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AoIR2021 Conference Update
by Michelle, Association of Internet Researchers 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

The Association of Internet Researchers has some big news to share: *AoIR 2021 is going virtual! And everyone’s invited!* Due to ongoing public health concerns and travel restrictions, AoIR has been able to renegotiate our hotel contract in Philadelphia, PA (U.S.A.). This means that AoIR 2021 WILL BE A FULLY VIRTUAL CONFERENCE that will take place 13-16 October 2021! We are extending the call for papers deadline to 15 April in order to encourage YOUR participation! As you may know, the AoIR organization had made plans for an in-person 2021 conference in order to fulfill contractual obligations in Philadelphia, PA (U.S.A.), and with the bitter recognition that many would be unable to attend in person. However, we have now been able to reach new agreements with our conference partners. We are very grateful for the team that had been working on conference organizing details in Philadelphia, and we are pleased that several of them will be able to continue to provide leadership in the planning of what is now an entirely virtual 2021 event. We’re now forming the conference planning committee for the #AoIR 2021: Independence conference. Would you like to help us as a volunteer for this event? If so, please be in touch! Here’s our new schedule: 15 Apr - Extended deadline for abstract submissions to AoIR 2021 1 June - Conference acceptances 1 Aug - Video presentations due 1 Aug - Registration deadline 13-16 Oct - AoIR 2021 Please note that in light of this change from an in-person to a virtual event, the call for proposals has also changed: - We are accepting extended abstract submissions for papers and panels only. Unfortunately, due to logistical issues we will be unable to consider preconference proposals, or proposals for fishbowls and roundtables. As with AoIR 2020, independently-organized preconference and satellite events will be encouraged for the week of 4 October and publicized in the AoIR calendar of events. - Video presentations will be required of all accepted submissions and must be uploaded by 1 August in order to be included in the conference program and in our conference proceedings, Selected Papers of Internet Research (SPIR). Specific guidelines for these video presentations will be similar to last year, and will be sent out with conference acceptances. We are so excited to announce this change, and to have the opportunity to all gather, even if virtually, again. If you would like to volunteer, please reach out to any member of the Exec ( https://aoir.org/executive-committee/) We continue to look forward to our next in-person meeting in Dublin in the Fall of 2022. This year the Association of Internet Researchers will be electing a new Executive Committee. Very soon you will be receiving a call for nominations from the current President, Prof. Lynn Schofield Clark. We hope you will submit by 15 April and join us in October! Your AoIR Executive Committee Lynn Schofield Clark, President Tama Leaver, Vice President Axel Bruns, Immediate Past President Kelly Quinn, Treasurer Kat Tiidenberg, Secretary Zoe Glatt, Grad Student Representative Crystal Abidin, Open Seat Fabio Giglietto, Open Seat Erika Pearson, Open Seat And Adrienne Shaw, 2021 Program Chair Michelle Gardner, Association Coordinator

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Digital politics/advocacy trends
by Colin Delany 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

Hi folks, I recently published a "Ten Big Trends in Digital Politics & Advocacy" post, a long-running piece I update every year or two. If you're interested, here's a link: https://www.epolitics.com/2021/02/02/ten-big-trends-in-digital-politics-act… The "trends" article is an excerpt from my digital campaigning/digital advocacy ebook, and I'll also be posting a sample 2021 digital campaign plan soon if you're looking for class resources. That should go up next week, and I'll share it here as well. Please let me know if you have any questions! I'm also happy to connect folks with digital politics practitioners (including myself!) who'd be willing to speak with classes remotely. --cpd "How to Use the Internet to Change the World - and Win Elections: A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Politics for Campaigns, Activists & Advocates" [Ebook] http://www.epolitics.com/winning Colin Delany Epolitics.com -- digital strategy for politics and advocacy http://www.epolitics.com 202-422-4682 cpd(a)epolitics.com @epolitics

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CFP (Surveillance & Society): Domestic Terrorism, White Supremacy, and State Surveillance
by Bryce Newell 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

