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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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Special issues on platform economies in Asia and China
by Yuan, Jingyan Elaine 22 May '26

22 May '26

Over the past few years, conversations around platforms, AI, and other new technologies have become harder to separate from questions of infrastructure, state power, labor, and global reordering. These two Social Media + Society special issues below explore those questions through China and Asia—not as peripheral cases, but as places from which new concepts and debates can emerge. If you are attending ICA, please join us for a launch event “BLUE SKY: Mapping Platform Asia: A Collaborative Inquiry into Global Digital Futures” at upcoming International Communication Association Conference at Cape Town, South Africa on Monday 6/8 from 8:15 am to 10:15 am at Edward & Schappen (Westin, Mezzanine Level). >From Platform Capitalism to Digital China<https://journals.sagepub.com/topic/collections-sms/sms-1_from_platform_capi…> This collection brings together critical scholars of China’s digital transformation to rethink “platform capitalism” through the historical, political, and geopolitical trajectories of Digital China. Moving beyond universalized models of platformization, the contributors examine how platforms in China operate simultaneously as infrastructures, governance technologies, and developmental projects. From superapps and state platforms to logistics networks, cloud infrastructures, and transnational digital expansion, the collection explores how evolving relations among the state, capital, labor, and technology reshape debates on platform governance, infrastructural power, and techno-geopolitics in a fragmented global order. Platform Economies in Digital Asia<https://journals.sagepub.com/topic/collections-sms/sms-1_platform_economies…> This collection brings together leading and emerging scholars to rethink both “platform” and “Asia” as dynamic, contested imaginaries—rather than fixed objects of analysis. We organize the special issue around four productive tensions: (1) technological/media affordances vs. cultural specificities; (2) methodological localism vs. theory-building; (3) state power vs. transnationalism; and (4) inter-Asia references vs. power inequalities. Across these frictions, contributors trace alternative genealogies. From Japanese convenience stores to K-pop fandoms, from Chinese superapps to Indian short-video platforms, they explore how Asia’s diverse experiences of platformization reshape global debates on labor, governance, and post-neoliberal futures. Jingyan Elaine Yuan Professor & Director of Graduate Studies Department of Communication University of Illinois at Chicago

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International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026): Last Call for Doctoral Symposium Papers
by Announce 22 May '26

