Skip to main content ITU
ITU
  • Dk
  • Vacancies
  • Press
  • ITU Alumni
  • News
  • Events
  • Contact
  • About ITU
  • Dansk
  • About ITU
x
  • Programmes
    • BSc Programmes
      • BSc in Global Business Informatics
      • BSc in Digital Design and Interactive Technologies
      • BSc in Software Development
      • BSc in Data Science
      • Applying for a BSc Programme
      MSc Programmes
      • MSc in Data Science
      • MSc in Digital Innovation & Management
      • MSc in Digital Design and Interactive Technologies
      • MSc in Computer Science
      • MSc in Software Design
      • MSc in Games
      • Applying for an MSc Programme
      Student Life
      • Meet some of our international students
      • Women in tech
      • Student Organisations at ITU
      • Labs for students
      • Practical Information for International Students
      • Study Start
      • Study and Career Guidance
      Guest Students
      • Who can be a Guest Student
      • ITU Summer University
      • Exchange Student
        • Become an exchange student at ITU
  • Professional Education
    • Master in IT
      • Master in IT Management
      Single Subjects
      • About single subjects
      Contact
      • Contact us here
  • Research
    • Departments
      • Business IT Department
      • Computer Science Department
      • Digital Design Department
      • Research Groups and Labs
        • Research Groups
        • Labs
      Research Centres
      • Centre for Computer Games Research
      • Center for Computing Education Research
      • Centre for Digital Welfare
      • Centre for Information Security and Trust
      • European Blockchain Centre
      • Research Centre for Government IT
      • Research Ethics and Integrity
        • Good Scientific Practice
      Selected Research Themes
      • Artificial intelligence
      • Big Data
      • Computer games
      • Blockchain
      • Digitalization
      • IT security
      • Find a Researcher
        • Faculty Search
      PhD Programme
      • About the PhD Programme
      • Available PhD Positions
      • PhD Courses
      • PhD Defences
      • Technical Reports
        • Technical Reports
  • Collaboration
    • Collaboration with students
      • Project collaboration
      • Student worker
      • Project market
      • ITU job and project bank
      • Portraits of ITU graduates
      Employer Branding
      • IT Match Making
      • Hiring an ITU student or graduate
      • Make a post in the job bank
      Research collaboration
      • Industrial PhD
      Innovation and entrepreneurship
      • ITU Business Development
      • Startup stories
  • Programmes
    • Homepage: Programmes
    • BSc Programmes
    • MSc Programmes
    • PhD Programme
    • Student Life
    • Guest Students
    • Exchange students
  • Professional Education
    • Homepage: Professional Education
    • Master in IT
    • Single subjects
    • Contact
  • Research
    • Homepage: Research
    • Research Departments
    • Research Ethics and Integrity
    • Good Scientific Practice
    • Research Groups and Centers
    • Labs
    • Technical Reports
    • PhD Programme
    • Center for Digital Welfare
  • Collaboration
    • Homepage: Collaboration
    • Employer Branding
    • Collaboration with students
    • Research collaboration
    • Industrial PhD
    • Employer Branding
    • Innovation and entrepreneurship
  • Shortcuts
    • Vacancies
    • Press
    • ITU Alumni
    • News
    • Events
    • Contact
    • About ITU
  • Dansk
New ITU professor: "We should be careful not to get dumber as technology gets smarter"
ITU  /  Press  /  News from ITU  /  New ITU professor: "We should be careful not to get dumber as technology gets smarter"

New ITU professor: "We should be careful not to get dumber as technology gets smarter"

Brit Ross Winthereik has been appointed Professor of Science & Technology Studies at the IT University of Copenhagen from January 1, 2018. In her research, she investigates how we build and use IT infrastructures – and she warns against letting the technologies and platforms we have already built limit our imaginations.

Business IT DepartmentResearchBrit Ross Winthereikdigitizatione-governmentbig data

Written January 10, 2018 8:46 AM by Vibeke Arildsen

Since the late 1990s, Brit Ross Winthereik has been researching human interactions with IT and the role of technology in society. The red thread in her research career is a focus on how people organize and share information. In particular, she is interested in the efforts and compromises required in order to make IT infrastructure work in practice.

Inaugural lecture

Brit Ross Winthereik gives her inaugural professorial lecture ‘Seeing through infrastructure: Ethnographies of health IT, development aid, energy, and data’  on Friday, March 23, 2018 from 2-3pm. Read more.

Much has changed in the world of technology since she conducted field studies in gaming cafes in Nørrebro in 1999.

"When I began studying IT, the fact that children in gaming cafes were playing on network computers was quite advanced. Later, I researched the use of IT among GPs and saw how IT systems affected doctors’ work routines. At that time, there were many discussions about how doctors could share more information more effectively for the benefit of patients. The IT systems were no longer to be stand-alone systems, but connected in networks, and this was complex and very political," says Brit Ross Winthereik.

Setting the imagination free

Today, IT is a natural part of both our work and private lives, and technology's almost seamless integration into everyday life makes it harder and harder to see how it affects us, says Winthereik.

