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

New Book: Kids, KidTech and Digital Capitalism
by Natalie H. Coulter 10 Sep '26

10 Sep '26

Dear AoIR Colleagues and Friends I am excited to share the launch of my new book from Routledge, “Kids, KidTech, and Digital Capitalism: The Fight for Our Digital Futures”.<https://www.routledge.com/Kids-KidTech-and-Digital-Capitalism-The-Fight-for…> The book is available as an Open Access publication<https://www.routledge.com/Kids-KidTech-and-Digital-Capitalism-The-Fight-for…>. If you are interested in teaching the book in your class this year, I am open to guest lectures and call-ins and would love to speak to your students. About the book: Uncovering the workings of the KidTech industry, this book explores how capitalism operates in digital spaces that are geared toward children and how this impacts children’s everyday lives. For internet researchers, the book offers a critical look at how platforms, datafication, and digital capitalism are shaping children’s experiences and the broader social and political worlds of the internet they inhabit. Conversational and personal in approach, the book uses observational anecdotes to illuminate broader theoretical insights into children’s changing relationships with digital media and digital capitalism. Ch1: Introduction - Digital Kids, Digital Worlds Ch2: Born to Shop? - A History of the Youth Market Ch3: Fun and Free - Theorizing KidTech and the Workings of Digital Capitalism Ch4: Kids as Data - The First Fully Datafied Generation Ch5: What’s the Difference? - Play as Work in Digital Playspaces Ch6: Playing in the Moated Walled Garden - KidTech, Roblox, and the Metaverse Ch7: Digital Kids, Digital Citizenships, and Rethinking Our Digital Futures Biography: Natalie Coulter is an Associate Professor in Communication and Media Studies at York University. Her research focuses on young people's digital cultures, children's media, girls' culture, and digital capitalism. She is co-author of Media and Communication in Canada (2025) and author of Tweening the Girl (2014). ENDORSEMENTS Coulter provides a compelling and critical examination of the colonization of children by the lucrative KidTech industry, which encompasses an array of digital platforms for play and learning, fueled by Big Tech’s deep capitalization and design of obtuse infrastructures that envelope and construct the datafied child. From the origins of the youth marketplace in the Victorian Era to today’s wildly popular Roblox metaverse platform, Coulter demonstrates the stakes of this insidious mode of unregulated digital capitalism, which troubles children’s digital and privacy rights. Leslie Regan Shade Professor Emerita Faculty of Information, University of Toronto In an engaging style, Natalie Coulter ushers readers through the complex, dynamic and oh-so-consequential world of KidTech, from its “pre-tech” origins in the 19th century to the ubiquity and seeming boundlessness of contemporary Web3 immersion. In the process, Kids, KidTech and Digital Capitalism invites critical engagement with emergent—and ever-marketized—notions of children and childhood that are curated to fit the embedded logics of digital capitalism. Coulter sprinkles humor throughout her serious challenges to academics and non-academics alike to rethink conceptions of rights, sovereignty, play and consumption in light of the ongoing construction of a moated, walled garden of KidTech. --Daniel Thomas Cook, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University—Camden and author of The Commodification of Childhood Natalie Coulter, PhD (she/her) • Associate Professor • Communication and Media Studies • York University https://profiles.laps.yorku.ca/profiles/ncoulter/ * Check out my new book: Kids, KidTech and Digital Capitalism<https://www.routledge.com/Kids-KidTech-and-Digital-Capitalism-The-Fight-for…> * Series Editor: on the lookout for new books: Mediated Youth Series, Peter Lang<https://www.peterlang.com/series/my> * Co-authored textbook: Media and Communication in Canada<https://learninglink.oup.com/access/gasher10e>

1 0

CfP - Familiar Feeds, Unfamiliar Politics: Everyday Activism on Instagram (Special Issue for Digital Culture & Society)
by Delia Dumitrica 09 Sep '26

