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Internet Society Early Career Fellowship
by Joly MacFie 05 Feb '26

05 Feb '26

https://www.internetsociety.org/fellowships/early-career/ The *Early Career Fellowship* offers unparalleled access to world-class experts, including American University’s Professor Dr. Laura DeNardis and eminent scholars from the Oxford Internet Institute. It also offers project management, advocacy, and diplomacy know-how, providing the foundation for fellows to become future champions of the Internet. A cohort of 15 fellows is selected once a year to participate in the six-month program. Fellows can develop their knowledge and skills through seminars, events, courses, discussion sessions, and project work. They will also have networking, mentoring, and collaboration opportunities. The program culminates in a final project presentation by each fellow at a closing symposium. *Who Is Eligible to Apply?* Candidates must be early career professionals working in the Internet ecosystem in a technical, policy, economic, or social capacity who have initiated or are interested in projects designed to grow or strengthen the Internet. Candidates with the following are welcome to apply: - An undergraduate/vocational degree or at least three years of work experience in an Internet-related field - Less than ten years of working experience in an Internet-related field - An innovative and impactful project proposal for growing and/or strengthening the Internet - Reliable access to broadband Internet connection and relevant device - Availability to fully participate in the 5-month experience - Proficiency in verbal and written English To apply, applicants must: - Commit a minimum of six hours per week for coursework, seminars, individual project work, and other program activities - Complete the required six months - Attend all required seminars or sessions and manage time zone differences -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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[AoIR HQ] Reminder: Member Dues Increase Next Weekend, 15 February
by AoIR Association Coordinator 04 Feb '26

04 Feb '26

Dear AoIR community, This is a friendly reminder that *AoIR membership dues will increase next Sunday, 15 February 2026*. If you've been thinking about joining or renewing your membership, now is the time to act and save at our current rates! *Current rates (through 14 February):* - Regular member: $50 - Student member: $30 - Non-OECD member: $10 - Lifetime member: $1200 *New rates (starting 15 February):* - Regular member: $65 - Student member: $40 - Non-OECD member: $15 - Lifetime member: $1500 Join or renew before Friday to take advantage of these savings and if you choose lifetime membership now, you'll never pay another annual fee and will be protected from any future dues increases! *Join or Renew Now <https://members.aoir.org/> *[https://members.aoir.org/] Thank you for your continued support of AoIR. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Best, Emerson *(she/her)* AoIR Communications and Membership Coordinator ac(a)aoir.org *Looking for Michelle? *After nine years, Michelle has officially stepped down from her position at AOIR. I'm Emerson, and I'll be stepping in to continue her work. As I'm sure anyone familiar with Michelle knows, I have big shoes to fill, and I appreciate your patience as I get up to speed!

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Call for Papers on Decoloniality - International Journal of Cultural Studies
by Jonathan Ong 04 Feb '26

