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CfP 'The Politics of Metadata' - J. of Digital Culture & Society
by Karin Hansson 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Call for Papers: The Politics of Metadata Issue 1/2021, Digital Culture & Society, http://digicults.org Edited by: Anna Dahlgren, Karin Hansson, Rámon Reichert and Amanda Wasielewski Abstract submission: June 28, 2020 Author submission: July 1, 2020 Full paper submission: October 1, 2020 Final version: December 30, 2020 This special issue of the Digital Culture & Society journal invites theoretical and methodological contributions discussing the politics of metadata. The transformation of image collections from files and boxes to digital interfaces has had implications for the way images are annotated and ordered. In particular, new issues arise in relation to the practices of and policies for creating descriptive metadata. The first generation of digitization in the 1990s sparked a lively debate around images and their credibility, which played out in the news media, political circles, and in relation to history writing (Mitchell, 1994; Ritchin, 1990). Despite the fact that photographic manipulation is as old as the medium itself, the ease and availability of software that allowed consumers to “photoshop” images on their personal computers ushered in an era of digital distrust. Yet, as pointed out by Rubinstein and Sluis, “In the past, concerns about manipulation of pixels caused people to doubt the veracity of the digital image; however, manipulation of metadata can have much more dramatic and far-reaching consequences and they indicate that the construction and design of metadata inflicts archiving and classification practices yet also the conditions of use“ (Rubinstein and Sluis, 2013). In other words, while many people worry about the consequences of digital image manipulation, the data we collect on our data, which is used to order and recall a vast array of digital material, can also be subject to biases and manipulations that are just as insidious and often more difficult to detect. The design and use of metadata is therefore always culturally, socially and ideologically inflected (Baylis, 2014; Bunnik et al., 2016; Loukissas, 2017; Pollen, 2016). Indeed all metadata situate the images they furnish historically, geographically, politically and organizationally. The actors and their agendas and interest, whether these are institutions (museums, archives, libraries, corporate image suppliers) or individuals (image producers, social media agents, researchers) affect the character of metadata (Schwartz, 1995; Schwartz and Cook, 2002). If, for example, nationality is an important founding rationale for a museum their images will be tagged with national origin which in itself is a historical construct and sometimes quite problematic (Rodini, 2018). Such interest may also vary over time. While the gender of the image producer is of vital concern in memory institutions today the issue whether an image or art work is produced by a woman or a man has not always historically been of interest for collections managers (Pierce, 2019). Thus the available metadata is the result, and also part of, negotiations between conflicting interests accumulated and transformed over time (Baca, 2016). In sum these are examples of the politics of metadata. When it comes to big data and data-driven research, we have to pay particular attention to the effects of the interfaces we use. Metadata and the archiving practices that produce it are increasingly important for collecting institutions—and for visual culture at large—as a means to navigate the rapidly growing volume of data, situating them historically, socially, and locally (Baylis, 2014; Bunnik et al., 2016; Loukissas, 2017; Pollen, 2016). The fact that images today are copied and redistributed in infinite numbers as well as modified, manipulated, and placed in new contexts raises question about how images are furnished with descriptive metadata and by whom. Metadata not only affects the searchability and visibility of images but, by extension, how they are used and interpreted. Image collections today create descriptive metadata in three major ways: by employing professional cataloguers within the institution that governs the collection, by enlisting the help of the general public via online interfaces, or by automation using algorithm based tools and machine learning, like pattern recognition. In this special issue we seek to address the ideological and political aspects of metadata practices within image collections from an interdisciplinary perspective. The overall aim is to consider the implications, tensions, and challenges involved in the creation of metadata in terms of content, structure, searchability, and diversity. We invite proposals including, but not limited to, the following topics: • The relationship and systemic tensions between professional and amateur taggers, between