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

New Reviews: Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry
by Dr. Emma Briant 26 May '26

26 May '26

Dear Colleagues, I am thrilled to share two new book reviews of The Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry <https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/a936e4df-7a4a-4920-8ae4-14fe4c18b150?j=eyJ…> (co-edited by myself and Vian Bakir) First, this thoughtful <https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/e7d7da65-9310-4db4-8c1c-de795bda5f85?j=eyJ…> Book Review <https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/e7d7da65-9310-4db4-8c1c-de795bda5f85?j=eyJ…> in *International Journal of Communication <https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/e7d7da65-9310-4db4-8c1c-de795bda5f85?j=eyJ…>,* written by Rory Gates (Institute for World Politics) calls the book “a substantial field shaping reference work” Gates says we editors “successfully reorganize the conceptual architecture for understanding modern propaganda” and “make the infrastructure of digital influence legible for scholars working across research traditions.”One aspect of the review I particularly appreciated was Gates’ recognition that the book moves beyond narrow debates around “disinformation” to examine the broader systems, what we term a ‘digital influence industry’ and the political economy underpinning contemporary influence operations. This I also see as the book’s key strength. It’s also gratifying to see the review highlight the international scope and the book’s effort to move beyond an Anglocentric focus that so often shapes scholarship in this area. Gates calls it “an engrossing tour of the chaos generated by the digital influence industry in countries around the world.” The next Book Review, in Media, War and Conflict <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17506352261439541>, said "The shift of focus toward the actors of social media influence operations within the global perspective makes the Handbook of the Influence Industry a very refreshing read, showing innovative perspectives and opening completely new venues for influence research" Please do consider ordering the book <https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-the-Influence-Industry/Bria…> for your libraries! Best wishes and many thanks, Emma -- *Dr Emma L Briant* Visiting Associate Professor at University of Notre Dame, USA Fellow at Bard College, Human Rights Project, USA Associate at George Washington University, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, USA Associate at University of Cambridge, Center for Financial Reporting & Accountability, UK Affiliate at Monash University, Monash Global Peace and Security Centre, Australia Owner, Director and Consultant: Maven of Persuasion LLC LEARN MORE FROM ME: 🎓 Online course: https://www.udemy.com/course/propaganda-disinformation-level-1-beginners/?r… 📚 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/emmalbriant 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dremmalbriant2459/streams 🌐 emma-briant.co.uk 🗣️ Speaking agent: Chartwell Speakers <https://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/emma-briant/> 📰 Sign up for my Newsletter <https://emma-briant.co.uk/sign-up-for-important-updates/> 📘 Editor of *The Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry* (2024, with Bakir) 📘 Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change *(2015) 📘 Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* (2013, with Philo and Donald) Mastodon @emmalbriant@mastodon.online Twitter @emmalbriant "I thought yesterday was the first day of the rest of my life but it turns out today is." - Steve Martin “Women are like teabags . We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.” - Unknown

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DeepLearn 2026: early registration June 19
by David Silva - IRDTA 26 May '26

