January 2025 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Call for Chapters
by Hakikur Rahman 29 Jan '25

29 Jan '25

Call for Chapters for the Book: “The Ethical Landscape of AI: Global Issues and Solutions” Editor Hakikur Rahman, Presidency University, Bangladesh mailto:email@hakik.org Call for Chapters Proposals Submission Deadline: March 16, 2025 Full Chapters Due: June 29, 2025 Introduction This book aims to explore the multifaceted ethical dilemmas posed by the rapid advancement and integration of AI technologies across various sectors. This book intents to foster a comprehensive understanding of the ethical challenges in AI and propose actionable solutions to ensure the responsible and equitable development of AI technologies. By bringing together a diverse range of perspectives, the book seeks to contribute to the global dialogue on AI ethics and inspire further research and policy development in this critical field. Objective of the book is to comprehensively examine the ethical challenges posed by the development and deployment of AI technologies across various sectors. Main focus of the book is to highlight issues such as bias, privacy, transparency, accountability, and the societal impacts of AI. Objective The primary objective of The Ethical Landscape of AI: Global Issues and Solutions is to provide a comprehensive examination of the ethical challenges associated with the development, deployment, and governance of AI technologies across various sectors. As AI continues to evolve, its ethical implications become increasingly complex, necessitating a deeper exploration of issues such as bias, privacy, transparency, accountability, and societal impact. Recommended Topics Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Ethical implications of AI bias and fairness • Data privacy and security concerns in AI systems • Transparency and accountability in AI decision-making • Societal and economic impacts of AI deployment • AI governance, policy, and regulatory frameworks • Human-AI collaboration and ethical considerations • AI ethics in healthcare, finance, education, and other sectors Submission Procedure Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before March 16, 2025, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by March 30, 2025 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by June 29, 2025. Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, The Ethical Landscape of AI: Global Issues and Solutions. All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager. Publisher This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, USA. For detail and submission of proposal: https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/8533

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Qualitative research in a connected world: 2025 so far
by Janet Salmons 29 Jan '25

29 Jan '25

2025 so far at When the Field is Online! Each post includes my writing, video interviews, and a curated collection of open-access articles. Learn about qualitative research in a connected world at: http://tinyurl.com/qualnews The focus in January: Deciding what to study What merits the commitment involved with designing and conducting qualitative research? - Find questions: What problem merits and online qualitative study? - Find open-access scholarly journals in the social sciences - To find research questions: Ask those experiencing the problem Also: MLK Day: More than a Dream Guest Post: Finding Your Voice in a Ventriloquist's World - AI and Writing https://tinyurl.com/2h9sxw2r The focus in February: Design the study - What qualitative methodologies and data collection methods fit the problem you want to research? - Black History Month: Online resources about Black history in the US, and links to relevant studies Subscribe (free) to When the Field is Online to receive posts as they are published! http://tinyurl.com/qualnews Janet Salmons, PhD (She/her/hers) www.salmons.blog Unabhängie Forscherin, Free-Range Scholar and Creative 2024 Research Fellow, Center for Advanced Internet Studies Boulder, Colorado USA janet(a)salmons.blog<mailto:jsalmons@vision2lead.com> Subscribe to "When the Field is Online" free monthly newsletter http://tinyurl.com/qualnews

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[CfP] - Call for Workshops and Tutorials at SEMANTiCS 2025
by Beyza Yaman 29 Jan '25