04 Feb '26

Call for Papers: International Journal of Cultural Studies Special Issue: Decoloniality in Media and Cultural Studies: Looking Back, Looking Forward Special Issue Editors: Jonathan Corpus Ong, Laura Guimarães Corrêa, and Wen Jin Over the past two decades, there have been many calls to decolonize and de-westernize research in media and communication. While these efforts have generated valuable reflections, as well as academic centers, community-driven projects, and South-to-South networks, the field is still dominated by universalist perspectives based on Global North perspectives. Often the Anglo-American world is taken as the primary or only frame of reference in research on many topics. Even when the empirical material is in other regions, usually the theoretical framework and the references are the ones validated from/in hegemonic groups, places, and institutions. Consequently, there is continuous friction between the main conceptual frameworks in the field and the theories, experiences, interests, and concerns from the Global Majority world (Aouragh & Chakravartty 2016; Arora 2024; Guimarães Corrêa 2023; Lehuede 2024; Ong et al 2024; Poell et al. 2024; Ricaurte 2019; Udupa & Dattatreyan 2023). Applying de- and anti-colonial principles into practice–whether through institution-building, advocacy, or activism–is another matter: what do we actually gain by invoking decoloniality in our scholarly and advocacy efforts if we cannot always walk the talk? Considering that the discussions about inequalities and exploitation are fundamental to the understanding and changing of the contemporary world, this special issue invites critical conversation about diverse initiatives of applying and practicing decolonial perspectives in media, communications and cultural studies. We are concerned that decolonization remains a specialization, rather than a force that transforms the field as a whole. Such a transformation is important for stakeholders around the globe. Universalism shuts out research and initiatives from most parts of the world in developing knowledge frames and proposing policy solutions. Simultaneously, it prevents Global North researchers from critically reflecting on the particularity of Global North institutions, communicative practices, and cultural forms. Across these emphases, we remain attentive to raced, gendered, and sexed formations not only as objects of study, but also as methodological, theoretical, and citational frameworks that remain marginalized within critical cultural studies. Our special issue also wants to pursue more reflexive conversations about the various ways that decoloniality has also become hollowed out, co-opted, and/or de-radicalized when invoked in academic programs. This collection also builds on conversations from the panel “Mainstreaming Decolonality in Media and Communication” in the 2025 Annual Conference of the Association for Internet Researchers, co-organized by Thomas Poell and Jonathan Corpus Ong, which gave particular focus on applying decolonial principles when building global networks and centers. Since its first issue nearly 30 years ago, the International Journal of Cultural Studies has been a consistent home for decolonial analysis in media and cultural studies. We have published papers and special collections about indigenous media and cultural production (e.g., Jaramillo-Dent & Arora 2025; Moylan 2022), critical geopolitics (e.g., Anthique 2022), right-wing nationalisms (e.g., Baishya 2024), theoretical dialogues between Western and non-Western theory (e.g, Schorch & Hakiwai 2013; Fornas 2020; Szulc 2022), global suffering and vulnerability (e.g., Chouliaraki 2010; Ong 2019), and the place of critical theory and cultural studies in global academia (e.g., Hartley 2014). In this light, we welcome submissions that reflect on the past, present and future of decolonial perspectives and analysis in media and cultural studies. Articles are encouraged to address the following questions, though are not limited to these: De- and anti-colonial theories: What are diverse global and indigenous expressions of decolonial thought and critique? How do these ideas circulate and travel across time and space? What are more–and less–radical expressions of decolonial thought? How are they differently vulnerable to co-option and hijacking? How do theories on race, gender, class–and other elements of power–influence and intersect with decolonial perspectives? Theory and practice: How are theories and principles applied and institutionalized? What does a successful practice look like? Thinking critically about the field, what are ambivalences and contradictions of adopting decolonial perspectives in the Global North? Is it possible to do decolonial research in/from large institutions? How can researchers, in their/our practices, avoid the exploitation of less privileged groups? What are the limitations and challenges of carrying decolonial research? Assessing concepts: What is the analytical purchase of concepts such as decoloniality, anti-colonial, postcolonial, counter-colonial; Orientalism; intersectionality; Amefricanidade; pact of whiteness; epistemic disobedience; cultural imperialism; coloniality of power; pluriversality; data and techno-colonialisms? Citation politics: Who can be cited in decolonial research (Udupa & Dattatreyan 2023)? Can the subaltern be a reference? Can a settler think decolonially? Global/transnational collaborations: How do we share or redistribute resources in global collaborative projects? What are examples of centers and networks in media and cultural studies that have successfully navigated situations of political conflict and instability, and what survival strategies can we learn from them? How can our discipline’s governance bodies and associations guard against tokenism and knowledge extractivism? Challenging US hegemony: While we advocate for more bottom-up, situated approaches, we also recognize the need to critically attend to the global dominance of major US-based media and tech companies as well as of their cultural and creative industries. Conflict, repression, and resistance: What are the challenges for cultural studies researchers in times of concrete neo-colonization and violence, such as ongoing conflicts in Europe, in the Middle East or the recent attacks on South American countries? The geopolitics of the internet: How can we account for the human and environmental costs of AI in increasingly digitized and datafied societies? How can we examine these unequal global power relations without reverting to a universalist and techno-solutionist mindsets that only reifies the centrality of US tech corporations and regulatory agencies? Can we decolonize data? Is China a data colonizer (Tse et al 2024)? What are the promises–and pitfalls–of trends toward digital sovereignty advanced by Global South “middle powers”? Contemporary global cultural practices: How can we study the global circulation and “contra-flows” of such cultural forms as K-Pop and South African pop through the lens of decolonial theory? What are the affective and geopolitical implications of these cultural forms? How do distributed social networks enabled by social platforms establish new hierarchies and how do global cultural practices both conform to and subvert such hierarchies? Important Dates: Extended abstracts (1200 words) and Author Bios due: April 7, 2026 Acceptance decisions announcement: May 1, 2026 First draft of papers (6000-8000 words): September 15, 2026 Submission Guidelines: 1200-word Extended Abstracts are due April 7, 2026. Please email the abstract along with 300-word author bios to ijcseditorong(a)umass.edu with the subject heading “Special Issue: Decoloniality in Media and Cultural Studies”. For special issue inquiries, please email all three editors at ijcseditorong(a)umass.edu<mailto:ijcseditorong@umass.edu>, ijcseditorjin(a)gmail.com<mailto:ijcseditorjin@gmail.com>, ijcseditorcorrea(a)gmail.com<mailto:ijcseditorcorrea@gmail.com>. About the Journal: The International Journal of Cultural Studies aims to be the flagship outlet for critical cultural scholarship in media, communication and cultural studies. Founded in 1998 by John Hartley and edited by Jonathan Gray from 2017 to 2025, the journal has become widely recognized for advancing globally minded analyses of cultural texts and processes across local, national, and transnational scales of power and action. The journal’s traditional strengths are in critical theories and qualitative methodologies as applied to current and historical debates in media and cultural studies. We especially welcome submissions grounded in critical frameworks such as feminist analysis, critical race theory, postcolonial critique, political economy, queer theory, transnational analysis, intersectionality, planetarity, and posthumanism, among others. The journal’s current editorial leadership is shared between Laura Guimarães Corrêa (Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil), Wen Jin (East China Normal University, China) and Jonathan Corpus Ong (University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA). They are especially dedicated to promoting alternative critical perspectives produced in the global South and diverse sites of critical discourses. The journal publishes six issues annually and receives over 1,000 submissions a year from around the world. Our lead time is approximately four weeks until first notification of desk rejection or activation of the peer review process. Our acceptance rate is 4.5% (as of Fall 2025). Works Cited Aouragh, M., & Chakravartty, P. (2016). Infrastructures of Empire: Towards a Critical Geopolitics of Media and Information Studies. Media Culture & Society, 38(4), 559–575. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443716643007 Arora, P. (2024). From Pessimism to Promise: Lessons from the Global South on Designing Inclusive Tech. HarperBusiness. Athique, A. (2019). Media, civilization and the international order. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 23(3), 334-351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877919888923 Baishya, A. K. (2024). Viral nationalism: Right wing media and the aesthetics of distributed participation. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 28(3), 597-616. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779241302489 Chouliaraki, L. (2010). Post-humanitarianism: Humanitarian communication beyond a politics of pity: Humanitarian communication beyond a politics of pity. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 13(2), 107-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877909356720 Couldry, N., & Mejias, U. A. (2018). Data Colonialism: Rethinking Big Data’s Relation to the Contemporary Subject. Television & New Media, 20(4), 336–349. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476418796632 Fornäs, J. (2020). Cultural studies: Crossing borders, defending distinctions. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 23(3), 298-309. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877919891443 Guimarães Corrêa, L. (2023). Four Concepts to Think from the South. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 27(2), 143–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779231218395 Hartley, J. (2014). Housing cultural studies: A memoir of Stuart Hall, Richard Hoggart and Terence Hawkes. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 18(2), 185-207. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877914561832 Jaramillo-Dent, D., & Arora, P. (2025). An Antropofagia approach to AI and creativity: Lessons from Latin America to rethink collectivity, process and meaning in creative value. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 28(6), 1210-1230. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779251346959 Lehuedé, S. (2024). The Double Helix of Data Extraction. Technology and Regulation, 2024, 84–92. https://doi.org/10.71265/awqfar53 Madianou, M. (2024). Technocolonialism: When Technology for Good is Harmful. London: Polity. Moylan, K. (2022). ‘Welcome to a Coronavirus production’: Beyond Bows and Arrows’ Indigenous on-air community-building during lockdown. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 26(1), 52-68. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779221123079 Ong, J. C. (2019). Toward an ordinary ethics of mediated humanitarianism: An agenda for ethnography. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 22(4), 481-498. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877919830095 Ong, J., Lanuza, J., Jackson, D., Alves, M., Grohmann, R., Recuero, R., & Tavares, C. (2024). Custom Built / Feito Sob Medida: Reforming Tech & Democracy Programs for the Global Majority. Global Technology for Social Justice Lab at UMass Amherst. https://glotechlab.net<https://glotechlab.net/> Poell, T., Duffy, B. E., B. Nieborg, D., Mutsvairo, B., Tse, T., Arriagada, A., de Kloet, J. & Sun, P. (2025). Global perspectives on platforms and cultural production. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 28(1), 3-20. Ricaurte, P. (2019). Data Epistemologies, the Coloniality of Power, and Resistance. Television & New Media, 20(4), 350–365. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419831640 Schorch, P., & Hakiwai, A. (2013). Mana Taonga and the public sphere: A dialogue between Indigenous practice and Western theory. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 17(2), 191-205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877913482785 Szulc, Ł. (2022). Culture is transnational. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 26(1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779221131349 Tse, T., Zhang, Y., & Van Noord, N. (2024). China as Data Coloniser? Rethinking Cultural Production, Cultural Mediation, and Consumer Agency on Kenyan and Chinese E-commerce Platforms. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 28(1), 278–299. https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779241292077 Udupa, S. & Dattatreyan, E.G. (2023). Digital Unsettling: Decoloniality & Dispossession in the Age of Social Media. New York: New York University Press.

