February 2026 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

CFP - “SLOP” and “NOSTALGIA” – DLC Presents “Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture”
by Tanja Grubnic 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

CFP - “SLOP” and “NOSTALGIA” – DLC Presents “Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture” Please see cfp below for a mini-conference (virtual) below. Open to scholars of all career levels and stages. Apply here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-vT-PA_OOhkwAUcv96KmakpG9Kp… ---------------------------------- We are excited to announce the second installment of our Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture series, mini-conferences devoted to studying the most pressing and emerging concepts actively shaping digital literary culture. In 2025-2026, Current Keywords in Digital Literary Culture will host two virtual mini-conferences consisting of four thematically-linked keywords actively shaping digital literary culture in the very online, very present moment. Our first installment featured “smut” and “lore,” and now we turn to “slop” and “nostalgia.” We are working at the bleeding edge of culture, and these mini-conferences are designed to be intimate, safe, and collaborative spaces to think with others about what we see emerging, as it is emerging. To that end, the conference will be held on a single day consisting of two panels organized around the keywords. For each keyword, we are soliciting submissions for three to four 10-minute papers to facilitate timely conversations about the pressing issues in digital literary culture today. Our aim is to invite conversation across the papers and across the keywords through a day spent reading and thinking together. For our Keywords Sessions, our selections ask potential participants to touch on these dynamics via the following keywords shaping digital literary culture today. Please see the call-for-papers below. Slop Slop has quickly become an ubiquitous word describing AI generated content, especially low-quality content that fails to pass as human. Enabled by the ease with which AI can output large quantities of material (a process that conveniently obscures the devastating environmental impacts of AI technology), our internet is now “sloppy”. AI generated text, images, and video all proliferate across digital spaces–sometimes humorously obvious, sometimes insidiously ambiguous. As we take in more and more of our information and entertainment through digital outlets, the proliferation of slop clogs our feeds and spams our platforms. We are interested in papers interrogating this ever-growing category of content, such as it is. We especially want to highlight scholars critically engaging with slop, past a blanket rejection of AI created content. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to: * The aesthetics of slop, including volume, tone, effort * What constitutes or defines slop in comparison to other AI generated content * Slop compared to AI content deemed to be of artistic value * Computational approaches to slop * The economics of slop * Explorations into sub-categories of slop, i.e. misinformation, “workslop” * Slop and authenticity or authentic writing * Pre-cursors to slop: spam, surrealism Nostalgia Nostalgia, coined in 1688 by medical student Johannes Hofer, was originally diagnosed as a condition known colloquially as homesickness. Since the mid- to late-twentieth century, it has developed into a popular cultural phenomenon. Television shows like Happy Days and Mad Men remind us that a fondness for “simpler” decades past is not unique to the social media age. But nostalgia for previous eras has grown into one of the most pervasive aesthetic fascinations of the current decade. Nostalgia—partcularly for a pre-internet, pre-algorithmically and screen-mediated world—has become thoroughly entrenched in internet culture as an aesthetic and cultural mood. Perhaps paradoxically, social media ushered in the re-emergence of poetry as a best-selling artform and the re-branding of reading as an “offline” experience. At the same time, pastiches of analogue and early internet media prior to algorithms dominate visual social media feeds, not to mention the wave of AI-generated videos animating the last generations in living memory before the internet. Indeed, we live in a digitized, webified, and computerized world. Global screen times average over six hours per day and people spend far more time online than they would like to believe. As the internet becomes more and more pervasive, a longing for those allegedly familiar feelings of privacy, quiet, and disconnection grow stronger. Whether nostalgia bears any relevance to Hofer’s original definition is up for debate, but we are interested in papers that nevertheless diagnose the enduring significance of nostalgia in digital culture and literature. Areas of focus might include: * Case studies of specific types or genres of nostalgic aesthetics online * The connection between nostalgia and other internet trends like “slop,” “brainrot,” and “touch grass” * The relationship between nostalgia and cultural anxieties about the internet * Representations of nostalgia for the pre-internet world in television, film, or literature * Idealizations of the pre-internet era * The rise of “offline” experiences (book clubs, reading retreats) and nostalgia for material things * Historicizations of internet nostalgia compared to earlier manifestations of theories * Attending discourses of mental health, wellness, and self-care * The irony of documenting internet nostalgia or non-internet activities online Confirmed Speakers: Tess McNulty, Department of English, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Timeline: * March 13: Abstracts due * April 1: Notification of successful submissions * May 14: Mini-conference (virtual) If we receive more abstract submissions than the mini-conference format has room for, the following criteria will apply: * Presenters that can attend both panels * Explicit thematic relevance * Overall strength of submission If you have any questions about the CFP or conference, please reach out to Tanja Grubnic and Hannah Jorgensen at contact(a)dlcplus.org<mailto:contact@dlcplus.org>. Please add us to your safe senders list to ensure you receive our emails! Learn more about DLC+ at https://dlcplus.org<https://dlcplus.org/>. ---------------------------------- Tanja Grubnic, PhD SSHRC<https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en.aspx> Postdoctoral Scholar Duke University Digital Literary Cultures<https://dlcplus.org>