26 May '26

****************************************************** 13th INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ON DEEP LEARNING DeepLearn 2026 Orléans, France July 20-24, 2026 https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/ ****************************************************** Co-organized by: University of Orléans Centre Val de Loire Doctoral College Institute for Research Development, Training and Advice – IRDTA Luxembourg/London ****************************************************** Early registration: June 19, 2026 ****************************************************** SCOPE: DeepLearn 2026 will be a research training event with a global scope aiming at updating participants on the most recent advances in the critical and fast developing area of deep learning. Previous events were held in Bilbao, Genova, Warsaw, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Guimarães, Luleå, Bournemouth, Bari, and Porto. Deep learning is a branch of artificial intelligence covering a spectrum of current frontier research and industrial innovation that provides more efficient algorithms to deal with large-scale data in a huge variety of environments: computer vision, neurosciences, speech recognition, language processing, human-computer interaction, drug discovery, biomedicine and healthcare, medical image analysis, recommender systems, advertising, fraud detection, robotics, games, business and finance, biotechnology, physics and astrophysics, biometrics, communications, climate sciences, geographic information systems, signal processing, genomics, materials design, video technology, social systems, earth and sustainability, mathematical proofs, etc. etc. The field is also raising a number of relevant questions about efficiency and robustness of the algorithms, explainability, transparency, interpretability, risks and safety, as well as important ethical concerns at the frontier of current knowledge that deserve careful multidisciplinary discussion. Most deep learning subareas will be displayed and main challenges identified through 15 four-hour and a half courses, 2 keynote lectures, 1 round table, and a hackathon competition among participants. Renowned academics and industry pioneers will lecture and share their views with the audience. The organizers are convinced that outstanding speakers will attract the brightest and most motivated students. Face to face interaction and networking will be main ingredients of the event. It will be also possible to fully participate in vivo remotely. ADDRESSED TO: Graduates, postgraduates and industry practitioners will be typical profiles of participants. However, there are no formal pre-requisites for attendance in terms of academic degrees, hence people less or more advanced in their career will be welcome as well. Since there will be a variety of levels, specific knowledge background may be assumed for some of the courses. Overall, DeepLearn 2026 is addressed to students, researchers and practitioners who want to keep themselves updated about recent developments and future trends. All will surely find it fruitful to listen to and discuss with major researchers, industry leaders and innovators. VENUE: DeepLearn 2026 will take place in Orléans, located in the heart of the Loire Valley, which was declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 2000. The venue will be: University of Orléans Faculty of Law, Economics and Management 11 rue de Blois 45100 Orléans, France https://www.univ-orleans.fr/en STRUCTURE: 2 or 3 courses will run in parallel during the whole event. Participants will be able to freely choose the courses they wish to attend as well as to move from one to another. All lectures will be videorecorded. Participants will be able to watch them again for 45 days after the event. An open session will give participants the opportunity to present their own work in progress in 5 minutes. Also companies will be able to present their industrial developments for 10 minutes. The school will include a hackathon, where participants will be able to work in teams to tackle several machine learning challenges. Full live online participation will be possible. The organizers highlight, however, the importance of face to face interaction and networking in this kind of research training event. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Yingbin Liang (Ohio State University), Convergence Theory: How Fast Do Discrete Diffusion Models Generate? Le Song (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence), Towards AI-Driven Digital Organism: A System of Multiscale Foundation Models for Biology PROFESSORS AND COURSES: Nitesh Chawla (University of Notre Dame), [intermediate] Synthetic Data Generation and Learning from Imbalanced Data: From SMOTE to LLMs Jianfei Chen (Tsinghua University), [intermediate] Efficient Large Model Training and Inference Yuejie Chi (Yale University), [introductory/intermediate] Statistical and Algorithmic Foundations of Reinforcement Learning Bo Han (Hong Kong Baptist University), [introductory/intermediate] Trustworthy Machine Learning from Data to Models Jiawei Han (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), [intermediate] Structure-Guided, Theme-Based Knowledge Discovery with Large Language Models Mingyi Hong (University of Minnesota), [intermediate] Bilevel Optimization: Theory, Algorithms, and Applications in Machine Learning and Foundation Models Cho-Jui Hsieh (University of California Los Angeles), [intermediate/advanced] Optimizers for Large Language Model Training Furong Huang (University of Maryland), [advanced] Generative AI Agents Tara Javidi (University of California San Diego), [intermediate] Active Physical Intelligence: Integrated Multimodal Sensing, Controlled Inference, and Spatio-Temporal Attention Yan Liu (University of Southern California), [intermediate] Time Series Foundation Models: From Forecasting to Reasoning Zhijin Qin (Tsinghua University), [intermediate/advanced] Token-Based Semantic Communications Aarti Singh (Carnegie Mellon University), [intermediate] Human Centered AI: Challenges and Opportunities Suvrit Sra (Technical University of Munich), [introductory/intermediate] Introduction to the Theory of Learning with Transformers Ivor Tsang (A*STAR Centre for Frontier AI Research), [introductory/intermediate] Trustworthy Agentic Artificial Intelligence Tong Zhang (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), [introductory/intermediate] Reinforcement Learning for Large Language Models OPEN SESSION: An open session will collect 5-minute voluntary oral presentations of work in progress by participants. They should submit a half-page abstract containing the title, authors, and summary of the research to david(a)irdta.eu by July 12, 2026. INDUSTRIAL SESSION: A session will be devoted to 10-minute demonstrations of practical applications of deep learning in industry. Companies interested in contributing are welcome to submit a 1-page abstract containing the program of the demonstration and the logistics needed. People in charge of the demonstration must register for the event. Abstracts have to be submitted to david(a)irdta.eu by July 12, 2026. HACKATHON: A hackathon will take place, where participants can voluntarily work in teams to tackle several machine learning challenges. They will be coordinated by Professor Sergei V. Gleyzer (University of Alabama). The challenges will be released 2 weeks before the beginning of the school. A jury will judge the submissions and the winners of each challenge will be announced by the end of August 2026. The winning teams will receive a modest monetary prize and the runners-up will get a certificate. SPONSORS: Companies/institutions/organizations willing to be sponsors of the event can download the sponsorship leaflet from https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/sponsors/ ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: Karim Abed-Meraim (Orléans, local co-chair) Sergei V. Gleyzer (Tuscaloosa, hackathon chair) Meryem Jabloun (Orléans, local co-chair) Carlos Martín-Vide (Tarragona, program chair) Santiago Montes (Tarragona, webpage) Sara Morales (Luxembourg, finances) Florian Nowicki (Orléans, social networks) Philippe Ravier (Orléans, local chair) David Silva (London, organization chair) REGISTRATION: It has to be done at https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/registration/ The selection of 6 courses requested in the registration template is only tentative and non-binding. For logistical reasons, it will be helpful to have an estimation of the respective demand for each course. Since the capacity of the venue is limited, registration requests will be processed on a first come first served basis. The registration period will be closed and the on-line registration tool disabled when the capacity of the venue will have got exhausted. It is highly recommended to register prior to the event. FEES: Fees comprise access to all program activities and lunches. There are several early registration deadlines. Fees depend on the registration deadline. The fees for on site and for online participation are the same. ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation suggestions are available at https://deeplearn.irdta.eu/2026/accommodation/ CERTIFICATE: A certificate of successful participation will be delivered indicating the number of hours of academic activities (40). This should be sufficient for those participants who plan to request ECTS recognition from their home university. QUESTIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION: david(a)irdta.eu ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Université d’Orléans Collège Doctoral Centre-Val de Loire Universitat Rovira i Virgili Institute for Research Development, Training and Advice – IRDTA, Luxembourg/London

