ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on our lives, including how we experience our fandoms. Cons were moved online or cancelled. New movies came out on streaming apps at the same time as theatrical releases. Online gaming replaced in-person gaming. And people turned to their fandoms to cope with the pandemic.

Krysten Stein and  CarrieLynn D. Reinhard are academics interested in understanding how fans have responded to the pandemic and how they see the pandemic impacting their fandoms. This questionnaire asks you to reflect on your experiences over the past year for how they relate to your fandom experiences before the pandemic – as well as your hopes for how to experience your fandom after the pandemic.

The questionnaire is completely anonymous and anything you tell us will be kept confidential. We are hoping to publish the results of this questionnaire but will do our best to remove any identifying information before publishing.

We expect the questionnaire to take 15-20 minutes to complete, but your time may vary depending on how much you want to tell us. And if you have any questions or problems with the questionnaire and/or study, you can contact me, CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, at creinhard@dom.edu.

You must be at least 18 years old to participate in the study, and the primarily language for the questionnaire is English.

If you are interested in providing us with your experiences and opinions, then please click on this link to start.

This year’s motto: perseverance.

June 15-16, 2021

The conference focuses on a particular but extremely significant theme in the social sciences: the concepts of “footprint” and “trace”.

Usually associated with the digital world, the very idea of footprints clearly gives the image of what one leaves behind without being aware of it, a by-product of other (differently focused and oriented) actions that remains empirically imprinted on reality.

The topic of traces will be analyzed in a broad and interdisciplinary way, adopting quantitative and qualitative approaches, from different disciplinary angles: sociology, semiotics, social psychology, anthropology, legal studies, etc.

The conference will host 5 keynote speakers and 80 panelists from more than twenty Countries.

Free registration: https://forms.gle/bfL6XkCxoYtPfKac8

Full programme: https://web.uniroma1.it/whatpeopleleavebehind/conference-program

Contacts:

wplb2020.coris@uniroma1.it

web.uniroma1.it/whatpeopleleavebehind/

facebook.com/whatpeople.leavebehind/

University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp's Department of Communication Studies is seeking to fill a full-time vacancy as senior academic staff member (starting October 1st, 2021) in the following domain:

Digital media and strategic communication

You will contribute to the University of Antwerp’s three core tasks: education (40%), research (40%) and service (20%). Your role also includes organisational and managerial aspects.

Education

• You will provide high-quality education within Communication Sciences.
• Your teaching role will evolve along with the study programmes. The courses you will teach include courses in Emerging Communication Technologies (Bachelor, 6 credits), Effectiveness Research in Strategic Communication (Master, 6 credits), Methods of Communication Research (Master, 6 credits, with co-titular, module Experiments and Computational Methods).
• You will play a role in developing activating, student-centred and competence-driven programme components and study programmes.
• You will supervise students in their Bachelor and Master dissertations.

Research

• You expand high-quality scientific research in the area of digital media effects (including social media, VR, apps, wearables, etc.) and other emerging technologies on people's behaviour in the context of strategic communication (marketing and corporate communication, health communication, governmental communication, social profit communication, and political communication). In addition to the well-established social science methods, you have demonstrable experience with more direct measures such as eye tracking, psychophysiology and/or computational methods (big data analysis, machine learning, social network analysis), and you will develop leading research in this area.
• You become a member of the research group Media & ICT in Organizations & Society (MIOS, https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/research-groups/mios/).
• You initiate new lines of research and coordinate the progress of scientific research projects. You will also participate in ongoing research programmes.
• You acquire and manage national and international research funding.
• You publish in international peer-reviewed journals within your field.
• You develop an international scientific network.
• You supervise PhD students and postdoctoral researchers.

Services

• You play a role in the provision of both academic services and service to society, within the institution and externally. You participate in student recruitment, boards and committees, and science communication.

Organisation and leadership

• You accept coordinating responsibilities in the areas of education, research and/or service provision and you will contribute to policy.
• Your leadership style is motivating and coaching. You are attentive to your employees’ growth and development processes.

More information on the job description, requirements, salary and other aspects can be found on:

https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/jobs/vacancies/academic-staff/?q=1524&descr=Senior-Academic-Staff-in-the-field-of-Digital-media-and-strategic-communication

Deadline for online submission of the candidatures is May 24, 2021.

