ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

November 24-29, 2021

Online

Deadline: September 24, 2021

The Media Literacy and Civic Cultures (MeLCi Lab) Autumn School “Science bootcamp to improve research hands-on skills”, to be held 24th to 29th November 2021, aims to capacitate PhD students with a set of hands-on research skills that help them in their projects, supporting their professional development. The school will include keynotes from Emiliano Treré, Julian McDougall, Kaska Porayska-Pomsta, and Pille Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt.

By adopting an integrative and multidisciplinary approach, the School will bring together several scholars for a set of workshops and communications to foster research skills related to scientific writing and innovative methodologies. We will address topics about civic engagement, arts-based research, participation, citizen science, datafication, and ethics research. Moreover, the school also intends to be a space for the production of tangible outcomes, through its “72h Paper Development Marathon”. MeLCi Autumn School intends to be an inclusive space, and three equity grants will be available for students from underrepresented communities.

MeLCi Lab is currently looking for proposals of PhD students who want to apply for the Autumn School. These applications can be submitted until the 24th of September.

More information and application: https://cicant.ulusofona.pt/agenda-news/news-events/396-melci-lab-autumn-school

Hugh Downs School of Human Communication

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (HDSHC) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on the Tempe Campus of Arizona State University invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position as Advanced Assistant or Associate Professor who will be required to teach in-person on the Tempe campus with an anticipated start date of August 2022. Applicants at the Advanced Assistant or Associate level are encouraged to apply. We are particularly interested in applicants whose scholarship and teaching focus is in rhetorical and critical-cultural communication studies. Salary will be competitive based on qualifications.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic faculty working to advance innovative research and excellence in teaching through their efforts with a diverse and growing undergraduate and graduate student population at Arizona State University. The School's mission is to produce transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching that responds to pressing issues in the world today. We invite you to learn more about the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication and Arizona State University by visiting https://humancommunication.asu.edu/ and https://newamericanuniversity.asu.edu/, respectively.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain a rigorous research program; teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels; contribute to curriculum development and graduate advising; serve on school, college, and university committees; and provide service to the school, professional associations, and the community.

Department Statement

A uniquely collaborative group, in 2019 the HDSHC completed a School-wide program review that showcased their notable breadth of teaching and research, collegial and interdisciplinary nature and outlined shared strategic aspirations for the coming years. The HDSHC is comprised of 28 distinguished core faculty and offers BA, BS, MA, and Ph.D. degrees. Our faculty are recognized for teaching and research excellence in areas of Human Communication including: health, intercultural, interpersonal, organizational, performance studies, critical/cultural studies, and rhetoric. Online programs, including a minor, BS, BA and MA, have experienced exponential growth and the School looks forward to continuing the upward trajectory. The HDSHC offers laboratory facilities, computer resources, project support, grant development support, and a performance studio.

ASU's location offers the resources of a major metropolitan area (5+ million) in a state with spectacular natural scenery and recreational areas, sublime winters, and a culturally rich population. Learn more about the HDSHC and ASU at https://humancommunication.asu.edu/ and https://newamericanuniversity.asu.edu/, respectively. Learn more about what The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has to offer by visiting https://thecollege.asu.edu/faculty.

Minimum Qualifications:

* Ph.D. in Communication or a closely related field by the time of appointment

* Scholarship (research and/or creative activity) and teaching focused in rhetorical and critical-cultural communication studies

Desired Qualifications:

* Research and teaching focus in one or more of the following: Latinx and Chicanx Rhetoric, Indigenous and Settler Rhetorics, Racial Rhetorical Criticism, Digital and Technological Rhetorical Communication, BIPOC Rhetorics

* A strong record of publication in the applicant's area(s) of specialization

* Evidence of commitment to service to the university, discipline and community

* Evidence of excellence in graduate and/or advanced undergraduate teaching in area(s) of specialization

* Experience mentoring graduate or advanced undergraduate students' independent research projects

* Ability to contribute to research and teaching in one or more of the School's core areas (rhetoric/public communication, performance studies, intercultural, organizational, or interpersonal)

* Ability to contribute to research and teaching in one or more of the School's research collaboratives (The Intersections of Civil, Critical, and Creative Communication Collective, The Transformation Project, Health Communication Initiative, Intercultural Communication and Global Engagement (ICGlobal) or the Center for Strategic Communication)