09 Sep '26

Dear AoIR colleagues, If you are working on topics related to political activism and Instagram, and you are interested in approaching these topics from the perspective of everyday life theories, please consider submitting to the special issue below. We are inviting 300 word abstracts by December 1, 2026. For additional questions about the special issue, feel free to contact me directly. CALL FOR PAPERS, Special Issue for Digital Culture & Society Familiar Feeds, Unfamiliar Politics: Everyday Activism on Instagram This special issue approaches Instagram activism from the perspective of everyday life (de Certeau, 1984; Gardiner, 2000; Lefebvre, 2004), foregrounding the digital creation and consumption of activism through the lens of the routine, the repetitive, and the mundane. With 3 billion monthly active users in 2025 (Statista, 2026), Instagram has become an important social media platform for entertainment and social connection, but also for encountering and discovering political life (Faveiro et al., 2026). As the visual, affective, and commercial logics of this platform come with opportunities and challenges for political activism, we are interested in what seemingly ordinary acts of posting, scrolling, and engaging with digital content can reveal about the reconfigurations of contemporary political imaginaries. The special issue thus asks: How does the political infuse daily life through the mundane routines of Instagram use? Inspired by Lefebvre's suggestion that "the strangest things are often the most trivial" (1991, p. 13), the special issue is interested in what makes the embedding of Instagram political activism in everyday practices seem trivial, why that may appear to be strange – and to whom. Political activism is broadly understood here as sustained actions meant to advocate and mobilize for social change, which may fall anywhere along the conservative/liberal spectrum. Furthermore, the special issue recognizes contemporary transmedia practices among activists and social movements, in which Instagram is an analytical starting point for investigating everyday digital activism (Caldeira, 2025; Dumitrica & Hockin-Boyers, 2023; Gonzalez et al., 2024; Hannouch & Milstein, 2025; Loyola-Hernandéz, 2026; Yuen & Tang, 2023); contributions are free to pursue connections with analogue and other digital sites of content production and consumption. The following questions underpin the special issue’s interests: What kinds of political imaginaries, attachments, and subjectivities emerge when activism is not encountered primarily in organized spaces of deliberation or movement-building, but in the ordinary consumption of Instagram content? How does the political come to inhabit the routines of everyday digital life, and how do these routines, in turn, reshape what politics can look and feel like? Which power relations are naturalized in this process, leaving them outside the field of contestation? Topics may include (but are not limited to): * everyday political mediation on Instagram; * activism, visibility and platformed legitimacy; * everyday temporalities and the rhythms of activism; * the importance of place and space in political activism on the platform; * the relation between visibility and submerged networks; * the commodification of political commitment; * algorithm-aware tactics of the everyday; * the influencer/activist hybrid and the monetisation of causes; * invisible labour, care and exhaustion. We welcome different methodological approaches sharing an interest in critically interrogating the intersection between everyday life, Instagram use, and political activism. Submission process Digital Culture & Society is a refereed, international journal, fostering discussion about how digital technologies, platforms and applications reconfigure daily lives and practices. It offers a forum for critical analysis and inquiries into digital media theory. The special issue is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2028. If interested, please submit a 300 words abstract with a clear description of the theoretical framing, research design and connection to the special issue’s focus to familiarfeeds.submissions(a)gmail.com<mailto:familiarfeeds.submissions@gmail.com> by December 1, 2026. Key dates * December 1, 2026: Abstract submisison * December 15, 2026: Editors invite full-paper submsisions based on selected abstracts * April 15, 2027: Full-papers submission * July 15, 2027: First round of review * September 15, 2027: Second round of review * December 15, 2027: Completion of copy-editing and submission of the final manuscript to the publisher Special issue editors Dr. Delia Dumitrica is an Associate Professor in Political Communication and Digital Activism in the Department of Media and Communication at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research focuses on the intersection between digital technologies and protest communication, social movements, and activism. Her work has appeared in journals such as New Media & Society; Media and Communication; Information, Communication & Society; European Journal of Communication; The International Journal of Communication; Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies; Media, Culture & Society. Alessia Pensabene is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at Scuola Normale Superiore. Her research focuses on feminist content creators on Instagram as emerging political actors in the digital public sphere, with a focus on the possibilities and limits of platform-based activism and the ways in which visibility itself functions as both a resource and a constraint for contemporary political action. References Caldeira, S. P. (2025). (Re)sharing feminisms: Re-sharing Instagram Stories as everyday feminist practices. New Media & Society, 27(7), 4265-4284. de Certeau, M. (1984). The Practice of Everyday Life. University of California Press. Dumitrica, D., & Hockin-Boyers, H. (2023). Slideshow activism on Instagram: constructing the political activist subject. Information, Communication & Society, 26(16), 3318–3336. Faverio, M., Park, E., & Gottfried, J. (2026, April 15). Teens’ experiences on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/04/15/teens-experiences-on-tiktok… Gonzalez, A., Schmuck, D. & Vandenbosch, L. (2024) Posting and framing politics: a content analysis of celebrities’, athletes’, and influencers’ Instagram political content. Information, Communication & Society 27(8): 1605-1627. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2285495 Hannouch, B., & Milstein, T. (2025). Activating Ecocentrism: How Young Women Environmental Activists Produce Identity on Instagram. Environmental Communication, 19(2), 198–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2024.2376697 Lefebvre, H. (1991). Critique of Everyday Life, vol. I. Verso. Loyola-Hernández. L. (2026) Al Glitter de Guerra: cyborg movidas, Instagram and feminist protest in Mexico. Third World Quarterly 47(2), 344-360. Statista. (2026). Number of Instagram users worldwide from 2013 to 2025 (in millions) [Graph], January 7. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183585/instagram-number-of-global-users/ Yuen, S., & Tang, G. (2023). Instagram and social capital: youth activism in a networked movement. Social Movement Studies, 22(5–6), 706–727. https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2021.2011189

