Dr Maria Sourbati is a senior lecturer in the School of Art, Design and Media at the University of Brighton, UK.

She is member of the in COST Action IS1402: Ageism: an interdisciplinary perspective (http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/isch/Actions/IS1402) and a reviewer of New Media and Society (Sage); International Journal of Digital Television (Intellect); Book series and edited collection reviewer for Peter Lang, Berlin, and Sage, London. Maria has been examining socially and digitally disadvantaged groups in relation to the sociological shift in the digitalization of communications media and public services since 2004 with a commitment to increase research and policy attention on ageism, disablement and social discrimination. Her study of age, technological innovation, use practices, (dis)ability and exclusion is cross-disciplinary, aligning media and information studies with the increasingly interrelated areas of communications and social policy. She is currently investigating the age-discriminatory politics of public service information provision online with a focus on interfaces of digital public service, (in)visibility and homogenizing cultures of service provision and how ‘age’ can be seen to both compound and masquerade inequality and discrimination.

Selected publications on these topics are below:

  • Sourbati, M (2015) ‘Age(ism) in digital information provision: The case of online public services for older adults’. Conference proceedings HCII 2015, Springer (Berlin) 2015 (Forthcoming, August 2015)
  • Sourbati, M (2015) ‘Ageism: a barrier to social inclusion in the 21st century’. In Studi Interdisciplinari sulla Famiglia – Interdisciplinary Studies on the Family.  The Family Studies and Research University Centre, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore issue No.28  (forthcoming, 2015)
  • Sourbati, M (2012) ‘Disabling communications? A capabilities perspective on media access, social inclusion and communication policy’ Media, Culture and Society, 34(5): 571-587.
  • Sourbati, M. (2011) ‘The digital switchover as an information society initiative: The role of public policy in promoting access to digital ICTs’. Telematics and Informatics Vol. 28(4) : 295-302 (Elsevier)
  • Sourbati, M. (2009) ‘“It could be useful but not for me at the moment”. Older people, internet access, and public service provision.’ New Media and Society, 11(7):1083-1100
  • Sourbati, M. (2010) ‘Non Users in the Information Society. Learning from the older generation’, pp. 107-118, in Gebhardt, J, Greif, H, Raycheva, L, Lobet-Maris, C and Lasen, A (eds) Experiencing the Broadband Society. Berlin: Peter Lang.
  • Sourbati, M (2008) ‘On older people, Internet access and electronic service delivery. A study of sheltered homes’ in Enid Mante-Meijer, E, Haddon, L and Loos, E (eds) The Social Dynamics of Information and Communication Technology, pp. 95-104 Ashgate.
  • Sourbati, M. (2004) Internet Use in Sheltered Housing: Older people’s access to new media and online service delivery, from ‘The Digital Age:  Opportunities or Exclusion’ Series, Joseph Rowntree Foundation. ISBN 1 85 935 168 9.
  • Sourbati, M. (2004) ‘Digital television, online connectivity and electronic service delivery: Implications for communications policy (and research)’, Media Culture and Society, Vol. 26(4): 585-59.

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