May 23, 2025

Örebro University, Sweden

Deadline: December 1, 2024

On 23rd of May, 2025, Örebro University will arrange a symposium to explore what we know about SVOD audiences (focusing on audiovisual fiction) and democracy in the European context.

The European audiovisual landscape is complex, with a huge variety of content providers and a traditionally strong public service. While only about 10% of all European providers feature public ownership, these play a key role as facilitators of original European productions across the continent (Fontaine, 2024:7; Antoniazzi et al., 2022). However, the US has a substantial and increasing influence on the European audiovisual sector (Schneeberger, 2024:7). The SVOD segment, as the most concentrated market segment in Europe, has the highest share of US (84%) and private (99%) interests (Ene Iancu, 2024:10). In terms of SVOD consumption, a lion part of what is watched originates from the US (Grece & Tran, 2023; Iordache et al., 2023), and earlier concerns on US cultural imperialism have been revived (Davis, 2023; Lotz, 2021).

Recently, the public service media across Europe has experienced dire economic conditions. For example, in Sweden, budget cuts have been announced for public service in the spring of 2024 with the argument of unfair competition while diversity and democratic arguments are downplayed (SOU 2024:34). This evolution is in line with the European Commission’s focus on competition and on creating a single market. Ultimately, this bypasses opportunities for cultural objectives such as media pluralism, cultural protection or social regulations (Humphreys, 2008:154). Although the European Audiovisual Media Services Directive (2018) has sought to level the market between domestic and transnational platform suppliers and protect the production of film and television in Europe (Kostovska et al. 2020), the political space to discuss streamed content as culture seems to have shrunk. This has far-reaching consequences for European content and democratic values such as equality and diversity (Jansson et al., 2024). In this symposium, we aim to investigate what these evolutions mean for audiences, as fiction consumers, but also – and especially – in their role as citizens.

On a theoretical level, there are a range of conceptualizations of how fiction (and culture) shapes citizens, including the “political self” (Van Zoonen, 2007), the cultural public sphere (McGuigan, 2005), and civic cultures (Dahlgren, 2009). Askanius (2019:273) focuses on explicit articulations of community in relation to fiction, while Nærland (2019:652) uses the concept of “public connection” to denote a more complex orientation of the audience toward the public and the political. Bengesser (2023) argues public service in particular, including drama productions, is of importance in civic engagement and in building “lifeworlds” (Bengesser, 2023:63).

On an empirical level, the link between fiction and democracy is often presupposed in research relating to democratic values or “the political” (Van Belle, Aitaki and Jansson, forthcoming). Audiovisual fiction has been argued to directly correlate with political engagement (e.g. Fielding, 2014; Cardo, 2011) and opinion-formation or political attitudes (e.g. Hermann et al., 2023; Swigger, 2017; Adkins et al., 2014; Butler et al., 1995). Indirectly, identities and bodies are assumed to be the glue between connecting audiences and democracy through the viewing of fiction (e.g. Smith, 2020; Yea, 2014). On a more structural level, fiction is seen as contributing to imagined worlds (Randall, 2011) or discourses (Kato, 2015). Regardless of theoretical belonging, most studies have a rather crude understanding of the audience and its agency (see e.g. La Pastina, 2004). This actualizes questions about how democratic values and political topics are negotiated in relation to the fictional content audiences watch. Further, it includes exploring audiences’ understandings of fiction in relation to their roles as citizens in a democratic European context.

This symposium is interested in contributions that could, but are not limited to, illuminate some of the following topics:

- The relation between sVODs and citizenship or democracy

- Public service audiences and society

- Fiction and political activism

- The negotiation of identities via fiction, in relation to democracy and politics

- The negotiation of political and democratic values in relation to fiction, such as equality, solidarity, community, or freedom

- Fiction/audiences and political trust

- Missing audiences/citizens

- Media pluralism, cultural protection, social regulations, or diversity from an audience perspective 

The symposium will take place 23 May 2025, and will be held at Örebro University, with the option of participating online. Depending on funding, travel costs may be reimbursed. Limited number of spots for participants.

In conjunction with the symposium, a follow-up volume in a leading academic publishing house is planned.

Please submit full contact information, a short biography that explains your background and field (of no more than 300 words) and an abstract (of no more than 500 words) on the topic you would like to present on to jono.van-belle@oru.se 

The call for papers will close on 1 December 2024. The authors of selected contributions will be notified by 1 January 2025.

We are looking forward to your proposal!

Jono Van Belle & Maria Jansson (Örebro University, Sweden)