Dear Colleagues, As the Dialogue Editor of Surveillance & Society, I invite expressions of interest to write short (~2000-word) papers for an upcoming Dialogue section of the journal focused on the interrelated topics of "Domestic Terrorism, White Supremacy, and State Surveillance." We aim to publish the section in either the June or September 2021 issue of Surveillance & Society. In this Dialogue, we seek contributions that examine how concerns about domestic terrorism, white supremacy, and/or nationalism have impacted domestic state surveillance practices and surveillance powers in countries around the world. The attack on the U.S. Capitol Building in January 2021 represents just one recent and high-profile instance of how nationalism and white supremacy have resulted in calls for greater domestic surveillance practices and powers. There have been others in many parts of the world in recent years. Thus, in this section we call for proposals to submit Dialogue pieces to the journal that reflect on, unpack, or critique how domestic state surveillance powers have been affected by domestic terrorism concerns in countries around the world (especially those related to white supremacy and nationalism), how surveillance studies research might inform the path forward, and (where relevant) how a surveillant focus on white nationalists and domestic terrorism might also negatively impact communities of color, exacerbate inequalities, and/or promote discrimination. Specifically, we are looking for short contributions that answer (some of) these questions and, in the process, also critically examine the role that such surveillance may play in societies around the globe and suggest ideas, theories, or methods to approach surveillance studies research in the future. We are hoping to curate a small set of papers from scholars in various parts of the world, including in the Global South and areas not as commonly the focus of surveillance studies research. As such, we will prioritize submissions against those criteria, in addition to excellence and fit with the full set of accepted papers. If you are interested in proposing a short paper for inclusion in this discussion, please send the following to me on or before the end of day on Feb. 28, 2021 (to bcnewell(a)uoregon.edu<mailto:bcnewell@uoregon.edu>): * Your name * Details of your institutional affiliation (if applicable) * Link to your online profile, website, etc. with list of your publications (if available) * A title and 300-400 word abstract for your proposed contribution (proposals should connect to the themes identified above and also have a strong normative/critical/argumentative element) Please note that Dialogue pieces are not refereed, but are subject to editorial review and, if (tentatively) accepted, possible requests for revision. Depending on time constraints, we also hope to allow authors of accepted papers the chance to read and engage with the other accepted papers prior to publication, to create a real dialogue within the section. We will only be selecting a small number of pieces for inclusion in this special section. Our recent Dialogue sections have focused on Surveillance and the COVID-19 Pandemic (coming in March!), Surveillance as Evidence<https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/issue/vie…>, The State of Sousveillance<https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/issue/vie…>, and Decolonizing Surveillance Studies<https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/issue/vie…>. I look forward to reading your proposals. Bryce C. Newell, PhD, JD Assistant Professor of Media Law and Policy School of Journalism and Communication Faculty Affiliate, Center for Cyber Security and Privacy (CCSP) University of Oregon Dialogue Editor, Surveillance & Society<https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society> New books: Police Visibility: Privacy, Surveillance, and the False Promise of Body-Worn Cameras<https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520382909/police-visibility> (University of California Press, 2021) Police on Camera: Surveillance, Privacy, and Accountability<https://www.routledge.com/Police-on-Camera-Surveillance-Privacy-and-Account…> (Routledge, 2021)

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WEBCAST TOMORROW: Sophia Brueckner -- Sci-Fi Prototyping and Critical Optimism (Friday 8pm ET)
by Christian Sandvig 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