29 Jan '25

SEMANTiCS 2025 - Call for Workshops and Tutorials 21st International Conference on Semantic Systems Vienna, Austria September 03-05, 2025 Important Dates for Workshops: - *Proposals WS Deadline: March 22, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* - *Notification of Acceptance: 29, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* Important Dates for Tutorials (and other meetings, e.g. seminars, show-cases, etc., without call for papers): - *Proposals Tutorial Deadline: June 11, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* - *Notification of Acceptance: June 18, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* *Submission via Easychair on https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=semantics2025 <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=semantics2025>* *SEMANTiCS Workshops and Tutorials* SEMANTiCS 2025 is a major venue for research and industrial innovation and features a workshop and tutorial program addressing the diverse practical interests of its audience. This program is intended to offer a rich diversity of topics to conference attendees and local participants seeking to pick up new skills and stay up-to-date regarding the latest developments in the community. We encourage submissions of proposals on all topics in the general areas of SEMANTiCS 2025 and proposals bridging or introducing new perspectives and/or challenges in these areas. Workshops and tutorials may incorporate panel discussions, lightning talks, meetings, networking or hands-on sessions, hackathons and other practical formats where applicable. Rooms for business or project meetings are available upon request as well. *Scope and Goals* Workshops and tutorials at SEMANTiCS 2025 allow your organization or project to advance and promote your topics and gain increased visibility. The workshops and tutorials will be announced on the SEMANTiCS website, and they will be seen by all participants. SEMANTiCS 2025 workshops and tutorials can be incubators for industrial and scientific communities that form and share a particular research and development agenda, and they will provide a forum for presenting contributions and findings to a diverse and knowledgeable community. Furthermore, the event can be used as a dissemination activity in the scope of large research projects or as a closed format for research/commercial project consortia meetings. *Proceedings* Workshop papers will be published in the SEMANTiCS side event proceedings through CEUR. Side events proceedings will include posters & demos and contributions from workshops. *Setup and Requirements* SEMANTiCS 2025 workshops and tutorials may be either half or full-day long. Workshops and tutorials take place on the days before and/or after the main SEMANTiCS 2025 EU conference (03th of September 2025). Further details will be communicated in due time. Organizers of workshops and tutorials will be granted three free tickets (only for the workshop & tutorial day) for organization purposes or keynotes. Participants of workshops and tutorials will only be charged a reduced fee to cover the basic costs. Workshop and tutorial proposals must include the following information: - outline of the *themes and goals of the event*, including a title and a brief abstract (less than 200 words) intended for the SEMANTiCS 2025 website. - a statement addressing *why the event is important*, *why the event is timely*, and how it is relevant to SEMANTiCS 2025 and the field of Semantic Web. For the tutorials, why the presenters are qualified for a high-quality introduction to the topic. - *related workshops and conferences*, i.e., specifying if this is a continuation of a workshop series or a new workshop. Please provide information about past versions (in any) and other related workshops (including URLs and submission/acceptance counts, if available). - a statement addressing the *quality assurance criteria* that will be used by the event organizers to select the papers for the workshops and the presenters for the tutorials (e.g., peer review or review/evaluation by event organizers). If a peer review process is chosen as a quality assurance criterion for the workshops, the organizers will be responsible for their own reviewing process. Workshop organizers will be responsible also for their own publicity (e.g., website, timelines and call for papers) and proceedings production. - *structure of the event* and plans for generating and stimulating discussion; how will the interaction be organized in case of a hybrid event. - expected *number of event participants* and (in case of previously held events) number of registered attendees and website for previous editions of the event - a description of the intended *audience* and the expected learning *outcomes.