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26 May Book Talk: “Digital Authoritarianism in the Making: Repression and Resistance on the Russian Internet”
by Ülker Sözen 26 May '26

26 May '26

“The Many Faces of Digital Authoritarianism" Lecture Series by the ECPR Research Network on Digital Authoritarianism presents: *Book Talk: “Digital Authoritarianism in the Making: Repression and Resistance on the Russian Internet <https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edited-volume/6043/Digital-Authoritarianism…>” by Françoise Daucé, Benjamin Loveluck, and Francesca Musiani* *26 May 2026, Tuesday 15:00-16:30 CET (14:00-15:30 UK Time)* Please find the details here <https://ecpr.eu/news/news/details/923>. For registration to the series, follow the link <https://ecpr.eu/Events/337>. Link: https://ecpr-eu.zoom.us/j/81638037221?pwd=AHHlgvqtc2cpKwaNuLvkw529GMwMzC.1 Meeting ID: 816 3803 7221 Passcode: 318625 How did the authoritarian dynamic that is currently plaguing the Russian internet (Runet) come to dominate a digital space that was initially free? Digital Authoritarianism in the Making <https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edited-volume/6043/Digital-Authoritarianism…> (The MIT Press, 2025) reveals the policies regulating the Runet, resituating them within their historical context starting in the early 2010s and ending with the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. It offers a political sociology of the Russian digital space, including the variety of actors who have sought to occupy it: access providers, developers, journalists, activists, web professionals, and mobilized citizens. Informed by five years of original fieldwork, the book highlights both repressive policies and online resistance, including lesser-known social and technical practices used to circumvent constraints. In this talk, we will discuss with the book editors Françoise Daucé, Benjamin Loveluck, and Francesca Musiani the Runet's shift toward authoritarianism and how this model is expanding to all the regions where Moscow is extending its influence. *Françoise Daucé* is Professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS) in Paris and a member and former director of the Center for Russian, Caucasian, East-European, and Central Asian Studies (CERCEC). *Benjamin Loveluck* is Junior Professor in Political Science and Chair in Digital Regulation at Paris-Pantheon-Assas University, member of the Center for Studies and Research in Administrative and Political Sciences (CERSA). *Francesca Musiani* is Research Professor at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), member and director of the CNRS Centre for Internet and Society (CIS). ----------------- Dr. Ülker Sözen Postdoctoral research fellow (Gerda Henkel Foundation, 2024-2027) Chair of Development Politics, University of Passau Institute for the Study of Religions, Leipzig University International Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies (IRGAC), University of Potsdam