Hello AoIR, I thought this might be of interest. In addition to what I wrote below I wanted to add: The artifacts that I expect to be described in this talk (like the Embodisuit or the kindle highlight algorithm / romance novel social network commemorative plate collection) make very interesting class discussion material if you teach about technology or social networks. The recording will also be available later if you wish to assign part of it to a class. Christian ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Christian Sandvig <csandvig(a)umich.edu> Date: Thu, Feb 25, 2021 at 10:52 AM Subject: TOMORROW: Sophia Brueckner -- Sci-Fi Prototyping and Critical Optimism (Friday 8pm ET) To: ESC Center <esc-center(a)umich.edu> Dear ESC enthusiasts, I am so happy to report that Sophia Brueckner will appear tomorrow night to provide an overview of her artistic practice. Brueckner, accomplished artist, computer scientist, and former Googler (Google employee), is relentlessly critical of the tech world as it stands today, but her compelling perspective asks: What would a more positive vision of computing look like? Brueckner's art questions surveillance, control and dehumanization with computers by creating projects that offer alternative visions of telepresence, wearables, content curation algorithms, and more. She is also dedicated to opening debates about the ethics of technology to those without a technological background. I hope you can join us. This event is open to the public. Please feel free to forward this e-mail as appropriate. Christian *************************************************** HOW TO PARTICIPATE This is a scheduled video event. At the time stated above, watch via webcast on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYn2vukv4gk This video will be simulcast by Detroit Public Television at dptv.org/pennystamps. A recording of the event may be available at a later date after a delay for processing. Discussion is possible via the comments on the Penny Stamps Speaker Series Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/PennyStampsSeries/ TITLE Sci-Fi Prototyping and Critical Optimism SPEAKER Sophia Brueckner, University of Michigan DATE / TIME / LOCATION Online via YouTube Friday, February 26, 2021 8:00pm - 9:00 pm Eastern Time ABOUT THE SPEAKER Inseparable from computers since the age of two, Sophia Brueckner believes she is a cyborg. As a software engineer at Google, she designed and built products used by tens of millions. At the Rhode Island School of Design and the MIT Media Lab, she researched the simultaneously empowering and controlling aspects of technology with a focus on tangible and social interfaces. Since 2011, Brueckner has taught Sci-Fi Prototyping, a course combining science fiction, extrapolative thinking, building prototypes, and technology ethics at MIT, Harvard, RISD, Brown, and the University of Michigan. Both the class itself as well as the students’ individual projects received international recognition and were featured by The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, Wired, NPR, Scientific American, Fast Company, and many others. Creating new ways to apply science fiction to the design process, Brueckner prototypes alternatives to the tech industry’s limited visions for how we live with technology. She makes both physical and digital artifacts combining software programming, digital fabrication, and electronics with traditional media. These projects challenge the norms of the tech community, whose work has enormous impact on our day-to-day lives, as well as translates the problems in ways that are understandable to the everyday user. She invites others to embody an attitude of “critical optimism” and to imagine what technological futures they might prefer for themselves. Brueckner is the founder and creative director of Tomorrownaut, a creative studio focusing on speculative futures and sci-fi-inspired prototypes. Brueckner’s work has been featured by Artforum, SIGGRAPH, the Peabody Essex Museum, Portugal’s National Museum of Contemporary Art, Leonardo, Eyeo, ISEA, TEDx, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, and more. She was an artist-in-residence at Autodesk Pier 9 and is now an artist-in-residence at Bell Labs Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.). She is currently an assistant professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan. Her ongoing objective is to combine her background in design and engineering with the perspective of an artist to inspire a more positive future. <https://esc.umich.edu/event/hannah-zeavin-auto-intimacy-algorithmic-therapi…> NOTES Link to this event on the Web: https://esc.umich.edu/event/sophia-brueckner-sci-fi-prototyping-and-critica… More information about ESC: The Center for Ethics, Society, and Computing: http://esc.umich.edu/ This event is part of the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series. The 2020-2021 Series is brought to you with the support of Detroit Public Television and PBS Books. -------- LOOKING AHEAD TO OUR NEXT ESC EVENT: <https://esc.umich.edu/event/sophia-brueckner-sci-fi-prototyping-and-critica…> Michael Zimmer: Data Ethics During a Pandemic Thursday, March 11, 2021 at 1pm ET https://esc.umich.edu/event/michael-zimmer/ -------- ESC is generously supported by the School of Information; the Center for Political Studies at the Institute for Social Research; and the Department of Communication & Media in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan.

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CfP: Gamevironments Regular Issue - Deadline 1. Feb 2020
by Lisa Kienzl 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