* Evidence of the potential to seek external funding

* Demonstrated success meeting the needs of diverse student populations and/or reaching out to diverse communities

* Evidence of commitment to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit the following:

1. A cover letter specifying interest in the position and how qualifications match the required and desired qualifications

2. Curriculum vitae

3. Evidence of excellence in teaching (e.g., syllabi, teaching evaluations)

4. Evidence of excellence in scholarship (e.g., reprints of no more than three articles or book chapters)

5. Two letters of recommendation (to be submitted through Interfolio)

6. A statement on how your past and/or potential contributions to diversity and inclusion will advance ASU's commitment to inclusive excellence

Instructions to apply can be accessed here: http://apply.interfolio.com/94493

The initial deadline to apply is Thursday, October 28, 2021. If not filled, applications will be evaluated every week thereafter until the search is closed.

For additional information:

Email search committee chair: Dr. Jess Alberts at Janet.Alberts@asu.edu

The College values our cultural and intellectual diversity, and continually strives to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. We are especially interested in applicants who can strengthen the diversity of the academic community.

A background check is required for employment. Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

(https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/)

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU's Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.

EJHC Special Issue

Deadline: February 28, 2022

European Journal of Health Communication (EJHC) invites submissions to a Special Issue on “Online Health Communities in the Vortex of Healthcare Controversies: Theoretical Frameworks and Empirical Studies” (Guest Editors: Gregor Petrič & Sara Atanasova, University of Ljubljana).

Online health communities (OHCs) are dynamic and insightful places where a variety of communicative processes can be detected; these processes are linked to tensions between different levels of accessibility, different forms of interaction, various streams of knowledge, tensions between low and high e-health literacy, conflicts between expert and patient expertise, positive and negative aspects of patient empowerment, and the like. This special issue aims to address the tensions, opportunities, and perils of OHCs that have important effects on individuals such as patients, caregivers, and health professionals as well as on patient-health professional interaction, the healthcare system and its services. This special issue is open but not limited to studies that intersect or interconnect with the following topics:

• Communicative dynamics in OHCs and their controversial outcomes
• Quality, validity, credibility of health-related information in OHCs
• Causes and consequences of (dis)trust and (mis)information in OHCs
• Patient empowerment and disempowerment and their effects on the self-management of health issues, decision making processes, and trust in health experts
• Empowerment of health-professionals participating in OHCs
• Impact of patient-health professional interaction in OHCs on offline patient-health professional relationships
• The potential of OHCs for co-creation processes in the context of healthcare policies and businesses
• OHCs’ role in informing policy, regulators, and health decision makers
• Other topics related to OHCs

This special issue welcomes innovative studies and invites both theoretical and empirical papers with qualitative, quantitative, or mixed method approaches, so long as they address at least one of the above topics.

More information about the call: https://ejhc.org/calls/SI-OnlineHealthCommunities. 

October 14, 2021

Webinar

I am pleased to invite you to the next in the series of IPRA Thought Leadership webinars. The webinar PR for today’s world: relationship management of multiple stakeholders by Dr Takashi Inoue, Chairman & CEO of Inoue Public Relations, Japan on Thursday 14 October 2021 at 12.00 GMT/UCT (unadjusted).

What is the webinar content?

In an age of hyper-change, PR is about multiple-stakeholder relationship management and requires constant self-correction. The webinar with Dr Takashi Inoue, will explore relationship management and reflect on how this is complex in a world characterized by hyper-globalization. The webinar draws on the presenter’s book published in 2018 and the presenter’s experience in the Japanese high-tech industries.

The webinar will be followed by an interactive Q&A session.

How to join

Register here at Airmeet.

A reminder will be sent 1 hour before the event.