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International Society for Humor Studies 2026 Conference (at UFF, Brazil)
by Viktor Chagas 04 Feb '26

04 Feb '26

Dear all, I would like to inform you that registration and submissions are now open for the 36th International Society for Humor Studies Annual Conference, to be held in Niterói, at Fluminense Federal University (UFF), from July 6 to 10, 2026. Information regarding fees and submission deadlines is available on the official website: ishs2026.org. Interested participants may submit proposals in three different modalities: individual papers <https://ishs2026.org/call_papers/>, panels <https://ishs2026.org/call_panels/> and roundtables <https://ishs2026.org/call_roundtables/>. Individual paper abstracts are submitted by authors or groups of authors. Thematic panels, consisting of three to five paper proposals, are submitted as pre-organized, self-managed sessions by panel coordinators. Open format roundtables may also be proposed by coordinators, who will indicate the invited participants. Moreover, the conference’s different Special Interest Groups (SIGs) speak directly to many of our shared interests, including Online Humor, Humor and Artificial Intelligence, Humor and Freedom of Expression, Humor and the Global South, Multimodal Humor, Screen Comedy, and much more. The ISHS will also grant awards for Best Full Paper, Best Presentation, and Best Graduate Student Work (Master’s and Doctoral levels), including an unprecedented award for the Best Doctoral Thesis written in Portuguese. Submission deadlines are February 27 (for panels and roundtables) and March 27 (for individual paper proposals). Further information and inquiries can be found on the conference website or by contacting us at humorstudies(a)midia.uff.br. We kindly ask you to help disseminate this call among potential interested colleagues, including graduate students and advisees whose research may intersect in any way with humor studies. We look forward to welcoming you. Sincerely, Viktor Chagas (UFF) On behalf of the Organizing Committee __ Kind Regards, Viktor Chagas Professor Universidade Federal Fluminense PhD in History, Politics and Cultural Assets