Review of Communication Research Journal 

Deadline: July 15, 2021

The editorial team of Review of Communication Research invites submissions of literature reviews and meta-analyses that explore the role of communication and media technologies in fostering empathy and prosocial outcomes.

Media technologies such as computer games, multi-user environments, virtual and augmented realities have been studied as tools to promote positive outcomes by building empathy towards others and increasing prosocial attitudes and behaviours. We welcome papers that include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Perspective-taking and empathy
• Influence of communication technologies on prosocial outcomes
• Effects of media technologies on attitudes towards outgroups
• Empathy and communication and media technologies
• Telepresence and prosocial behaviour
• Underlying processes of media influence on prosocial outcomes
• Mediating factors between technology and empathy

The manuscript submission deadline is July 15th, 2021.

Authors should submit their manuscripts through the RCR editorial management system: www.rcommunicationr.org.

Paper proposals, questions, and comments should be addressed to Benjamin Li (benjyli@ntu.edu.sg) cc to editor@rcommunicationr.org.

About RCR:

Review of Communication Research publishes comprehensive and authoritative reviews of the current state of the main topics and the most significant developments in the field of Communication. These comprehensive critical reviews summarize the latest advances in the field, but also root out errors and will provoke intellectual discussions among scholars. The journal seeks both evaluative (theoretical) and quantitative (meta-analyses) papers that make a state of the art of issues in scientific communication. Integrative review articles that connect different areas of research are of special interest. RCR implements a continuous publication model, where articles are being published as each individual article completes production.

September 14-16, 2021

Brunel University London (UK)

Deadline: July 26, 2021

In 2015 we held  Kimposium! to great success. Now, as Keeping Up with the Kardashians draws to a close after twenty seasons, we revisit and renew our feminist thinking about these globally famous women. Renowned and reviled, loved and hated, the Kardashians are icons of early 21st century celebrity cultures. But this family represents and embodies so much more. Indeed, studying the Kardashians and their products leads to consideration of some of the most pressing social and cultural issues of our time.

Please submit your proposals of less than 300 words by 26 July 2021 to kimposium@brunel.ac.uk

For more information see https://www.brunel.ac.uk/…klk

Bournemouth University

The Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University is seeking to recruit a skilled and enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher to undertake a significant researching and coordinating role in the delivery of a new UKRI/AHRC-funded Covid-19 response project.

The project, “COJO for Covid-19 Recovery”, aims to investigate the way in which constructive journalism, especially solutions-focused journalism, can help the UK’s local/regional communities to transition to the “new normal” in the months ahead. It is an action research initiative led by Bournemouth University, in collaboration with Newsquest Media Company, the Solutions Journalism Network and the Association of British Science Writers.

For further information on the project, click here: https://cojouk.org.

The postholder will work with other members of the team to collect and analyse data as well as publish research reports and journal papers from there. The postholder will also act as the coordinator across the four institutional partners.

The ideal candidate should demonstrate knowledge of and skills in conducting in-depth interviews, survey and content analysis as well as in coordinating research activities across institutions. You will hold a PhD or equivalent in journalism, communication or a related area.

Expertise in quantitative data analysis will be desirable.

This post is available on a fixed term basis until 22 June 2022.

Find the full job advert with person specification here: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/postdoctoral-researcher-fixed-term-0?fbclid=IwAR0ojeMII93_meyJ9U41-eKuNsUf1TguTFfhLyYLcywC3PWMgKZOnBFaUnY

For further information and discussion, please contact An Nguyen by email on anguyen@bournemouth.ac.uk .

Audencia Business School

As part of its new strategic plan, Audencia Business School is looking to expand its team. The School wishes to recruit an assistant or associate professor with an interest in research at the crossroads of information practices and CSR. The profile of the position can be adapted to the candidate, depending on his/her excellence in research, pedagogy, or in the development of programs or partnerships.

Prerequisites

The candidate will need to:

- Hold a doctoral degree (PhD).

In addition, the candidate will be able to:

- Propose research projects combining *information practices and organizational communication*, more specifically in a perspective of CSR. The candidate will show how these research proposals are in line with his or her own work, conducted for example in the fields of the media ecosystem, or journalistic practices, or media education, etc. ; Have an excellent academic research profile and a significant number of publications in reference journals or books in information and communication sciences or in management sciences.

