Hello all, Just a reminder that proposals are due Dec. 15, 2015, for the "Communicating with Machines: The Rising Power of Digital Interlocutors in Our Lives" post-conference to be convened as part of the International Communication Association's annual conference. This year's conference is in Fukuoka, Japan. A note of clarification regarding the "paper" (750-1,000 words) proposal: We welcome a variety of approaches (not just empirical). The paper should outline what the scholar plans to present at the post-conference and its connection to the overall theme. Please see the full call below, and feel free to contact me with any additional questions. Kindly pass the call along through your networks. Thank you. Andrea Communicating with Machines: The Rising Power of Digital Interlocutors in Our Lives Overview: Digital interlocutors are increasingly standing in for humans in communication contexts. This post-conference focuses on the power of artificial entities fostered in and through Human-Machine Communication (HMC), which encompasses Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Human-Agent Interaction (HAI). We invite scholars from across ICA’s divisions to discuss their work regarding the individual, cultural, and philosophical implications of interactions with machines (including hardware and software). We seek to raise awareness of and further develop HMC research and the scholarly community surrounding it. Sponsors: University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Communication Northern Illinois University, Department of Communication Communication and Social Robotics Lab – Western Michigan University School of Communication and the University of Kentucky College of Communication & Information, School of Information Science Chairs: Andrea L. Guzman, Northern Illinois University David J. Gunkel, Northern Illinois University, Steve Jones, University of Illinois at Chicago Autumn Edwards, Western Michigan University Chad Edwards, Western Michigan University Patric Spence, University of Kentucky Contact: Andrea L. Guzman, alguzman@niu.edu Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2016 Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk (Conference Hotel) Cost: Faculty, $75; Student, $50; Lunch and snacks included. Submission deadline: Papers (750 – 1,000 words excluding references) are due by Dec. 15, 2015 to Andrea L. Guzman, alguzman@niu.edu. Notification of acceptance: Feb. 1, 2016 Participant Acknowledgment: Accepted participants will be listed along with the titles of their presentations in both the ICA Conference and the HMC Post-Conference programs. Post-Conference Focus: As artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and ICTs continue to develop and merge, we are increasingly interacting with digital interlocutors such as voice-based agents, robots, and social bots. We also are sending and receiving messages to and from wearable devices. We directly interact with the technologies surrounding us, and digital entities have been and continue to stand in for humans in everyday communication contexts. The recent surge of digital interlocutors into quotidian routines has been accompanied with questions – voiced by leading scientists as well as the average person – regarding the ramifications of these technologies and our interactions with them. In concert with the conference theme of "Communicating with Power," our post-conference focuses on the growing power of artificial entities in our lives fostered in and through Human-Machine Communication (HMC) and the power that we have as communication researchers to bring new insight into life and communication in a robotic culture. We invite scholars from a variety of epistemological and methodological backgrounds to discuss their work related to HMC, which includes Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Human-Agent Interaction (HAI), in this full-day post-conference. We will focus on the individual, cultural, and philosophical implications of the various ways in which we interact with machines. Possible topic areas for participant presentations include, but are not limited to: • communicative practices between humans and digital interlocutors • the integration of artificial entities into private and professional spaces • the incorporation of AI into journalism and other media industries • cultural discourse surrounding digital and robotic interlocutors • relationship dynamics between humans and machines • reinterpretations and representations of humans as digital entities • intercultural aspects of HMC. Post-conference format: Our goal is to provide a space for participants to present their research and engage in conversation with one another. We have adopted a two-tiered format in which some scholars will be invited to deliver a paper presentation while others will be invited to take part in a poster session. More details are forthcoming. CFP Link: http://www.icahdq.org/conf/2016/machinesCFP.asp _____ Andrea L. Guzman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Dept. of Communication Northern Illinois University alguzman@niu.edu