February 2016 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Tenure System Position in Media and Information @ MSU
by Casey O'Donnell 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

My department is hiring on a assistant / associate position with a very wide call for applicants. Cheers. Casey -- The Department of Media and Information (M&I) at Michigan State University (MSU) invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in the area of Media and Information broadly defined. We seek an emerging scholar and teacher with an innovative research program that can complement our efforts to expand the boundaries of our field. While we are open to candidates with a wide range of backgrounds and interests, we are particularly interested in candidates with a strong interest in one of the following areas: human-computer interaction; multi-disciplinary study of the design, use and effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as the Internet, social media, games, and mobile. An interest in computational social science, behavioral social science approaches, and emerging research methods related to these areas is desirable. Candidates with a specialization in a specific domain, such as media and information in health, community, or development are encouraged to apply. Given our strong interdisciplinary culture we welcome applications individuals from a diverse range of disciplinary and methodological traditions who thrive in a vibrant academic environment. Candidates will be judged on their promise for advancing research in their field, their potential for obtaining external funding in support of their scholarship, and their track-record of publications in leading peer-reviewed research outlets commensurate with their level of experience. We expect candidates to be dedicated teachers and mentors to graduate students. A PhD in a relevant discipline, such as Media Studies, Information Science, Science and Technology Studies, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Information Systems, Sociology, Economics, Political Science, Communication or other social sciences is required. Expected start date is August 16, 2016. The M&I department is a member of the iSchools consortium and home to a dynamic, interdisciplinary faculty internationally recognized for their cutting-edge research on the uses and implications of ICTs. Within the department and across the college, projects involving cross-disciplinary teams in such areas as health and security are actively pursued and encouraged. Our faculty advance theory and research, build human-centered technology, design traditional and interactive games and media experiences, and pursue new forms of scholarship. The BIT Lab facilitates research collaborations among faculty and students at the intersection of behavior, information, and technology. Faculty associated with the GEL (Games for Entertainment and Learning) Lab design and study innovative prototypes, techniques, and digital games. The Quello Center strengthens the ability of the department to address issues of technology and policy through engagement with practitioners and policy-makers. The Trifecta initiative brings together faculty and students from the MSU Colleges of Communication Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Nursing to conduct interdisciplinary cutting-edge research aimed at improving health and health care delivery through innovative communication and engineering technologies. The doctoral program in Media and Information Studies (MIS), offered jointly by M&I along with the School of Journalism and the Department of Advertising & Public Relations, was ranked among the leading Media Ph.D. programs in the U.S. by the National Research Council. In the 2015 QS World University Rankings, MSU was ranked #6 in Communications and Media Studies worldwide. Our curricula address both the theoretical and practical aspects of ICT and media use and production, and our alumni have achieved positions of prominence in academia, industry, and government. To apply, please visit the Michigan State University Employment Opportunities website (https://jobs.msu.edu) refer to Posting #2778, and complete an electronic submission. Applicants should submit the following materials electronically: (1) a cover letter indicating the position you are interested in and summarizing your qualifications for it, (2) a current vita, (3) if appropriate, the URL to an existing individual or collaborative website that conveys your current scholarship, and (4) the names and contact information for three individuals willing to serve as your recommenders to the search committee. Review of applications will begin on March 1, 2016, and continue until the position is filled. Please direct any questions to Professor Casey O’Donnell, Search Committee Chair, Department of Media and Information at Michigan State University, at <caseyod(a)msu.edu>. MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities. -- Casey O'Donnell, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Media and Information Games for Entertainment and Learning Lab (GEL) Michigan State University Author of Developer's Dilemma <http://www.amazon.com/Developers-Dilemma-Videogame-Creators-Technology/dp/0…> http://www.caseyodonnell.org

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Deadline approaching: IAMCR Pre-conference, 26-27 July 2016: Children's and Young People's Rights in the Digital Age
by Livingstone,S 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