»

IT really has become infrastructure in the sense that has become a natural part of our work and everyday lives. Today we see the world through the infrastructures we have built.

«
"IT really has become infrastructure in the sense that has become a natural part of our work and everyday lives. Today we see the world through the infrastructures we have built. Therefore, we must be careful not to let our thinking become limited by what we already know," she says.

A current example of how IT can create limitations, according to Winthereik, is the hype that big data can revolutionize both businesses and public organizations in a short period of time.

"Public authorities and companies in Denmark are working hard to investigate opportunities with data, and while this is excellent, visions need to be longer-sighted than simply optimizing production, finding new markets or making services cheaper. There is a challenge for companies and authorities in setting the imagination free and thinking both about the data and platforms that already exist and beyond that," she says.

IT needs humanistic methods

Humanistic methods such as ethnography can help here, with interpretative and narrative aspects that add context to data, open up the imagination and awaken our critical sense, Winthereik believes.

According to her, IT is an area of ​​research and application that needs social scientists and humanists, as they are trained to question the consequences of, among other things, design and implementation of technologies.

»

If we do not keep questioning technology, we risk losing our critical sense.

«
"If we do not keep questioning technology, we risk losing our critical sense. IT is the epitome of change and is strongly oriented towards the future. We need to ensure that we do not lose our common sense and inventiveness and become dumber as technology gets smarter," she says.

The state has a responsibility

Brit Ross Winthereik currently leads the VELUX-supported research project Data as Relation: Governance in the age of Big Data, which deals with digitization and big data use in the public sector. In this project, 13 researchers are exploring different aspects of how digitization and new ways of using data are changing government institutions from within.

She believes that the public sector has a special responsibility for ensuring a responsible development of digitization.

»

Government institutions must remember to take good care of citizens’ data instead of striving towards doing the same as big tech companies.

«
"Government institutions must remember to take good care of citizens’ data instead of striving towards doing the same as big tech companies. Just as we citizens are responsible for the data we share with others, the state has a responsibility for the process of digitization and data use. When public authorities in Denmark uses our data, we may shrug and think that it does not matter. But it does matter. IT is much more than hardware and software. It is the social, political and physical infrastructure for our work, life and activities. We should never shrug and say that the technological culture we are creating does not matter,” concludes Winthereik.
Bio

Brit Ross Winthereik is PhD in Science & Technology Studies from Erasmus University in Rotterdam. She has worked at the University of Copenhagen, DTU and CBS before joining the IT University of Copenhagen as an Associate Professor in 2008. She has been visiting researcher at the University of Melbourne and the University of California Davis.

At ITU, she is coordinator of the research group Technologies in Practice. She is leading the VELUX-supported research project Data as Relation on data as a tool for public governance (with Associate Professor Christopher Gad). She has previously led the project Marine Renewable Energy as Alien: Social Studies of an Emerging Industry, supported by the Danish Council for Independent Research.

She is co-founder of the Danish Association for Science and Technology Studies and initiator behind ETHOS Lab at ITU, where students and researchers experiment with data visualization and analysis.

Further information

Brit Ross Winthereik, Professor, phone +45 7218 5326, email brwi@itu.dk

Vibeke Arildsen, Press Officer, phone 2555 0447, email viar@itu.dk

News

New report: Cybersecurity is underprioritized in Danish companies

New report: Cybersecurity is underprioritized in Danish companies

January 12, 2021

Danish companies consider cybersecurity important, but at the same time underprioritize it, shows a new report by researchers at the IT University of Copenhagen and University of Southern Denmark. Part of the explanation is that senior managers have little knowledge about the cybersecurity threats, say the researchers behind the report.

ITU's "Blockchain Professor" gets international top rankings

ITU's "Blockchain Professor" gets international top rankings

December 22, 2020

According to two international rankings, Professor Roman Beck is among the most important researchers in his field.

Notification of security breach

Notification of security breach

December 16, 2020

A file containing personal information about censors and a number of employees has been accessible on one of ITU's internal network drives. The security breach has been reported to the Danish Data Protection Agency, and the persons affected have been notified.

Study: Female researchers rival men in productivity – but have shorter careers

Study: Female researchers rival men in productivity – but have shorter careers

November 30, 2020

A comprehensive study of the careers of 1.5 million researchers shows that women and men on average produce the same number of scientific articles annually, but that women tend to leave their research careers earlier. According to ITU researcher Roberta Sinatra, co-author of the study, the study should inspire decision-makers to take a closer look at the reasons why women leave academia.

The IT University plays a vital role in the newly established National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies

The IT University plays a vital role in the newly established National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies

November 26, 2020

The Innovation Fund Denmark has granted DKK 100 million for the establishment of a national research centre in digital technologies, led by a consortium of seven Danish universities and the Alexandra Institute.

An insightful coffee break: ITU launches a line of talks on digital transformation

An insightful coffee break: ITU launches a line of talks on digital transformation

November 12, 2020

In a new series of live streamed talks, the IT University will present new perspectives on IT to professionals working with digitalisation and transformation. Under the headline ITU ESPRESSO, the series will go off as a line of concentrated coffee breaks. These talks will keep you abreast and expand your knowledge of what is on the future-facing agenda of digitalisation.