* - desired *prerequisite* knowledge of the audience. - proposed *duration of the event* (i.e., half or full day), different sessions if applicable (final time slot will be assigned in accordance with the SEMANTiCS program). - any *equipment*, room capacity, or other logistic constraints. - full *contact information* of all organizers of the event and main contact person; a brief description of each *organizer's background*, including relevant past experience in organizing events. Proposals for workshop and tutorial proposals must be submitted via Easychair: *https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=semantics2025* <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=semantics2025> (max 4 pages) *Important Dates* Important Dates for Workshops: - *Proposals WS Deadline: 22, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* - *Notification of Acceptance: March 29, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* - *Workshop website is online: April 15th, 2025* *Suggested* dates for Workshop organizers (with Call for Papers) - *Submission WS papers Deadline: June 14, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* - *Notification of Acceptance: July 05, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* Important Dates for Tutorials (and other meetings, e.g. seminars, show-cases, etc., without call for papers): - *Proposals Tutorial Deadline: June 11, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* - *Notification of Acceptance: June 18, 2025 (11:59 pm, AoE)* *Review and Evaluation Criteria* Workshop and tutorial proposals will be reviewed by the SEMANTiCS 2025 Workshop Chairs, as well as by the SEMANTiCS 2025 organizing committee, according to the following criteria: - The potential to advance the state of Semantic Web research and practice - The quality assurance criteria proposed by the organizers to select high-quality papers for workshops and presenters for tutorials - The organizers' experience and ability to lead a successful event - Timeliness and expected interest in the event topics - The balance and synergy between all SEMANTiCS 2025 events *Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):* - Web Semantics & Linked (Open) Data - Enterprise Knowledge Graphs, Graph Data Management - Machine Learning Techniques for/using Knowledge Graphs (e.g. reinforcement learning, deep learning, data mining and knowledge discovery) - Interplay between Large Language Models, generative AI and Knowledge Graphs (e.g., Retrieval Augmented Generation) - Knowledge Management (e.g. acquisition, capture, extraction, authoring, integration, publication) - Terminology, Thesaurus & Ontology Management, Ontology engineering - Reasoning, Rules, and Policies - Natural Language Processing for/using Knowledge Graphs (e.g. entity linking and resolution using target knowledge such as Wikidata and DBpedia, foundation models) - Crowdsourcing for/using Knowledge Graphs - Data Quality Management and Assurance - Mathematical Foundation of Knowledge-aware AI - Multimodal Knowledge Graphs - Semantics in Data Science - Semantics in Blockchain environments - Trust, Data Privacy, and Security with Semantic Technologies - IoT, Stream Processing, dealing with temporal data - Conversational AI and Dialogue Systems - Provenance and Data Change Tracking - Semantic Interoperability (via mapping, crosswalks, standards, etc.) - Linked Data storage, triple stores, graph databases - Robust and scalable management, querying and analysis of semantics and data - User interfaces for the Semantic Web & its management - Explainable and Interoperable AI - Decentralised and Federated Knowledge Graphs (e.g., Federated querying, link traversal) - Application of Semantically-Enriched and AI-based Approaches, such as, but not limited to: - Knowledge Graphs in Bioinformatics, Medical AI and Preventive Healthcare - Clinical Use Case of semantic-enabled AI-based Approaches - AI for Environmental Challenges - Semantics in Scholarly Communication and Scientific Knowledge Graphs - AI and LOD within GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) institutions - Knowledge Graphs & hybrid AI for predictive maintenance and Industry 4.0/5.0 - Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage - LegalTech, AI Safety, EU AI Act - Economics of Data, Data Services, and Data Ecosystems We especially invite contributions that illustrate the applicability of the topics mentioned above for industrial purposes and/or illustrate the business relevance of their contribution for specific industries. Workshop proposals on *emerging themes* and *open challenges* for the topics listed above are encouraged. In case you have additional questions concerning the submission process, please do not hesitate to contact us via Easychair. We are looking forward to your contribution! *Workshop & Tutorial Chairs:* - Daniel Garijo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain (email: daniel.garijo(a)upm.es) - David Chaves-Fraga, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Spain (email: david.chaves(a)usc.es) Kind Regards, On behalf of the organising committee. ========================= Dr. Beyza Yaman ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin

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CfA 2025 Conference of the Italian Association of Political Communication (AssoComPol)
by Antonio Martella 29 Jan '25

29 Jan '25

*** 2025 Conference of the Italian Association of Political Communication (AssoComPol) *** Theme: *Media and politics: Reconfiguring authority and trust.* 3-5 July 2025, University of Milan, Italy https://www.compol.it/eventi/convegno/convegno-2025/ In recent years, political communication has undergone a profound transformation, shaped by the interplay of media innovation, evolving public expectations, and shifting socio-political dynamics (Humprecht et al. 2022; Štětka & Mihelj, 2024). Traditional authority structures are being reconfigured as new actors and platforms redefine who holds influence and credibility in the public sphere (Bartsch et al. 2022; Carlson, 2017). Trust – essential for democratic processes and discourse – has become a central focus, as audiences increasingly navigate a fragmented and contested information ecosystem. Simultaneously, political trust faces significant challenges, with growing polarization and skepticism toward institutional actors. These developments compel us to interrogate the evolving dynamics of trust and authority: who is trusted, how trust is built and maintained, and how authority is conferred and legitimized in mediated political contexts. By exploring these questions, we can better understand the mechanisms underpinning a functioning public sphere and identify pathways for fostering democratic resilience in an era of rapid change. Media trust represents a pivotal dimension of political communication, encompassing the audience's confidence in the accuracy, fairness, and reliability of news media. As articulated by Strömbäck et al. (2020), media trust significantly shapes how individuals engage with and interpret media content, influencing broader patterns of media consumption and public opinion formation. Tsfati et al. (2022) argue, research must move beyond general notions of media trust to explore topical media trust—how trust varies across specific issues and contexts. This approach not only reveals the complexity of audience perceptions but also provides a richer framework for analyzing trust’s role in mitigating issue-based misperceptions and fostering informed public discourse. Recent work by Garusi and Leonhardt (2024) advocates for a processual understanding of trust, highlighting trust-building as a dynamic and iterative procedure rather than a static condition (see also the related Eyal 2024). This perspective underscores the importance of examining how trust is cultivated through ongoing interactions between media organizations and their audiences, particularly in contexts emphasizing transparency and constructive journalism. The legitimacy and stability of democratic systems does not depend only on media trust, but also on more generalized levels of political trust, broadly defined as citizens’ confidence in political institutions and actors. In an era of increasing polarization and institutional skepticism, understanding the factors that influence political trust has become paramount and media trust emerges as a key determinant in this equation, as the media serves as the primary conduit through which citizens encounter political information. As Hanitzsch, Van Dalen, and Steindl (2018) highlight, public trust in the media and political trust are deeply intertwined, often reinforcing or undermining one another. A decline in media trust can erode confidence in political actors, while skepticism toward politics can amplify doubts about the media’s credibility. This nexus underscores the importance of examining trust as a multidimensional phenomenon, where the interplay between media and politics shapes the broader contours of public opinion and democratic engagement. Authority is a foundational concept in understanding the structure and dynamics of public discourse. As explored by Carlson (2017), authority represents the capacity to be recognized as a legitimate source of knowledge or power in a given context, often contingent on social norms, institutional structures, and cultural expectations. In the digital era, journalistic authority—historically rooted in professional norms and organizational prestige—faces significant challenges. The democratization of information production and dissemination has disrupted traditional hierarchies, forcing journalists to continually renegotiate their legitimacy amidst increasing competition from non-traditional actors and platforms. Carlson's work highlights the importance of viewing authority not as a static property but as a dynamic process shaped by interactions between journalists, audiences, and the broader information ecosystem. Building on this perspective, Bartsch et al. (2024) introduce the concept of epistemic authority in the digital public sphere, emphasizing the role of credibility in the negotiation of truth claims. Their integrative framework underscores the complexity of authority in a fragmented media landscape, where trustworthiness must be earned and sustained across diverse and sometimes polarized audiences. Wahl Jorgensen (2024) further advances this discussion by exploring how entrepreneurial journalism leverages local knowledge to assert epistemic authority, demonstrating the evolving strategies employed by media actors to legitimize their claims. Finally, Vos and Thomas (2018) emphasize the discursive nature of journalistic authority in the "post-truth" age, where the traditional boundaries of expertise are increasingly contested. Together, these perspectives highlight the pressing need to analyze authority as a relational and contextual phenomenon, particularly in its implications for public trust and the functioning of democratic discourse. However, despite their centrality, the concept of media and political trust, and their interconnections with conferred