Apologies for cross-posting Children's and Young People's Rights in the Digital Age We are delighted to announce that a conference on children’s and young people’s rights in the digital age at LSE, as a London-based pre-conference to the Leicester IAMCR conference this coming July. We hope anyone interested in researching this field will consider participating. We see a growing momentum behind calls for the recognition of the potential of online and networked media for promoting children’s rights. At the same time, researchers, child rights’ advocates and internet governance experts are concerned that children’s rights are being newly infringed rather than enhanced in the digital age. This raises questions for research, policy and practice: * Exactly how is the digital impacting on children’s rights today? * What are the challenges to children’s rights presented by the digital? * How might we seize the opportunities that can accompany children’s online participation to promote children’s rights in the contemporary world? See http://iamcr.org/leicester2016/preconf/youth-digital-rights-cfp for further information and the call for papers. Abstracts are due: 15 February, 2016. Abstracts must be submitted at http://iamcr.org/leicester2016/preconf/youth-digital-rights Please note that conference participants do not need to be IAMCR members, or to attend the main IAMCR conference. Note too that registration for the conference will open in March, once we have a provisional programme. All the very best, Sonia Livingstone, Amanda Third and Mariya Stoilova

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ACM UMAP 2016 Call for Papers
by Christoph Trattner 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

ACM UMAP 2016 Call for Papers The 24th ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 13-17 July 2016 Collocated with Hypertext 2016 http://www.um.org/umap2016/ UMAP is the premier international conference for researchers and practitioners working on systems that adapt to individual users, to groups of users, and that collect, represent, and model user information. UMAP is the successor to the biennial User Modeling (UM) and Adaptive Hypermedia and Adaptive Web-based Systems (AH) conferences that were merged in 2009. It is sponsored by ACM SIG CHI and SIG WEB, and organized under the auspices of User Modeling Inc. ACM UMAP 2016 covers a wide variety of research areas where adaptation may be applied. This include (but is in no way limited to) a number of domains in which researchers are engendering significant innovations based on advances in user modeling and adaptation: recommender systems; adaptive educational systems; intelligent user interfaces; eCommerce; advertising; digital humanities; social networks; personalized health; entertainment, and many more. Key Areas: UMAP 2016 will explore, study and shape a broad range of dimensions faced by modern user adaptive systems, covering the following Key Areas chaired by leading researchers. User Modelling for Recommender Systems (Area Chairs: Alexander Felfernig & Pasquale Lops) - Semantic recommenders - Social recommenders - User Experience, Explanations, Trust, Control - Context-aware recommender systems - Conversational recommender systems - Implicit and explicit user feedback - Preference elicitation - Machine learning for recommender systems - Case studies of real-world implementations Adaptive & Personalized Educational Systems (Area Chairs: Antonija Mitrovic) - Learner modeling - Intelligent tutoring systems - Adaptive and personalized learning support - Collaborative and group learning - Emerging environments such as MOOCs and educational games - Educational data mining and learning analytic modeling techniques - Learning at scale Modeling affective, motivational, and metacognitive aspects of learning Case studies of real-world implementations Personalization in the Social Web & Crowdsourcing Era (Area Chairs: Alessandro Bozzon & Harith Alani) - Data-driven approaches and big data techniques - Deep learning for personalization with social and crowd-generated data - Social network analysis - Modeling individuals, groups, and communities - Engagement & sustainability for personalization - User awareness and control - Privacy, perceived security, and trust - Adaptations based on personality, society, and culture - Mining of social media and crowd-generated data - Human computation and machine intelligence for personalization - Harnessing wisdom of the crowd for personalization - Case studies of real-world implementations Adaptive, Intelligent, & Multimodal User Interfaces (Area Chairs: Julien Epps & Hatice Gunes) - Multimodal user models - Natural interaction (speech, language, gestures) - Brain-computer interfaces - Adaptive information visualization - Adaptive hypermedia systems - Adaptive collaboration support - User modeling for special needs - Case studies of real-world implementations Architectures, techniques & methodologies for UMAP (Area Chairs: Stephan Weibelzahl & Mihaela Cocea) - Models of perception, action, cognition, and affect - Neurobiological and physiological models - User experience - Ongoing continuous modeling - Lifewide modeling - Data-driven approaches - Non-standard database representations (networks, graphs) - Sensor networks - Handheld and mobile devices - Standards and specifications - Interoperability, semantics - Evaluation methodologies and metrics - Case studies of real-world implementations Submission Categories and Review Process UMAP 2016 will include high quality peer-reviewed papers related to the above key areas. We welcome original, and principled