Background to IPRA

IPRA, the International Public Relations Association, was established in 1955, and is the leading global network for PR professionals in their personal capacity. IPRA aims to advance trusted communication and the ethical practice of public relations. We do this through networking, our code of conduct and intellectual leadership of the profession. IPRA is the organiser of public relations' annual global competition, the Golden World Awards for Excellence (GWA). IPRA's services enable PR professionals to collaborate and be recognised. Members create content via our Thought Leadership essays, social media and our consultative status with the United Nations. GWA winners demonstrate PR excellence. IPRA welcomes all those who share our aims and who wish to be part of the IPRA worldwide fellowship. For more see www.ipra.org

Background to Dr Takashi Inoue

Dr Takashi Inoue is Chairman and CEO of Inoue Public Relations Inc. in Japan. He is a visiting professor at Kyoto University. In 1997 his firm was the first in Asia to win the IPRA Golden World Awards Grand Prix. The company won subsequent Golden World Awards in 2015 (Japan regulatory changes for product innovation) and in 2021 (Corona manual). Dr Inoue is the author of Hyper-Globalization: essential relationship management published in 2018.

Contact

International Public Relations Association Secretariat

United Kingdom

secgen@ipra.orgTelephone +44 1634 818308

Hugh Downs School of Human Communication

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (The College) on the Tempe Campus of Arizona State University (ASU) invites inquiries, nominations, and applications for the position of Director of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication (HDSHC) with a concurrent appointment as tenured Full Professor. The College values our cultural and intellectual diversity, and continually strives to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment. We are especially interested in applicants who can strengthen the diversity of the academic community.

The HDSHC is home to a dynamic group of faculty working to create innovative research and excellence in teaching through its efforts to address the complexity of human communication in the 21st century. The HDSHC's mission aims to place communication at the center of human activity while creating a culture of belonging that values diversity. The new Director will join a community passionate about the integration of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into all parts of the HDSHC's offerings and operations.

Our next Director will have a leadership style that aligns with the University's culture of invention and innovation, creates meaningful and enduring results, and encourages a passion for the social sciences as interconnected, inclusive, and impactful fields. The Director should cultivate a persuasive vision for the HDSHC's future that reflects our highest aspirations for the School and its role in civil discourse within and across communities and throughout society.

A uniquely collaborative group, in 2019 the HDSHC completed a School-wide program review that showcased their notable breadth of teaching and research, collegial and interdisciplinary nature and outlined shared strategic aspirations for the coming years. The HDSHC is comprised of 28 distinguished core faculty and offers BA, BS, MA, and Ph.D. degrees. Our faculty are recognized for teaching and research excellence in areas of Human Communication including: health, intercultural, interpersonal, organizational, performance studies, critical/cultural studies, and rhetoric. Online programs, including a minor, BS, BA and MA, have experienced exponential growth and the School looks forward to continuing the upward trajectory. The HDSHC offers laboratory facilities, computer resources, project support, grant development support, and a performance studio.

ASU's location offers the resources of a major metropolitan area (5+ million) in a state with spectacular natural scenery and recreational areas, sublime winters, and a culturally rich population. Learn more about the HDSHC and ASU at https://humancommunication.asu.edu/ and https://newamericanuniversity.asu.edu/, respectively. Learn more about what The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has to offer by visiting https://thecollege.asu.edu/faculty.

Minimum Qualifications

* A Ph.D. degree in Communication Studies or a closely related or relevant field

* A scholarly record commensurate with the rank of tenured Full Professor in The Hugh Downs School of Human Communication

* A record of effective mentoring, in particular related to junior faculty as well as undergraduate and graduate students

* A record of leadership performing significant and effective financial oversight (i.e., group/center leader; department chair/director)

* Demonstrated commitment to principles of justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion; to attracting, recruiting, retaining, and promoting personnel in support of those principles, and in particular Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) personnel

Desired Qualifications

* An internationally recognized program of research, a strong record of external funding, and experience supporting colleagues as they compete for funding

* Excellent interpersonal and strong, persuasive communication skills

* Ability to articulate the vision, mission, and future aims of the HDSHC in relationship to The College and the University

* Demonstrated an entrepreneurial approach to forming alliances and partnerships with other units and programs in the university, as well as outside organizations and external stakeholders, particularly those in racially and ethnically diverse and intersectional communities.

* A broad outlook and approach to new trends in Human Communication that capture a new learning paradigm of the communication process in post-pandemic higher education

* An interest in and commitment to fundraising and an ability to present a compelling story to potential donors, funding agencies, and external constituencies

Arizona State University is a leading public university ranked #1 Most Innovative School by U.S. News & World Report six years in a row and is leading a bold reinvention of higher education as the New American University. ASU is a research-intensive university and has developed numerous new programs and units that defy and bridge disciplinary boundaries to enable the exploration and discovery of new knowledge while developing solutions to the most challenging issues of our time. Located on four campuses and two research parks in the Phoenix metropolitan area, ASU is one of the largest universities in the United States and has strong and simultaneous commitments to educational access, research, and teaching excellence. With the University's location in the nation's fifth largest city, the Phoenix region provides a rich context for applied research and community engagement around issues of human communication.