authority remain underexplored in key areas. Current research often overlooks the dynamic and relational nature of trust, failing to adequately account for how it evolves over time and across different media ecosystems. Moreover, studies have yet to fully integrate the impact of digital and algorithmically driven platforms, which have redefined the boundaries of journalistic authority and credibility. To advance the field, it is crucial to develop innovative frameworks that address these gaps, emphasizing the interplay between structural factors—such as ownership models and regulatory environments—and individual-level perceptions shaped by identity, ideology, and lived experience. Starting from this framework, or also beyond this framework, we encourage the submission of papers investigating the trends linked to media trust, political trust, and authority as well as their interactions in the field of political communication. We are interested in both theoretical essays and empirical studies, and we welcome different methodological approaches and research designs (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods). Issues of interest include (but are not limited to): - Changes and trends linked to media trust, political trust, institutional trust and authority as well as in their interactions. - How the artificial intelligence environment, the role of data, platforms, algorithms, shape and change trust in the new political communications environment. - Relationships between media and political trust from one side and trust in platforms from the other side. - Trust and public opinion dynamics, voting behavior, electoral campaigns in democracies facing a crisis of trust. - Electoral abstention: trust as precondition for electoral participation and democratic processes. - How trust and authority is conferred according to new (digital) political communication actors (such as digital parties, social digital movements as well as “social journalism”). - Which strategy apply political actors to increase trust. - Epistemic authority in digital political communication: How authority is constructed, contested, and legitimized in the digital public sphere, with a focus on journalistic, political, and algorithmic actors. Distrust and communication strategies for gaining consensus from parties and movements of the radical sovereignist Right-Wing in Europe, especially from a Comparative Perspective (e.g., RN in France, AfD in Germany, FPÖ in Austria, Vox in Spain). - Comparative approaches to media and political trust: Examining how trust and authority vary across cultural, national, or institutional contexts and their implications for global political communication. - Actors and issues of the EU - supranational and national - political debate, with a particular focus on EU institutions, especially, though not exclusively, in electoral contexts. - The role of misinformation, disinformation, polarization as well as incivility in trust dynamics: How affect trust in media, political actors, and institutions, and strategies to mitigate these effects. - Public perception of journalistic authority: How audiences evaluate the credibility and legitimacy of journalistic actors in a fragmented and polarized media environment. - Trust-building strategies in mediated political campaigns: Exploring innovative methods used by political actors to build and maintain trust through traditional and digital media. - Trust and authority in times of crisis: Investigating how trust in media and political institutions fluctuates during crises (e.g., pandemics, natural disasters, or political instability). - The role of influencers and alternative media in shaping authority: How non-traditional communicators (e.g., influencers, citizen journalists) redefine authority in the public sphere. - The emergence of innovative forms and practices of political participation and the empowerment of digital citizenship as a product of online trust networks. - Intersectionality in trust dynamics: How factors such as gender, race, class, and ideology interact to influence trust in media and politics. - Ethical challenges in fostering trust: Analysing ethical dilemmas for journalists, political actors, and platforms in building or maintaining public trust and authority. - Future-oriented perspectives on trust and authority: Conceptual and methodological innovations for studying trust and authority in rapidly evolving media and political environments. *Useful information* Paper proposals should include name, affiliation, and email address, a title, an extended abstract (600/800 words excluding references), and bibliographical references. Authors should also explicitly indicate whether they request the paper to be considered for publication (after the conference) in “ComPol - Comunicazione Politica”, the flagship journal of the Italian Association of Political Communication *at the end of the abstract*. In the case of ex aequo in the evaluations provided by referees, priority will be given to authors who have expressed interest for publication on ComPol - Comunicazione Politica. *Useful information on how to write an abstract for AssoComPol conferences can be found in the section “Abstract instructions”: * https://www.compol.it/eventi/convegno/convegno-2025/ - Deaddline for submission of proposals: *March 21 * - Notification of acceptance: *April 15* - Full papers must be submitted by *June 16 *in the conference paper room (accessible by login) *Scientific Committee: *Roberta Bracciale, Patrizia Catellani, Cristopher Cepernich, Gianpietro Mazzoleni, Marco Mazzoni, Rossella Rega, Cristian Ruggiero, Sergio Splendore, Augusto Valeriani. *Local organizers: *Giorgia Aiello, C.W. Anderson, Mauro Barisione, Federico Boni, Diego Ceccobelli, Giulia Giorgi, Paolo Natale, Milan School of Media and Communication (MSMC). *Secretary: *Junio Aglioti Colombini, Alice Fubini, Antonio Martella, Melissa Mongiardo, Celeste Satta. --