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Book Announcement – Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance
by Dechun Zhang 26 May '26

26 May '26

Dear colleagues, I am delighted to share that my book, Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China (Routledge, 2026), has now been officially released. The book examines how digital propaganda in China operates as a platform-shaped practice under soft authoritarianism. It argues that nationalism functions as a discursive technology that organizes meaning, structures visibility, and channels public affect across digital platforms. Rather than operating solely through top-down control, propaganda emerges through the dynamic co-production of state narratives, platform affordances, and public emotions. Governance is enacted not only through censorship, but also through emotional guidance, algorithmic visibility, participatory cues, and discursive standardization. At the same time, citizens are not passive recipients. Online publics actively use nationalist discourse to express identity, perform loyalty, negotiate legitimacy, reshape official narratives, and voice critique. The result is a fragmented yet structured form of digital nationalism embedded within platformized governance. The book contributes to ongoing debates on digital politics, affective governance, propaganda, online participation, platform power, and authoritarian communication, while also offering broader insights into contemporary authoritarian and semi-authoritarian regimes beyond China. The book is available here: https://www.routledge.com/p/book/9781041308775. You can also get your copy with 20% off using the discount code: CISYCDNAG20. I would be very grateful if you might share it with colleagues or students who may be interested. I also warmly welcome feedback, discussion, and future engagement. With best wishes, Dechun ________________________________ Dechun Zhang, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher at Department of Communication, University of Copenhagen Author of Digital Nationalism and Affective Governance: Propaganda, Public Sentiment, and Soft Authoritarianism in China <https://www.routledge.com/9781041308775> (Routledge, 2026) Managing Editor of Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://jceasia.org/__;!!NVzLfOphnbDXSw!Fs30wWO…> Editor of Asia Pacific Viewpoint<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14678373>, Sage Open<https://journals.sagepub.com/home/SGO> & Global Perspectives in Communication<https://academic.oup.com/gpc> and Social Media Editor of Journal of Visual Political Communication<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.intellectbooks.com/journal-visual-p…> Affiliated Researcher at the Leiden Asia Centre<https://leidenasiacentre.nl/people/dechun-zhang/?portfolioCats=82%2C100%2C9…>, Leiden University ORCID: 0000-0002-2284-2378<https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2284-2378> Web: https://www.dechunzhang.com/<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.dechunzhang.com/__;!!NVzLfOphnbDXSw…>

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Call for Papers: AI at Work (12 and 13 November, Amsterdam)
by Jelena Šapić 25 May '26

25 May '26

Hello everyone, Reshaping Work is organising a conference <https://reshapingwork.net/rw-conference-2026-2/> entitled* AI@Work: The Human Frontier* on 12 & 13 November in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The call for extended abstracts is open till 15 June (more information on topics and key dates is available here <https://reshapingwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Reshaping-Work-2026-%E…>, while for all the questions regarding the call, feel free to reach out to Milan Miric at mmiric(a)usc.edu) Regards, Jelena

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Real-Time Intelligent Systems 2026
by ijwa＠dline.info 25 May '26