Nominations, inquiries, and applications (a curriculum vitae; a letter of interest describing how you meet the qualifications noted above, and your vision for leadership of an interdisciplinary school; a statement addressing how your past and/or potential contributions to diversity and inclusion will advance ASU's commitment to inclusive excellence; and contact information, including email addresses, for five references [references may be contacted at a later stage of the search and only with the candidate's approval]) can be submitted online at http://apply.interfolio.com/94112. Applications will be reviewed beginning Friday, October 22, 2021; if not filled, reviews will occur every two weeks thereafter until the search is closed.

Questions about this position should be directed to Chris Stojanowski, Chair of the Search Committee via email cstojano@asu.edu.

A background check is required for employment.

ASU is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. For more information on ASU's policies, please see https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and its complete non-discrimination statement at https:/www.asu.edu/titleIX/.

In compliance with federal law, ASU prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and resources. ASU's Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at https://www.asu.edu/police/PDFs/ASU-Clery-Report.pdf. You may request a hard copy of the report by contacting the ASU Police Department at 480-965-3456.

Karslruher Institut für Technologie

Supporting the chair for Science Communication with a Focus on Effects / Transfer

Organizational unit: Institute for Technology Futures (ITZ)

Job description

We are looking for a team member that supports our research and teaching investigating the dynamics of public controversies over science, technology, and the environment. Among others, this includes the following: science of science communication, media effects research, media usage, diffusion of information, e.g., in debates over meat consumption, climate change, gene technology, future mobility, COVID-19, and many more.

Among others, we are interested in how media cover these issues, how information diffuses and reaches diverse audiences, which actors use which arguments, how particular messages affect specific audiences, groups of actors, or societal processes.

We are looking for a team member who can contribute to these topics in their research and teaching. Successful candidates will teach (4 hours/week during a semester), contribute to research projects and research proposals and will pursue their own qualification (doctoral dissertation or postdoctoral work).

Starting date: zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt / as soon as possible

Personal qualification

Successful candidates have completed their Master’s degree (for doctoral position) or their doctorate (for postdoc position) in a social scientific subject with a focus on quantitative methods. They have worked on questions relating to communication research (e.g., Digital Media, Public Opinion, Media Psychology, Media Effects, News Diffusion, Political Communication, Reception Studies, Science Communication) and have acquired skills in quantitative social research methods (e.g., computational social science, social scientific experimental designs, survey research, quantitative media content analysis).

Salary

The remuneration occurs on the basis of the wage agreement of the civil service in TV-L E13, depending on the fulfillment of professional and personal requirements.

Contract duration: 36 months

Application up to: October 20th, 2021

Contact person in line-management

For further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Senja Post, e-mail: senja.post@kit.edu.

Application

Please submit the following in a single pdf document: letter of intent including research experience and interest, CV, transcripts of grades (high school diploma; Bachelor and Masters degree, doctoral certificate, if applicable), list of publications (if existent), one publication or a chapter from Master thesis as well as contact information for at least one academic reference.

Please submit your application in a single pdf document via email to senja.post@kit.edu.

vacancy number: 2043/2021

We prefer to balance the number of employees (f/m/d). Therefore, we kindly ask female applicants to apply for this job.

Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

Please apply online using the button below for this vacancy number 2043/2021.

Ausschreibungsnummer: 2043/2021

Recognized severely disabled persons will be preferred if they are equally qualified.

Contact

Personnel Support is provided by:

Personalservice (PSE) - Human Resources

Ms Carrasco Sanchez

Phone: +49 721 608-42016,

Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe

APLLY HERE: https://jobs.pse.kit.edu/en/jobs/10385/form

Christian Fuchs

SocietyNow Series. Bingley: Emerald. ISBN 9781801177238. 336 pages.