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Call for Chapters: Athletes in AI Mediatization
by Groshek, Jacob 03 Feb '26

03 Feb '26

Dear AoIR Colleagues, Happy Tuesday! I'm excited to post this Call for Chapters here on Athletes in AI Mediatization, which I am editing and excited for additional submissions as part of our larger Core ReFrame Youth Sports Culture project. Summary of the full paper call follows below, as does the link for submissions. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Call for Chapters: Athletes in AI Mediatization<https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/9674> I'm happy to help - soft deadline for proposals is coming up soon, thanks so much for your consideration. If you'd like to learn more about the Core ReFrame, please feel free message me off list, too 🙂 Kindly, Jacob -- Dr. Jacob Groshek Visiting Scientist, Digital Wellness Lab Boston Children's / Harvard Medical<https://digitalwellnesslab.org/> Chair of Emerging Media Research, The A.Q. Miller School @ KSU<https://www.k-state.edu/media-communication/about/faculty/jacob-groshek.html> Executive Director, AIxMedia Institute<https://aixmediainstitute.org/> & Founding Editor, VIBING<https://aixmediainstitute.org/vibing/> New Book: Misinformation Finds Them<https://www.peterlang.com/document/1515223> (FREE Open Source) Previously: Boston U | Erasmus U | IAST | Uni Melbourne jacobgroshek.com<http://jacobgroshek.com/> | google scholar<https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=G1XXhccAAAAJ&hl=en> +1-857-615-4709 Call for Chapters: Athletes in AI Mediatization Editor: Jacob Groshek, Digital Wellness Lab, Boston Children's / Harvard Medical<https://digitalwellnesslab.org/>, United States Call for Chapters Proposals Submission Deadline: February 22, 2026 Full Chapters Due: May 17, 2026 Submission Date: May 17, 2026 Introduction The book will be about how athletes of all ages are changing how they use AI media and how their uses of AI media are changing athletics. Examples include, but are not limited to, AI-enabled cameras on field, wearable devices, mobile and social media, and the evolving nature of recruiting at all levels in response to Name-Image-Likeness (NIL) transforming sports in relation to not only educational but also financial opportunities for athletes. This book is also geared towards newly emerging sports like flag football and pickleball that are exploding in participants and becoming increasingly recognized as collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports. Objective A core component of the book will also be digital wellness concerns of balancing performance on the field with expectations and the performative nature of curating and sharing and communicating about sports, outcomes, debates, and more on social media and beyond. Athletes are in the media microscope like never before, and the pressure to succeed is immense and almost insurmountable for ages as young as pre-kindergarten. This book is both a reflection of the contemporary athletic media environment and an outline of best practices for players, parents, coaches, and organizers. Target Audience Student athletes, parents of athletes, youth sports media scholars, youth sports league organizers and professional sports organizations Recommended Topics Athletes, AI, Mediatization, Sports, Coaching, Youth, Social Media, Mobile Devices, Training, Tracking, Performance, Facial Recognition, Recruiting, Marketing, Name-Image-Likeness (NIL), Digital Wellness Submission Procedure Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 22, 2026, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by March 8, 2026 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by May 17, 2026, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ <https://igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/> prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project. Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Athletes in AI Mediatization. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process. All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager. Publisher This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the "Information Science Reference", "Medical Information Science Reference", "Business Science Reference", and "Engineering Science Reference" imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com<https://www.igi-global.com/>. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2027. Important Dates February 22, 2026: Proposal Submission Deadline March 8, 2026: Notification of Acceptance May 17, 2026: Full Chapter Submission June 28, 2026: Review Results Returned July 26, 2026: Final Acceptance Notification August 2, 2026: Final Chapter Submission Inquiries Jacob Groshek Digital Wellness Lab, Boston Children's Hospital Jacob.Groshek(a)childrens.harvard.edu Classifications Medicine and Healthcare; Media and Communications; Social Sciences and Humanities

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LAST CALL for AI researchers to move to the UK all expense paid | The University of Manchester
by Kitty Lo 03 Feb '26

03 Feb '26

UKRI are seeking to attract exceptional Artificial Intelligence (AI) researchers currently based outside of the UK to build new AI research capability in UK Universities. This fellowship provides: * Funding to relocate to the UK * Support to establish a high‑calibre research team * Resources to pursue transformational, high‑impact AI research If anyone in your network knows outstanding AI researchers who may be interested in relocating to the UK — or if that might even be you — please encourage them to submit an Expression of Interest to Digital Futures - The University of Manchester via this link: https://forms.gle/ZUMJKCbxFJJGidr8A EoI Deadline: 6 February 2026 at 17:00 GMT More details of the scheme can be found here: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/turing-ai-global-fellowships/ For further details or queries, reach out to Digital Futures at: digitalfutures(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:digitalfutures@manchester.ac.uk> To stay up to date with Digital Futures' opportunities and news, please sign up to our newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/digitalfuturesuom Kind regards, Kitty kitty.lo(a)manchester.ac.uk<mailto:kitty.lo@manchester.ac.uk> | Communications and Engagement Coordinator | Research Platforms Team - Digital Futures<http://www.digitalfutures.manchester.ac.uk/> | The University of Manchester | Pronouns (She/her) Christie Building | The University of Manchester | Oxford Road | M13 9PL Sign up to the Digital Futures newsletter here - https://tinyurl.com/digitalfuturesuom

