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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

Gold Prices Rise as Weak US Data and Hormuz Risks Boost Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices climbed on Monday as investors weighed weaker U.S. economic data against geopolitical tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, while awaiting the Federal Reserves July meeting minutes for fresh signals on...

US Stock Futures Steady as Cooling Inflation and Strong Earnings Support Markets

U.S. stock futures traded near the flatline during Asian hours on Sunday, with Wall Street sentiment supported by softer inflation data and a strong corporate earnings season following a third consecutive week of gains for...

Asian Stocks Steady as Iran War Keeps Oil Prices and Inflation Risks Elevated

Asian stocks traded mostly flat on Monday as investors monitored rising oil prices and persistent geopolitical tensions surrounding the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz. Prospects for peace talks remain limited, while oil...

Morgan Stanley Sees Fed Holding Rates as U.S. Inflation Cools

U.S. inflation showed further signs of easing in July, strengthening expectations that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates unchanged through the end of the year. Morgan Stanley believes the latest inflation data...

Oil Prices Steady as Strait of Hormuz Traffic Slows Amid US-Iran Conflict

Oil prices were little changed in early Monday trading as shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz slowed sharply over the weekend, while the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran showed no signs of...

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Drone Attacks Escalate as Strikes Hit Moscow, Kyiv and Romania

Russia and Ukraine exchanged major missile and drone attacks overnight, leaving several people dead and damaging industrial and commercial facilities as the war continues to intensify. Russian forces struck ArcelorMittal...

US CENTCOM Chief Praises USS Abraham Lincoln Crew Amid Mental Health Concerns

U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln following a recent visit to the aircraft carrier, describing their performance and resilience as awe-inspiring amid growing...

Lula Targets Brazil’s Gig Workers as Reelection Battle Takes Shape

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched his final reelection campaign on Sunday in Sao Bernardo do Campo, returning to the stadium where his rise as a labor leader began nearly five decades ago....

Trump Envoys Hold Gaza Peace Talks in Cairo as Israeli Strikes Continue

U.S. President Donald Trumps envoys held talks with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo on Sunday as diplomatic efforts intensified to advance Washingtons Gaza peace plan while Israeli airstrikes continued...

Migrants in Spain’s Ceuta Protest for Asylum, Refuse Return to Morocco

Hundreds of migrants in Spains North African enclave of Ceuta gathered on a popular urban beach on Sunday, calling on Spanish authorities to grant them asylum rather than return them to Morocco. The protesters are among an...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Alibaba Sells Lingxi Games for Over $1.5 Billion Amid AI Push

Alibaba Group is reportedly selling its gaming subsidiary Lingxi Games in a transaction that could value the Chinese video game studio at more than $1.5 billion, as the technology giant redirects resources toward...

Nvidia’s $500 Billion AI Infrastructure Push Wins Morgan Stanley Support

Nvidia is doubling down on the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom with a plan to help mobilize as much as $500 billion in third-party capital, drawing participation from major financial firms including Apollo,...

Alphabet Shifts AI Strategy Toward Commercial Growth, Goldman Sachs Says

Alphabet is increasingly shifting its artificial intelligence strategy toward commercialization, scale and long-term revenue growth, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. The investment bank said recent management changes,...

Nvidia Eyes $3 Billion Investment in SoftBank-Backed AI Data Center

Nvidia is reportedly in discussions to invest up to $3 billion in SB Energy, a SoftBank Group-backed company developing a major AI data center campus in Ohio for OpenAI. According to a report by The Information, the...

U.S. Pressures Nations to Choose Sides in AI Race

The United States is preparing to pressure dozens of countries to choose between joining a U.S.-led artificial intelligence alliance or supporting Chinas competing AI framework, according to a U.S. official and an internal...