Dear Colleagues, below you find the Call for Papers for the online journal GAMEVIRONMENTS (Regular Issue) -- due Feb. 1 2020. We are looking forward to your contributions! Best, Lisa ---------------------------------------------------- Call for Papers: journal GAMEVIRONMENTS Regular Issue 2020 ================ To further explore the multilayered socio-cultural and political contexts of video games and gaming, the international peer-reviewed journal GAMEVIRONMENTS is calling for submissions for its Regular Issue 2020. https://www.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de/ DEADLINES The journal follows a fixed timeline for the Regular Issue each year: 01.02. Full Chapter Submission 15.03. Review Results Returned 01.05. Revised Chapter Submission summer Online-Publication GAMEVIRONMENTS seeks to explore both established approaches and new frontiers of researching video games/gaming as related to religion, culture, and society. The journal encourages inter- and multidisciplinary works combining for example Cultural Studies, History, Religious studies, Theology, Ludology, and Psychology. All submitted articles will be reviewed on a double-blind peer-review basis. PAPER TYPES We include different categories of texts in the journal: a) regular academic articles Normally, articles should be between 5.000 words and 10.000 words in length. In general, a clear structure is of course helpful to understand your argumentation (introduction, discussing the relevance of your idea, theoretical frame, used method(s), case study and amount of new knowledge). b) interviews Next to academic articles we are interested in projects related to games, gamers, gaming and religion, culture, and society. For instance, if you have an interview with a game designer, a pedagogue working with games, etc., please feel free to share it in our journal! c) research reports Sometimes you may just want to give an impression of your current research, an introduction to a new project, or just have a longing for acclamation of about the 5% of successful third part funding that we get for this "weird stuff" – please feel free to do so :) In general, such research reports should be short descriptions between 3000 and 5000 words in length. They are not peer-reviewed, but we as journal editors will give some revisions if necessary. d) book reviews There was a flow in publications concerned with games and religion/culture in the last years, so it could be interesting to introduce and discuss some of them. If you are reading a new book which you think can be helpful for other researchers, feel free to propose a review. Reviews should be around 1000 words. Please note that in most cases, the journal will not be able to provide a free copy for reviews, but will try to source a free copy for you. e) game reviews Due to the fact that we are a games journal that wants to collect, systematize and further develop the various recent multidisciplinary approaches in the research area, we need to know our way around in our field, namely GAMES! So if you are playing a game which you think can be an interesting and promising object of investigation, please send us proposals for a game review. Reviews should be around 1000 words. Please note that in most cases, the journal will not be able to provide a free copy for reviews. Video games are full of images, so it would be a good idea to include some of them, illustrating your argumentation. But, for any image, you need to hold the copyright. Please ensure that! Before publishing with the journal, you need to sign a copyright declaration which we provide. Please send all images as .jpg file(s) to us due to formatting issues. Besides your contribution and images, we need keywords (up to 10), an abstract of up to 200 words, and a brief biographical paragraph (100 to 150 words) with your current institutional address and email address. Please consult the gamevironments submission style sheet before submitting your paper, as well as the Help Desk for some general principles. There is no article processing charge. If you are ready, please send your contribution as an RTF file to the managing editor: kienzl(a)uni-bremen.de. https://www.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de/ -- Dr.Dr. Lisa Kienzl, MA wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin | postdoctoral researcher Arbeitsgebiet Literaturen und Medien der Religionen | Literature and Media of Religions Universität Bremen | University of Bremen Institut für Religionswissenschaft und Religionspädagogik | Institute of Religious Studies and Religious Education Sportturm (SpT) Postfach 330 440 D-28359 Bremen T. +49 (0)421 218 67912 https://www.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de/

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mentions/uses of Bachelard's The Poetics of Space in Internet Studies
by Peter Joseph Gloviczki PhD 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

Friends, I'm doing a literature search for uses of Bachelard's *The Poetics of Space* in Internet Studies. If you know of any, could you please share them with me? Glad to compile the list and share with the group Thank you, Peter Peter Joseph Gloviczki, PhD he/him/his Associate Professor of Communication Coker University 300 East College Avenue Hartsville, South Carolina 29550 843.383.8379 pgloviczki(a)coker.edu Assistant Editor, Journal of Loss and Trauma (Taylor & Francis) Immediate Past Head, Cultural and Critical Studies Division, AEJMC 1st Vice President, Carolinas Communication Association Scholarly Books: Mediated Narration in the Digital Age: Storying the Media World <https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496217639/> (University of Nebraska Press, 2021). Journalism and Memorialization in the Age of Social Media <https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137465368> (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)

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TwitterDev on Twitch Today 1 PM EST
by Stuart Shulman 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

There are significant changes underway to the opportunity landscape for academic Twitter research. @TwitterDev has a practical session today at 1 PM EST on TwitchTV: https://www.twitch.tv/twitterdev We are working with non-technical academics who already have, or who are seeking, this new academic access to help them form, test, and optimize their queries before utilizing the generous allocation of this much sought after historical Twitter data. https://developer.twitter.com/en/portal/petition/academic/is-it-right-for-y… This is a sea change moment for academic research using Twitter data. It also comes with technical and management challenges, as well as legal and ethical obligations, some of which are completely unfamiliar to recipients of the new academic access keys. This can range from the practical steps of gathering the raw JSON to the important act of displaying Tweets live in the authentic Twitter display for analysis and classification. The visual and network embeddedness of Tweets in the native Twitter display is fundamental to make meaning of the textual content. Despite the many indispensable daily uses for spreadsheets and Notepad++ when doing Twitter analysis, once the content is transformed from JSON to a spreadsheet format, it is only a Twitter derivative product and no longer Twitter itself. The analysis of flat text outside the media-rich display is by definition incomplete and out of context. Further, the live display ensures Tweets deletions are hidden in real time and that content from suspended accounts is not displayed. IRBs, professors, and ethics experts informing the wider research community take note as it speaks directly to compliance. We offer 3-4 free workshops a week on all of this: https://www.discovertext.com/Workshops ~Stu

