C., Ballentin, J. and Emrich, S. (eds.) Die Depression der Werbung. Berlin: Business Village Verlag. (Edited Collection) 

Presentations

(2014) "Tweets are Not Created Equal. Intersecting Devices in the 1% Sample" Presentation with Bernhard Rieder at IR15, Association of Internet Researchers, Daegu, South Korea, 22-24 Oct 2014.

(2014)  "Techniques of intersection - The mediation of metrics in digital research" EASST Conference, Torun, Poland, 17-19 2014.

(2014) "Pace Online: A Device Perspective on the Making of Realtime" Presentation with Esther Weltevrede and Anne Helmond at the Social Media and the Transformation of Public Space Conference, Amsterdam, 16-18. June 2014.

(2014) “Measures, Metrics and Data in Digital Research Methods” Public talk and workshop at the Data and Networks Annual Meeting, Leuphana University Lüneburg, 12-14 June. 

(2014) “Detecting the Socials” Public talk at the 10 year anniversary of CSISP, Centre for the Study if Invention and Social Process, Goldsmiths, London, 28-29 May. 

(2014) “Interface Methods” Paper presentation at the Digital Methods Winter conference, 14 Jan.(2014) “Interface Methods” Paper presentation at the Digital Methods Winter conference, 14 Jan.

(2013) “Facebook as Multivalence Machine: The Continuity of Affect, Data, and Economic Value” International Communication Association (ICA) conference in London as part of the panel on ‘The Social, Economic, and Affective Materialities of Facebook’, 19 Jun.

(2013) “Standardised Gifts” Locative Media Colloquium, University of Siegen, with Johannes Paßmann (Siegen), 29 Jan.

(2013) “Accounting Gifts & Fiat Gifts” Digital Methods Winter School 2013, University of Amsterdam, with Johannes Paßmann, 22 Jan.

(2013) “Pace Online” Digital Methods Winter School 2013, University of Amsterdam, with Anne Helmond (UvA) and Esther Weltevrede (UvA), 22 Jan. 

(2012) "Mapping Issuew with Twitter? Plotting lifelines, detecting partisanship" Presentation at the Tactics for Issue Mapping workshop, Goldsmiths. Joint presentation with Noortje Marres, 26 Oct.

(2012) "Issue Mapping Inside Out"  Conference presentation. The Co-Production of Knowledge: Social Media, STS and More, York. Joint presentation with Noortje Marres, 18 July. 

(2012) "Studying social media with Digital Research Methods" Guest lecture and workshop session for MA Creating Social Media, Goldsmiths, 26 March.

(2012) "Self-evaluating media. Acting on Data" Conference presentation. Evaluation in the Media conference, Paris, 15 March.

(2012) "Re-working the fabric of the web" Conference presentation. Unlike Us Conference, Institute for Network Cultures, Amsterdam. Joint presentation with Anne Helmond, University of Amsterdam, 08 March.

(2012) "Self-evaluating media. Acting on Data" Conference presentation. The new numeracy: A workshop on numbers and numbering practices, Goldsmiths. Joint presentation with Celia Lury, Warwick, 17 Feb.

(2012) "Social media and self-evaluation: Acting on data" Conference presentation. Digital Methods Initiative Winter Conference 2012, Amsterdam, 25 Jan.

(2011) "Chunks of Time. Responding to Real-timeness" Conference presentation. Real-Time Research Conference, Goldsmiths, University of London, 3 Dec.

(2011) "Studying social media from a medium specific perspective: The Like economy" Conference presentation. Digital Ethnography Weekend organised by the University of Milan and Copenhagen Business School, Amalfi Coast, Italy, 17 Sep.

(2011) "Introduction to Digital Research Methods" Workshop at Digital Ethnography Weekend, Amalfi Coast, Italy, 19 Sep.

(2011) "Facebook Data" Joint workshop with Lonneke von der Velden at Digital Methods Summer School 2011, Amsterdam, 28 Jun.

(2011) "The Like economy. Social web in transition" Conference presentation. MiT7 Unstable Platforms, Massachusetts Institute for Technology, Cambridge, US. Jointpresentation with Anne Helmond, 14 May.

(2011) "The Like economy. Organising data and the social" Conference presentation. Platform Politics conference, Cambridge, UK. Joint presentation with Anne Helmond, 12 May.