1 0

9/22 at 3:30pm ET! Oral Histories of Mobile Communication Screening
by Ogden, Claire 09 Sep '26

09 Sep '26

Hello all, Please join us on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 3:30pm ET for the launch of the ICA-sponsored Oral Histories of Mobile Communication project<https://camd.northeastern.edu/events/oral-histories-of-mobile-communication…>! This hybrid event will be held at Northeastern University's Center for Transformative Media<https://camd.northeastern.edu/center-for-transformative-media/> in Boston. More details are below my signature. Register here<https://northeastern.zoom.us/meeting/register/WSIMP4vkS5m8VNHLNq1TOA#/regis…> for the Zoom link and here<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oral-histories-of-mobile-communication-screeni…> for the in-person link. Cheers, Claire Ogden Communications & Administrative Specialist Center for Transformative Media Northeastern University ~ Oral Histories of Mobile Communication Screening Date: Tuesday, Sept. 22 Time: 3:30pm Eastern Moderators: Meryl Alper (in-person) & Ragan Glover (online) In-person Panelists: Jeffrey Boase<https://jboase.com/>, Adriana de Souza e Silva<https://camd.northeastern.edu/people/adriana-de-souza-e-silva/>, Lee Humphreys<https://cals.cornell.edu/people/lee-humphreys>, James Katz<https://www.bu.edu/com/profile/james-e-katz/> Online Panelists: Scott W. Campbell<https://comm.osu.edu/people/campbell.2844>, Rich Ling, Leopoldina Fortunati How has the mobile phone impacted our lives? The Oral Histories of Mobile Communication<https://www.icamobile.org/history-project> project documents the foundational years of the field through video interviews with key scholars who shaped its development. Launched to capture the insights of pioneering researchers from the 1990s and early 2000s, this project preserves the intellectual history of mobile communication, offering firsthand accounts of its evolution, key debates, and transformative moments. In this launch event, participants will be able to watch a short film with key moments of the project’s interviews and participate in a lively round table discussion with foundational scholars in the field.