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Call for Papers: Deceptive narratives and epistemic justice in technologies of care, 4S 2025
by Powell,A 29 Jan '25

29 Jan '25

Hello! I'm sharing a call for papers for the 4S conference - abstracts due Jan 31. Please share widely. Call for Papers: Deceptive narratives and epistemic justice in technologies of care, 4S 2025, Seattle 3-7 September Abstract due date: 31 January 2025 To submit, please go to the 4S submission page and select Open Panel #47 https://www.4sonline.org/accepted_open_panels_seattle.php Alison Powell and Philipp Seuferling invite you to join us in questioning the value placed on data, computational capacity or objectivity in health and care, broadly interpreted. Technologizing care can invoke deceptive, unhelpful stories of innovation: obsessions with efficiency have led to projects of “blitzscaling” the UK’s National Health Service, privatising genomic data in digital databases that go bankrupt (e.g. 23andMe), or datafying the provision of humanitarian care. The recasting of care into computational and algorithmic routines is often justified with stories of increased access, fairness or lower cost. These benefits tend to be deceptively narrated in opposition to epistemic threats such as the erosion of clinical authority or the dismissal of lived experience in favour of objective evidence (Powell, 2024) – causing amnesia (Schneider, 2024). Such amnesia reverberates: historical capacities and knowledges are dismissed, leading to epistemic conflicts, commonly held knowledge appropriated, and principles of solidarity in care provision undermined. We wonder: * How do deceptive narratives around sociotechnical systems lead to epistemic injustices? * How are designs of technologised care enmeshed with epistemic struggles – potentially unequal and unjust? * How can care be thought and built otherwise – against, mindful of, or even embracing amnesia, and reclaiming solidarity? This panel welcomes interventions on reverberations between information infrastructures, epistemic struggles, labour, care, materiality, history and liberation, such as: * Sociomaterial studies of technologized infrastructures of care (such as automation of care work, electronic health records, AI diagnostics) * Investigations of the consequences of infrastructural design for care data systems (such as private genomics databases or AI training data) * Theorizations of legitimacy and epistemic justice in relation to technology and care Submit 300 word abstracts by Jan 31 at: https://www.4sonline.org/accepted_open_panels_seattle.php Any questions get in touch with Alison or Philipp Alison Powell: a.powell(a)lse.ac.uk<mailto:a.powell@lse.ac.uk> Philipp Seuferling: p.seuferling(a)lse.ac.uk<mailto:p.seuferling@lse.ac.uk> Dr Alison Powell Associate Professor and Director of MSc in Data & Society Department of Media and Communications London School of Economics and Political Science RECENT ARTICLES: Alison Powell (2024) AI is Expensive<https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/medialse/2024/06/05/ai-is-expensive/>. LSE Blog. Alison Powell and Alex Taylor (2024) How can anyone be more than one thing? Dialogues on more-than-humanity in the smart city. In: Designing More-than-Human Smart Cities: Beyond Sustainability, Towards Cohabitation. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 223 - 238. ISBN 9780192884169 Alison B. Powell (2024) Objectivity vs affect: how competing forms of legitimacy can polarize public debate in data-driven public consultation, Information, Communication & Society, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2329623

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ECPR Digital Authoritarianism RN Online Lecture, 4 Feb: Prof. Oliver Schlumberger
by Ülker Sözen 29 Jan '25

29 Jan '25

ECPR Digital Authoritarianism Research Network <https://ecpr.eu/group/digital-authoritarianism> launches the online lecture series "The Many Faces of Digital Authoritarianism". We cordially invite you for the first lecture by Professor Oliver Schlumberger with the title "The Digital Transformation of Authoritarianism". You can find below the abstract and bio of Prof. Schlumberger. The lecture will be held online via Zoom on *February 4, Tuesday between 15:00 - 16:30 CET. * Topic: ECPR Digital Authoritarianism RN Lecture Series- Prof. Oliver Schlumberger Time: Feb 4, 2025 03:00 PM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna Join Zoom Meeting https://uni-leipzig.zoom-x.de/j/68151846834?pwd=Htw9oEeZ2u9ivsddMfX2vZO64RS… Meeting ID: 681 5184 6834 Passcode: 411770 Kind regards, ECPR Digital Authoritarianism RN Steering Committee https://x.com/digitalaut_ECPR https://bsky.app/profile/digitalaut-ecpr.bsky.social -------------------------------------- "The Digital Transformation of Authoritarianism" This talk provides an overview of various dimensions in which digitization causes, has caused, or will cause politically significant transformations of the mode of governance in authoritarian regimes. Such dimensions include the regimes themselves and the elites who run them; state-society relations that we see changing profoundly, including the chances of anti-systemic (i.e. democratic) oppositional actors; state-business relations in both the domestic and global realm; as well as an international dimension in which many of the domestic transformative aspects find their counterpart beyond the borders of the respective country. Maybe most importantly, however - and not restricted to authoritarian regimes, but much more pronounced than in democracies - we should pay attention to the immaterial, cognitive dimension where we see a contemporaneousness of multiple aspects coincide that together amount to a crisis of what is known, of what is believed, and of what is believed to be known. The overall purpose of the intervention is thus not a presentation of empirical research results, but rather to inspire future research in a relatively new, but potentially vast, field of research.“ Bio: Oliver Schlumberger is professor of Comparative Politics at Eberhard-Karls University of Tübingen. Having studied at Tübingen, Geneva and Damascus, his main research interests are authoritarianism; systemic political change (autocratization and democratization) and, lately, the transformations of politics through digitization. His latest publications on the relationship between digitization and politics are: „How authoritarianism transforms: A Framework for the Study of Digital Dictatorship“ (McMeehan-Prize for the best article; jointly with M. Edel; A. Maati; and K. Saglam, 2024, in* Government & Opposition*) and „Information, Doubt and Democracy: How Digitization Spurs Democratic Decay“ (jointly with A. Maati; K. Saglam; Ch. Sirikupt; and M. Edel, 2023, in *Democratization*).