25 May '26

Eighth International Conference on Real-Time Intelligent Systems (RTIS 2026) Bali, Indonesia October 02-04, 2026 https://www.socio.org.uk/rtis (Springer Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems) The International Conference on Real-time Intelligent Systems (RTIS) has travelled from Beijing, China (2016), to Indonesia. The eighth edition will take place in Indonesia. Over the past few years, real-time intelligent computing has revolutionised everyday life. Research on real-time intelligent systems is multidisciplinary, drawing on concepts from big data processing, computational intelligence, location-based services, recommendation systems, and multimedia processing. In today’s highly dynamic environment, real-time data analysis is essential to understand how systems process data, interpret outputs, and anticipate trends in intelligent computing. To this end, this conference will serve as a platform for showcasing ongoing research in the field. Thus, RTIS welcomes theoretically grounded, methodologically sound papers addressing the following topics. CALL FOR PAPERS (Virtual/Physical) Artificial Intelligence and Data Mining Large-scale transformer architectures (Includes multimodal AI, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Domain-adaptive LLMs and Autonomous AI agents. Explainable and Trustworthy AI Real-Time AI Pipelines Edge Stream Analytics Stream Mining for Cybersecurity Trace-Based Intelligent Real-Time Services Adaptive Vision Algorithms Location-Based Services (LBS) Intelligent Robotic Systems Collaborative Intelligence Graph and Temporal Data Mining Intelligent Soft Computing Neuro-Symbolic Soft Computing Explainable Fuzzy Deep Learning Evolutionary and Swarm Intelligence Soft Computing for Edge AI Real-Time Multiprocessor Systems AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) Architectures for Intelligence Real-Time Distributed Coding Smart Services and Platforms Real-Time Modelling User Information Needs Intelligent autonomous systems Agentic AI and Autonomous Decision-Making Physical AI and Embodied Intelligence Human–Robot Collaboration (HRC) Edge AI and Real-Time Autonomous Systems Autonomous Vehicles and Intelligent Transportation AI-Driven Digital Twins Neuromorphic and Brain-Inspired Computing Swarm Intelligence and Multi-Agent Systems AI-Native Wireless and 6G Autonomous Systems Explainable and Trustworthy Autonomy Autonomous Defense and Security Systems Symbiotic and Collaborative Intelligence Self-Learning and Continual Learning Systems Autonomous AI Infrastructure Real-Time Intelligent Communication 5G Advanced and 6G Communication Systems Edge and Fog Communication Architectures AI-Driven Real-Time Communication Real-Time IoT Communication Real-Time Multimedia Communication Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Communication Satellite and Non-Terrestrial Communication Secure Real-Time Communication Real-Time Collaborative Communication Green and Sustainable Communication Intelligent Information Processing Generative AI and Foundation Models Real-Time Intelligent Information Processing Cognitive and Context-Aware Information Processing Knowledge Graphs and Semantic Intelligence Intelligent Vision and Perception Systems Secure and Privacy-Preserving Information Processing Real-time big data models and processing Streaming Big Data Architectures AI-Driven Real-Time Analytics Edge and Fog Big Data Processing Big Data Models for IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems Real-Time Graph and Network Analytics Intelligent Data Management and Storage Real-Time Multimedia Big Data Processing Real-time intelligence applications in domains Critical Real-time applications Mining and manufacturing Agriculture, healthcare, industry and others Telecommunication Submission, proceedings Papers must be submitted online through OpenConf. Author instructions and LaTex2e (preferred) and Word macro files are available on the submission page. Submitted papers should be at most 14 pages (long papers) and 8 pages (short ones), including figures, tables and references (in the Springer template). Authors of accepted papers are required to transfer their copyrights. For a paper to appear in the proceedings, at least one of the authors MUST register for the conference by the camera-ready submission deadline with a complete registration. Springer’s Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems (LNNS) (https://www.springer.com/series/15179) will publish the accepted papers and be indexed in SCOPUS, EI Compendex, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH, and SCImago. All the papers published in the series are submitted for consideration in the Web of Science. Important Dates Submission of Papers: July 20, 2026 Notification of Acceptance/Rejection: August 15, 2026 Camera-ready: September 15, 2026 Registration: September 15, 2026 Conference Dates: October 02-04, 2026 Post-conference proceedings: January 2027 Program Committee General Chairs Nurdin Laugu, Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Indonesia Program Chairs Pit Pichappan, Digital Information Research Labs, India & UK Irvan Muliyadi, Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Indonesia Co-Program Chairs Ricardo Rodriguez-Jorge, Technological Centre Ceit, Spain Tuan Nguyen Minh, Posts and Telecommunication Institute, Vietnam Contact: stm(a)socio.org.uk

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Recall: RE: Air-L Digest, Vol 262, Issue 30
by JOBIN Anna 22 May '26

22 May '26

anna.jobin(a)unifr.ch would like to recall the message, "RE: Air-L Digest, Vol 262, Issue 30".

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Re: [Air-L] Air-L Digest, Vol 262, Issue 30
by JOBIN Anna 22 May '26