1 0

TT Job opening -- AI and Anthropology - Rice University
by Ilana Gershon 08 Sep '26

08 Sep '26

Dear Colleagues, I am thrilled to announce that Rice University's anthropology department is hiring an anthropologist of AI. Please circulate this ad to anyone who might be appropriate. The Department of Anthropology at Rice University (Houston, Texas), invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor to begin July 1, 2027. We seek a cultural anthropologist whose research examines artificial intelligence as a social, cultural, political, ethical, and material issue, and who contributes to ongoing interdisciplinary conversations about the societal implications of algorithmic systems, data infrastructures, and automation writ large. This position is part of a cluster hire initiative across the university focused on the responsible use and development of AI. We are particularly interested in candidates whose research agendas examine the impact and intersection of AI with medical anthropology, disability studies, environmental impacts, surveillance studies, communication, media and semiotics, design anthropology, and anthropology of work but will also consider other research agendas focused on the broader social implications of AI. The geographical area of focus is open and should complement the department’s existing faculty expertise. The candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Candidates must currently have a Ph.D. or complete the Ph.D. by July 1, 2027. The application deadline is October 15, 2026. A complete application must include a cover letter outlining the candidate’s research, teaching trajectory and future plans; a curriculum vitae; one writing sample that directly engages with AI; and contact information for three references. The use of AI to generate application texts or ideas is proscribed. All materials should be submitted using https://apply.interfolio.com/193004. Please address any questions to the Search committee chair, Prof. Ilana Gershon - igershon(a)rice.edu

1 0

Special Issue Call for Abstracts: How Communication Technology Mediates Death, Dying, and Grief
by Marco Dehnert 08 Sep '26

08 Sep '26

Hi everyone, I am co-editing a special issue in the Western Journal of Communication. We have a Call for Abstracts with a submission deadline of October 31, 2026. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Marco +++ Special Issue: How Communication Technology Mediates Death, Dying, and Grief Guest Editors: Dr. Marco Dehnert, University of Arkansas Dr. Nicole Costantini, Savannah College of Art and Design The Western Journal of Communication invites submissions for a special issue, “How Communication Technology Mediates Death, Dying, and Grief.” This special issue intends to bring together communication scholars across methodological, paradigmatic, and theoretical traditions to engage the primary question: How does communication technology mediate death, dying, and grief in the digital age? Submissions may engage empirical insights, critical inquiries, and analysis of narratives related to death and technology in media and culture. We welcome submissions that capture the diversity of the discipline of communication studies, from across areas, methodologies, and paradigms. Submissions should utilize a communication-centered approach. Prospective contributors interested in submitting a full manuscript to the special issue should submit an extended abstract of 300 - 500 words by October 31, 2026. See the full call for abstracts here: https://tinyurl.com/5xpa36hp The CfA also includes the submission form. Anticipated Timeline Extended abstracts due: October 31, 2026 Decisions and invitations to submit full manuscripts: by November 15, 2026 Full manuscripts due: April 15, 2027 ___ Marco Dehnert, Ph.D. (he/him) Assistant Professor of Communication and Technology Director, AI and Robots for Connection (ARC) Lab<https://communication.uark.edu/center-for-communication-research/index.php/…> Department of Communication University of Arkansas 280 N McIlroy Ave | Kimpel Hall 523 | Fayetteville, AR 72701 mdehnert(a)uark.edu<mailto:mdehnert@uark.edu> | marcodehnert.com<https://www.marcodehnert.com/>

1 0

Digital Intersectionality & Marginalization in the Majority World - Journal of Online Trust & Safety Special Issue
by Sujata Mukherjee 08 Sep '26

08 Sep '26

We are excited to announce the release of the Journal of Online Trust and Safety <https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots> Special Issue: Digital Intersectionality & Marginalization in the Majority World <https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/issue/view/12>. Although the Global Majority makes up most of the world's online population, the governing harm frameworks, benchmarks, oversight mechanisms, and tools were developed elsewhere with different users in mind. This structural marginalization persists across three distinct levels: the infrastructure that was never tailored to Majority World communities, the governance structures that fail to validate or account for local experiences of harm, and academic environments that present hurdles for in-region scholars striving to share their research. Equally critical is the role of intersectionality. Online risks and harms for Majority World populations rarely stem from a single source; instead, they compound across gender, language, political setting, and geography. At the same time, the field must navigate another dimension of intersectionality—the divide in data, resources, and knowledge separating academia from industry—a gap this Journal is explicitly attempting to address. Organized into three main clusters, the eight papers in this issue highlight how digital safety systems break down across these structural levels when designed around specific language demographics, user profiles, and threat models. Link to the Special Issue: https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/issue/view/12, and our editorial here <https://tsjournal.org/index.php/jots/article/view/382>. Guest Editors: Sujata Mukherjee, Upwork, tiamukherjee(a)gmail.com Mona Elswah, University of Exeter, m.a.i.elswah(a)exeter.ac.uk Crystal Abidin, Curtin University, crystalabidin(a)gmail.com

