Goldsmiths - University of London

Metadata rules the web. Are we witnessing the birth of a new regime of attention? What are its chances, constraints and power relations? Is metadata only ordering and describing data, or is it productive itself? Does it provide us with new forms of presence and emergence? This academic research project addresses such questions: On the one hand via theories that come out of cultural studies, media theory and philosophy; on the other hand through ethnographic research, interviews and experimental software.

Our main empirical focus in 2008 was on the Japanese video sharing community Nico Nico Douga. In 2009 we conducted similar research on a Chinese video platform. In London we looked at several research networks in 2008 and 2009, which created and implemented metadata 'ontologies'. Our ethnographic approach was combined with more experimental forms of research: We uploaded video files to video platforms and harvested the metadata afterwards. We also built an application for online video editing, including a system of metadata management.

See 'outputs' for more info about the project and the ongoing Nico Nico Douga case study. Or have a look at our research blog.