Date of publication: 6 September 2021

Order: Emerald (30% discount on purchase via Emerald, enter code EMERALD30 at checkout), Amazon UK, Amazon.com, Indiebound, Book Depository

Sample Chapter: Chapter 1: Pandemic Times (PDF)

Request a review copy

German publication in print (“Verschwörungstheorien in der Pandemie. Wie über COVID-19 im Internet kommuniziert wird”, UVK/utb)

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has changed the way we live and communicate. The phases of lockdown brought about by the pandemic fundamentally changed the way we work, lead our everyday lives, and how we communicate, resulting in Internet platforms becoming more important than ever before. Communicating COVID-19 explores the impact of these changes on society and the way we communicate, and the effect this has had on the spread of misinformation.

Critical communication and Internet scholar Christian Fuchs analyses the changes of everyday communication in the COVID-19 crisis and how misinformation has spread online throughout the pandemic. He explores the foundations and rapid spread of conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination discourse on the Internet, paying particular attention to the vast amount of COVID-19 conspiracy theories about Bill Gates. He also interrogates Internet users’ reactions to these COVID-19 conspiracy theories as well as how Donald Trump communicated about COVID-19 on Twitter during the final year of his Presidency.

Communicating COVID-19 is an essential work for anyone seeking to understand the role of digital technologies, changes in communication and the Internet, and the spread of conspiracy theories in the context of COVID-19.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction: Pandemic Times

Chapter 2. Everyday Life and Everyday Communication in Coronavirus Capitalism

Chapter 3. Conspiracy Theories as Ideology

Chapter 4. Bill Gates Conspiracy Theories as Ideology in the Context of the COVID-19 Crisis

Chapter 5. Users’ Reactions to COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories on Social Media

Chapter 6. Donald Trump and COVID-19 on Twitter

Chapter 7. Conclusion: Digital Communication in Pandemic Times and Commontopia as the Potential Future of Communication and Society

Background

This book is a contribution to the analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic on society. It takes a sociological and communication studies approach for analysing the following question: How have society and the ways we communicate changed in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis?

This main question was broken down into a series of sub-questions. There is one chapter in this book dedicated to each sub-question:

Chapter 2: How have everyday life and everyday communication changed in the COVID-19 crisis? How has capitalism shape everyday life and everyday communication during this crisis?

Chapter 3: What is a conspiracy theory? How do conspiracy theories matter in the context of the COVID-19 crisis?

Chapter 4: How do COVID-19 conspiracy theories about Bill Gates work?

Chapter 5: How do Internet users react to COVID-19 conspiracy theories spread on social media?

Chapter 6: How has Donald Trump communicated about COVID-19 on Twitter? How have conspiracy theories influenced his Twitter communication about COVID-19?

The book is organised in the form of seven chapters. The introduction sets out the societal context of the study. Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 address the mentioned questions. Chapter 7 draws conclusions for the future of communication and society.

In 2020 and 2021, the pandemic crisis that emerged from the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) this virus causes shook the world. The virus originated in bats and was most likely transmitted to humans by the pangolin (Andersen et al. 2020), a subdomain of the mammal clade of Ferae to which besides the pangolin also carnivorans (e.g. dogs, bears, cats, big cats) belong. The virus first appeared in December 2019 on a food market in Wuhan, the capital of the Chinese province of Hubei and spread worldwide.

The 21st century has thus far been a century of multiple crises. At its start, 9/11 in 2001 created a political crisis that set off a vicious cycle of terror and war. In 2008, a new world economic crisis unfolded that had its origin in the systematic crisis-proneness of capitalism and the financialisation of the economy since the 1970s as response to falling profit rates. Many governments bailed out failing banks and corporations, which increased national debt so that they implemented austerity measures, from which workers and the poor suffered. In 2015, a humanitarian refugee crisis emerged in Europe that has been the consequence of war, natural disasters, and global inequalities. Following the world economic crisis, in a significant number of countries right-wing authoritarian political leaders came to power or strengthened their share of the vote, including Donald Trump in the USA. A crisis of democracy unfolded. In 2020, COVID-19 hit the world and created a simultaneous health crisis, economic crisis, political crisis, cultural crisis, moral crisis, and global crisis.