metadata standards and folksonomies. What are the decisive differences between descriptive metadata produced by professional cataloguers and amateurs through crowdsourcing in terms of content, structure, and usability? What are the differences between private and public metadata? The numerous metadata standards, which govern much of the professional‘s metadata production display a heterogenous field (Margulies, 2017; Mayernik, 2020; Riley, 2017, 2009). Simultaneously many institutions are not using any of the established standards (Waldron et al., 2017). Folksonomies, in turn, have been studied and implemented as ways to bridge between expert and non-expert vocabularies (Cairns, 2013), and potentially to feed into the creation of formal taxonomies or ontologies (Gil et al. 2017). • The issue of anonymity and social identity in relation to metadata production. What are the implications of anonymity for metadata producers within cultural heritage institutions, corporate image suppliers, or public crowdsourcing platforms? How can this be understood and/or challenged in the context of social media practices where a particular user’s reputation and output history is often the determining factor in gauging the trustworthiness of the information produced? (Esteve, 2019) • The challenge in creating metadata that is coherent and reflects diverse perspectives In order for images to be searchable, reliable, and usable, collections need to create metadata standards for accuracy and uniformity (Zhang et al., 2019). Simultaneously, there is an increasing demand for descriptive metadata to be inclusive, i.e. encouraging participation and heterogeneity in representation. Given that these two objectives might contradict or come into conflict with one another, how can cultural heritage institutions strike a balance between them? • Issues of standards, centrality, and networks in relation to metadata production For example, what is the relationship between metadata standards and their institutional, geographical settings? Who are the major agents in the field of metadata production and what are the implications of this? How might we develop more horizontal systems for the production of descriptive metadata?(Piotrowski, 2009) Paper proposals may relate to, but are not limited to, the following questions concerning the metadata paradigm. Interdisciplinary contributions, such as those from science and technology studies or the digital humanities, are particularly encouraged. When submitting an abstract, authors should make explicit to which of the following categories they would like to submit their paper: 1. Field Research and Case Studies (full paper: 6000-8000 words) We invite articles that discuss empirical findings from studies that approach the relationships between data science, digital humanities, digital histories, computational intelligence, cultural studies, art history, gender studies, science and technology studies. These may include practices of circulating or collecting data as well processes of production and evaluation. 2. Methodological Reflection (full paper: 6000-8000 words) We invite contributions that reflect on the methodologies employed when researching the practices of the new tendencies of metadata production. These may include, for example, the specificities of methodological reflection of scientific fieldwork in online/offline environments; challenges and opportunities faced when qualitatively researching quantifiable data and vice versa; approaches using mixed methods; discussions of mobile and circulative methods; and reflections of experimental forms of research. 3. Conceptual/Theoretical Reflection (full paper: 6000-8000 words) We encourage contributions that reflect on the conceptual and/or theoretical dimension of the metadata paradigm, and discuss or question how the data-driven research on metadata can be defined, what it can describe, and how it can be differentiated. 4. Entering the Field (2000-3000 words; experimental formats welcome) This experimental section presents initial and ongoing empirical work in digital media studies. The editors have created this section to provide a platform for researchers who would like to initiate a discussion concerning their emerging (yet perhaps incomplete) research material and plans as well as methodological insights. Deadlines and contact information • Initial abstracts (max. 300 words) and a short biographical note (max. 100 words) are due on: June 28, 2020. • Authors will be notified by July 10, 2020, whether they are invited to submit a full paper. • Full papers are due on: October 01, 2020. • Notifications to authors of referee decisions: November 20, 2020 • Final versions due: December 30, 2020 • Please send your abstract and short biographical note to: anna.dahlgren(a)arthistory.su.se<mailto:anna.dahlgren@arthistory.su.se>, khansson(a)dsv.su.se<mailto:khansson@dsv.su.se>, ramon.reichert(a)univie.ac.at<mailto:ramon.reichert@univie.ac.at>

