Hi folks - Just a reminder that the Call for Papers for our AoIR pre-conference "Going Live: Exploring Live Digital Technologies and Live Streaming Practices" closes on June 29, 2018. Please send your abstract (250 words) and bio (50 words) to goingliveconf@gmail.com before then! Thank you! (full CFP below) Call for Papers and Participants Going Live: Exploring Live Digital Technologies and Live Streaming Practices October 10, 2018 9:00am - 4:30pm (registration from 8:30am) Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology Concordia University 1515 rue Sainte-Catherine W EV Building, 11.455 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 2W1 Organizers: Dr. Mia Consalvo & Dr. Stefanie Duguay, Concordia University Website: https://goingliveconf.wixsite.com/goinglive As a pre-conference event affiliated with the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) annual conference, this full-day workshop will bring together game studies scholars and social media researchers to discuss the increasing popularity of live digital technologies. These technologies include features on social media sites such as Facebook Live, standalone smartphone apps (e.g., Periscope), and websites dedicated to live streaming, such as the gaming platform Twitch.tv. Although live streaming has been possible for many years (e.g. Senft, 2008), the evolution of recording devices, data transfer speeds, mobile apps, and other digital technologies has contributed to a recent proliferation of live media. Live platforms encourage spontaneous sharing but controversial incidents raise questions about what should be shared in a live context. Live streaming game platforms showcase modes of self-presentation and self-promotion (Consalvo & Altizer, 2017), which social media influencers also adopt when broadcasting content to adoring fans (Abidin, 2016). Gamers and influencers alike benefit from the commercialization of these practices, generating revenue from brand promotion and boosting attention to advertisements. Clearly, live streaming and live digital technologies have social, political, economic, and cultural impacts. However, research into these areas is still developing and there have been few opportunities for interdisciplinary dialogue among scholars researching live streaming. We invite you to tackle these topics with us at this pre-conference workshop, taking place at Concordia University's cutting-edge Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology. We encourage participation from a range of scholars, from graduate students to early career researchers and established academics. If you are an AoIR member, you must register through the AoIR conference website to reserve your place. If you are not an AoIR member or if you are not attending the AoIR conference, please register through our website <https://goingliveconf.wixsite.com/goinglive>. The day will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. T.L. Taylor, Professor of Comparative Media Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Taylor is an internationally recognized scholar in game studies, having written field-defining books about online games, the rise of competitive esports, and the business of live streaming. Watch our website for additional speaker announcements as we finalize our schedule. The day will also include paper sessions for presenting and receiving feedback about works-in-progress. We invite abstracts from scholars researching live streaming and live digital technologies across a range of topics, including but not limited to: - Gaming and esports - Platform infrastructures, algorithms, and automation - Communities, practices, and audiences - Microcelebrity and self-branding - Political economies and labour - Ephemeral and everyday media - Data, policy, privacy, and governance - Transnational liveness Selected presenters will have the chance to submit their work-in-progress papers prior to the workshop for circulation to attendees. If you are interested in presenting, please submit an abstract of 250 words along with your name, title, affiliation and a brief bio (50 words) to goingliveconf@gmail.com by June 29, 2018. Dr. Stefanie Duguay Assistant Professor Department of Communication Studies Concordia University stefanieduguay.com @DugStef <https://twitter.com/DugStef>