2 2

Fwd: First Monday shutting down after 30 years
by Holly Kruse 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Me too. I would be happy to help try to save First Monday. Not only has it been an important place for many of us to publish our work, it has also been a source to which I can point my undergraduate students, where they can easily find relevant, accessible, high-quality, peer-reviewed, full-text original research, and they have absolutely used it and been glad to have First Monday as a resource. Holly Holly Kruse, Ph.D. Professor Department of Communications Rogers State University 1701 W. Will Rogers Blvd. Claremore, Oklahoma 74017 holly.kruse(a)gmail.com or hkruse(a)rsu.edu *Gender and Technology: An Introducti*on (Polity) out in the U.S. in February 2026 <https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Gender+and+Technology:+An+Introduction-p-978150…> On Feb 7, 2026, at 10:40 AM, Jaigris Hodson via Air-L < air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> wrote: If we need a group of volunteers to continue the important work of this journal, I would step up. I too have fond memories of publishing here. Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef> ________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of An Nguyen via Air-L <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Sent: Saturday, February 7, 2026 3:09:25 AM To: Zimmer, Michael <michael.zimmer(a)marquette.edu>; air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Cc: ejv(a)uic.edu <ejv(a)uic.edu> Subject: Re: [Air-L] First Monday shutting down after 30 years This is heart-breaking news! My first academic paper was published on First Monday in 2003, when it had started to garner a global respect. I have had three more on FM since then but that thrilling moment in 2003 is still very fresh in my memory - it was such a huge morale and confidence booster for a PhD student. The journal has gone from strengths to strengths and is still very influential - so it is really sad to see it go. Thanks to Edward for steering the ship in the past three decades. If there's any collective effort to save it, I would be delighted to contribute my dues. All the best, An Nguyen ________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Zimmer, Michael via Air-L <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Sent: Friday, February 6, 2026 9:36:37 PM To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Cc: ejv(a)uic.edu <ejv(a)uic.edu> Subject: [Air-L] First Monday shutting down after 30 years External Email: Use caution when responding, opening attachments, or clicking links. Really sad to hear that First Monday is shutting down after 30 years of publication. It was one of the first journals devoted to internet research, and a true pioneer in open access: no fees, no paywalls, and authors retained their copyright. My very first publication appeared there in 2004, and I know an entire generation of us got our start in its pages. Many thanks to Ed and everyone who contributed to building and sustaining such an important venue. End of an era. https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/announcement/view/99<https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/announcement/view/99> ~ Michael -- Michael Zimmer, PhD Director, Center for Data, Ethics, and Society< https://www.marquette.edu/data-ethics-society/< https://www.marquette.edu/data-ethics-society/>> Professor & Vice-Chair, Department of Computer Science Marquette University michael.zimmer(a)marquette.edu<mailto:michael.zimmer@marquette.edu> http://www.michaelzimmer.org/<http://www.michaelzimmer.org/>< http://www.michaelzimmer.org/> :: http://www.zuckerbergfiles.org/ %7C02%7Canguyen%40bournemouth.ac.uk %7Cb3b51ff5659a483efee108de65db5d26%7Cede29655d09742e4bbb5f38d427fbfb8%7C0%7C0%7C639060189995777342%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=X3RuKIXP7olFXBFmPFZrLRuQd3YVGzsqnfYWQIgTg80%3D&reserved=0< http://www.zuckerbergfiles.org/><http://www.zuckerbergfiles.org/> _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org/< http://aoir.org/> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org< http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org> Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/<http://www.aoir.org/> ________________________________ BU is a Disability Confident Employer and has signed up to the Mindful Employer charter. Information about the accessibility of University buildings can be found on the BU AccessAble webpages. This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email, which must not be copied, distributed or disclosed to any other person. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bournemouth University or its subsidiary companies. Nor can any contract be formed on behalf of the University or its subsidiary companies via email. _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org/ Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ Royal Roads acknowledges the campus is located on the traditional Lands of the Lekwungen-speaking Peoples, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail and attachments may contain personal or confidential information for the sole use of the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient and you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the message and attachments. _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