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Sampling strategies for classification tasks
by Sina Furkan Özdemir 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Dear all, I have been following some 800 Twitter accounts for my Ph.D. dissertation over the last four months. I have ended up with 400.000 tweets that I need to categorize by four mutually exclusive categories. I looked up some previous works with similar tasks, and it seems that the best way is to use a combination of word embeddings and recurrent neural networks with LSTM structure. The problem I am having right now is that I couldn't find training data for the classification. Can anyone recommend me some literature on sampling strategies for short-text classification tasks? Best, Sina Özdemir Ph.D. Candidate NTNU, Trondheim M.A Comparative and International Studies ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, Switzerland B.A. Political Science and International Relations Middle East Technical University, Turkey

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Mediated Conversation minitrack: HICSS 2021 CFP
by Yoram Kalman 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Dear AoIR colleagues, The Mediated Conversation minitrack focuses on the study of conversations taking place on digital and social media. Conversations are at the core of human communication. Mediated conversations can use text, audio, images or video, or any combination thereof. The minitrack welcomes research on conversations that are interpersonal, as well as those that occur in organizational or mass communication, educational or political contexts, and in any other sphere of human activity, including the emerging interplay of human-machine communication. This minitrack is part of the Digital and Social Media track of HICSS, the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, which will host its 54th annual conference (see HICSS-54) on January 5-8, 2021, at the Grand Hyatt Kauai. The submission site is now open. Submissions will be accepted until June 15, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. HST For details see [1]https://mediatedconversation.wordpress.com/ This minitrack brings together researchers and innovators to explore mediated conversation and its implications; to raise new socio-technical, ethical, pedagogical, linguistic, and social questions; and to suggest new methods, perspectives, and design approaches. The Mediated Conversation minitrack is the successor of the Persistent Conversation minitrack established by Tom Erickson and Susan Herring at HICSS in 1999, which was originally focused on the novelty of conversational persistence. With the prevalence of mediated conversation, we are called upon to consider a wider field of issues. Examples of appropriate topics include, but are not limited to: * Innovation in mediated conversational practice * The dynamics and analysis of large-scale conversation systems (e.g., MOOCs and big data applications) * Methods for analyzing mediated conversation: qualitative, quantitative, data analytics, etc. * Mediated collaboration * Mediated conversation and COVID-19 * The dark side of mediated conversation: e.g., loafing, hate speech, bullying, and communication overload * Studies of virtual communities or other sites of mediated conversation * Ethics and mediated conversation: privacy, deception, freedom of speech, security, and information warfare * The role of mediated conversation in knowledge management * The role of mediated conversation in organizations * Domain-specific applications, opportunities, and challenges of mediated conversations and conversational exchanges (e.g., in education, healthcare, social movements, government, citizen participation, and news media) * Conversation visualization * The role of listeners, lurkers, and silent interactions * Novel properties of mediated conversation * A platform’s role in mediating the conversation * Power dynamics and conversational patterns among users of social media * The role of conversation in understanding the interplay between media producers and media audiences * Human-machine communication and related conversations (e.g., chatbots) Fast-track journal opportunity: Authors of papers accepted for presentation in the minitrack will be offered the opportunity to submit an extended version of their papers for consideration for fast-track publication in the ACM journal ACM Transaction on Social Computing ([2]https://tsc.acm.org/) Mediated Conversation minitrack co-chairs: Sheizaf Rafaeli (Primary Contact) University of Haifa [3]sheizaf(a)rafaeli.net Seth C. Lewis University of Oregon [4]sclewis(a)uoregon.edu Yoram Kalman The Open University of Israel [5]yoramka(a)openu.ac.il References 1. https://mediatedconversation.wordpress.com/ 2. https://tsc.acm.org/ 3. mailto:sheizaf@rafaeli.net 4. mailto:sclewis@uoregon.edu 5. mailto:yoramka@openu.ac.il

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[Correction] RE: Sampling strategies for classification tasks
by Sina Furkan Özdemir 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Sorry to spam, I couldn't find literature on sampling strategies for generating training data for classification tasks. I wasn't looking for a training dataset. So any literature recommendation on the possible sampling strategies is much appreciated. Best, Sina >-----Original Message----- >From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> On Behalf Of Sina Furkan >Özdemir >Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2020 11:08 AM >To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org >Subject: [Air-L] Sampling strategies for classification tasks > >Dear all, > >I have been following some 800 Twitter accounts for my Ph.D. dissertation >over the last four months. I have ended up with 400.000 tweets that I need to >categorize by four mutually exclusive categories. > >I looked up some previous works with similar tasks, and it seems that the best >way is to use a combination of word embeddings and recurrent neural >networks with LSTM structure. > >The problem I am having right now is that I couldn't find training data for the >classification. Can anyone recommend me some literature on sampling >strategies for short-text classification tasks? > >Best, >Sina Özdemir >Ph.D. Candidate >NTNU, Trondheim >M.A Comparative and International Studies ETH Zurich & University of Zurich, >Switzerland B.A. Political Science and International Relations Middle East >Technical University, Turkey > >_______________________________________________ >The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of >Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe >at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org > >Join the Association of Internet Researchers: >http://www.aoir.org/