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Cfp: Digital Methods Summer School '26 - Univ. Amsterdam
by rogers＠govcom.org 03 Feb '26

03 Feb '26

Digital Methods Summer School and Data Sprint 2026 Media Studies, University of Amsterdam 29 June - 3 July 2026 Call for Participation The Digital Methods Initiative (DMI), Amsterdam, is holding its annual Summer School on 'Visual AI for internet research? On and beyond slop'. The format is that of a (social media, web and AI) data sprint, with training tutorials as well as hands-on work for telling stories with data. There is also a programme of keynote speakers. It is intended for advanced Master's students, PhD candidates and motivated scholars who would like to work on (and complete) a digital methods project in an intensive workshop setting. Visual AI for internet research? On and beyond slop This year’s Summer School builds on the theme of using chatbots for internet research, particularly visual AI. Slop currently dominates the discussion of visual AI, especially given its routine use at the top of the US government, be it to denigrate street protestors demonstrating against policing policies or to depict the chief executive in a variety of costumes from the papal to the kingly. It’s also associated with other vocabulary attached to the effects of the deployment of generative AI in image and video: from brain rot to rage and engagement bait, including its accompanying creative and dark participatory cultures. To date the exploration of chatbots for internet research has been related to text rather than still and moving images. It has included how-to’s and research-with-AI critique concerning prompting, annotation, classification, bias, guardrail sensitivity as well as ‘reference anxiety’, or how chatbots remix sources to create new lineages of ideas and concepts. But how to consider the work visual AI can do for research across the social sciences and the humanities? One approach — studying its biases as well as using it as a prism for societal ones more generally — has been undertaken through creative prompting and reverse prompting. How to determine its offensiveness, sensitivities as well as hierarchies of concern? Apart from just prompting it, visual AI proclivities may also be teased out through inserting their output into content moderation APIs as well as other trained AI. But can visual AI be otherwise repurposed? The annual Digital Methods Summer School takes up this question for visual AI both for the frontier models as well as others in cross-cultural perspective. Applications: Key Dates There are rolling admissions, and applications are now being accepted. To apply please send a letter of motivation, your CV, a headshot photo, 100-word bio as well as a copy of your passport (details page only) to summerschool [at] digitalmethods.net. Notifications of acceptance are sent 1-2 weeks after application. Final deadline for applications is 22 May 2026. The full program and schedule of the Summer School are available on or about 22 June 2026. Tuition Fees The fee for the Digital Methods Winter School 2026 is EUR 795, and upon completion all participants receive certificates of completion or transcripts (worth 6 ECTS). Full call for participation and all additional information is here: https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool2026 Prof. Richard Rogers Media Studies University of Amsterdam R. Rogers (ed.) (2026) Content Moderation across Social Media Platforms. Routledge. T. Venturini & R. Rogers (2025) Digital Methods: A Short Introduction. Polity. R. Rogers (2024) Doing Digital Methods. Sage. 2nd edition. R. Rogers (ed.) (2023) The Propagation of Misinformation in Social Media: A Cross-platform Analysis. Amsterdam University Press. R. Rogers (2023) Métodos Digitales. ITESO - Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara.

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Call for Participation: Games and Sustainability (CGSA Pre-conference)
by Scott DeJong 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