8 12

New Routledge Book Series: Cultural Analytics, AI and the Digital Futures
by Natalia Grincheva 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Dear Colleagues, I am writing to gauge your interest and invite your preliminary thoughts on a *new Book Series currently in development with Routledge: Cultural Analytics, AI and the Digital Futures.* The series is envisioned as an essential navigational guide for culture in a time of profound transformation. Its core mission is to answer a pressing question: *How do we harness the power of data and AI to foster a cultural ecosystem that is vibrant, equitable, and meaningfully human?* To achieve this, the series is being designed around a foundation of critical synthesis, weaving together cultural analytics, critical data studies, cultural policy research and creative industry practice. I am seeking to identify potential volumes that would combine rigorous, practical insight with critical examination—work that not only explains the "how-to" but permanently couples it with the essential "why" and "for whom." At this exploratory stage, *I am reaching out to assess the landscape of potential contributions.* We are particularly interested in work that features: - A practical-critical methodology applicable for professionals and scholars. - Global comparative perspectives beyond Western-centric narratives. - Forward-facing analysis using scenario thinking or policy foresight. If you are developing work at this vital interdisciplinary intersection—whether focusing on data/AI policy, governance, data storytelling, AI ethics, curation, or the future of creative labour—I would be very keen to hear about your potential book ideas and your interest in contributing. If you have a project to propose, even in a nascent or conceptual stage of development, you are warmly invited *to share your idea by February 22, 2026* . *Please complete a brief expression of interest form <https://forms.gle/fMVmNkWSvdKjzE3W6>, or reach out to me directly via email at natalia.grincheva(a)lasalle.edu.sg <natalia.grincheva(a)lasalle.edu.sg> * Please feel free to share this invite for expression of interest among your relevant networks. Looking forward to hearing from you soon With kind regards Natalia *Dr Natalia Grincheva* *2026 Digital Statecraft Academy <https://digitalstatecraft.academy/> Cambridge Fellow <https://digitalstatecraft.academy/person/natalia-grincheva/>* *Culture Futures Lab <https://datatopower.net/lab> Leader* Program Leader, BA (Hons) Arts Management LASALLE | University of the Arts Singapore *Recent Book: *Geopolitics of Digital Heritage <https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/geopolitics-of-digital-heritage…>(Cambridge Uni Press) *Digital Creative Praxis:* Data to Power <https://datatopower.net/> *Academic Profile:* https://grincheva.com/

2 2

External Examiner sought for MA in Digital Media and Global Cultures at Queen Mary, University of London
by Richard Bingham 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) is seeking an External Examiner for its MA in Digital Media and Global Cultures.<https://www.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/coursefinder/courses/digital-med…> We are seeking a candidate with academic expertise in the field of Digital Media. Applicants should hold a postgraduate qualification (minimum of a Master’s degree) in a relevant area. The External Examiner's role would include * review and approval of set assessment * review of assessed work and feedback * attending the Subject Examination Board * producing an annual report to the Degree Examination Board Examination Boards are held online. Criteria for the appointment of External Examiners includes: * knowledge and understanding of UK sector * competence and experience in the fields covered by the programme of study, or parts thereof * competence and experience relating to designing and operating a variety of assessment tasks appropriate to the subject and operating assessment procedures * familiarity with the standard to be expected of students to achieve the award that is to be assessed * fluency in English The duration of an external examiner's appointment will normally be for four years. More detailed QAA criteria for the position of External Examiners are available at: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/governance-and-legal-services/media/arcs/quality/ext… Previous experience as an External Examiner is desirable though not essential. It is also required that the External Examiner, if appointed, would not hold more than two External Examiner positions, including this appointment. If you are interested in applying for this position, please enclose an up-to-date copy of your CV to Dr Richard Bingham at r.bingham(a)qmul.ac.uk<mailto:r.bingham@qmul.ac.uk> Best wishes, Dr Richard Bingham (he/him) Lecturer in Digital Cultures Queen Mary University of London Arts One G.25A - Book a drop-in session<https://qmplus.qmul.ac.uk/mod/scheduler/view.php?id=2855450> r.bingham(a)qmul.ac.uk<mailto:r.bingham@qmul.ac.uk>