22 May '26

[like] JOBIN Anna reacted to your message: ________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org> Sent: Friday, 22 May 2026 20:00:31 To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Subject: Air-L Digest, Vol 262, Issue 30 Send Air-L mailing list submissions to air-l@ listserv. aoir. org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https: //urldefense. com/v3/__http: //listserv. aoir. org/listinfo. cgi/air-l-aoir. org__;!!L4CEoEA!q1pUiz8bq913wTIXmQjk6pRDu0QOtgXe3lq38NzGZx0f6ZSgbhingKcc9PzMuNLqvuK0lg20RutVFs4Uvju3lX6TUEUQ9vY$ Send Air-L mailing list submissions to air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoi… or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to air-l-request(a)listserv.aoir.org You can reach the person managing the list at air-l-owner(a)listserv.aoir.org When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Air-L digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Call for contributions: Democracy + Silence Symposium, Oslo Sept.2026 - Submission deadline: June 19. (Taina Bucher) 2. Bored of US Tech-bro-topia ? ? OA SI: Towards Popular Techno-Futures. ? A Global Culture Perspective ? (Jascha Bareis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Fri, 22 May 2026 11:33:01 +0000 From: Taina Bucher <taina.bucher(a)media.uio.no> To: "air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org" <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Subject: [Air-L] Call for contributions: Democracy + Silence Symposium, Oslo Sept.2026 - Submission deadline: June 19. Message-ID: <OS5P279MB08591375110F5D91E687ECFABA0F2(a)OS5P279MB0859.NORP279.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" Reimagining the democratic potentials of silence - An international symposium; University of Oslo; 23?24 September 2026 Call for Contributions About the symposium This two-day symposium reexamines democracy and citizenship by treating silence as an integral, rather than oppositional, feature of democratic culture. Silence can disrupt, slow down, knit communities together, reveal limits, and induce reflection. The symposium, part of the Democracy of Silence research project, reexamines logocentric concepts ? voice, participation, freedom of speech ? by attending to the political potential of silence (e.g. withdrawal, breaks, gaps, hesitations, disconnections, void, quietude, disaffection) to interrupt the status quo, create openings and make new things sayable, or unsayable, together. The symposium gathers researchers, artists, designers, and practitioners across disciplines to think with, and against, the regimes of voice, visibility, and engagement that have come to dominate contemporary democratic theory and digital culture alike. We are particularly interested in what silence does, refuses, holds, or opens in datafied societies: how silence fosters reflection, resists conformity, and influences decision-making at the edges and inside of platforms, states, institutions, communities. The purpose is to get one step closer to understanding what a democracy of silence could look and feel like. That is, how can we reimagine the democratic potentials of silence in a society that hinges on vocal ideals of citizenship? What politics emerges by embracing silence as a democratic value, rather than a threat? The symposium will place emphasis on discussions, interaction and experiences rather than conventional paper presentations. Accepted contributors will share a short pre-circulated contribution in advance, and the symposium itself will be devoted to working through these together, across panels, listening sessions, walks, and informal exchanges. Our hope is to leave with something held in common: a shared set of questions, a collective formulation, and the seeds of a longer trajectory (an edited volume or special issue is under consideration). What we are inviting We invite participation from anyone interested in the democratic potentials of silence. We also welcome alternative formats, such as artistic works, design concepts, or policy statements. Accepted submissions will be shared with all participants prior to the event. While silence is the central theme, we invite contributions that consider silence in relation to one or more of the following sub-themes, and we welcome work that exceeds or rethinks these: ? The unsayable, the not-said, refusal of articulation, the limits of voice as a political idiom. ? The politics of withdrawal, opacity, disaffection, silence as protest and care work. ? Quiet, noise, listening, attention; sonic infrastructures of attention and inattention. ? Embodied silences, gestures and breath. ? Withholding, opting out, refusal of legibility; what computational systems cannot register. Formats To ground the event across a range of disciplines and practices, we ask participants to submit a 1?2 page statement (500?800 words) on the democracy of silence in one of the following formats: ? Provocations and position papers: Provocations aim to unsettle comfortable paradigms and inspire reflection. Contributions may take the form of conceptual essays, speculative pieces, or critical commentaries that complicate or expand how we understand silence in democratic culture. ? Works-in-progress (papers, projects, ideas): Unfinished ideas are welcome, including early-stage projects, half-formed arguments, or paper drafts that might benefit from collective discussion and attention. ? Design work, artistic research, sound pieces (incl. 2?3 images or links to documentation): Speculative, critical, or research-through-design contributions are encouraged. Selection criteria ? Generative of collective thinking. Proposals that open questions, frictions, or methods for the room. ? We will compose the programme to accommodate a range of disciplines, registers, geographies, and career stages. Submissions from outside the academy are warmly welcomed. ? Contributions that add an ?x-factor?. Surprising and out of the box concepts that spark inspiration. How to submit Submissions are made via our online form: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nettskjema.no/a/629553__;!!L4CEoEA!q1pU… Submission deadline: 19 June 2026 (23:59 CEST). Key dates ? Submission deadline: 19 June 2026 (23:59 CEST) ? Notification of acceptance: by 1 July 2026 ? Submission of revised contributions for circulation: 12 August 2026 ? Circulation of accepted contributions: 26 August 2026 ? Symposium: 23?24 September 2026, Oslo Practical information Where and when: 23?24 September 2026 in central Oslo, Norway. In-person only. Capacity is intentionally small (~35 contributors) to allow for sustained collective conversation across the two days. Language: English. No registration fee. Lunches, coffee, and one shared dinner are included. Organisers and contact Convened by the Democracy of Silence project, University of Oslo. Keynote speakers: [TBC] Contact: Prof. Taina Bucher, taina.bucher(a)media.uio.no; for practical questions Tine Skjelstad, tine.skjelstad(a)media.uio.no Sent from Outlook for Mac