1 0

2 fully funded PhD positions at University College Dublin, Sociology
by Rafael Do Nascimento Grohmann 08 Sep '26

08 Sep '26

From Edemilson Parana: edemilson.parana(a)ucd.ie Dear colleague, I hope you had a pleasant summer and that this message finds you well. I am writing to share new PhD opportunities within our ERC project. We currently have two fully funded, four-year PhD positions based at the University College Dublin School of Sociology. The positions include a €30,000 annual tax-free stipend and full tuition fee coverage. The project advances the political economy of neurotechnology and brain-computer interfaces from a global comparative perspective, with a focus on Europe, the US, and China. Accordingly, Position 1 is structured around fieldwork in Europe and the US, while Position 2 focuses on China and therefore requires fluency in spoken and written Chinese. We welcome applications from candidates with backgrounds or interests in areas such as political economy, science and technology studies, sociology of science, digital sociology, anthropology, and critical AI and data studies. Full details and application information are available here: Opportunity 1: https://www.ucd.ie/sociology/study/graduateprogrammes/phdresearcherposition… Opportunity 2: https://www.ucd.ie/sociology/study/graduateprogrammes/phdresearcherposition… Please feel free to share with students, colleagues, and relevant networks. All the very best, -- 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-led AI Governance Principal Investigator, Digital Sovereignty Archives<https://creativelabourcriticalfutures.ca/blog/digital-sovereignty-project-w…> 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/>

1 0

[AoIR HQ] AoIR2026 Final Programme Is Live — Register for Preconference Workshops
by Association Coordinator 08 Sep '26