2 2

Digital Solidarity Economies, Special Issue, Internet Policy Review
by Rafael Do Nascimento Grohmann 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Hi AoIR, I'm glad to share that our special issue on Digital Solidarity Economies is now out in Internet Policy Review, and we invite you to read it (editors: Belen Albornoz, Ricard Espelt, Rafael Grohmann, and Denise Kasparian). https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/introduction-digital-solidarity… This special issue situates Digital Solidarity Economies (DSE) as an analytical and practical framework for reimagining the digital economy through cooperation, mutual aid, and shared ownership. In response to the concentration of power within platform capitalisms, DSE highlight grassroots and institutional initiatives that democratize digital infrastructures and governance. Drawing on traditions of the social and solidarity economy, free and open-source cultures, and feminist and decolonial technoscience, the special issue explores how communities across the world build technological sovereignty from below. The contributions collectively advance a plural understanding of digital solidarity economies by addressing infrastructural arrangements, situated practices, and institutional experimentation as key sites through which digital economies oriented toward the reproduction of life are being built. Table of Contents * Introduction to the special issue on Digital Solidarity Economies<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/introduction-digital-solidarity…> Belén Albornoz<https://policyreview.info/users/belen-albornoz>, Faculty of Public Politics, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Ecuador Ricard Espelt<https://policyreview.info/users/ricard-espelt>, Faculty of Economics and Business, Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain Rafael Grohmann<https://policyreview.info/users/rafael-grohmann>, Department of Arts, Culture and Media, University of Toronto, Canada Denise Kasparian<https://policyreview.info/users/denise-kasparian>, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina * Institutionalising data solidarity? The making of expertise in the EU Social Economy Code of Conduct for data sharing<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/institutionalising-data-solidar…> Dwayne Ansah<https://policyreview.info/users/dwayne-ansah>, Utrecht University Mai Ishikawa Sutton<https://policyreview.info/users/mai-ishikawa-sutton>, Commons Network Sophie Bloemen<https://policyreview.info/users/sophie-bloemen>, Commons Network Bonno Pel<https://policyreview.info/users/bonno-pel>, Utrecht University * Crossed perspectives on grey zones and ambivalences in bike delivery platform cooperatives: the case of Mensakas as a member of the CoopCycle Federation and platform cooperative<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/grey-zones-bike-delivery-platfo…> Laura Eccher<https://policyreview.info/users/laura-eccher>, Gran Sasso Science Institute Alejandro Fortuny-Sicart<https://policyreview.info/users/alejandro-fortuny-sicart>, University of Vigo Arthur Guichoux<https://policyreview.info/users/arthur-guichoux>, University of Liège * Engineering platform cooperativism: Contributions from the Brazilian solidarity economy<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/platform-cooperativism-brazilia…> Celso Alexandre Souza de Alvear<https://policyreview.info/users/celso-alexandre-souza-de-alvear>, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Marcelo Alves de Souza<https://policyreview.info/users/marcelo-alves-de-souza>, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Camilla de Godoi<https://policyreview.info/users/camilla-de-godoi>, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Flávio Chedid Henriques<https://policyreview.info/users/flavio-chedid-henriques>, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro * Exploring digital solidarity economy in false information management: A case study of Taiwan's Cofacts platform<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/false-information-management-ca…> Kuan-Wei Chen<https://policyreview.info/users/kuan-wei-chen>, Kyoto University * A workers’ inquiry in Decentralised Autonomous Organisations: Insights and policies to align blockchain-based work with the solidarity economy<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/decentralised-autonomous-organi…> Tara Merk<https://policyreview.info/users/tara-merk>, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)/University of Paris II Laura Lotti<https://policyreview.info/users/laura-lotti>, Independent researcher Nick Houde<https://policyreview.info/users/nick-houde>, Independent researcher