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Online policy panel - Digital infrastructures and platforms: Sovereignty in an age of information disorder | 7 Feb 2025
by Orsolya Gulyás 28 Jan '25

28 Jan '25

Dear colleagues, The Centre for Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (CD2I) at the Brussels School of Governance is organising an online panel discussion about infrastructure and platform sovereignty in an age of information disorder. Our panel of academic experts will discuss the increasingly pressing tensions around platform power and control over critical digital infrastructures, reflecting on whether the recently passed EU policies can help protect the European and global information space. The panel discussion will take place on 7 February at 15.00 (CET) on Zoom, please register to receive the meeting link. Registration: https://www.brussels-school.be/output/events/online-policy-panel-digital-in… Speakers: * * Daniel Fiott, Head of the Defence and Statecraft Programme, Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS), Brussels School of Governance (BSoG-VUB) * Trisha Meyer, Director of the Centre for Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation, Brussels School of Governance * Francesca Musiani, Research Professor & Director, Centre for Internet and Society (CIS), National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) * Jamal Shahin, Associate Professor, Brussels School of Governance (BSoG-VUB); Professorial Fellow, UNU-CRIS Best wishes, ORSOLYA GULYÁS PhD Researcher orsolya.gulyas(a)vub.be<mailto:orsolya.gulyas@vub.be> Brussels School of Governance<https://brussels-school.be/> Pleinlaan 5 - 1050 Brussels

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Call for Abstracts: International anniversary conference: "20 Years into the Future: What is our vision of media, data, and society?"
by ZeMKI 28 Jan '25

28 Jan '25

ZeMKI’s 20th Anniversary International Conference 20 Years into the Future: What is our vision of media, data, and society? Confirmed Keynote Speakers: José van Dijck (Utrecht U, NL), Nick Couldry (LSE, UK) (more to follow) Date: 23.-24. October 2025 Street: Sandstraße 4/5, Bremen, Germany Location: House of Science Bremen Host: ZeMKI, Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research, University of Bremen Call for Abstracts: Media and communication research has traditionally focused on the present, often asking: What are the consequences of each “new” medium? How do digital media and their infrastructures impact contemporary cultures and societies? With this conference, however, we aim to shift the perspective—from analyzing present-day impacts to envisioning future possibilities. What can we learn from the current mediatization and datafication of society to imagine possible futures? What roles might media discourses, technologies, and practices play in ongoing and future societal transformations? In raising these foundational questions, the conference is broadly situated within the fields of media, communication and information research. Topics may include: the role of media discourses, technologies, and practices in narrating and shaping the future; the importance of media policy and governance in building better futures; recent technological developments such as communicative AI and their potential role for future media environments; ways in which our narratives of the past, media history, and archeology shape our imaginaries of the future; digital gaming and emerging forms of entertainment; future media-related challenges for future sustainability and quality of life; and methodologies in media and communication research that address emerging media-related developments from a forward-looking perspective. With discussion topics like these, the ZeMKI’s 20th anniversary conference is not about speculative forecasting but is grounded in media and communication research. We aim to explore long-term trends emerging from today’s media-related transformations and reflect on our visions of the future. We invite those who have previously engaged with us—our cooperation partners, ZeMKI fellows, guests, and friends—and those interested in starting new conversations. Presentations may cover any area of media and communication research, provided they also address the question of where a mediatized and datafied society might be heading. Abstracts of up to 500 words can be submitted by March 15th, 2025 via this online submission form: https://nc.uni-bremen.de/index.php/apps/forms/s/EP6cLH2Y3eLxbaaC6cLMCNsA Participation is free of charge. Download the call as a PDF file: https://zemki.uni-bremen.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Call_20-years-into-t… Conference website: https://zemki.uni-bremen.de/futures