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Re: [Air-L] Instagram data scraping
by Esther Hammelburg 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Dear Jeff, You can also have a look at the tools of the Digital Methods Initiative at the University of Amsterdam: https://wiki.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/ToolDatabase Best regards, Esther Hammelburg Lecturer and PhD Candidate www.hva.nl/liveness<http://www.hva.nl/liveness> Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences Op 29-04-2020 10:27 heeft Air-L namens Marie Palmer <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org namens Marie.Palmer(a)student.uts.edu.au> geschreven: Dear Jeff, I went to the Digital Media Research Centre summer school at the Queensland University of Technology two years ago and one of the sessions was about scraping data on Instagram. The session was given by Prof. Patrik Wikstrom. May be you can have a look at his work. Regards, Marie Marie Palmer PhD Candidate The University of technology Sydney ________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Jeff McCarthy <jeff.mccarthy(a)mmu.ac.uk> Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2020 6:07 PM To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Subject: [Air-L] Instagram data scraping Hi Does anyone have any experience and/or knowledge of ways to scrape Instagram posts? My colleague is looking to gather data on Insta posts from specific user accounts in specific timeframes. It's part of the next phase of her PhD. Many thanks Jeff Jeff McCarthy - Senior Lecturer - Digital Marketing MPhil | MRes (Dist) | PGDipM | BSc (Hons) | F CIM | F IDM | MPA Board Member | DMA North Council | iDEA Lead Manchester Met | Chartered Marketer | CIM & IDM CPD Awards Employability Lead MRT Marketing, Retail and Tourism (room 6.31), Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Road, Manchester UK M15 6BH Academic Support Hours: Tue 08:30 - 09:30 & 15:00 - 16:00 t: +44 (0)161 247 6751 e: jeff.mccarthy(a)mmu.ac.uk<mailto:jeff.mccarthy@mmu.ac.uk> t: @RunEatRepeatuk<https://twitter.com/runeatrepeatuk<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/cPAcCzvkERcR2Gm2iJOWw6?domain=twitter.com>> LinkedIn<http://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeffmccarthyuk<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/1Tp8CANp2wF9WZ1WSJYK3q?domain=uk.linkedin…>> Staff Profile<http://www.business.mmu.ac.uk/our-staff/modb/profile/index.php?profile_id=9…<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/3AhXCBNq2xFV4Dl4UnA7y7?domain=business.mm…>> ResearchGate<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeff_Mccarthy3<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/u9q5CD1v2ztBVoOVC7--OG?domain=researchgat…>> Academia.edu<http://mmu.academia.edu/JeffMcCarthy<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/MSaiCE8w2ATWDl6DUqvD5-?domain=mmu.academi…>> Personal Blog: RunEatRepeat.co.uk<http://runeatrepeat.co.uk/<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/BvBsCGv02DcJMBLMsMJsBb?domain=runeatrepea…>> "Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University email disclaimer available on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/xthCCJyB2Ji8YBQYCDS90E?domain=mmu.ac.uk> " _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/u7ODCK1D20tqnDrnC4r3wm?domain=aoir.org> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/X-czCL7E2LCP1kY1cJ_s2q?domain=listserv.ao…> Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/<https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/o6JhCMwG2Mt5Z26ZU29fIo?domain=aoir.org> _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/

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COVID-19 seminar #2: A/Prof Eben Kirksey, Deakin University
by Thao Phan 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