Morshed Mannan<https://policyreview.info/users/morshed-mannan>, University of Edinburgh * Gendered digitalisation in the Social and Solidarity Economy<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/gendered-digitalisation> Nuria Vega-Rodríguez<https://policyreview.info/users/nuria-vega-rodriguez>, Open University of Catalonia * Beyond platform capitalism: Digital solidarity economy and free culture networks in Argentina and Brazil<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/beyond-platform-capitalism-digi…> Leonardo Foletto<https://policyreview.info/users/leonardo-foletto>, University of São Paulo Daniel Santini<https://policyreview.info/users/daniel-santini>, University of São Paulo * The Blown Head Gasket Effect: Rise and struggles of The Drivers Cooperative in New York City<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/drivers-cooperative-new-york-ci…> Stefano Tortorici<https://policyreview.info/users/stefano-tortorici>, Scuola Normale Superiore * Social and solidarity economy and shared knowledge: Facilitating and integrating the collaborative adoption of digital commons in Catalan coops<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/digital-commons-in-Catalan-coops> Mònica Garriga Miret<https://policyreview.info/users/monica-garriga-miret>, femProcomuns David Gómez Fontanills<https://policyreview.info/users/david-gomez-fontanills>, femProcomuns Xavier Martínez Serrano<https://policyreview.info/users/xavier-martinez-serrano>, femProcomuns Enric Senabre Hidalgo<https://policyreview.info/users/enric-senabre-hidalgo>, University of Barcelona * Survival, companionship, and visibility with platforms: (Re)producing solidarity in Hong Kong queer spaces<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/solidarity-hong-kong-queer-spac…> Hiu-Fung Chung<https://policyreview.info/users/hiu-fung-chung>, University of Toronto Ho Lam (Roland) Cheng<https://policyreview.info/users/ho-lam-roland-cheng>, University of Toronto * Solidarity across borders: Decoding the functionality of CoopCycle in Latin America<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/solidarity-coopcycle-latin-amer…> Alexandra Belén Gualavisí<https://policyreview.info/users/alexandra-belen-gualavisi>, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) Daniel Vizuete-Sandoval<https://policyreview.info/users/daniel-vizuete-sandoval>, Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) * Governance, technology, and the limits of digital solidarity economies: A South Korean case study<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/governance-technology-limits-di…> Jeongone Seo<https://policyreview.info/users/jeongone-seo>, Rutgers University Tawfiq Ammari<https://policyreview.info/users/tawfiq-ammari>, Rutgers University * Kudumbashree's Lunch Bell project and digital solidarity economy in Kerala, India<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/lunch-bell-project-kerala-india> Ashique Ali Thuppilikkat<https://policyreview.info/users/ashique-ali-thuppilikkat>, University of Toronto Priyank Chandra<https://policyreview.info/users/priyank-chandra>, University of Toronto Fibin Filal<https://policyreview.info/users/fibin-filal>, Independent researcher * Digital community supported agriculture? Exploring a cooperative platform model for fair work and governance<https://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/digital-community-supported-agr…> Anne-Pauline de Cler<https://policyreview.info/users/anne-pauline-de-cler>, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM-CNRS) -- dr. Rafael Grohmann Assistant Professor of Media Studies Department of Arts, Culture and Media<https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/acm/rafael-grohmann> Faculty of Information<https://ischool.utoronto.ca/profile/rafael-grohmann/> University of Toronto Leader, DigiLabour<https://digilabour.com.br/> Research Associate, University of Oxford<https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/rafael-grohmann/> Founding Editor, Platforms & Society<https://journals.sagepub.com/home/PNS> Principal Investigator, Worker-Owned Intersectional Platforms (WOIP)<https://digilabour.com.br/worker-owned-intersectional-platforms-woip/> Co-Lead, Creative Labour and Critical Futures (CLCF)<https://criticaldigitalmethods.ca/creative-labour-critical-futures/> Researcher, AI Policy Observatory for the World of Work<https://www.essex.ac.uk/research-projects/ai-policy-observatory-for-the-wor…> Senior Fellow, Massey College<https://www.masseycollege.ca/> Faculty Affiliate, Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society<https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca/> <https://srinstitute.utoronto.ca/>