ITU launches action plan for gender diversity among employees

ITU launches action plan for gender diversity among employees

November 12, 2020

With a new action plan, the IT University of Copenhagen will work systematically and strategically to promote gender diversity by ensuring equal opportunities for all employees.

Software students win award for educational game about tech monopolies

Software students win award for educational game about tech monopolies

November 11, 2020

Lily Li and Olivia Winkel finished their bachelor's degree in Software Development with a project on computer games as a learning tool. The thesis has just received FA’s bachelor award - with the recognition comes a check for DKK 30,000.

New Dean of Education at ITU

New Dean of Education at ITU

November 9, 2020

The IT University of Copenhagen has appointed Pernille Rydén as Dean of Education as of January 1, 2021.

Lectures by live radio: Pandemic paves the way for new teaching methods

Lectures by live radio: Pandemic paves the way for new teaching methods

November 5, 2020

The logistical challenges that come with the corona restrictions have spurred creativity among ITU’s teachers. This semester, half of the lectures in the course ‘Navigating Complexities’ have been transformed into a live radio show complete with news, discussions and music breaks. The radio format provides new opportunities to convey complex knowledge to the students, the teachers say.

IT University of Copenhagen launches new center to do research on how to boost digital competences among students

IT University of Copenhagen launches new center to do research on how to boost digital competences among students

October 27, 2020

Many people get nervous even at thought of learning about computing, e.g., a programming language. But does it really have to be that way? Join the official opening of Center for Computing Education Research at the IT University of Copenhagen on Thursday November 5th and learn more about how we can ensure that students get competent in computational thinking.

ITU launches master’s programme in Data Science

ITU launches master’s programme in Data Science

October 21, 2020

Starting next summer, the IT University of Copenhagen will be offering a two-year master’s programme in Data Science. Future graduates will be highly sought after in the industry, which is currently experiencing a shortage of specialists who are able extract valuable knowledge from vast amounts of data.

Sexism and sexual harassment in academia need to end

Sexism and sexual harassment in academia need to end

October 9, 2020

Statement from Martin Tvede Zachariasen, Vice Chancellor at the IT University of Copenhagen.

The IT University is coordinating new European expert training in underwater robots

The IT University is coordinating new European expert training in underwater robots

October 5, 2020

In the next four years, professor at the IT University, Andrzej Wasowski, will be leading a new expert training program focusing on the development of /developing underwater robots in order to make them reliable so that we can use them for critical tasks like fighting pollution. The program is funded by an EU grant of 30 mio. DKK.

ITU bachelor's system to identify informative Corona tweets in top rank

ITU bachelor's system to identify informative Corona tweets in top rank

September 30, 2020

Competing with academics and IT professionals from all over the world, Anders Giovanni Møller shared first place in developing a system to identify Corona-related tweets.

Oxford University's Bent Flyvbjerg and ITU establish IT programme management research collaboration

Oxford University's Bent Flyvbjerg and ITU establish IT programme management research collaboration

September 25, 2020

The Oxford Major Programme Management research group starts collaboration with the ITU Research Centre for Government IT. The collaboration will, among other things, investigate the performance of IT projects.

Bent Flyvbjerg to be awarded ITU’s first honorary doctorate

Bent Flyvbjerg to be awarded ITU’s first honorary doctorate

September 1, 2020

Bent Flyvbjerg, Professor and Academic Lead of Oxford University’s research and education programmes in Major Programme Management, is known for his groundbreaking research in the management of large-scale projects, including in the field of IT. The IT University of Copenhagen is the youngest of Denmark’s eight universities, and specialized in research and higher education in IT.

ITU Professor in Prestigious Journal: Game Technology Can Improve AI-Development

ITU Professor in Prestigious Journal: Game Technology Can Improve AI-Development

August 6, 2020

Professor Sebastian Risi publishes paper in Nature Machine Intelligence on how to improve training of robots with popular video game technology.

The Danish Ministry of Defence funds two projects at The IT University of Copenhagen

The Danish Ministry of Defence funds two projects at The IT University of Copenhagen

July 10, 2020

The national ICT-security authority under the Danish Ministry of Defence, The Danish Centre for Cyber Security, has funded two new projects at ITU's Center for Information Security and Trust (CISAT). Both projects support the national ambition of raising the level of cybersecurity in private and public companies.

New Study: User-based surveillance is not effective against fake-news

New Study: User-based surveillance is not effective against fake-news

July 6, 2020

The defence against fake news, to a large extent, relies on the social media users identifying and "flagging" suspicious stories, but are we, the users, really capable of doing that? No, a new study concludes.

Contact us

Phone
+45 7218 5000
E-mail
itu@itu.dk

All contact information

Web Accessibility Statement

Find us

IT University of Copenhagen
Rued Langgaards Vej 7
DK-2300 Copenhagen S
Denmark
How to get here

Follow us

ITU Student /
Privacy /
EAN-nr. 5798000417878/
CVR-nr. 29 05 77 53

This page is printed from http://212.97.130.100/