- Demonstrate an excellent teaching performance. The courses taught will be part of the Communication and Media program (Audencia SciencesCom, a 5-year degree program approved by the MESRI). They can also be taught in other programs (Majors or MSc of the Grande Ecole program, etc.), but also in the framework of teachers' training or executive education. These courses include any subject related to the candidate's field of specialization. Other courses may also be requested, particularly in connection with research methodology and communication studies methodology.

- Demonstrate an ability to develop new courses/programs/projects, engage students, and invest in peripheral activities related to media and communication ; Contribute to the broad dissemination of its activities to the professional world. Thus, the ability to establish partnerships/activities with media actors is also required.

The contract is open-ended (CDI), the course load is adjusted according to the publication objectives. Salary is negotiable depending on experience and qualifications. The position comes with many benefits ranging from research bonuses (publication bonuses, research contract bonuses, etc.) and other managerial activities, social security coverage and company health insurance, etc. A good professional level in French is strongly required, but can be acquired and supported if needed.

General presentation

Our school, based in Nantes, is triple accredited with AACSB EQUIS and AMBA and is one of the best European schools. We offer a wide variety of programs such as BBA, MSC, MBA, Doctorate and Executive Education Programs, and have more than 120 permanent faculty members of 25 different nationalities.

The successful candidate will join the Communication & Culture department on the Mediacampus located on the island of Nantes, in the heart of the creative district (Stéréolux, Trempolino, Galerie des Machines, Creative Factory, Halles numériques, Schools of Design, Fine Arts, Architecture, Cinema, etc.).

Our campus is located in Nantes, a medium-sized city in western France served by an international airport and only 2 hours by train from Paris. With its many social and cultural events, the Atlantic coast 1 hour away by car and its castles and vineyards to the east, Nantes is a great place to live. With more than 1,330 companies based here, Nantes also boasts a rich industrial and economic identity.

How to apply

Candidates are invited to send their application by email until Friday, June 11, 2021 midnight: a cover letter, a resume (including a complete list of publications), 2 publications of their choice, details of their teaching level, and the names of 2 references to Thibaut Bardon, Academic and Research Director of Audencia, faculty-recruitment@audencia.com. Please indicate the reference of the announcement *C&C2021_Information_Responsible_EN *in the subject.

For more information, please contact

Research: Julien Pierre julienpierre@audencia.com

Pedagogy: Martha Abad-Grebert, mabadgrebert@audencia.com

Canterbury Christ Church University

The School of Creative Arts and Industries at Canterbury Christ Church University welcomes applications for full-time PhD scholarship (a stipend of £13,000 p.a., tuition fee waiver for three years and an expense allowance of £500 p. a.) in one of the following research areas: creative arts, performing arts, music, media and cultural studies.

We would like to encourage proposals with a focus on connecting with cultural or creative industries organisations in the Kent region, either through drawing on their resources (e.g. archives, broadly conceived) or engaging in collaborative and project work (e.g. collaborating on projects based around the development of creative artefacts, such as film, dance, or music) or exploring new areas for development and innovation (e.g. new ways to connect with audiences, new digital tools or applications, or new revenue or business models).

For further information please see here: https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/…ies

Membrana vol. 6, no. 1 & Fotografija no. 95/96 (2021)

Deadline: May 31, 2021

From the social and political struggles of the 19th century Paris Commune, to the anticolonial and anti-imperialist liberation movements of 20th century, through liberation struggles such as women liberation movements and workers’ rights movements, to the contemporary independence and emancipation movements (such as Kurdish and Palestinian), photography has been used for advocacy or mobilization of support for and promotion of the movements or their causes as well as for the historization of the events and struggles. Photography has documented and framed the pivotal historical moments, as well as seemingly unimportant trivia, to communicate the drama and complexity of collective action. The photographs of these movements be it that of social class, ethnicity, gender, or others, have always belonged to the idea of subaltern groups struggling against (and through) the currents of the dominant socio-political powers. Throughout the years and circulated across different social and cultural spheres these images have accumulated new meanings and, being constantly in a state of flux, they have been reconceptualised for the construction of an “ever new” reimagined present. From acting as a “silent witness” of the events (past or present), to operating as a vocal advocates for a particular socio-political agenda, or for a particular (re)interpretation of reality.

