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Mikayla Novak: Communication within a framework of entangled innovation: The case of hydrogendecarbonization online discourses

There has been growing interest in the potential for hydrogen development as an innovative pathway to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. This interest is reflected by the involvement of a multiplicity of actors from commercial, policy, and research communities within the nascent hydrogen innovation space. I introduce a concept of “entangled innovation” which describes how an array of participants in the innovation process forge significant, if not enduring, connections with one another when promulgating technological change. Within this, it is supposed that online communication represents one of many dimensions of network connectivity between innovation parties and stakeholders, but nonetheless one which has been assuming importance in contemporary societies. The entangled innovation conceptual framework sets the scene for the prosecution of an empirical strategy of identifying the network character of hydrogen discussions on the Twitter social media platform. Network analysis of hydrogen-related discussions surrounding 200 key Australian advocacy, commercial, political, and scientific actors reveals a clustered topology of Twitter interactions on hydrogen topics, and with a high degree of entanglement between different categories of conversing actors. Semantic network analysis identified frames relating to issues such as economic development, environmental sustainability of hydrogen decarbonization, and perceived risks associated with this innovation. Sentiment analysis of discussions in the network are also examined, revealing emotional polarities in respect to discussions conveyed about hydrogen innovation potentials. This paper illustrates the significance of online technology in structuring communication networks on innovation, in turn deepening our understanding of entangled political economies featuring multilayered interactions.

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February 21

Erwin Dekker: Subjective Minds and Entangled Agents: Two Types of Individualism

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April 18

Cameron Harwick: Money’s Mutation of the Modern Moral Mind: The Simmel Hypothesis and the Cultural Evolution of WEIRDness