08 Sep '26

Hi AoIR Community! The final conference programme is now live: https://www.members.aoir.org/aoir2026/programme/ You'll find it in two formats. The document version has the complete schedule with session titles, presenter names, and room assignments. The timeblock shows the same information in grid form, which is handy for reviewing concurrent sessions or planning your attendance by time slot. You can also now log into conftool to browse the full conference agenda with abstracts and additional details. Earlier this month, presenters had the opportunity to propose edits to a circulated draft, which we have done our best to incorporate. That window has closed, and the schedule is final except for any subsequent withdrawals. For any questions about the programme, contact the local conference committee chair at aoirconfchair(a)aoir.org.<mailto:aoirconfchair@aoir.org> <mailto:aoirconfchair@aoir.org> We're also excited to share that registration is now open for the preconference workshops, taking place Wednesday, 14 October in Mexico City ahead of the main conference (14–17 October).Please see below for more details. Registration and Schedule If you have already registered for the conference, a registration form for the preconference workshops will be sent shortly to the email address you registered with. If you haven't yet registered, the option to sign up for a preconference workshop has been added to the registration form. With the exception of PC0003, each workshop is three hours. Morning sessions run 9:00 am–12:00 pm and afternoon sessions run 1:00–4:00 pm. All workshops take place at La Casa de la Universidad de California. A note for Doctoral Colloquium participants: the colloquium runs all day, concurrently with both the morning and afternoon workshops, so you won't be able to attend any of the preconference workshops. Please plan accordingly. Wednesday, 9:00 am–12:00 pm PC0001. Regenerating Approaches for Qualitative Research in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Organized by: Andrea Guzman (Northern Illinois University), Miriam Sweeney (University of Alabama), Payal Arora (Utrecht University), Stefanie Duguay (Concordia University), Sarah Florini (Arizona State University), Daniela Jaramillo Dent (University of Zurich), Catherine Knight Steele (University of Maryland) This workshop examines the methodological opportunities and challenges of qualitative approaches to studying artificial intelligence, defined broadly to include generative AI, voice assistants, artificial companions, smart devices, predictive technologies, and recommendation systems. It focuses mainly on AI as a research subject, while also addressing AI as a tool in qualitative inquiry. Facilitators will share their expertise, then attendees will discuss questions from their own research in small groups before the group identifies key considerations for qualitative AI research. The session highlights approaches that challenge dominant epistemologies, including qualitative methodologies from the Global South. Geared toward scholars new to studying AI, though useful to anyone interested in qualitative methods and research ethics. Capped at 35 participants. PC0002. Technology and Dependency: A Glossary for the Twenty-First Century Organized by: Luciana Musello (Universidad San Francisco de Quito), Juan Ortíz-Freuler (University of Southern California), Guilherme Cavalcante Silva (York University), Agustín Ferrari Braun (University of Amsterdam), Miriam Millán (Centro de Cultura Digital), Raúl Zambrano (Independent Researcher) This workshop revisits the work of Latin American dependency theorists and reinterprets their ideas about unequal development in light of current technological transformations. Proposed by the "Dependency Theory and Techno-Imperialism" study group of the Non-Aligned Tech Movement (NATM), it surveys key concepts from the dependency literature and evaluates their relevance to contemporary technological dependency. After a 15-minute introduction, participants break into discussion groups, each working from a pre-selected excerpt and building a conceptual map through a collage activity (about 90 minutes), followed by a 45-minute closing plenary. The aim is to produce a first draft of The Dependency Theory Glossary for the Twenty-First Century and to establish a Dependency Theory Network. Open to all backgrounds; of particular interest to those working on digital sovereignty, political economy, internet governance, and infrastructure studies. Maximum 25 participants across 5 groups. Wednesday, 1:00–4:00 pm PC0004. Women* in AI Research: A Critical Data Sprint Organized by: The Women* in AI, Humanities, and Social Sciences (WAIHSS). Facilitated by: Nadja Schaetz (University of Hamburg), Vasilisa Kuznetsova (University of Bremen) This half-day workshop turns critical AI inquiry inward, asking how AI research itself is structured by gendered patterns of representation and recognition across citation, funding, and public discourse. It draws on Critical AI Studies and on evidence of persistent inequalities in academic knowledge production: a stalling publishing gender gap, women's work cited less often even when they publish more, and female scholars less often heard as expert voices in public. Participants work in groups on one of three foci — authorship and citation, research funding, or public recognition — in an exploratory data sprint using pre-prepared datasets and visualization tools, with no advanced technical skills required. A 30-minute synthesis closes the session, and outputs feed a paper and a follow-up wikithon aimed at reconfiguring gender imbalances in public knowledge infrastructures. Capped at 24 participants. WAIHSS uses self-identification as a guiding principle and welcomes trans women and non-binary individuals who feel aligned with its mission.. PC0005. Researching Search: Conceptual and Methodological Approaches to the Study of Online Search Practices and Systems Organized by: Axel Bruns (Queensland University of Technology), Kateryna Kasianenko (Queensland University of Technology), Victoria Vziatysheva (The University of Bern), Mykola Makhortykh (The University of Bern). Additional organizers: Ashwin Nagappa (Queensland University of Technology), Daniel Angus (Queensland University of Technology) This workshop brings together conceptual and methodological perspectives on the study of search engines, which increasingly merge conventional search with conversational AI overviews and other AI modes. The first hour consists of four short opening talks sketching the state of search studies. The second hour is a set of hands-on exercises on formulating realistic, diverse search queries — simulating the information-seeking practices of distinct social groups and repurposing SEO tools (Google Trends, People Also Ask) and digital trace data from Q&A fora. Participants work in groups and present their observations, which feed into an open-ended brainstorming session in the final hour on new and alternative ways to study search across disciplines. Facilitated by researchers from the QUT Digital Media Research Centre and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), with invited experts from the University of Bern. Wednesday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (all day) DC0001. In Person Doctoral Colloquium PC0003. In Defense of the Commons Organized by: Zachary McDowell (University of Illinois – Chicago), Fenwick McKelvey (Concordia University), Nathalie Casemajor (Institut national de la recherche scientifique), Matthew Vetter (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) This workshop builds capacity in the Critical Commons Research Network (CCRN), an international collective examining the sharing of digital public knowledge through infrastructural, political-economic, and policy lenses. It addresses threats to the internet commons — Wikipedia and its sister projects, open-source software, shadow libraries, and interoperable interfaces like RSS and APIs — including corporate free-riding and the extraction of volunteer labor and open data by large language models. The pre-conference opens with a mentorship workshop pairing graduate students and junior scholars with senior scholars through elevator pitches and feedback sessions, followed by five-minute lightning talks and discussion. Open to all scholars engaging with the commons, including environmental and public commons such as fisheries and forestry. Once again, if you have any questions, please reach out to the local conference committee chair at aoirconfchair(a)aoir.org<mailto:aoirconfchair@aoir.org>! We look forward to seeing you in Mexico City! Best, Emerson (she/her) AoIR Communications and Membership Coordinator ac(a)aoir.org<mailto:ac@aoir.org>