research papers addressing both the theory and practice of UMAP and papers showcasing innovative use of UMAP and exploring the benefits and challenges of applying UMAP technology in real-life applications and contexts. Authors will be asked to indicate one or more key areas (from the five listed below) at the time of submission. Submissions should be made into one of two categories - long and short papers as defined below. Long papers (8 pages + references) should present original reports of substantive new research techniques, findings, and applications of UMAP. They should place the work within the field and clearly indicate innovative aspects. Research procedures and technical methods should be presented in sufficient detail to ensure scrutiny and reproducibility. Results should be clearly communicated and implications of the contributions/findings for UMAP and beyond should be explicitly discussed. Short papers (4 pages + references) should present original and highly promising research or applications. Merit will be assessed in terms of originality and importance rather than maturity, extensive technical validation, and user studies, although some form of validation is desirable. Maintaining the high quality and impact of the UMAP series, each paper will have three reviews by program committee members and a meta-review presenting the reviewers' consensual view; the review process will be coordinated by the program chairs in collaboration with the corresponding area chairs. Separation of long and short papers will be strictly enforced so papers will not compete across categories but within each category. Papers that receive high scores and are considered promising by reviewers, but didn't make the acceptance cut, will be invited to be resubmitted as posters and/or demos. Submission Details and Publication: Page limits: Long papers - 8 pages + references; Short pages: 4 pages + references. Note that reference do not count towards page limits. Papers that exceed the page limits or formatting guidelines will be returned without review. Papers must be formatted using the ACM SIG proceedings template and submitted via EasyChair. Submission templates: http://www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template Easychair submission: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=umap2016 Accepted papers will be published by ACM and will be available via the ACM Digital Library. At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the conference by May 1, 2016 for the paper to be included in the proceedings. Authors are expected to attend the conference and present the paper there. Important Dates: 23 February 2016: Abstracts for Full and Short Papers (mandatory) 1 March 2016: Full and Short Papers due 25 March 2016: Doctoral consortium papers 15 April 2016: Notification for full, short, posters & DC papers 1 May 2016: Camera-ready for Full, Short, Posters & DC papers (main proceedings) Author Registration Deadline for main proceedings 7 May 2016: Workshop papers & demos, Late-Breaking Results (LBR) 1 June 2016: Notification of workshop papers & Demos, LBR papers 7 June 2016: Camera-ready for Workshop papers & Demos, LBR papers (extended proceedings) Early Registration Deadline (author registration for extended proceedings) 12 July 2016: Regular Registration Deadline 13-17 July 2016: UMAP 2016 Conference On-site Registration The submissions times are 11:59 pm Hawaii time. Organization General Chairs * Julita Vassileva, University of Saskatchewan, Canada * Jamie Blustein, Dalhousie University, Canada Program Chairs * Lora Aroyo, VU Amsterdam, the Netherlands * Sidney D'Mello, University of Notre Dame, USA Workshop and Tutorial Chairs * Federica Cena, University of Torino, Italiy * Jie Zhang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Doctoral Consortium Chairs * Vania Dimitrova, University of Leeds, United Kingdom * Maria Bielikova, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia Poster and Demo Chairs * Darina Dicheva, Winston Salem University, USA * Michel Desmarais, Polytechnique Montreal, Canada Track Chairs User Modelling for Recommender Systems * Alexander Felfernig, University of Graz, Austria * Pasquale Lops, University of Bari, Italy Adaptive & Personalized Educational Systems * Antonija Mitrovic, University of Christchurch, New Zealand * Kalina Yacef, University of Sidney, Australia Personalization in the Social Web & Crowdsourcing Era * Alessandro Bozzon, TU Delft, The Netherlands * Harith Alani, The Open University, UK Adaptive, Intelligent, & Multimodal User Interfaces * Hatice Gunes, University of Cambridge, UK * Julien Epps, University of New South Wales Architectures, Techniques & Methodologies for UMAP * Mihaela Cocea, University of Portsmouth, UK * Stephan Weibelzahl, Private University of Applied Sciences (Goettingen), Germany Publicity Chairs * Denis Parra, PUC Chile, Santiago de Chile * Christoph Trattner, Know-Center, Austria Conference Website http://www.um.org/umap2016/ -- ------------------------------------------------------- Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Christoph Trattner BSc Know-Center Research Center for Big Data Analytics & Data Driven Business Graz University of Technology, Austria E-mail: ctrattner(a)know-center.at Tel: +43 650 2402801 Homepage: http://christophtrattner.info ------------------------------------------------------- New book: Mining, Modeling, and Recommending 'Things' in Social Media* by M. Atzmueller, A. Chin, C. Scholz, C. Trattner (eds.) http://link.springer.com/978-3-319-14723-9 -------------------------------------------------------

