Globalisation, Inclusion and the Web in the Context of COVID

The Web has enabled a globally connected network of individuals and communities, but divides still exist and emerge in various online environments. Fostering an inclusive and just online environment is a persistent challenge: Web technologies can hinder or promote equity, and can exacerbate intersectional disadvantages. In recent years, this challenge has been amplified by the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence and the automation of Web-based tasks as well as ongoing divides in Web access, use, and skill.

The theme for WebSci 2021, Globalisation, Inclusion and the Web in the Context of COVID, calls attention to these challenges, particularly in light of the ongoing global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Web Science is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding the complex and multiple impacts of the Web on society, and vice versa. As such, the field of Web Science is particularly well situated to address these pressing issues.

This year’s theme seeks to call attention to core issues facing the field, but as always we welcome a broad array of submissions relevant to Web Science.

Many of the sessions from this year’s conference are reviewed in our blog.