1 0

CFP: ECA Critical/Cultural Communication Interest Group
by Alexis de Coning 08 Sep '26

08 Sep '26

Hi AOIR folks, Just sharing this CFP for the Critical/Cultural Communication Division of the Eastern Communication Division conference 2027. This is an affordable conference option for those on the east coast of the United States -- and a fun community to boot! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We welcome papers and panels on a variety of topics, methodologies, theories, and approaches under the banners of critical theory, cultural studies, intercultural communication, and performance studies. Best regards, Lexi The 118th Annual Convention of the Eastern Communication Association *Full Circle* Hyatt Regency, Reston, VA March 30 – April 4, 2027 *Submission Deadline: October 9, 2026, 11:59 pm PST * *Call for Submissions:* *Critical/Cultural Communication Interest Group* The Critical/Cultural Communication (formerly Intercultural Communication/Voices of Diversity/Interpretation and Performance) Interest Group is requesting paper and panel submissions for the 118th Annual ECA Convention. For the first time in 16 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia will host the ECA Annual Convention. The 2027 convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Fairfax County – an area where discourse shapes national dialogue, diverse communities converge, and history unfolds. The theme, "Full Circle," invites reflection on cyclical ideas, relationships, and professional journeys. The Critical/Cultural Communication Interest Group invites paper, panel, and round table submissions that engage creatively and rigorously with the Full Circle theme. *Submit here <https://associationdatabase.com/aws/ECA/ctrb/295362/445/3821965?c=https%3A%…>* Submissions may explore the following: - How do critical and cultural communication frameworks cycle back to founding voices (Hall, hooks, Anzaldúa, the Frankfurt School, etc.) in the face of contemporary cultural struggles? - In what ways does the concept of “full circle” itself carry ideological weight, and how can critical scholars interrogate and reimagine that framing? - How have marginalized communities completed cycles of resistance, co-option, and reclamation within dominant cultural communication systems? - What does “coming full circle” mean for those whose work seeks to disrupt rather than restore, and what new cycles must begin? - How do cycles of oppression continue and how are they complicated given contemporary issues and innovations? What parts of cyclical ideas, systems, etc. are shed at the end of a cycle, and what parts remain? How is that decision made? - *How does history “repeat itself” and what can we learn from cycles of repetition, renewal, and resistance? Does the notion of cyclical history give rise to fatalism, or is it a call to action for change?* - How does our scholarship reveal or contradict the notion of cycles in communicative thought, behavior, and action? *SUBMISSION GUIDELINES* A *paper *is a completed paper reporting original research, an extensive literature review, or other form of scholarship. Interest group planners thematically group papers to create panels and appoint a chair to introduce each paper and moderate the discussion, and a respondent to provide feedback and expert insight on the papers after they are presented. When submitting a *paper*, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields: - Maximum 25 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins (Times New Roman preferred). - Main document MUST be blind — remove all author/institution/contact information, including from document properties and file names. - A one-page abstract (approx. 250 words). - Include the Statement of Professional Responsibility at the bottom of the cover page (see below). - Complete all Attendee Interactive fields: Title, Author(s), Abstract, Categories (student/debut), and Scheduling requests. A *panel *is a program in which 3-4 speakers present individual papers on a specific topic. The individual submitting the panel should identify a chair who has agreed to introduce each paper and moderate the presentation of papers and any discussion. Respondents are optional and at the panelists' discretion. When submitting a *panel*, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields: - A thematic title for the program. - Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as - respondents. - Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants. - Titles and abstracts (approx. 250 words) for each paper or presentation. - A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program. - A detailed rationale for the program/panel (approx. 500 words). - A statement of professional responsibility. A *round table* is a program featuring 5-8 presenters who briefly share a position paper or summary of recent research on a focused topic, moderated by a chair with “on-the-spot” interaction and discussion by participants and audience. When submitting a *round table*, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields: - A thematic title for the program. - Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as - respondents. - Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants. - Titles and abstracts (approx. 250 words) for each paper or presentation. - A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program. - A detailed rationale for the program/panel (approx. 500 words). - A statement of professional responsibility (see below). An *open forum *is a semi-structured public discussion of a predetermined topic of interest introduced and moderated by a chair. The goal of such a program is to share information, ideas, concerns, and special interests. When submitting an *open forum*, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields: - A thematic title for the program. - Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as respondents. - Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional - affiliations of all participants. - Titles and abstracts for each paper or presentation. - A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program. - A detailed rationale for the program/panel. - A statement of professional responsibility (see below). *Technology A/V Availability* Submitters will be asked if they would like a room equipped with a projector, screen, sound, wireless mouse and slide advancer, and Wi-Fi. *Statement of Professional Responsibility* All submissions must include the following Statement of Professional Responsibility: In submitting the attached paper or proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel or paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees. *Submit here. <https://associationdatabase.com/aws/ECA/ctrb/295362/445/3821965?c=https%3A%…>* Please send all questions to the Critical/Cultural Communication Co-Planners, Alexis de Coning at deconing.a(a)wvwc.edu and Eva Burklund at evb81(a)pitt.edu. -- Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Legal Studies Minor Coordinator