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Bored of US Tech-bro-topia 👹 ? OA SI: Towards Popular Techno-Futures. 🌎 A Global Culture Perspective 🌎
by Jascha Bareis 22 May '26

22 May '26

Dear AoIR list members: New special issue of Digital Culture & Society has now been published (fully open access) with independent publisher Transcript:🔥 *Towards Popular Techno-Futures. A Global Culture Perspective* 🔥by the Transcript journal Digitial Culture & Society.EditorsAnya Heise-von der Lippe,Felix Spremberg,Jascha BareisAuthors from all around the globe discuss: How do communities around the world rethink techno-futures through friction, re-appropriation, spirituality and, possibly, wholesome change - beyond Western visions of Tech?From families in Kharkiv in Ukraine, to platfrom governance frameworks of markets in India; from techno-orientalism in China, to Afrofuturist dreamscapes; from the weaponization of social Media in Mali to internet commons of the Northern Michigan Tribe; from Latin America's sci-fi of resistance, low-tech alternative education interventions in class rooms, to Japans dreams of a Society 3.0.... 🧚‍♂️ Where is this globe 🌎 heading to? 🧚‍♂️ You can access the full issue OA here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://digicults.org/issues/112-2025-towards-p… Print and copies can be ordered from the publisher's website: https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-7321-0/digital-culture-society-… <https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-7321-0/digital-culture-society-…> * * *Table of Contents:* Outdated Enchantments of Progress? <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_Intro.pdf> Towards Global Techno Futures /Jascha Bareis, Anya Heise-von der Lippe and Felix Spremberg/ // I Techno-futures in National Strategies and Counter-Discourses Techno-futures with Chinese Characteristics? <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_1_Song.pdf> Negotiating Techno-Orientalism in Chinese Digitalized Lifestyle and Aesthetics /Chenyang Song/ Constructing an “AI-driven Society” <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCA_11_2_2_Spremberg_Nishiyama_Bareis.p…> Idealization and Anxiety in Japan’s National AI Strategy /Felix Spremberg, Takahiro Nishiyama and Jascha Bareis/ Platform Futures Framework <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_3_Bhatia.pdf> A Methodological Framework to Assess Digital Platform Viability and Sustainability for Marginalized Users in the Global South /Aditi Bhatia-Kalluri/ II Techno-futuristic Communication, Empowerment and Community-Building Strategies Mind the Mind <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_4_Kalashnikova.pdf> Analysis of Media Habits of the Future /Alina Kalashnikova/ Internet Futuring <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_5_Butt_Marwell_Feamster.pdf> How Communities are Connecting Themselves /Henna Zamurd Butt, Nicole P. Marwell, Nick Feamster/ voxUp <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_6_Ward_Burgess.pdf> Co-Developing a Music Technology for Beatbox Looping in a Special Education Needs Setting /Asha Ward and Jon Burgess/ III Techno-futuristic Media: Conflicts and Counter-Narratives Digital Dimensions of Conflict <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_7_Prokic_Bruls_DeBruijn.pdf> Analyzing Malian conflict and violence through Social Media and Mixed-Methods Approach /Jelena Prokic, Luca Bruls, Mirjam de Bruijn/ Visualizing the Invisible <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_8_Burkhardt.pdf> Representations and Narrative Motifs of AI in Latin American Film /Anne Burkhardt/ Afrofuturist Techno-Futures Reimagined <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_9_Nana_Heise-vdL.pdf> Magic, Dreams and Boundary-Crossings /Louis Nana and Anya Heise-von der Lippe/ Contributors <https://digicults.org/files/2026/05/DCS_11_2_Contributors.pdf> Best, the special issue editors Jascha Bareis, Anya Heise-von der Lippe and Felix Spremberg //