22 May '26

*** Last Call for Doctoral Symposium Papers *** International Conference on Software and Systems Reuse, Product Lines, and Configuration (VARIABILITY 2026) 29 September - 2 October 2026, 5* St. Raphael Resort and Marina Limassol, Cyprus https://conf.researchr.org/home/variability-2026 VARIABILITY is a new conference that has been merged of three prominent conferences focussing on software and systems variability, configuration and reuse: SPLC (the International Systems and Software Product Line Conference, 29 successful editions, ranked as a top conference), VaMoS (the International Working Conference on Variability Modelling of Software-Intensive Systems, 19 successful editions), and ICSR (the International Conference on Systems and Software Reuse, 22 successful editions). The Doctoral Symposium of VARIABILITY 2026 aims to provide a supportive environment that enables doctoral students to get constructive feedback on their research. Students will discuss their work with experienced community members and other students. The event is open to any PhD student whose research topic concerns software variability, software and systems reuse, product lines, and configuration. This includes PhD students at early stages of their research (after setting up a research program, but before having results). Accordingly, we will have two submission categories: • Late – late-stage PhD students, having at least 6 months of work after the conference and before their expected completion; and • Early – early-stage PhD students, with at least 6 months of work already performed prior to the submission date. Submissions/Publishing Requirements To participate, students should prepare a research plan answering the following questions: • The research problem being addressed and its importance • The research methodology and techniques being applied • The solution being proposed, its novelty and validity • The relation of the work with the state-of-the-art • Preliminary results and their impact (for the ‘late’ category) The research plan aims to provide clear material that can be used as a basis for guidance and discussion. It is strongly recommended that students discuss the research plan with their supervisors. The following structure is recommended: • Front matter: Title, your name, email address, abstract • Introduction and Motivation: Introduction, description of the problem tackled and its importance; what the literature says about this problem and where existing work fails; how you plan to tackle this problem; what results you envision; how you plan to validate your solution. • Research Questions: Clearly state the research questions you plan to address and any assumptions you make. • Research Methodology and Approach: The research methodology you plan to use (e.g., design science, action research), including the techniques you plan to use (e.g., formalisation, algorithm specification, case studies). In line with your research methodology, describe your research approach: what novel methods and/or technology you are going to build, how you are going to do that, including aspects such as data collection, software prototyping and evaluation. Discuss any threats to validity you can envision and expect to address (to the extent possible). • Preliminary Results (for the ‘late’ category): Overview of the results you achieved so far. Provide an example to explain how the solution obtained so far works. This is only applicable to the ‘late’ category. • Work plan: Both categories of submissions should consider an overall work plan for the whole thesis. Submissions for the ‘late’ category can mention which parts of the work plan they have reached so far. Both categories of submissions should consider the schedule for the next 12 months. Submission Format VARIABILITY DS papers will be published in the second volume of the VARIABILITY conference proceedings published by Springer (Lecture Notes in Computer Science). Submissions should be in the Springer format (please see the information about the format in the call for the research track). All submissions must be in English, in PDF format, and neither contain proprietary or confidential material. The page limits for doctoral symposium submissions are as follows: • Early category: 6 pages (+2 pages for references only) • Late category: 8 pages (+2 pages for references only) Submissions should be sent as a single file via Easychair track Doctoral Symposium: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=variability2026 (please select ‘VARIABILITY 2026 – Doctoral Symposium Track’). Evaluation At least two reviewers will evaluate each submission according to the research’s relevance, originality and feasibility. VARIABILITY DS papers will be published in the second volume of the VARIABILITY conference proceedings published by Springer. The PhD student of the accepted submission must register and attend VARIABILITY 2026 so that the submission can be published. Format of the Symposium The symposium will be held in conjunction with VARIABILITY 2026. In addition to presentations by PhD students and discussions, the doctoral symposium will feature a keynote/panel and ask-me-anything sessions with experienced researchers. All students are expected to attend every symposium session. Important Dates (AoE) • Submission of Papers: 6 June 2026 • Notification of Acceptance: 6 July 2026 • Camera-Ready Submission: 15 July 2026 • Author Registration: 15 July 2026 Organisation General Chairs • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus • Gilles Perrouin, FNRS & University of Namur, Belgium Research Track Chairs • Thorsten Berger, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany • Ina Schaefer, KIT, Germany Industry Track Chairs • Shaukat Ali, Simula Research Lab and Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany Journal First Track Chairs • Mathieu Acher, University Rennes, Inria, CNRS, IRISA, France • Xhevahire Tërnava, LTCI, Télécom Paris, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France Doctoral Symposium Track Chairs • Rick Rabiser, LIT CPS, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria • Iris Reinhartz-Berger, University of Haifa, Israel Demos and Tools Track Chairs • Sandra Greiner, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark • Leopoldo Teixeira, Federal University of Pernambuco Projects Showcase Chairs • Daniel Struber, Chalmers, University of Gothenburg, Radbound University, Sweden • Dalila Tamzalit, Nantes Université, France Hall of Fame Chairs • Martin Becker, Fraunhofer IESE, Germany • Goetz Botterweck, Lero - The Irish Software Research Centre and University of Limerick, Ireland • Natsuko Noda, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan Workshops Chairs • Lidia Fuentes, Universidad de Malaga, Spain • Malte Lochau, University of Siegen, Germany Tutorials Chairs • Loek Cleophas, Eindhoven University of Technology and Stellenbosch University, The Netherlands • Mahsa Varshosaz, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark Proceedings Chair • Sophie Fortz, King's College London, UK Publicity Chairs • Wesley Assunção, North Carolina State University, USA • Kentaro Yoshimura, Hitachi Ltd, Japan Local Organiser and Finance Chair • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus

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