1 0

Tomorrow, Online Book Talk, Against Tech Oligarchy [DigiLabour]
by Rafael Do Nascimento Grohmann 07 Sep '26

07 Sep '26

Hey AoIR, The DigiLabour Research Lab at the University of Toronto invites you to another online book talk, the first of the 2026–27 season! Tomorrow (Sep 8), 10am EDT, we will host JS Tan, who will talk about the book Against Tech Oligarchy: Worker Resistance in the World’s Most Powerful Industry, co-authored with Clarissa Redwine. After the talk, we'll hear from the discussants Tatiana Dias (CTRL+Z), Simone Robutti (Tech Workers Coalition), and Guilherme Guilherme (DigiLabour & Federal University of Sao Paulo). The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGNCMcyek7k Book description As tech bosses fall in line with the right, tech workers are fighting back. This is the rousing inside story of their movement—and the way it spawned an anti-worker backlash now reshaping the industry. After Donald Trump’s election in 2016, the tech industry sprang into action to oppose his right-wing agenda, with workers and CEOs alike joining mass mobilizations against the new president’s anti-immigrant policies. But it wasn’t long before the tech bosses started to fall in line with the new administration. In response, tens of thousands of tech workers protested against their own employers for betraying the progressive values that once defined the industry—including organizing against military contracts, walking out to protest sexism, and even launching a wave of union drives. By the early 2020s, these workers had sparked what observers were calling the tech worker movement, one that seemed capable of checking the industry’s reckless growth and reactionary drift. But as their struggle grew, so did the employers’ backlash. A new class consciousness took root among tech's billionaire owners. Hell-bent on stamping out any and all dissent, tech executives embraced Trumpism, fired organizers, and began lashing out against the “woke” ideology they blamed for turning their once loyal employees against them—and replacing the good tech jobs of the 2010s with incessant layoffs, grind culture, and a management style that treats workers as disposable. Against Tech Oligarchy provides a gripping account of this inspiring workers' movement and the rise of the hostile labor politics that define Silicon Valley today. See you there! best, Rafael -- 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-led AI Governance Principal Investigator, Digital Sovereignty Archives<https://creativelabourcriticalfutures.ca/blog/digital-sovereignty-project-w…> 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/>

1 0