If photography functions as a visual performance of imagined social reality and is transfixed and signifiable only in view of a particular act it needs to perform, then how it establishes new threads of civic relationships, and the ways it enforces, or undermines the geopolitical power equilibrium, the dominant social stratification and the distribution of socio-political power are indicators of a photographic agency that is decidedly political. It is precisely the operational nexus of liberation photographs at the time of liberation or independence that is of essential importance. Do we view photographs of those movements as liberating “per se”? Or should these photographs only be evaluated on their impact and on whether and to what extent they have been able to affect change? Citizen emancipation and civic responsibility are certainly prevailing notions in such photography, emphasizing its transformative potential. However, in this age of national populism, post-truth, and actual fake news, when such imagery can be so easily used and misused as a backdrop for any given agenda no matter how corrupt or ill-intentioned, the social power of the photographic medium is put under question. Is the image powerless? Or does photography always in and of itself fight back? How can photography in contemporary social and communication milieu redeem its claim to emancipatory relevance?

These questions acquire additional urgency and complexity in the larger media environment as it is being transformed by digital technologies and social media practices. The utopian, liberatory promises of these media have already been broken—for example with the global rise of illiberal populisms—and yet the artistic affordances, pervasive democratization of production and circulation, and relationships between communities and networks offer both challenges and resources for liberatory public art.

Membrana vol. 6, no. 1 (Liberation) invites proposals of manuscripts and visual projects that address photography through the ideas of liberation and independence of various social formations. We are interested in engaging with submissions that consider the oppression of the dominant powers and/or in precarious relation to them through (but not limited to) the following perspectives:

• Politics and aesthetics of power – photography in narratives and counter-narratives, publics and counterpublics, propaganda and vernacular expression
• Liberation, emancipation struggles, and photography
• Acts of liberation, emancipation, insurgency, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism – and photography
• Authority of photography – liberation and the evocative power of photography
• The formation of historical memory – icons, symbols, ruins, and traces –
• Propaganda, agitation, civic responsibility – oppressive, liberating, and redemptive visions of photography
• Re-appropriation of images – images as plastic resources for communicative action, reconceptualising past and present, building coalitions, contesting hegemony,
• Historizatin of photography – museums, galleries, and actualization of political optics and networks through photography archives
• National, ethnic, class, and other identitarian liberation movements through photography
• Anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism – liberation movements and their contemporary resonance and actuality
• Photography for community, local history, civic responsibility – education for emancipation and solidarity
• Artistic practices – reinterpretation of photography as a documentary and artistic medium in the context of liberatory struggle
• Civic memorials, vernacular displays, and liberation movements
• Social media image propagation, liberatory and reactionary practices, and contemporary movements
• Visual tropes of liberation, independence, and emancipation
• Fragments and trivia: photography’s connections between everyday life and historical movements
• Contested images and contested history – actuality, censorship, and control
• Violence and violence of photography – liberation, justification, and redemption
• Working movement struggles and social liberation
• Deep-fakes, propaganda, and social struggle imaginaries – reality, fact, and fiction
• Photography in new media arts and advocacy: changes in representation, circulation, and response
• Photographic exhibitions and movement advocacy

Check The Call:

Membrana (online call on the journal webpage)

Call in English

Share:

Facebook

Deadlines:

The deadline for contribution proposals (150-word abstracts and/or visuals) is May 31, 2021. The deadline for the finished contributions from accepted proposals is August 9, 2021. Please send proposals via the online form at: https://www.membrana.org/proposal/ or contact us directly at editors@membrana.org.

Call for Chapters

Abstracts expected by: June 10, 2021

Editors: Jan Servaes and Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u

The 2030 agenda for development or what is known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is perhaps the most ambitious agenda collectively agreed by 193 countries in human history. In 2015, the UN Member States adopted the 17 SDGs as a framework that would help address the challenges being faced by humanity. From eradicating poverty, ending hunger, providing universal access to healthcare and education, addressing climate change; to the partnering of individuals, philanthropists and nation states to achieve the global goals.

Yet, the framers of the 2030 agenda for development comprising key stakeholders from all sectors of life forgot to dedicate one goal on the role of communication in achieving the SDGs. Such an oversight has attracted the attention of media and communication scholars alike, journalists and policy makers who understand that it is nearly impossible to achieve the SDGs without the articulation and embrace of the role of communication in development.