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Last year's AoIR program?
by Luis E. Hestres 07 Feb '16

07 Feb '16

Hi all, Is there some way to get a hold of last year’s program? It’s on in the conference tool anymore and I can’t find a PDF or anything like that online. Thanks! Luis - - - - - Dr. Luis E. Hestres Assistant Professor Department of Communication The University of Texas at San Antonio One UTSA Circle San Antonio, TX 78249-0732 http://www.luishestres.com Want to support our tax deductible nonprofit work by contributing to the UTSA department of communication? Please visit: https://giving.utsa.edu/FriendsofCommunication Thanks for your support!

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Less than four weeks to submit proposals to Cultural Rhetorics Conference
by Phil Bratta 06 Feb '16

06 Feb '16

*Call for Proposals* 2016 Cultural Rhetorics Conference Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan, USA September 30 – October 2, 2016 http://culturalrhetorics.org/crconf/cfp.php *What is Cultural Rhetorics?* Cultural Rhetorics scholars study meaning-making practices and, sometimes, the things produced through those practices such as baskets, books, dances, poems, videos, websites, buildings, landscapes. “Cultural Rhetorics” refers to a set of constellating methodological and theoretical frames that we engage in our scholarly and teaching practices. These frames draw from Rhetoric & Composition Studies, various Ethnic Studies fields, Postcolonial Studies, Decolonial Studies, Gender Studies, Performance Studies, Cultural Studies, and other fields. *What is this conference for?* We seek to encourage conversations about Cultural Rhetorics in the form of scholarly presentations, artistic performances and installations, and workshops that help us make and share knowledge. *Who is this conference for?* Anyone may join the conversation about cultural rhetorics: faculty, graduate students, teachers, scholars, writers, artists, activists. Everyone is welcome to explore Cultural Rhetorics at this conference. **We’re looking for panel presentations, roundtables, performances, media installations, posters, readings, workshops and more that define, expand, illustrate, and/or question what it means to join the cultural rhetorics conversation. *What is the proposal deadline?* Proposals open on December 1, 2015. The last date to submit a proposal is March 1st, 2016. For questions, contact us at cultrhetcon(a)gmail.com http://culturalrhetorics.org/crconf/cfp.php -- Ph.D Candidate Department of Writing, Rhetoric, & American Cultures Michigan State University Bessey Hall room 267 East Lansing, MI 48824 philbratta(a)gmail.com http://www.philbratta.com/

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CFP: Image/Interface Symposium, University of Toronto
by Kenzie Burchell 05 Feb '16

05 Feb '16

[CALL FOR PRESENTERS] *Image/Interface Symposium* University of Toronto, Friday May 13 and Saturday May 14, 2016 Co-hosted by the Department of Arts, Culture, and Media, University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) and the Jackman Humanities Institute (JHI), University of Toronto St. George. Deadline for submission of abstracts: Monday, February 29, 2016. Notification of acceptance: Mid-March 2016. *Keynote Speakers * The Otolith Group, London-based art collective Lisa Parks, Professor of Film & Media Studies, UC Santa Barbara Julian Stallabrass, Professor of Modern & Contemporary Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art The *Image/Interface* symposium will explore the notion of technologies as physical objects—things, tools, apparatus, and the physically situated environment—for producing, receiving, and engaging with the increasing immateriality of imagery and visual cultures. The symposium foregrounds the materiality of technological practice while examining the reception, use, and sharing of cultural and political expression as well as the communication of embodied or situated knowledge and experiences. We invite artists, creative practitioners, and scholars from across the fields of Media and Journalism Studies, Art History, and Visual Communication to present recent research and artistic work that critically reconsiders images in relation to: ● the materiality of the screen, the lens, and the interface ● the social and political ramifications of immersion, embodiment, and interactivity ● information sharing, surveillance and counter-surveillance ● the digital expression, construction and/or obfuscation of identity, gender, or ethnicity ● media-oriented social engagement, collaboration and social knowledge creation Scholars from all stages of their careers (including PhD students) are welcome to apply. A honorarium at CARFAC rates will be offered to artists and creative practitioners. The symposium will take place at JHI on Friday May 13 and at UTSC on Saturday May 14. If selected, each presenter will participate in a thematic panel and be asked to prepare a presentation of about 15-20 minutes. We ask that invitees attend the events on both days. The *Image/Interface *symposium is part of the JHI 2015-2016 Program for the Arts. The program theme “Things that Matter” investigates how material culture carries “affective, social, cultural, historical, religious, economic, and political meanings and relation” and how things “provide insights into how people make sense of experience and come together as societies” (humanities.utoronto.ca/Announce_ProgArts15-16 <https://www.humanities.utoronto.ca/Announce_ProgArts15-16>). *Abstract Submission Guidelines and Format* Please submit the following to https://www.humanities.utoronto.ca/funding/id=61 <https://www.humanit/>. ➔ An abstract (maximum 300 words). The abstract should indicate the format of your proposed presentation, i.e. academic paper or creative work. ➔ Institutional affiliation and short bio (maximum 200 words). ➔For Artists and Creative Practitioners: -a CV (maximum 5 pages) -a PDF portfolio (maximum 5MB) *For more information please contact: * Researchers: Evie Yi GU, yi.gu(a)utoronto.ca Artists and creative practitioners: Will Kwan, wkwan(a)utsc.utoronto.ca Conference Organizers *· Ruoyun Bai,* Associate Professor of Media Studies · *Kenzie Burchell*, Assistant Professor of Journalism · *Evie Yi Gu*, Assistant Professor of Art History · *Will Kwan*, Associate Professor of Studio