(2011) "Hit, link, like and share" Conference Presentation. Digital Methods Winter Conference 2010, Amsterdam. Joint presentation with Anne Helmond, 24 Jan.

(2010) "Tracing and mapping consumer/brand interaction across online spaces" Conference presentation. Digital Methods Winter Conference 2010, Amsterdam, 21 Jan.

(2009) "Tracing and mapping the affective topologies of brands" Conference presentation. Changing Cultures - Cultures of Change, ATACD network (A Topological Approach to Cultural Dynamics), Barcelona, 12 Dec.

(2009) "Made by many. A topological approach to the evaluation of brands" Conference presentation.  Evaluation Practices in Art Worlds at WZB (Social Science Research Centre), Berlin, 27 Nov.

(2009) "The productivity of the brand" Conference presentation. Goldsmiths Spring Review Week, Goldsmiths, London, 14 April.

(2009) "The productivity of the brand" Conference presentation. Economic Sociology Conference, Goldsmiths, London, 18 Jan. 

Workshops and Guest Lectures

(2013) “Software-based Data Collection” Lecture and workshop at the Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, 29-31 May.

(2012) “Issue Mapping as Participatory Method II” Workshop as part of the Issue Mapping Online event, Goldsmiths. Joint organisation and facilitation with Noortje Marres, 27 October.

(2012) “Tracking the Trackers” Joint workshop with Anne Helmond at the Digital Methods Summer School 2012, Amsterdam, 26 June.

(2012) “The Co-Word Machine” Tool development workshop at Goldsmiths, jointly organised by the Centre for the Study of Invention and Social Process and Digital Methods Initiative, Amsterdam. May 23-25.

(2012) “Issue Mapping as Participatory Method” Workshop as part of the Issue Mapping Online event, Goldsmiths. Joint organisation and facilitation with Noortje Marres, 22 May.

(2012) “Digital Methods and Medium-Specific Research” Guest lecture and workshop for MA Creating Social Media, Goldsmiths, 26 March.

(2011) “Introduction to Digital Research Methods” Workshop at Digital Ethnography Weekend, Amalfi Coast, Italy, 19 September.

(2011) “Studying Social Media from a Medium Specific Perspective: The Like Economy”. Digital Ethnography Weekend organised by the University of Milan and Copenhagen Business School, Amalfi Coast, Italy, 17 September. 

(2011) “Facebook Data” Joint workshop with Lonneke von der Velden (UvA) at the Digital Methods Summer School 2011, Amsterdam, 28 June.

(2009 & 2010) “Sex Sells? Researching Sexuality in Promotional Culture” Regular guest lectures and seminars on at BA module on Sexualities, Goldsmiths.

(2008) Visiting Scholar at the Seminar in Experimental Critical Theory (SECT) Creative Societies/Cultural Industries/New Humanities? at the University of California, Irvine. 

The project “Numbering Life. Metrics and Measures in Digital Media” responds to the growing quantification of social and cultural life in digital culture. It explores the making, circulation and evaluation of numbers in social media platforms, such as Like, friend or share counts, numbers of interactions, algorithmic influence ranks or popularity metrics. In the context of contemporary audit cultures platforms constantly transform user activities into different numerical forms which allow users to evaluate themselves or be evaluated and valorised by third-party organisations and researchers. The distinctive claim put forward by this project is to approach these numbers not as representative, external descriptors, but as fabricated enumerated entities, which inform what they seek to measure and come with an (after)life. It addresses numbers as part of wider number ecologies and shows how third-party platforms, commercial and academic research de- and recontextualise these numbers, making users accountable for their social media activities alongside multiple value axis. Attending to the role of users, platforms and third-parties involved, the project investigates how numbers in digital media allow to create specific relations between social and economic value. Methodologically, the project draws on software analysis, digital methods and business ethnography to conduct six empirical case studies on the history and making of numbers, the multiplicity of meaning of numbered activities, the use of numbers for reputation and risk assessment in reputation algorithms, the numbering practices of wearable devices for self-quantification and the use of platform metrics in commercial and academic research to study mediated social life. The project offers the first conceptual and methodological framework for the study of numbers in digital media and brings together emergent debates in number theory, software and platform studies, as well as digital humanities, offering an inventive contribution to public debates on number/data driven life. 

Project duration: Feb 2015 - Jan 2019

NWO announcement: http://www.nwo.nl/en/research-and-results/programmes/Talent+Scheme/awards/veni+awards/veni+awards+2014#hum 

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