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Call for contributions: Democracy + Silence Symposium, Oslo Sept.2026 - Submission deadline: June 19.
by Taina Bucher 22 May '26

22 May '26

Reimagining the democratic potentials of silence - An international symposium; University of Oslo; 23–24 September 2026 Call for Contributions About the symposium This two-day symposium reexamines democracy and citizenship by treating silence as an integral, rather than oppositional, feature of democratic culture. Silence can disrupt, slow down, knit communities together, reveal limits, and induce reflection. The symposium, part of the Democracy of Silence research project, reexamines logocentric concepts – voice, participation, freedom of speech – by attending to the political potential of silence (e.g. withdrawal, breaks, gaps, hesitations, disconnections, void, quietude, disaffection) to interrupt the status quo, create openings and make new things sayable, or unsayable, together. The symposium gathers researchers, artists, designers, and practitioners across disciplines to think with, and against, the regimes of voice, visibility, and engagement that have come to dominate contemporary democratic theory and digital culture alike. We are particularly interested in what silence does, refuses, holds, or opens in datafied societies: how silence fosters reflection, resists conformity, and influences decision-making at the edges and inside of platforms, states, institutions, communities. The purpose is to get one step closer to understanding what a democracy of silence could look and feel like. That is, how can we reimagine the democratic potentials of silence in a society that hinges on vocal ideals of citizenship? What politics emerges by embracing silence as a democratic value, rather than a threat? The symposium will place emphasis on discussions, interaction and experiences rather than conventional paper presentations. Accepted contributors will share a short pre-circulated contribution in advance, and the symposium itself will be devoted to working through these together, across panels, listening sessions, walks, and informal exchanges. Our hope is to leave with something held in common: a shared set of questions, a collective formulation, and the seeds of a longer trajectory (an edited volume or special issue is under consideration). What we are inviting We invite participation from anyone interested in the democratic potentials of silence. We also welcome alternative formats, such as artistic works, design concepts, or policy statements. Accepted submissions will be shared with all participants prior to the event. While silence is the central theme, we invite contributions that consider silence in relation to one or more of the following sub-themes, and we welcome work that exceeds or rethinks these: • The unsayable, the not-said, refusal of articulation, the limits of voice as a political idiom. • The politics of withdrawal, opacity, disaffection, silence as protest and care work. • Quiet, noise, listening, attention; sonic infrastructures of attention and inattention. • Embodied silences, gestures and breath. • Withholding, opting out, refusal of legibility; what computational systems cannot register. Formats To ground the event across a range of disciplines and practices, we ask participants to submit a 1–2 page statement (500–800 words) on the democracy of silence in one of the following formats: • Provocations and position papers: Provocations aim to unsettle comfortable paradigms and inspire reflection. Contributions may take the form of conceptual essays, speculative pieces, or critical commentaries that complicate or expand how we understand silence in democratic culture. • Works-in-progress (papers, projects, ideas): Unfinished ideas are welcome, including early-stage projects, half-formed arguments, or paper drafts that might benefit from collective discussion and attention. • Design work, artistic research, sound pieces (incl. 2–3 images or links to documentation): Speculative, critical, or research-through-design contributions are encouraged. Selection criteria • Generative of collective thinking. Proposals that open questions, frictions, or methods for the room. • We will compose the programme to accommodate a range of disciplines, registers, geographies, and career stages. Submissions from outside the academy are warmly welcomed. • Contributions that add an ‘x-factor’. Surprising and out of the box concepts that spark inspiration. How to submit Submissions are made via our online form: https://nettskjema.no/a/629553 Submission deadline: 19 June 2026 (23:59 CEST). Key dates • Submission deadline: 19 June 2026 (23:59 CEST) • Notification of acceptance: by 1 July 2026 • Submission of revised contributions for circulation: 12 August 2026 • Circulation of accepted contributions: 26 August 2026 • Symposium: 23–24 September 2026, Oslo Practical information Where and when: 23–24 September 2026 in central Oslo, Norway. In-person only. Capacity is intentionally small (~35 contributors) to allow for sustained collective conversation across the two days. Language: English. No registration fee. Lunches, coffee, and one shared dinner are included. Organisers and contact Convened by the Democracy of Silence project, University of Oslo. Keynote speakers: [TBC] Contact: Prof. Taina Bucher, taina.bucher(a)media.uio.no; for practical questions Tine Skjelstad, tine.skjelstad(a)media.uio.no Sent from Outlook for Mac

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