Hello, Please see the CFP for this hybrid 1-day conference happening in Montreal on June 10. Location: Concordia University 4th Space / Online Date: June 10, 2026 Time: 10:30am to 5:30pm (Depending on the number of submissions, organizers may also schedule an online event June 9.) Website: To be updated - https://www.badgamearcade.ca/ How are games and sustainability intertwined? Or broken? Serious games offer a chance to educate, express, and intervene, where play becomes a tool for comprehension and exploration. In a climate-shifting world, we see game makers and players expressing climate anxieties about the impact of human industry on our globe. We see games and their play explore a variety of narrative themes and design tactics around sustainability. Titles like Daybreak demonstrate the complexity of climate action, game makers are building games running on renewable energy, and others are using games to illustrate how related themes (climate misinformation, overconsumption) are contributing to climate harms. The theme of this year’s Serious Game Arcade is Games and Sustainability, asking how games can seriously help to build sustainable and regenerative futures. We are taking a broad approach to the concept. We are accepting contributions that ranging from how games can model sustainable practices or improve science literacy to how they represent living through the climate crisis, as well as how game makers tackle the nuanced challenges of sustainable game design. This event is a chance to talk, share, and explore how games and sustainability intertwine. Unlike other academic conferences, it’s a chance to workshop ideas, share prototypes, and talk about the larger questions many of us face in the world of serious games. The program is open to: 1. Completed Interactive Projects: From games to controllers or servers, we will offer a space at the event to showcase your work. 2. Design Work in Progress: We love works in progress, and are happy to provide you with an opportunity to get feedback from other game makers, industry experts, and academics. 3. Short Research Abstracts: We invite you to share abstracts on your research so we can curate roundtables on the challenges and emerging directions of serious games. We invite anyone working or researching in the space of serious games to apply, and encourage any CGSA conference participant to arrive a day early and check out this compelling and interactive program. This event will be entirely free and recorded, and hybrid participation is welcome. We are accepting all serious games submissions, but we will prioritize titles that align with the theme. Submission Criteria Please use this form to submit <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWG--8l3yA63zXqYcMgfDj1fGZ_8jjMbR…> an abstract or summary of your game (~300 words). <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWG--8l3yA63zXqYcMgfDj1fGZ_8jjMbR…> Be sure to list any needs you might have for showcasing your work. If you have any questions or issues, please reach out to Scott DeJong ( scottbdejong(a)gmail.com) Please submit your expression of interest no later than March 20, 2026 Any questions, please reach out. Best, Scott -- *Scott DeJong* Communications PhD Candidate <https://www.concordia.ca/content/shared/en/profiles/artsci/coms/phd/scott-d…> Twitter <https://x.com/SWBdejong>/ LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-dejong-204a9519b/>/ Personal Website <https://www.scottbdejong.ca/> / Instagram <https://www.instagram.com/dejong_scott/> / BlueSky <https://bsky.app/profile/scottdejong.bsky.social> Games: Lizards and Lies <https://www.lizardsandlies.ca/>, The Feed <https://www.thefeedgame.com/>, Check out my most recent publications here <https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=9puMhRAAAAAJ&view_op=list_w…> .

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RECORDING - CITI: Into the Next Digital Generation: Lessons from Yesterday, Predictions for Tomorrow
by Joly MacFie 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

