Conference Call for Papers Cries and Whispers: Podcasting and the Promise of Disruption Feb 20-21, 2026, Florida Atlantic University Keynote Speaker: Jeremy Morris, PhD (UW-Madison) In the wake of what commentators called “the first influencer election” and the midst of what others term the first “podcasting presidency,” this conference takes stock of this millennial media format. How should we define podcasting, situate it in media and technological history, and assess its claim to be “new” media? For Martin Spinelli and Lance Dann, podcasting represents a “transitional moment in the history of audio making and listening. It is a moment in which marginal, DIY…practices burst into…popular consciousness and are taken seriously as more than just a subset of an older medium.” The claim echoes understandings of digital media more broadly as a disruptive and democratizing form that upends tradition and hierarchies of power. But, is it in fact a more slippery phenomenon, a do-it-yourself (DIY) medium that slides between mainstream and underground, algorithmically propelled across a host of social media sites? This conference aims to platform new research on podcasting that undercuts the countercultural and upstart connotations of DIY and other spreadable practices. Specifically, this conference spotlights the full range of podcasting’s perils and possibilities in light of current controversies. Proposal Deadline: OCTOBER 15, 2025 For full details and link to submission portal, please go to the conference website<https://criesandwhispers2026.wordpress.com>.