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CfP: 4S open panel on stuckness in science and technology
by Michelle Venetucci 27 Jan '25

27 Jan '25

Hi everyone, Just a few days left to send in abstracts for 4S open panels! I'm writing to invite you to apply for an open panel on theorizing stuckness in science and technology. Full description below. The full list of panels is here <https://www.4sonline.org/accepted_open_panels_seattle.php>, submission instructions here <https://www.4sonline.org/call_for_submissions_seattle.php>. 4S will be in Seattle, September 3 - 6, 2025, and the deadline for 250 word abstracts is January 31. *Session Title:*Theorizing Stuckness in Science and Technology *Abstract:*What might we learn by studying science and technology through the lens of stuckness as opposed to progress? While critical conversations in STS have deconstructed progress narratives in science and technology, actors on the ground are well aware that their everyday work is far from smooth. Scientists are constantly frustrated with unexpected obstacles to their research plans (e.g., Messeri & Vertesi, 2015). Technologists who aspire to change the world often end up reproducing current structures of power (e.g., Rider, 2021). These experiences show up in empirical research, and yet are rarely theorized. In this panel, we propose foregrounding contexts of stuckness, inertia, and stagnation as a way to examine the production of scientific knowledge and technological projects and their societal impacts. Stuckness can be material, affective, discursive, and subjective; it can describe particular moments or extend into chronic conditions. On the one hand, moments of stuckness highlight how seemingly powerful experts are situated within material and structural constraints. On the other hand, experts often *feel* stuck, revealing the aspirations and expectations that experts might have about their work precisely as they fail to materialize. Stuckness enables us to bring together the material and discursive forces that shape the work of experts, moving towards an expansive understanding of how scientific and technological practices are produced. We invite scholars from a variety of fields and topic areas to explore stuckness, using the concept as a jumping off point for opening up new conversations about science, technology, and society: When do actors get stuck, and what responses does that elicit? How do different people experience stuckness? What might experiences of stuckness reveal about structural conditions, chronic issues, or routinized crises? We welcome papers that consider the theoretical and methodological possibilities that emerge from centering stuckness in the study of science and technology. Organizers: Shoko Yamada (shoko.yamada(a)yale.edu) Michelle Venetucci (michelle.venetucci(a)yale.edu) Yale University

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CFP: 4S Panel on sovereign tech cities
by Rider, Karina (gxy9fq) 27 Jan '25

27 Jan '25

Hello all, I’d love to invite you to submit for my 4S panel on tech entrepreneurs trying to build new sovereign cities and states! The panel is titled “Silicon Valley Sovereignty: The Tech Billionaires Building New Cities and the Locals Fighting Back.” See below for a panel description. Get in touch if you have any questions! All the best, Karina -- Dr. Karina Rider Assistant Professor @ University of Virginia Lead Organizer @ Labor Tech Research Network @kaareeenah.bsky.social // karinarider.com ---- In 2022, Balaji Srinivasan--angel investor and tech entrepreneur--published The Network State: How to Start a New Country. In it, he described what he saw as the successor to the nation-state: "highly aligned online communit[ies] with a capacity for collective action that crowdfunds territory around the world and eventually gains diplomatic recognition from pre-existing states." Famous examples of network states include initiatives backed by tech oligarchs: the Seasteading Institute which is building "startup communities that float on the ocean"; and Praxis, an online community attempting to build a 10,000-person city in "the Mediterranean." Although these proposals may seem fantastical, their grandiose ideals reverberate across time and space, inspiring similar projects on smaller scales. Tech entrepreneurs in California, for example, are investing in building several new cities where they provide the social and material infrastructure for residents. City Campus aims to build a one square-mile miniature city within San Francisco where residents can raise their kids, work, and "engage in local civic and social life." California Forever plans to build a new city twice the size of San Francisco in the middle of farmland. How do these initiatives fit into the network state framework? What do they mean for local displacement, democratic governance, and public services? The goal of this panel is to bring together scholars interested in exploring how network states are being built and how they impact local residents. Proposals might address questions such as: What exactly are network states, in practice? How are they built, and how do they overcome (or fail to overcome) local resistance? If network states exist along a sliding scale, what elements do they have in common? How do network states engage with local energy sources and how do they impact the environment?

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