<https://isoc.live/20115>VIDEO <https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlg8We3ePxcO1MgHq9QAfTq3_46rc3ghD&si=MPF…> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/compress/citi-next/formats=VBR%20MP3&file=/citi-next.zip> | RECAP <https://www.patreon.com/posts/149726256/> | ARCHIVE <https://archive.org/details/citi-next> | PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/20115> On January 23, 2026, the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information <https://business.columbia.edu/citi> (CITI) convened a full-day conference ‘Into the Next Digital Generation: Lessons from Yesterday, Predictions for Tomorrow: A Tribute to the 43 Years of the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and its Director, Prof. Eli Noam’ <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conference-into-the-next-digital-generation-ti…> at Columbia University in NYC. The event, which was followed by a gala dinner, served as a celebration and tribute to the Institute, which will be closing with the retirement of founder, Professor Eli Noam <https://business.columbia.edu/faculty/people/eli-noam>. CITI was the first research center dedicated to communications economics, management, and policy established at a US management school. Over the past 42 years, CITI has published 75 books and hundreds of articles, hosted nearly one thousand conferences, run several webinar series, and welcomed numerous visiting scholars and interns from around the world. The conference was webcast via ISOC LIVE, <https://isoc.live/20115> and the dinner speeches recorded. PROGRAM 01 – Opening and Welcome Costis Maglaras – Dean, Columbia Business School YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/nH3NoU0f2eM> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/01_Opening_and_Welcome.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/01_Opening_and_Welcome.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/01_Opening_and_Welcome.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/01_Opening_and_Welcome.FR.pdf> 02 – Introduction Eli Noam – Emeritus Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, Prof. of Economics, and Director, CITI YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/iQwyw0vNX5w> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/02_Introduction.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/02_Introduction.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/02_Introduction.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/02_Introduction.FR.pdf> 03 – Vint Cerf Video Message Vinton G. Cerf – CITI Advisory Board / Chief Internet Evangelist, Google YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/2bovf74KTIA> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/03_Vint_Cerf_video_message.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/03_Vint_Cerf_video_message.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/03_Vint_Cerf_video_message.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/03_Vint_Cerf_video_message.FR.pdf> 04 – Telecom and Internet Infrastructure: The Invisible Resource Erik Bohlin – Professor, Ivey University (Canada) & Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) Johannes Bauer – Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy, Michigan State University Raul Katz – Director of Business Strategy, CITI, and President, Telecom Advisory Services Co-Moderators and Respondents: Robert Pepper – fmr Head of Global Policy and Planning, Meta Alex Wolfson – Head, Mobile Content Operations, BMW Group YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/X0M9YgnRChI> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/04_Telecom_and_Internet_Infrastructu…> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/04_Telecom_and_Internet_Infrastructu…> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/04_Telecom_and_Internet_Infrastructu…> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/04_Telecom_and_Internet_Infrastructu…> 05 – Brief Overview of CITI’s Influence Dr. Zvezdan Vukanovic – University Canada West / Associate Director for International Media, CITI YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/zoft-DDJsPk> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/05_CITI_Influence.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/05_CITI_Influence.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/05_CITI_Influence.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/05_CITI_Influence.FR.pdf> 06 – Regulatory Institutions Harold Furchtgott-Roth – Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute / fmr Commissioner, FCC Andrew Schwartzman – Senior Counselor, Benton Institute for Broadband and Society Marc Rotenberg – Georgetown Law / Center for AI and Digital Policy David Redl – Silicon Flatirons Center, University of Colorado / ex-Administrator, NTIA Co-Moderators and Respondents: Rosa Morales – Esq. Lorenzo Pupillo – Centre for European Policy Studies YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/4cyeaZx1D44> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/06_Regulatory_Institutions.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/06_Regulatory_Institutions.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/06_Regulatory_Institutions.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/06_Regulatory_Institutions.FR.pdf> 07 – Media Industry Structure: An Iron Law of Oligopoly? Ben Compaine – Director of Fellows Program, CITI Jason Adam Buckweitz – Executive Director, CITI, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia Business School Robert Frieden – Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunications and Law, Penn State University Co-Moderators and Respondents: Kenneth Carter – CEO and Founder, Ozeki Heather Hudson – Professor and fmr. Director ISER, University of Alaska Anchorage YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/Ga3Kx5LxdRE> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/07_Media_Industry_Structure.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/07_Media_Industry_Structure.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/07_Media_Industry_Structure.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/07_Media_Industry_Structure.FR.pdf> 08 – Lunch Session: International Multipliers Koos Bekker – Chairman, Naspers / founder, Multichoice (video) Merit Janow – Dean Emerita and Professor of Professional Practice in International Economic Law and International Affairs, SIPA, Columbia University (video) Derek Wyatt – fmr. Member of Parliament, UK (video) Haru Sato – Professor Emeritus, Konan University (video) Ambassador David Gross – Senior Counsel, Wiley Rein (video) Internet Society New York Chapter Award Presentation – Dave Burstein and Stuart Reid Moderators: Michael Nelson – Non-Resident Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Henning Schulzrinne – Professor, Computer Science, Columbia University YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/UkeUE6HCODQ> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/08_Lunch_Session.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/08_Lunch_Session.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/08_Lunch_Session.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/08_Lunch_Session.FR.pdf> 09 – Content Media: 3 Generations of Past Trouble, and Into the Next Esther Dyson – Investor, Journalist, Author, Philanthropist Howard Homonoff – Senior U.S. Media & Industry Advisor, Grant Thornton Advisors LLC Joost van Dreunen – Asst. Professor, NYU Stern School of Business Stanley Pierre-Louis – President & CEO, Entertainment Software Association Co-Moderators and Respondents: Corey Spencer – Asst. Director, CITI Bozena I. Mierzejewska – Associate Professor, Fordham Gabelli School of Business YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/onxa7Xl1Ykw> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/09_Content_Media.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/09_Content_Media.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/09_Content_Media.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/09_Content_Media.FR.pdf> 10 – Communications Finance: The Past and Future of Media and IT Investments Doug Conn – fmr Executive Director, SMBC Nikko Securities Tom Aust – fmr VP-Senior Analyst, State Street Blair Levin – Policy Advisor, New Street Research James Alleman – Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado, Boulder Co-Moderators and Respondents: Harold Vogel – CEO, Vogel Capital Management Bruce Lincoln – Sr. Fellow, CITI / co-founder, Silicon Harlem YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/QBln8lipSZ4> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/10_Communications_Finance.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/10_Communications_Finance.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/10_Communications_Finance.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/10_Communications_Finance.FR.pdf> 11 – America and the World: Digital Thought Leadership in the 21st Century Reed Hundt – fmr Chairman, FCC Joseph Stiglitz – University Professor, Columbia University Lawrence Lessig – Furman Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Leonard Waverman – fmr Dean, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University Martha Garcia-Murillo – Dean, College of Information Science & Technology, University of Nebraska Omaha Co-Moderators: William Drake – Director of International Studies, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information Jonathan Liebenau – Professor of Technology Management, London School of Economics YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/ipB9EVvbMyM> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/11_America_and_the_World.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/11_America_and_the_World.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/11_America_and_the_World.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/11_America_and_the_World.FR.pdf> 12 – Closing Remarks and Thanks Eli Noam – Director, CITI YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/6SL-IaJ6t4w> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/12_Closing_Remarks.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/12_Closing_Remarks.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/12_Closing_Remarks.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/12_Closing_Remarks.FR.pdf> 13 – Gala Dinner: Welcome and Session 1: Public Policy Lee Bollinger – fmr President, Columbia University (video) Doreen Bogdan-Martin – Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (video) Reed Hundt – fmr Chairman, FCC (video) Castulus Kolo – President, Macromedia University Richard Wiley – Chairman Emeritus, Wiley Rein (video) Robert Frieden – Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunications and Law, Penn State University Rosa Morales – Counsel, Crowell & Moring LLP Moderator: Robert Pepper – fmr Chair, CITI Advisory Board YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/AUJ6XCs_aHE> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/13_Gala_1_-_Welcome_and_Public_Polic…> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/13_Gala_1_-_Welcome_and_Public_Polic…> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/13_Gala_1_-_Welcome_and_Public_Polic…> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/13_Gala_1_-_Welcome_and_Public_Polic…> 14 – Gala Dinner Session 2: Academia and Business Vint Cerf – Chief Internet Evangelist, Google (video) Johannes Bauer – Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy, Michigan State University Martha Garcia-Murillo – Dean, College of Information Science & Technology, University of Nebraska Omaha Ivan Seidenberg – fmr CEO, Verizon (video) Robert C. Atkinson – fmr Director of Policy Studies, CITI (video) Erik Bohlin – Professor, Ivey University (Canada) & Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) Moderator: Tom Hazlett – Macaulay Professor of Economics, Clemson University YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/xhzCJvmzNVM> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/14_Gala_2_-_Academia_and_Business.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/14_Gala_2_-_Academia_and_Business.EN…> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/14_Gala_2_-_Academia_and_Business.ES…> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/14_Gala_2_-_Academia_and_Business.FR…> 15 – Gala Dinner Session 3: Columbia Gerald Rosberg – fmr Sr. EVP, Columbia University Joseph Stiglitz – University Professor, Columbia University (by video) Jeanine D’Armiento – Chair, Columbia University Senate John Tomasi – President, Heterodox Academy and Prof. Brown University Alex Wolfson – Head, Mobile Content Operations, BMW Group (video) Moderator: Nadine Strossen – fmr. National President, ACLU YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/RyZfXI3LlIc> | AUDIO <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/15_Gala_3_-_Columbia.mp3> | RECAP EN <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/15_Gala_3_-_Columbia.EN.pdf> / ES <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/15_Gala_3_-_Columbia.ES.pdf> / FR <https://archive.org/download/citi-next/15_Gala_3_-_Columbia.FR.pdf> - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Call for Papers: Special Issue on “Co-Producing Environmental Publics” — Communication and the Public
by Dechun Zhang 02 Feb '26