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WEBCAST TODAY: Accessibility Challenges: A conversation with ISOC Armenia
by Joly MacFie 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

This is the 5th webinar in the ISOC Accessibility SIG's 'Accessibilty & COVID' series. ISOC Live posted: "On Thursday 25 February 2021 at 14:00-15:30 UTC the Internet Society Accessibility Special Interest Group (Accessibility SIG) convenes a meeting with the theme 'Accessibility Challenges: A conversation with ISOC Armenia'. TOPICS 1. Internet Availability " [image: livestream] <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/a11ysigcovid5>On *Thursday 25 February 2021* at *14:00-15:30 UTC* the *Internet Society Accessibility Special Interest Group* <https://a11ySIG.org/> (Accessibility SIG) convenes a meeting with the theme '*Accessibility Challenges: A conversation with ISOC Armenia*'. *TOPICS* 1. Internet Availability Center of Blind and Visually Impaired People 2. Internet Radio for People with Visual Impairments 3. A tool for Autistic Children and Children with social anxiety 4. Let's talk: AAC App for Armenian non-verbal individuals *LIVESTREAM* *http://livestream.com/internetsociety/a11ysigcovid5* <http://livestream.com/internetsociety/a11ysigcovid5> (Open Captions ) *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM https://bit.ly/3oZfjbV <https://bit.ly/3oZfjbV> (*Closed Captions) *REAL TIME TEXT* *https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CFI-A11YSIG* <https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=CFI-A11YSIG> *SIMULCASTS* (Open Captions ) https://www.pscp.tv/ISOC_Live/ https://www.twitch.tv/isoclive *ARCHIVE* *https://archive.org/details/a11ysigcovid5 <https://archive.org/details/a11ysigcovid5>* *Permalink* https://isoc.live/13787/ - -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Two vacancies: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Society, University ofSheffield, UK
by Helen Kennedy 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

The Department of Sociological Studies at The University of Sheffield wishes to recruit a Lecturer and a Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Society, starting on 1 June 2021 or as soon as possible thereafter. The positions are open to candidates with expertise in digital media as they relate to core sociological issues (such as inequality, diversity, identity, everyday life or work). We particularly welcome applications from people with expertise in race and digital media or Chinese digital and social media. Successful candidates will play a key role in contributing to the Department’s portfolio, maintaining its high standards of teaching through delivering modules in Digital Media and Society on BA and MA programmes in this area. They will have a PhD in a relevant discipline, expertise in digital media and society and experience of teaching in this area. They will be able to provide evidence of excellent digital media and society research. The Department of Sociological Studies is committed to understanding society and social change, and to research and teaching that improves people's lives, especially those of the most vulnerable. We are proud to be one of the top social science research departments in the UK, with an international reputation for excellence in research and teaching across Sociology, Social Policy, Social Work and Digital Media and Society. To find out more about our Digital Media and Society research, visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies/research/digital-media-and-society. *Job Reference Number:* UOS027412 *Contract Type*: Open Ended *Working Pattern:* Full-time *Faculty:* Faculty of Social Sciences *Department: *Department of Sociological Studies *Salary: *Lecturer Grade 8: £41,526 - £49,553 per annum with potential to progress to £55,750 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution. Senior Lecturer Grade 9. £52,560 - £59,135 per annum with potential to progress to £68,529 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution. *Closing Date: *1st March 2021 *Interview Dates:* Thursday 25 and Friday 26 March 2021. To find out more go to: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs -- Helen Kennedy, Professor of Digital Society, @hmtk, Living With Data <https://livingwithdata.org/> *RECENT PUBLICATIONS: * Public perceptions of good data management: findings from a UK-based survey <https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2053951720935616>, *Big Data and Society* (June 2020, w/Todd Hartman, Robin Steedman & Rhia Jones) *Public Understanding and Perceptions of Data Practices: a review of existing research <https://livingwithdata.org/current-research/publications/>* (May 2020, w/ Susan Oman, Mark Taylor, Jo Bates, Robin Steedman) *Data Visualization in Society <https://www.aup.nl/en/book/9789463722902/data-visualization-in-society>* (April 2020, ed w/ Martin Engebretesen, Open Access with Amsterdam University Press)