*COVID-19 Seminar #2: A/Prof Eben Kirksey, Deakin University* https://eben-kirksey-seminar.eventbrite.com.au <https://eben-kirksey-seminar.eventbrite.com.au> Please join us for the first seminar in the COVID-19 seminar series, co-hosted by the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship & Globalisation (ADI) <https://www.deakin.edu.au/adi> and the Science and Society Network (SSN) <https://scienceandsocietynetwork.deakin.edu.au/>. *Date/time:* Tuesday 5th May, 10am - 11:30am (Australian Eastern Standard Time, GMT+10) *Title:* The Emergence of COVID19: A Multispecies Story *Abstract:* Origin stories about COVID19 have circulated widely. An exotic animal market, deep in the enigmatic East, spawned a new pandemic virus. Multiple species of bat and little scaly anteaters called pangolins have all been implicated in conventional accounts about the coronavirus outbreak. Outbreak narratives, about the wet animal market in Wuhan, reek of Orientalism. Media pundits, who have struggled to explain the sudden upheaval of the modern world, have reanimated old stereotypes about Asian people and exotic animals. The subjects of these multispecies stories, to reference Edward Said, share “in common an identity best described as lamentably alien.” As medical doctors, virologists and epidemiologists publish new evidence, origin stories about exotic animals are starting to fall apart. *About the speaker:* Eben Kirksey, an associate professor of Anthropology at Deakin University, is currently in residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He has published two books with Duke University Press: Emergent Ecologies and Freedom in Entangled Worlds. St. Martin’s Press will publish his most recent book, The Mutant Project: Inside the Race to Genetically Modify Humans, later this year. *Watch the seminar:* Seminar will be available to stream on YouTube live. Access using the live link: <https://youtu.be/eJsN8Ym85y4>https://youtu.be/ZC9ES4x72zY Q&A with the speaker to follow. To send questions/participate in the chat, you'll need to sign-in using a YouTube account <https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-comment-on-youtube?r=AU&IR=T>. The talk will also be recorded and available on the SSN Youtube Channel <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVYFQV_UFX9CLreqpNzanVA>. Did you miss the last seminar with Prof Priscilla Wald? Watch it here! <https://youtu.be/mqJXIYpTZpQ>

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VIDEO: Brittany Kaiser from Cambridge Analytica
by Dr. Emma Briant 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Dear Colleagues, I'm sharing a video with you which I thought this list might be interested in - a recent talk on Apr 23, 2020 I organized with Brittany Kaiser <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAFqeuQB6g2jNwxbt_8U9GbBudnasGXUS4M>, Former Business Development Director at Cambridge Analytica - one of the whistleblowers who was the central figure from the film The Great Hack on Netflix. At 18 minutes in, Brittany gives a talk for students of my Human Rights Program course 'Propaganda: Dark Arts in a Digital Age' about Cambridge Analytica, data ownership and her recent work. Please start watching from 18 minutes in!! http://emma-briant.co.uk/23rd-april-2020-brittany-kaiser-guest-talk/ Many thanks to you all, Emma -- Dr Emma L Briant Independent Researcher/Author/Analyst Associate Researcher at Human Rights Program Bard College, Annandale on Hudson New York Website: www.emma-briant.co.uk Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change *from Manchester University Press Co-Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* with Prof. Greg Philo and Dr. Pauline Donald from Pluto Press. Follow me on Twitter @emmalbriant

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VIDEO: Ade Rudd on Deception
by Dr. Emma Briant 29 Apr '20

29 Apr '20

Dear Colleagues, As requested by some list members I’m sharing with you a link to Ade Rudd‘s fascinating lecture for my ‘Propaganda: Dark arts in a digital age’ class at Bard College in case you missed it from 16th April 2020: “Clothing Naked Villainy: the Dark Art of Deception” Skip forward to watch as it starts 6 minutes in! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzmvS6-FlYg&feature=emb_title Thank you and good health to all! Emma -- Dr Emma L Briant Independent Researcher/Author/Analyst Associate Researcher at Human Rights Program Bard College, Annandale on Hudson New York Website: www.emma-briant.co.uk Author of: *Propaganda and Counter-Terrorism: Strategies for Global Change *from Manchester University Press Co-Author of: *Bad News for Refugees* with Prof. Greg Philo and Dr. Pauline Donald from Pluto Press. Follow me on Twitter @emmalbriant

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CfP: DataTV 2020 Workshop
by Aisha Villegas 28 Apr '20

