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David Holmes

Senior Lecturer, Communications and Media Studies, Monash University

David is a political analyst, social theorist and media scholar. He completed a major in Media Studies at Swinburne University, a BA (Hons) in Politics and Social Theory and a PhD in Social Theory (Department of the History and Philosophy of Science) from the University of Melbourne, where he was awarded the Dwight prize for political science.

He is author or editor of four books in the sociology of communications including: Virtual Politics: Identity and Community in Cyberspace (Sage 1997) and Virtual Globalisation: Virtual Spaces, Tourist Spaces (Routledge 2001), Communication Theory: Media, Technology and Society (Sage 2005) and a Key Concepts in Media and Communications (Sage 2011) co-authored with Paul Jones (UNSW) Over eleven years, he has also co-authored four editions of an analysis of Australian society: Australian sociology (2003, 2007 and 2011, 2014) with Roberta Julian and Katie Hughes. For the last two editions he has written a new chapter on the sociology of climate change.

Fake news and god's wrath: extreme hurricane politics in the US

Sep 11, 2017 08:16 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics Nature

The devastating scenes of destruction and flooding in the Bahamas and the southern states of the US have captivated the world for many weeks now. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and Hurricane Jose soon to follow, have stolen...

With battery storage to the rescue, the Kodak moment for renewables has finally arrived

Mar 20, 2017 02:12 am UTC| Technology

Who would have thought that, scarcely five weeks after Treasurer Scott Morrison, paraded a chunk of coal in parliament, planning for Australias energy needs would be dominated by renewables, batteries and hydro? For...

Playing politics with renewables: how the right is losing its way

Feb 25, 2017 13:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

This summer has seen a concerted attack on renewable energy coming out of Canberra, featuring everyone from One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts to Coalition ministers channelling the far right of their party. So absurd and...

Climate Change Series

'We must keep the lights on': how a cyclone was used to attack renewables

Oct 04, 2016 08:17 am UTC| Nature

The mid-latitude cyclone with no name that hit South Australia last week, spawning two tornadoes and 80,000 electricity strikes, destroyed 22 massive transmission towers carrying electricity across the state. The...

AI Revolution Series

Climate Change Series

Climate change makes a comeback – with the help of social media

Jun 14, 2016 07:44 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

In what has been shaping up as the election that forgot climate change, there are signs emerging in the Coalitions election campaign that it is starting to listen to polls, its own focus groups and social media chat on...

Climate Change Series

Why has climate change disappeared from the Australian election radar?

May 23, 2016 09:33 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Two weeks into a protracted election campaign, it is looking ever-more likely that climate change is to be placed way down the order of business at least for the major parties. The contest over climate change that...

Economy

U.S. Dollar Slips as Iran War and Central Bank Decisions Weigh on Markets

The U.S. dollar index declined on Monday, pulling back 0.4% to 99.97 as markets paused following a recent greenback rally. The euro climbed to $1.1473 against the dollar, while the British pound rose to $1.3278, reflecting...

Oil Prices Waver Amid U.S.-Israel Conflict with Iran and Strait of Hormuz Tensions

Global oil prices swung sharply on Monday as markets grappled with mounting fears over supply disruptions tied to the escalating U.S.-Israel military conflict with Iran. After surging nearly 3% earlier in the session,...

Bank of Japan Holds Rates Steady Amid Iran War Inflation Fears

The Bank of Japan is widely expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.75% this Thursday, even as rising inflationary pressures force policymakers to maintain a cautious rate-hike stance. The decision...

RBA Set to Hike Rates Again Amid Inflation Surge and Global Uncertainty

The Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to raise its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points at the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting on March 17, bringing the cash rate to 4.10% a one-year high. The...

Taiwan Central Bank Expected to Hold Interest Rates Steady Through 2027

Taiwans central bank is widely anticipated to keep its benchmark discount rate unchanged at 2% during its quarterly meeting this Thursday, with economists projecting this stance will remain in place well into 2027. A...

Politics

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Talks on the Horizon as Conflict Intensifies

Israel and Lebanon are preparing for diplomatic negotiations aimed at establishing a lasting ceasefire, with Hezbollah disarmament at the center of discussions. Two Israeli officials confirmed the expected talks, though a...

Trump Signals Possible U.S.-Cuba Deal Amid Ongoing Diplomatic Talks

President Donald Trump hinted on Sunday that the United States may be close to reaching an agreement with Cuba, suggesting that significant developments in their long-troubled bilateral relationship could unfold in the...

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Talks Expected Amid Ongoing Hezbollah Conflict

Israeli and Lebanese officials are reportedly moving toward direct negotiations aimed at establishing a lasting ceasefire, with the central objective of disarming Hezbollah. Two Israeli officials confirmed the anticipated...

U.S. Oil Executives Warn Trump Administration of Worsening Energy Crisis Amid Strait of Hormuz Disruptions

Top American oil industry leaders have sounded the alarm to the Trump administration, cautioning that the ongoing energy crisis stemming from the war with Iran could intensify as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz...

Trump Seeks Global Coalition to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid U.S.-Israel-Iran Conflict

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his administration is actively negotiating with seven unnamed countries to form a multinational coalition aimed at securing the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway that Iran...

Science

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Technology

Meta Eyes Massive Layoffs to Fund AI Ambitions

Meta Platforms is reportedly considering its largest workforce reduction since 2022, with potential cuts that could eliminate more than 20% of its nearly 79,000 employees. According to Reuters, top executives have already...

Zhipu AI Launches GLM-5-Turbo Model to Power Next-Gen AI Agent Workflows

Shares of Hong Kong-listed Chinese artificial intelligence company Zhipu AI (HK:2513), formally known as Knowledge Atlas, surged as much as 16% to HK$615 following the launch of its newest large language model tailored for...

Hua Hong Group's 7nm Breakthrough Signals China's Growing Chip Independence

Chinas Hua Hong Group is closing the gap in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, with its contract chipmaking subsidiary Huali Microelectronics preparing a 7-nanometer chipmaking process at its Shanghai facility. If...

Micron Technology Plans Second Taiwan Chip Facility to Meet AI Memory Demand

U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology has announced plans to construct a second manufacturing facility in Taiwan, reinforcing its commitment to expanding production capacity amid rapidly growing artificial intelligence...

Nvidia GTC 2025: Jensen Huang Set to Unveil Next-Gen AI Chips and Strategy

Jensen Huang is preparing to take center stage at Nvidias annual GTC developer conference, where the charismatic CEO is expected to unveil a sweeping roadmap designed to keep Nvidia ahead of a fast-moving pack of AI chip...