3 2

Call for Digital Sovereignty Visiting Fellow at United Nations University - CRIS
by Nadia Tjahja 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Dear colleagues, We are looking for two visiting researchers to spend two months at the United Nations University in Bruges, where they will contribute to the project DSNS-ACT. What do we expect from you? * You are an experienced researcher with expertise in the academic and policy debates surrounding digital sovereignty; * You are encouraged to apply if you are actively involved in national, regional, and global discussions on digital sovereignty; * You have fluent professional knowledge of English, demonstrated through a sample publication; * Experience in reviewing and editing texts is considered desirable. More information is available here: https://www.brussels-school.be/jobs/visiting-researcher-dsns-act-project-un… Kind regards, Nadia Tjahja, PhD Vrije Universiteit Brussel | Brussels School of Governance | Adjunct Professor & Postdoctoral Researcher https://brussels-school.be/research/digitalisation-democracy-and-innovation United Nations University – CRIS | Co-Coordinator of the Digital Governance Cluster www.cris.unu.edu<http://www.cris.unu.edu/> YOUthDIG Coordinator, European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG)<https://www.eurodig.org/> Commissioning Editor, Policy & Internet Journal (P&I<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19442866>)

2 2

ANU School of Sociology seminar series: "The Sovereign Individual reloaded: surfacing Thiel’s alt-canon", Prof Roger Burrows (Bristol University)
by Thao Phan 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Dear all, Please join us for the first ANU School of Sociology seminar series talk for 2026! *The Sovereign Individual reloaded: surfacing Thiel’s alt-canon* Speaker: Prof Roger Burrows (Centre for Urban and Public Policy Research, Bristol University) Date: Tuesday 17 February, 2026 Time: 12 – 1pm Location: RSSS Room 2.56, and Zoom Registration: https://events.humanitix.com/anu-school-of-sociology-seminar-series-prof-ro… *Title* *The Sovereign Individual* reloaded: surfacing Thiel’s alt-canon *Abstract* Peter Thiel’s ideological commitments, financial networks and political interventions reveal a deliberate effort to dismantle democratic governance in favour of elite-controlled sovereignties. Drawing on Girard, Spengler, Strauss and especially The Sovereign Individual (Davidson and Rees-Mogg), Thiel envisions a world where wealth insulates elites from public accountability, taxation and state oversight. His investments in seasteading, Urbit, Palantir – whose CEO studied under Habermas – and political figures such as J.D. Vance illustrate how these ideas shape emerging governance structures. Thiel’s alignment with neoreactionary (NRx) ideology, particularly Yarvin’s patchwork GovCorp model and Land’s Dark Enlightenment, promotes corporate autocracy, accelerationism and architectures of exit. This vision is materialising in privatised jurisdictions, from financial corridors that circumvent national regulation to autonomous city-states governed by market logic. These developments signal a shift beyond neoliberalism, where economic power is increasingly detached from state oversight. By embedding these ideas in Silicon Valley, state institutions and financial infrastructures, Thiel advances a model in which citizenship is reduced to consumer choice, governance operates beyond democratic control and sovereignty is reconfigured through technological means. This paper situates Thiel’s project within broader sociological concerns about elite withdrawal, so-called digital feudalism and the restructuring of governance through technological and financial infrastructures. *About the speaker* Roger Burrows has worked in UK higher education since 1985, holding positions at Surrey, Teesside, York, Goldsmiths, Newcastle and currently Bristol, where he is Head of the Centre for Urban and Public Policy Research (CUPPR). At Goldsmiths, he was Pro-Warden for Interdisciplinary Development. He is also an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Cities and an Adjunct Professor at the Australian Centre for Housing Research, University of Adelaide. His research spans housing, urban studies, digital cultures and social inequalities. He has published over 170 works, with half focusing on housing and urban studies and the rest covering theory, methods, digital culture, health, global inequalities and higher education. He was co-editor of Housing Studies (2002–2005) and led the UK ESRC E-Society Programme (2005–2007). He has served as a UK REF assessor and sits on the editorial boards of Body & Society and Theory, Culture & Society. His recent work examines algorithmic risk profiling in housing, the social geography of the super-rich, fintech use among young people and the ideological foundations of neoreactionary (NRx) thought.