02 Feb '26

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for a forthcoming Special Issue of Communication and the Public (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ctp) titled: Co-Producing Environmental Publics: Technology, Communication, and Ecological Transformation In recent decades, environmental challenges—ranging from climate change and air pollution to biodiversity loss and resource scarcity—have increasingly shaped not only policy agendas but also the very texture of public life globally. Responding to these crises, digital technologies—including sensor networks, big data analytics, algorithmic systems, and artificial intelligence—have become constitutive elements in how environmental issues are rendered visible, knowable, and actionable. These technologies do more than document ecological change. They actively intervene in the communicative infrastructures through which publics emerge, take shape, and act. Systems of sensing, modeling, and prediction increasingly define what counts as “environmental risk,” thereby shaping understandings of responsibility, urgency, and agency. At the same time, these infrastructures operate unevenly: algorithmic filtering, platform governance, and unequal access to data intensify existing inequalities in visibility, participation, and recognition—particularly in contexts of rapid or uneven environmental degradation. As a result, environmental publics are increasingly co-produced through the interaction of ecological conditions, technological systems, and communicative practices. Yet many existing theories of publicness and communication—largely premised on stable media environments and human-centered deliberation—struggle to account for publics constituted through algorithms, sensors, platforms, and predictive ecologies. This special issue seeks to advance scholarly understanding of how technological systems reshape environmental communication and how ecological crises, in turn, reconfigure the communicative, institutional, and imaginative infrastructures of public life. By foregrounding the mutually constitutive relationship between technology, publics, and ecological transformation, the issue aims to deepen theoretical debates on public formation, algorithmic governance, mediated knowledge production, and collective action in an era of planetary uncertainty. Scope and Themes We welcome conceptual, methodological, and empirical contributions that examine how digital technologies mediate environmental governance, identity formation, activism, and the circulation of ecological knowledge. Contributions may engage with one or more of the following (non-exhaustive) themes: * Algorithmic infrastructures and the formation of environmental publics * Datafication, environmental knowledge, and public authority * Public communication of climate models, predictive ecologies, and digital simulations * Networked environmental activism and hybrid public mobilization * Communicative agency among scientists, Indigenous communities, and climate advocates * Surveillance ecologies, risk governance, and public trust * Digital platforms, environmental legitimacy, and contestations of power * Environmental media propaganda, misinformation, and AI-generated narratives We especially encourage submissions from underrepresented regions (Asia, Africa, Latin America, Indigenous contexts) and interdisciplinary perspectives across communication studies, STS, environmental governance, and political ecology. Submission Process and Key Dates * Abstract submission deadline: March 20, 2026 * Notification of invitations to submit full papers: March 30, 2026 (Please note that an invitation does not guarantee publication; all full manuscripts will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process.) * Full paper submission deadline: July 31, 2026 * Planned publication: 2027 Abstract Submission Guidelines: Please submit an abstract of up to 500 words, in English, to all guest editors with the subject line: “CAP Special Issue Submission” Guest Editors: * Dr. Dechun Zhang, University of Copenhagen (dezh(a)hum.ku.dk) * Dr. Weiai Xu, University of Massachusetts Amherst (weiaixu(a)umass.edu) * Dr. Han Lin, Soochow University (linhan741(a)gmail.com) Full call for paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zAr6qNL5YtkC9YKQtj9VexGcPmZxelaq/view?usp=… We would greatly appreciate it if you could circulate this Call for Papers within your professional networks and among colleagues who may be interested. We look forward to your submissions. With best regards, Dechun Zhang (on behalf of the Guest Editors)

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