Media, Knowledge & Education: Cultures and Ethics of Sharing Call for papers by the Media Forum Innsbruck for an international conference at the University of Innsbruck (November 18-19, 2011) Sharing has emerged as one of the core cultural values native to the networked environment where information has many properties of a classic public good, that is, it is non-rivalrous in use and non-excludable in access. As Manuel Castells (2009, p. 126) puts it: "In our society, the protocols of communication are not based on the sharing of culture but on the culture of sharing." IT-based innovation has increasingly impacted on the way individuals share information and recently forced society into a discourse about what can, should, must or even must not be shared. Yet, the sharing of information has been discussed primarily from the point of view of copyright (free licenses, law enforcement, law reforms) and from the economic perspective (new modes of production, business models, potential to turn around industries, financing the 'first copy'). With this conference, we move beyond these aspects and shift the focus to the cultural and normative dimensions of sharing. What are the values embedded in this informational 'culture of sharing'? How do they differ across various contexts, organizational and social practices? How do these relate to, transform, and possibly conflict with other value sets dominant in organizations and society? How does the widespread use of online sharing platforms affect organizations and society? With this international conference, and subsequent publications in suitable format (online and offline) we aim to contribute to a better understanding of the promises, benefits and challenges of the cultural paradigm of sharing in different contexts. We welcome submissions from scholars and activists as well as media professionals. Proposals that address one or more of the following topics are especially encouraged: - cultural practices of sharing in networked spaces - ethics in social media developments - open educational resources and open access publishing - emerging forms of sharing news - sharing as community engagement - sharing as media activism - media dynamics and sharing in global public spheres - normative aspects of information policy and knowledge dynamics - business strategies and (information) sharing - economies of sharing vs. economies of exchange - traditions of sharing in cross-cultural perspective - aspects of sharing in media philosophy - motivational aspects in organizational information sharing - organizational and IT instruments to foster or guide information sharing - social status and reputational economies - awareness of others’ activities and its impact on sharing Academic, technological, and artistic contributions are welcome. Proposals can be submitted for conceptual papers, reports of empirical studies, design artifacts, and workshops. The conference is orientated towards discourse and open exchanges among the participants. Conference languages are English and German. The international conference is hosted by the Innsbruck Media Studies Research Group at the University of Innsbruck. It is part of a series of conferences "Media, Knowledge, Education", and it is offered in the framework of the research project "Activist Media. Popular Forms of Media Appropriation" (Austrian Science Fund). Its purpose is to provide an international platform for exchanging current research results and feeding them into the ongoing research and the university's teaching offerings. Confirmed speakers: Christina Slade (London), Ingrid Volkmer (Melbourne), Fran Ilich (New York/Mexico D.F.), Volker Grassmuck (Berlin/Paderborn), Hans-Martin Schönherr-Mann (Munich), Manfred Faßler (Frankfurt) Conference organizers: Univ. Prof. Dr. Theo Hug, Univ. Prof. Dr. Ronald Maier, Dr. Felix Stalder, Dr. Wolfgang Sützl Dates and deadlines: ⁃ July 8, 2011: submission of abstracts (maximum 500 words, plus short CV) ⁃ July 22, 2011: notification of speakers ⁃ October 15, 2011: submission of manuscripts ( max. 5000 words incl. references and an abstract of max. 100 words) ⁃ November 18/19, 2011 conference ⁃ December 1, 2011: notification of papers accepted for publication ⁃ January, 2, 2012: publishing of revised papers ⁃ April 30, 2012: publication of the conference proceedings (University of Innsbruck Press) Contact: Dr. Wolfgang Sützl E-mail: <wolfgang.suetzl@uibk.ac.at>