In order to prevent the pandemic getting out of control, many governments introduced lockdowns so that at times most people had to stay at home and all but absolutely essential shops and institutions had to stay closed. The result was a politically created economic crisis in the context of a major global health crisis. In 2020, the global gross domestic product shrunk according to estimations by 4.4 percent (data source: IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2020). At the political level, governments had to increase national debt in order to guarantee the survival of humans during lockdown phases. At the political and cultural level, difficult debates emerged about what sectors of society should remain opened or should be closed during COVID-19 waves. These debates affected realms such as education (schools, nurseries, universities), arts and culture, tourism, and gastronomy. In some countries, hospitals’ intensive care units reached their limits, which required that society and those taking decisions on medical ethics formulated guidelines in order to decide who should and who should not get an intensive care bed when there is a shortage. Social distancing increased feelings of loneliness and depression. At the level of ideology, COVID-19 conspiracy theory movements emerged that question the existence of the pandemic, the need for countervailing measures (social distancing, wearing masks, lockdown) and spread anti-vaccination propaganda. In turn, the danger emerged that fewer people get vaccinated against COVID-19 and that the health crisis is prolonged.

Capitalism is not the direct cause of SARS-CoV-2. COVID-19 conspiracy theories construct such a direct link by claiming that Bill Gates and pharmaceutical companies have secretly engineered the virus in order to make profits from vaccines. We will analyse such crude economistic ideology as part of this book. Such conspiracy theories have been appropriated and advanced by the far-right and the anti-vaccination movement. Capitalism is not the direct cause, but a context of COVID-19. Capitalist society has acted as context in several respects, namely: agricultural capitalism; the global spread of SARS-COV-2; points of change; governance; ideology; globalisation and de-globalisation; class relations in pandemic times; vaccine capitalism and vaccine nationalism.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about phases of lockdown that have changed the way humans work, lead their everyday lives, and how they communicate. Internet platforms have played an important role in this context. One aspect of Communicating COVID-19 is the analysis of changes everyday life and everyday communication have been undergoing. Times of deep crises create fears, risks, uncertainties, and changes. Crisis-ridden societies are therefore prone to the emergence of ideologies and conspiracy theories that instrumentalise such situations. In the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, right-wing ideology has joined together with conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination ideology for creating distinct COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Communicating COVID-19analyses how COVID-19 conspiracy theories have been communicated, received, spread, and contested on social media. This book shows that times of deep crisis are not just times of social change, but also times where communication and communication technologies matter in the production, dissemination, and challenge of ideologies.

Edited by: Gabriele Balbi, Nelson Ribeiro, Valérie Schafer and Christian Schwarzenegger

Open Access available at DeGruyter (funded by the University of Luxembourg): https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110740202/html

As media environments and communication practices evolve over time, so do theoretical concepts. This book analyzes some of the most well-known and fiercely discussed concepts of the digital age from a historical perspective, showing how many of them have pre-digital roots and how they have changed and still are constantly changing in the digital era. Written by leading authors in media and communication studies, the chapters historicize 16 concepts that have become central in the digital media literature, focusing on three main areas. The first part, Technologies and Connections, historicises concepts like network, media convergence, multimedia, interactivity and artificial intelligence. The second one is related to Agency and Politics and explores global governance, datafication, fake news, echo chambers, digital media activism. The last one, Users and Practices, is finally devoted to telepresence, digital loneliness, amateurism, user generated content, fandom and authenticity. The book aims to shed light on how concepts emerge and are co-shaped, circulated, used and reappropriated in different contexts. It argues for the need for a conceptual media and communication history that will reveal new developments without concealing continuities and it demonstrates how the analogue/digital dichotomy is often a misleading one.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TECHNOLOGIES AND CONNECTIONS

Networks: Massimo Rospocher and Gabriele Balbi

Media Convergence: John O’Sullivan and Leopoldina Fortunati

Multimedia: Katie Day Good

Interactivity: Benjamin Thierry

Artificial Intelligence: Paolo Bory, Simone Natale and Dominique Trudel

AGENCY AND POLITICS

Global Governance: Francesca Musiani and Valérie Schafer

Data(fication): Erik Koenen, Christian Schwarzenegger and Juraj Kittler

Fake News: Monika Hanley and Allen Munoriyarwa

Echo Chambers: Maria Löblich and Niklas Venema

Digital Media Activism: Emiliano Treré and Anne Kaun

USERS AND PRACTICES

Telepresence: Jérôme Bourdon

Digital Loneliness: Edward Brennan

Amateurism: Susan Aasman, Tim van der Heijden and Tom Slootweg

User-Generated Content (UGC): Göran Bolin

Fandom: Eleonora Benecchi and Erika Wang

Authenticity: Andreas Fickers

September 23-24, 2021

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Deadline (registration): September 10, 2021