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tenure track positions at Pace University, NY, NY
by Cathy Dwyer 05 Feb '16

05 Feb '16

Pace University Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems *2 Tenure-Track Positions* *Assistant/Associate Professor* *in Computer Science or Software Engineering* *and* *Assistant/Associate Professor* *in Information Systems or Information Technology* http://bit.ly/1nQUwYF The Seidenberg School <http://bit.ly/1Q7vG1K> of Computer Science and Information Systems at Pace University <http://bit.ly/1Q7vG1K> invites outstanding applications for full-time tenure-track faculty positions at the rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, and Information Technology. The candidates must demonstrate evidence of outstanding teaching, scholarly accomplishment, service and funding activity. The candidates are expected to lead high-quality instructional and scholarly research activities, play a major role in the development of academic programs and students’ advisement, and establish and maintain professional relationships. The candidates are also expected to develop or have developed a nationally and internationally recognized research program in his/her area of expertise in one or more relevant disciplinary areas. The successful candidates will have strong communication skills. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications. Positions are open in the following areas of interest and academic disciplines: *Computer Science* - Candidates must possess a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Computer Science. Priority will be given to applicants with research expertise in: ● Cognitive Science ● Data Science ● Networking ● Human-Computer Interaction ● Cyber-security ● Physical Computing ● Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing *Software Engineering* - Candidates must possess a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Computer Science or Software Engineering. Priority will be given to applicants with research expertise in: ● Software Security ● Data-intensive Software Engineering ● Cyber-physical Systems ● Testing and Quality Assurance ● Software Design and Architecture *Information Systems / Information Technology* - Candidates must possess a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Information Technology or Information Systems. Priority will be given to applicants with research expertise in: <http://icis2015.aisnet.org/en/paper-submissions/tracks/18-tracks/36-track-e…> ● Security and Privacy of Information and IS/IT ● Decision Analytics and Support ● Social Media and Digital Collaborations ● Sustainability and Societal Impacts of IS/IT ● E-Business and E-Government ● Human-Computer Interaction ● IS/IT Design and Business Process Management ● IS/IT Governance and Control ● IS/IT Strategy and Organizational Impacts ● IS/IT Implementation, Adoption and Use ● Managing IT Projects and Development The anticipated positions will start in fall 2016. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement of teaching philosophy, and research plan in a single PDF file, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to *Seidenberg-Search(a)pace.edu* <file:///C:\Users\LDashgrimes\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary%20Internet%20Files\Content.Outlook\IKZO6UAU\Seidenberg-Search@pace.edu>. The title of the email with your application should include the academic discipline and research area(s) for which you applied. The review process will begin on February 11th 2016. Established in 1983, the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems is one of the first comprehensive schools of computing in the country. Operating on both its NYC and Westchester campuses, the School offers ABET-accredited bachelor degrees along with Masters and doctoral degrees. *Pace University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. * *Minorities, women, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.* Web site of the Seidenberg School of CSIS at Pace University <http://bit.ly/1Q7vG1K> -- Catherine Dwyer, Ph.D. Chair, Department of Information Technology - NYC campus Pace University, Seidenberg School of Computer Science & Information Systems 163 William Street #209 New York, NY 10038 212-346-1728 https://www.facebook.com/seidenbergschool