28 Apr '20

*Apologies for cross-posting* DataTV2020 2nd International Workshop on Data-driven Personalisation of Television, at the ACM IMX 2020 **Call for Papers** The submission deadline for short and full papers: 8th May, 2020 Notification of Acceptance: 15th May, 2020 Dear all, Following a successful workshop in 2019, this year the DataTV 2020 workshop solicits the latest research and development in all areas of the creation or re-use of supporting data for TV and immersive audiovisual content experiences. The workshop is part of the ACM IMX2020 and will be held online. Topics for the workshop include: - - Extraction and modelling of data about TV and media content (program description, decomposition, semantic representation, categorization, emotion/mood, ratings, and public discussion about it etc.) - - Curation of this data throughout the media value chain including commercial and contractual issues - - Matching of media content data with user profiles for recommendation or personalisation (respecting data privacy and security) - - Tools and services for the composition of personalised TV and immersive audiovisual content experiences, including object based media, making use of TV content data (e.g. creation of video summaries or alternative content versions, recommendation of auxiliary assets for delivery alongside TV content, dynamic insertion or modification of media in streams) - - Cross platform experiences where users interchange or broadcast experiences to users on different platforms, including (for example) - - TV with social media - - TV with VR/AR/MR - - convergence of platforms for delivery and presentation *Call for Papers Two types of submissions: - Full papers with an oral presentation at the workshop: between 7000 and 9000 words in the SIGCHI Proceedings Format, with 150-word abstract describing original research to be presented in the oral session which covers at least one of the workshop topics. - Shor papers presented as a poster or a demo: these are 3500 - 5500 words in the SIGCHI Proceedings Format with 150-word abstract. Papers are to describe works in progress or demos, to be included in the poster and demo session. You can submit your paper on the official website: http://datatv2020.iti.gr/ Best, Aisha -- *Aisha Villegas* Outreach & Communications Coordinator *Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision* *Media Parkboulevard 1, 1217 WE Hilversum * *Postbus 1060, 1200 BB Hilversum | **beeldengeluid.nl <http://www.beeldengeluid.nl/>*

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CFP: Global Media and China Special Issue: Communicating the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Xiao Han 28 Apr '20

28 Apr '20

Call for Papers - Abstracts due 15th June 2020 Communicating the COVID-19 Pandemic - Special Issue of Global Media and China Guest Editor: Lars Willnat, Syracuse University, USA; Zixue Tai, University of Kentucky, USA Notification of Abstracts Acceptance: 20 July, 2020 Submission of Full Papers: 25 October, 2020 The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought profound challenges to the world community with ramifications that extend well beyond public health and individual well-being. But even while the coronavirus is affecting the lives of millions of people around the world, a number of theoretical and practical research questions have emerged in confronting this pandemic. Scholars have begun asking, for example, how to best convey information about the threat of this virus to the public, and what mechanisms might work best for contributing to public preparedness and inducing civilian action in combating the disease. China has been a pivotal player throughout the outbreak of COVID-19, from its handling of the deadly disease when it emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 to its subsequent role in collaborating with global nation-states in combatting the virus. However, COVID-19’s devastating effects in Europe and the United States demonstrate that no nation can fight this virus alone and that clear and rational communication about the mitigation of this global threat is vital. We call for papers that engage in quantitative or qualitative analyses examining the content, controversies, and consequences of this pandemic. Papers might address the topic of COVID-19 from a range of methodological and theoretical perspectives, including (but not limited to) content analyses, experiments, public opinion surveys, comparative studies, big data mining, and social media analyses. We particularly welcome contributions from scholars around the world who have completed studies based on one or more of the following topics or issues: · Communication of COVID-19 as a public health threat (information strategies, psychological issues, lockdown effects) · Journalistic issues related to COVID-19 (fake news, misinformation, disinformation, reporting of medical news, etc.) · Effects of COVID-19 on public opinion · Social media networks as venues and platforms for public debate of COVID-19 · Interplay of traditional mass media and social/emerging media in COVID-19 debate · Stigmatization, racialization/ethnicization, and xenophobia related to COVID-19 · Government-supported media and state control of information about COVID-19 · Media coverage and user narratives on etymology, cure, and spread of COVID-19 · Inter-cultural, cross-national comparative perspectives · The role of nation-states in communicating about COVID-19 · Social and emotional well-being related to COVID-19 · Patterns of news and/or information production and consumption related to COVID-19 · Folklores, rumors, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine · Role of nationalism or populism in mediated COVID-19 debate SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND REVIEW PROCESS The deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 June, 2020. Abstracts should be not more than 1,000 words in length, detailing the purpose, methods, and main points of research. The abstracts should be submitted to Professor Lars Willnat by email at lwillnat(a)syr.edu <mailto:lwillnat@syr.edu>. Following peer-review, a selection of authors will be invited to submit a full paper in accordance with the journal’s ‘Instructions for Authors.’ Please note acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee publication, given that all papers will be put through the journal’s peer review process. Please refer to the full submission guidelines available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en- gb/asi/global-media-and-china/journal202494#submission-guidelines Dr HAN Xiao Research Assistant, Social Media Centre, Communication University of China (CUC) Commissioning Editor, Global Media and China http://journals.sagepub.com/home/gch

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