Erasmus Research Centre of Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC) will host a conference that highlights the efforts of the H2020 research project “INVENT - European Inventory of Societal Values of Culture as a Basis for Inclusive Cultural Policies in the Globalizing World”. INVENT examines the cultural and social preconditions required to realize the goals of the New EU Agenda for Culture: the preservation and improvement of the European project, advancing the well-being of European citizens, and fostering inclusiveness, tolerance, and social cohesion.

INVENT investigates how European citizens perceive and engage with culture and how this varies for different (e.g., demographic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious) groups of people in European societies. It addresses how processes of globalization, European integration, migration, social inequalities, and digitalization affect (perceptions and experiences of) everyday life, everyday culture, and cultural participation.

Researchers, cultural stakeholders, policymakers, and students who are interested in these issues are cordially invited to participate.

The conference program on Thursday, September 23 will feature in-person presentations and discussions at Erasmus University Rotterdam that will be live-streamed for those who prefer to participate online. On Friday September 24, the conference program will be fully online.

Please visit inventculture.eu/invent-congress/ for more info and registration.

Nico Carpentier

ISBN 9781789384550

Paperback: 220 x 220 mm

166 pages

GBP 30.00

https://www.intellectbooks.com/iconoclastic-controversies

This book combines photography and written text to analyse the role of memorials and commemoration sites in the construction of antagonistic nationalism. Taking Cypriot memorializations as a case study, it shows how these memorials often support, but sometimes also undermine, the discursive-material assemblage of nationalism.

Aims:

The Iconoclastic Controversies project is a research project with multiple aims and focal points. First, as a research project, Iconoclastic Controversies enquires into the relationship of memorials and commemoration sites with antagonistic nationalism. The second aim of Iconoclastic Controversies is to contribute to the more general discussions about the relationship between the discursive and the material, as theorized in an earlier publication, the Discursive-Material Knot (Carpentier, 2017). The third aim of the Iconoclastic Controversies project is to bring a more critical and interventionist approach to the analysis, by deconstructing and de-naturalizing the Greek Cypriot hegemonic antagonistic nationalist discourse, and the material support that is provided by the majority of the memorials and commemoration sites in the south of Cyprus. Finally, the Iconoclastic Controversies research project also aims to rethink the ways that academics communicate their research outcomes, moving away from an exclusive emphasis on the written text. Moreover, the research project demonstrates how academic communicational practices —written and non-written— are not outside knowledge production processes, and cannot be confined to a second, disconnected stage. In contrast, academic communicational practices can be seen to form an integrated part of knowledge production.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Iconoclastic Controversies

Chapter 2: Communicating Academic Knowledge beyond the Written Academic Text

Chapter 3: On Antagonism and Nationalism – A Discursive- Material Re- Reading

Chapter 4: The Discourses and Materialities of Cypriot Antagonistic Nationalism

Chapter 5: The Iconoclastic Controversies Photographs

Chapter 6: The Reception of the Two Cypriot Exhibitions (with Vaia Doudaki, Yiannis Christidis and Fatma Nazli Köksal)

Chapter 7: The Interviews

Nico Carpentier is Extraordinary Professor at Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic) and President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (2020-2023). He also holds a part-time position at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB - Free University of Brussels, Belgium), as Associate Professor. Moreover, he is a Research Fellow at Loughborough University. His previous monograph was The Discursive-Material Knot: Cyprus in Conflict and Community Media Participation (2017, Peter Lang, New York). Recent (co-)edited volumes are: Cyprus and its Conflicts. Representations, Materialities, and Cultures (2018, co-edited), Critical Perspectives on Media, Power and Change (2018, co-edited), Respublika! Experiments in the Performance of Participation and Democracy (2019, edited), Communication and Discourse Theory (2019, co-edited) and Communication as the Intersection of the Old and the New (2019, co-edited). See http://nicocarpentier.net/