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Less than four weeks to submit proposals to Cultural Rhetorics Conference
by Phil Bratta 05 Feb '16

05 Feb '16

Call for Proposals 2016 Cultural Rhetorics Conference Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan, USA September 30 – October 2, 2016 http://culturalrhetorics.org/crconf/cfp.php What is Cultural Rhetorics? Cultural Rhetorics scholars study meaning-making practices and, sometimes, the things produced through those practices such as baskets, books, dances, poems, videos, websites, buildings, landscapes. “Cultural Rhetorics” refers to a set of constellating methodological and theoretical frames that we engage in our scholarly and teaching practices. These frames draw from Rhetoric & Composition Studies, various Ethnic Studies fields, Postcolonial Studies, Decolonial Studies, Gender Studies, Performance Studies, Cultural Studies, and other fields. What is this conference for? We seek to encourage conversations about Cultural Rhetorics in the form of scholarly presentations, artistic performances and installations, and workshops that help us make and share knowledge. Who is this conference for? Anyone may join the conversation about cultural rhetorics: faculty, graduate students, teachers, scholars, writers, artists, activists. Everyone is welcome to explore Cultural Rhetorics at this conference. How can I submit a proposal? We’re looking for panel presentations, roundtables, performances, media installations, posters, readings, workshops and more that define, expand, illustrate, and/or question what it means to join the cultural rhetorics conversation. You can go to Submit <http://culturalrhetorics.org/crconf/signin.php?returnto=add-or-edit.php>. What is the proposal deadline? Proposals open on December 1, 2015. The last date to submit a proposal is March 1st, 2016. For questions, contact us at cultrhetcon(a)gmail.com http://culturalrhetorics.org/crconf/cfp.php

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Deadline in ONE WEEK: Design Fiction Track at GROUP 2016
by Eric P. S. Baumer 05 Feb '16

05 Feb '16

--- Fictive Futures: Exploring Future Research Agendas --- * Submission Deadline: Friday, February 12, 2016 * Decisions Announced: Friday, April 22, 2016 GROUP Conference at Sanibel Island, FL: November 13-16, 2016 We seek submissions that imagine possible futures for research on the relationships between computers and people. Submissions will include two portions: a fictional document related to the conduct of research and an author statement about the document. The fictional document could be an extended abstract, a call for papers, an excerpt from API documentation, a book review, a study protocol for IRB review, or any other relevant type. The author statement should connect that document to current events, cite on-going research in the field, or otherwise extrapolate how the envisioned future might arise from our given present. This statement will be especially important for abstracts (which are too short to explain their rationale), API documentations (which typically do not provide a historical rationale), and other documents that on their own may be exceptionally short and/or vague. Because Design Fictions are archival contributions, we recommend a minimum length of 3 pages (notes), and as many as 10 pages (papers), following the ACM Standard Format. The reviewing process will be the same as the general track, and Design Fiction papers or notes will be included in the proceedings. Design Fiction submissions must be completed online at the GROUP 2016 conference site: https://precisionconference.com/~group/

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Panellists - roundtable AoIR '16 sought on 'Forced migration & digital connectivity in Europe'
by Leurs, K.H.A. (Koen) 04 Feb '16