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Call for papers for the Virtual Conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics
by Cristian Vaccari 25 Feb '21

25 Feb '21

*Call for papers* *Virtual Conference of the International Journal of Press/PoliticsZoom, 13-16 September 2021Deadline for abstracts: 5 July 2021* On *13-16 September 2021*, the seventh conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics, focused on academic research on the relationship between media and political processes around the world, will be held virtually. *Professor Young Mie Kim* from the University of Wisconsin will deliver a keynote lecture. The deadline for submission of abstracts is *5 July 2021*. Attendees will be notified of acceptance by *12 July 2021*. Full papers based on accepted abstracts will be due *1 September 2021*. A selection of the best full papers presented at the conference will be published in the journal after peer review. *The conference will be free to attend*. There will be a voluntary conference registration fee for presenters of GBP 30. Attendees will need to register to receive the secure link to participate in the conference, and those who want to contribute to the conference budget will be able to make a symbolic donation of GBP 5. The software will be able to host up to 500 participants at any time. Recordings of the conference video feed will be made available to the public shortly after the event. The virtual conference brings together scholars conducting internationally oriented or comparative research on the intersection between news media and politics around the world. It aims to provide a forum for academics from a wide range of disciplines, countries, and methodological approaches to advance research in this area. The conference will be held on four days, in half-day sessions alternating mornings and afternoons that will include presentations and networking sessions. The program of the 2020 conference, which adopted a similar format, is available at https://cristianvaccari.com/2020/07/21/program-of-the-2020-international-jo… . Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the political implications of changes in media systems; the importance of digital media for engaging with news and politics; analysis of the factors affecting the quality of political information and public discourse; studies of the role of entertainment and popular culture in how people engage with current affairs; studies of relations between political actors and journalists; analyses of the role of visuals and emotion in the production and processing of public information; and research on political communication during and beyond elections by government, political parties, interest groups, and social movements. The journal and the conference have a particular interest in studies that adopt comparative approaches, represent substantial theoretical or methodological advances, or focus on parts of the world that are under-researched in the international English language academic literature. Titles and abstracts for papers (*maximum 300 words*) are invited by *5 July 2021*. The abstract should clearly describe the key question, the theoretical and methodological approach, the evidence the argument is based on, as well as its wider implications and the extent to which they are of international relevance. Please send submissions via the online form available at http://bit.ly/IJPP2021. The conference is organized by Cristian Vaccari (Loughborough University, Editor-in-Chief of IJPP). Please contact Professor Vaccari with questions at c.vaccari(a)lboro.ac.uk. More about the journal and the keynote speaker. The International Journal of Press/Politics <https://journals.sagepub.com/home/hijb> The International Journal of Press/Politics is an interdisciplinary journal for the analysis and discussion of the role of the media and politics in a globalized world. The journal publishes theoretical and empirical research which analyzes the linkages between the news media and political processes and actors around the world, emphasizes international and comparative work, and links research in the fields of political communication and journalism studies, and the disciplines of political science and media and communication. The journal is published by Sage Publications and is ranked 16th by Scopus (SJR) and 17th by Journal Citation Reports in Communication. Professor Young Mie Wim, University of Wisconsin <https://journalism.wisc.edu/news/staff/young-mie-kim/> Young Mie Kim is a Professor of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a Faculty Affiliate of the Department of Political Science. Kim is a 2019 Andrew Carnegie Fellow. Kim’s research concerns data-driven, algorithm-based, digitally mediated political communication. Kim’s recent research project, Project DATA (Digital Ad Tracking & Analysis), empirically investigates the sponsors, content, and targets of digital political campaigns across multiple platforms with a user-based, real-time, ad tracking tool that reverse engineers the algorithms of political campaigns. Kim and her team’s research, “The Stealth Media? Groups and Targets behind Divisive Issue Campaigns on Facebook,” identified “suspicious groups,” including Russian groups on Facebook. The work received the Kaid-Sanders Best Article of the Year in Political Communication (2018), awarded by the International Communication Association. Kim testified at the Federal Election Commission‘s hearings on the rulemaking of internet communication disclaimers and presented her research at the Congressional briefings on foreign interference in elections. Kim also spoke at the European Parliament on her research on data-driven political advertising and inequality in political involvement.

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