The COVID-19 pandemic which struck in 2019 has shown why communication is essential to human survival. The Pandemic which started as a health crisis and later metamorphosed into a full-blown economic crisis is now having a direct and indirect impact on the possibility of achieving each of the SDGs. The Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2021 says the global economy has experienced the worst recession in 90 years, with the most vulnerable segments of societies disproportionately affected. An estimated 114 million jobs have been lost, and about 120 million people have been plunged back into extreme poverty (https://developmentfinance.un.org/).

A major lesson that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic was the role of communication in providing support for the survival of the global economy and society as a whole. The global community became more attached to the traditional and social media in order to understand the nature of the virus, how it spreads and measures needed to curtail the spread of the infection.

Social, economic and educational life moved from physical to a now universally accepted virtual life style. Key global industries resorted to working from home. Virtual meetings by heads of states are now normal and remote education from primary to tertiary levels are gaining ground by the day.

Following the global lockdown, the resilience needed to survive the pandemic largely rested on the shoulders of the available communication infrastructure. Zoom, which had an average of 19 million daily users in December 2019 now averages 300 million users per day. Teams, developed as a tool for remote work has 145 million daily users as announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in April 2021.

A study by the World Health Organization shows rapid increase in remote consultation in the healthcare industry especially in UK, France, Malta, Germany, Poland, Luxemburg and Austria. Between March and April 2020, 5.5 million people received consultation from 36,000-56,000 physicians in France (Richardson et al 2020). The pandemic also exposed major development challenges such as digital inequality. According to the UN, COVID-19 has forced the closure of schools in 191 countries affecting 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary school teachers (UN News 2020).

Essentially development has become a communication issue and communication is a development issue. How could such a vital pillar of life be missing in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?

Therefore, we invite high-quality submissions from authors that would explore the notion of SDG18 (Communication for All).

Building on the works of Lee and Vargas (2020) and Yusha’u and Servaes (2021), we see SDG18 (Communication for all) as inevitable in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Development. We welcome critical submissions and high-quality research that explore this topic in relation to, but not limited to the following:

• SDG18-Communication for all, targets and indicators.
• Role of SDG-18 in the realization of each of the 17 SDGs earlier agreed by the UN.
• Why the SDGs should be revisited to include SDG18-Communication for all.
• Why SDG-18 is essential in post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
• SDG18 and remote working (Work from Home).
• SDG18 and Communication for Development and Social Change.
• SDG18 and the new normal in post-COVID-19 World.
• SDG18 and the World in 2030.
• SDG18 and Fake News.
• SDG18 and the role of mass media in development.
• Role of SDG18 in containing future pandemics.
• SDG18, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship.
• SDG18 and the digital divide.
• SDG18, journalism and news reporting during COVID-19
• SDG18, virtual diplomacy and international relations in post COVID-19 world.
• SDG18 and vaccine hesitancy.
• SDG18, sports and development.
• SDG18 and the politics of COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution.
• SDG18 and the role of faith in development.
• SDG18 and ‘building back better.’

The book is expected to be published as part of the Palgrave Macmillan’s SDGs series. Authors should submit 300 words abstract to the editors: Jan Servaes (9freenet9@gmail.com) and Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u (mjyushau@gmail.com) by 10 June 2021. Authors whose abstract meet the high-quality criteria would be contacted by 10 July 2021. Full chapters are expected by 1st November 2021. All chapters will go through a peer review process. Submitted abstracts must contain the following information:

• Name of author(s).
• Affiliation.
• Email address.
• 150 words profile.
• Contact number.
• Corresponding author should be specified where there is more than one author.

References

Lee, P., Vargas, L. (2020). Expanding Shrinking Communication Spaces. Centre for Communication Rights. Penang, Malaysia. Southbound.

Richardson, E., et al (2020). Keeping What Works: Remote Consultations During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Eurohealth. 26 (2) 1-4.

UN News (2020). Startling Disparities in Digital Learning Emerge As COVID-19 spreads: UN Education Agency. Retrieved from https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062232 01/05/2021

United Nations, Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development, Financing for Sustainable Development Report 2021. (New York: United Nations, 2021), available from: https://development nance.un.org/fsdr2021.

Yusha’u, M.J., Servaes, J. (2021). The Palgrave Handbook of International Communication and Sustainable Development. Palgrave Macmillan. Cham.