04 Feb '16

Dear list members, Kevin Smets (postdoc, University of Antwerp, Belgium) and Koen Leurs (assistant professor Gender & Postcolonial Studies, Utrecht University, the Netherlands) are sending out this email to see whether there are people on the list interested in submitting a panel / roundtable proposal on ‘Forced migration & digital connectivity in Europe' for the October 16 AoIR conference taking place in Berlin. Rationale: Daily, Europeans witness Syrian asylum seekers arriving on the beaches of Greek and Southern-Italian islands. TV news footage shows how freshly arrived migrants use smartphones to take selfies or use Skype to happily announce their safe arrival on European soil to loved ones elsewhere. In response, prejudicial discourses about migrants have centered on smartphones; for example, anti-immigrant politicians and various social media memes frame refugees who own ‘luxury’ smartphones as less deserving of asylum. Forced migrants, who are digitally connected, embody Europe’s Janus-faced character in an age when advanced technologies are celebrated for increasing communication speed and economic prosperity. As a result of different conflicts worldwide, forced migration has become a major challenge for Europe. The enormous death toll of migrants at Europe’s borders, the reintroduction of border controls within the Schengen Area, and the violence and hostility towards refugees and asylum seekers in several European countries published across various social media platforms all attest to the way in which the current influx of forced migrants is overturning European society and political structures. At the same time mainstream media have devoted significant attention to the situation of refugees along their migration routes in(to) Europe. Interestingly, these instances often included digital technologies as central anchoring points in the lives of refugees. Detailed reports were made of refugees using smartphones, keeping in touch with their relatives, or documenting their journey through social media. Other accounts, albeit less frequently, focused on the ways in which governments seek to deal with forced migration via digital technologies, for instance by making use of GPS tracking in smartphones, or by setting up online deterrence campaigns to discourage refugees to migrant to specific countries. Topical urgency: While it is clear that forced migration and digital connectivity are increasingly intertwined, there is still a lack of in-depth, critical research into this topic especially in the context of Europe. With this roundtable/panel we seek to bring together cutting-edge research on forced migration in(to) Europe and the way in which digital technologies and digital connectivity and in particular social media play a role in the lives of forced migrants. The roundtable/panel aims not only to present empirical evidence for discussions about forced migration and digital connectivity, but also to offer new theoretical perspectives on the issue. Approaching forced migration as a complex societal, political and cultural phenomenon, we seek to consider different aspects of digital connectivity, such as the affective use of social media by migrants themselves as well as activists and trolls, political economy, as well questions related to gender, media literacy, policy, legislation and human rights. Format: In dialogue with possible participants we will decide on submitting a pre-constituted panel or roundtable. Topics: We envision contributions may for example address the following issues: *connected migrants in Europe  *social media use in refugee camps and asylum seeker centres  *migration and digital communication rights  *forced migration and selfie citizenship  *transnational communication and affectivity  *encapsulation & cosmopolitanization  *differences and similarities different migrant groups (class, gender, age, generation) *digital migrant identities  *alternative migrant cartographies  *migrant recruitment and radicalization online  *governmental surveillance systems  *digital deportability and algorithmic sorting  *migrant networked learning  *migrant acculturation online  *affective digital connectivity practices  *trolling, extremism and anti-migration protest online  *political economy of migrant digital connectivity  *communication rights Requirements: Kindly register your interest in joining a panel / roundtable on the topic with Koen Leurs and Kevin Smets by emailing a 250-300 word abstract and short biographical statement to both k.h.a.leurs(a)uu.nl<mailto:k.h.a.leurs@uu.nl> and kevin.smets(a)uantwerpen.be<mailto:kevin.smets@uantwerpen.be> by 15 February 2016. This gives us 2 weeks to decide upon the format (either a panel or roundtable). Context: *This proposed panel/roundtable seeks to build momentum for the colloquium on ‘Connected migrants: cosmopolitanization & encapsulation’ organized by Koen Leurs with Sandra Ponzanesi from 14-16 December 2016 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This colloquium is funded by the Royal Netherlands Organization for Arts and Science, and will bring together 50 scholars working on the topic, see (http://www.knaw.nl/en/news/calendar/academy-colloquium-connected-migrants) *The organizers are also co-editing a special issue on the topic for a forthcoming issue of Social Media + Society (http://sms.sagepub.com/) A CFP for this special issue and the colloquium will be circulated shortly. Best wishes, Koen Leurs, also on behalf of Kevin Smets. Koen Leurs, PhD Assistant professor Gender and Postcolonial Studies | Department of Media and Culture Studies | Utrecht University | Muntstraat 2A 3512 EV NL | room 0.05 | T. + 31 (0)30 253 7844 | www.koenleurs.net<http://www.koenleurs.net> Latest publications: Digital Passages. Migrant Youth 2.0. Diaspora, Gender & Youth Cultural Intersections. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2015 (free open access download: https://www.oapen.org/search?identifier=559550 ) “Social media as postcolonial contact zones. Young Londoners remapping the metropolis through digital media”. In: Ponzanesi, Sandra and Colpani, Gianmaria, (eds.) Postcolonial Transitions in Europe (pp. 255-276). London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.

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