2 2

Invitation to participate in the Futures of Digital Democracy Survey (FDDS)
by Christian Fuchs 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Invitation to participate in the Futures of Digital Democracy Survey (FDDS) Hello, We want to invite you to participate in an expert survey that addresses a key political topic of our time: the future of democracy in the digital age and the rise of authoritarianism. The EU research project INNOVADE: Innovative Democracy through Digitalisation https://innovade-democracy.eu/ studies digital democracy. Paderborn University’s INNOVADE research team (led by Christian Fuchs) runs the Futures of Digital Democracy Survey (FDDS): https://bit.ly/fdds_1 https://digital-democracy.net/d/index.php/111849 Particiation will take about five minutes. The goal of the survey is to analyse how digital media experts assess the potential futures of digital society and the Internet and what visions they have for these futures. INNVADE will use the results of the survey as inputs to European Union policy debates on the future of democracy (that is currently being discussed as part of the European Democracy Shield’s goal to strengthen the EU’s democratic resilience, digital autonomy/sovereignty from big tech, etc.). The survey has two rounds. In the first round, we ask for basic assessments. In a follow-up round, we report some of the first round results to the participants and ask for further assessments. After the survey’s second round is completed, all data will be published anonymously as an open data set. We’d be happy if you were able to participate. The first round is open until 23 February 2026. The second round will take place some time in March or April. https://bit.ly/fdds_1 https://digital-democracy.net/d/index.php/111849 Below you find some links to research that INNOVADE has already conducted on the topic of digital democracy. With kind regards Christian Fuchs on behalf of the Paderborn University INNOVADE research team Relevant INNOVADE reports: Christian Fuchs: What is and How Do We Achieve a Resilient Digital Democracy? https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.21988.1 Christian Fuchs, Joel Museba, Kevin Friesch: White Paper: The Futures of Digital Democracy. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17747936 Christian Fuchs (Editor) Interdisciplinary Knowledge Base on Digital Democracy. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17079016

2 2

6 fully funded PhD studentships in CreativeAI at the University of Manchester
by Lukasz Szulc 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

Dear All, The CreativeAI studentships<https://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/funding…> (2026-29) - fully-funded PhD studentships on cutting-edge creativeAI projects - will explore the rapidly evolving relationship between creativity and artificial intelligence (AI), considering what AI does for creativity and what creativity does for AI. Six supervisor-led interdisciplinary projects bring together outstanding expertise by over 15 academic staff in arts, languages and cultures, computer science, social anthropology and law to address timely societal questions around AI’s impact on agency, authorship, imagination, inequality, and social relationships. Studentships will be organised around three strands: AI for creativity, creativity for AI, and creativity of AI, supported by a methodological training theme, creative AI methods. The Centre for Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media (DHCM)<https://www.digital-humanities.manchester.ac.uk/> will serve as the intellectual and organizational home of the CreativeAI studentships, with members already working at the intersection of AI, creativity, society, and culture. Key features of this studentship * Receive a fully funded studentship covering tuition fees and an annual stipend at the UKRI rate (previously 2025/26 £20,780 per year) for 3.5 years. * Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG): £3,000 total over 3.5 years. * CreativeAI studentship methods training and cohort-building activities. The deadline for applications is March 30, 2026. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the project leads in question. General questions about the CreativeAI studentships can be directed to Sam Hind (sam.hind(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:sam.hind@manchester.ac.uk>). For more details, see: https://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/funding… All the best, Łukasz Dr Łukasz Szulc<https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/%C5%82ukasz-szulc> (he/him) Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture School of Arts, Languages and Cultures University of Manchester UNITED KINGDOM RECENT PUBLICATIONS (2025) Sad dating apps: Emotional technological determinism and agency in late modernity. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051251380042 (2024) Special Issue: Transnational Queer Cultures and Digital Media. https://academic.oup.com/ccc/issue/17/3 (2023) Culture is transnational. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13678779221131349

1 0

CFP: Special issue on mobile disconnection, abstracts deadline July 31
by Trine Syvertsen 17 Feb '26

17 Feb '26

We are pleased to invite submissions for a special issue on mobile disconnection in Mobile Media & Communication! The special issue builds on previous work in MMC and offers a space to explore the interface between disconnection studies and mobile communication. Check out the call for papers with extended abstracts due on 31 July 2026. https://journals.sagepub.com/page/mmc/mobiledisconnection<https://journals.sagepub.com/page/mmc/mobiledisconnection?_gl=1*1fkzr8*_up*…..> Best regards, Morgan Ross, Mora Matassi and Trine Syvertsen Trine Syvertsen, professor, IMK, UiO DIGITOX: Intrusive media, ambivalent users and digital detox The Digital Backlash and the Paradoxes of Disconnection | Nordicom<https://www.nordicom.gu.se/en/publications/digital-backlash-and-paradoxes-d…> (open access, 2024)

1 0