ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Sandra Borges Tavares

This book provides a rich analysis of the intangible legacies of mega-events and their impact on youth citizenship and civic engagement. It focuses on the memories and expectations of young inhabitants from London and Rio de Janeiro in relation to the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Games. By focusing on the Olympics as a case study of one of the most mediatised mega-events, this book examines how youth discourses about the Games provide important enactments of local, national, transnational and cultural identities prompted by the memories and imaginaries of the Games. It fills important gaps in the current scholarship dedicated to Mega-events, Youth Citizenship and Media, by touching on the topics related to mediated memories, globalisation, mediatisation, youth citizenship and memory studies. It also seeks  to explore and contribute, from a new perspective, to a new idea of intangible legacies of mega-events. 

While this research explores and reviews the concept of intangible legacies of the Olympic Games it also provides an opportunity for young people, from two global distinct contexts, to voice their concerns and ideas about society while engaging with different topics that are relevant to them. It also demonstrates and supports the idea that young people are engaged with politics and their local or national contexts, but through different formats and interests. Hence, it suggests that further consultation is needed in order to understand the multiple meanings of the Games' intangible legacies.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-99-6579-3?sap-outbound-id=D9A956F96DA99DCA312FB3F4ECFD93EF8116FA00&utm_source=standard&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=000_LAN36_0000019083_Book+author+congrats+NEW&utm_content=EN_33928_20250224&mkt-key=615960697A0C1EDFBBF93291058F197F

University of Stirling

Apply here: https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/work-at-stirling/list/details/?jobId=4219&jobTitle=Lecturer%20in%20Digital%20Media 

Communications, Media & Culture (CMC) wishes to appoint a suitably qualified candidate at Lecturer Grade 7/8 (Teaching and Research) with specialist interests in digital media and analytics to enhance and expand the Division’s teaching, international partnerships, research, and knowledge exchange activities, including public engagement and short-course opportunities, as well as to provide strategic direction in this area.

The successful candidate will have an established profile as a lecturer and researcher in digital media and analytics. They will join our award-winning Digital Media team and play a crucial role in contributing to the delivery of innovative, research-based and industry-relevant education to our students, enhancing internationalisation, managing our home and international partnership programmes, and expanding our strategic research partnerships with external stakeholders across digital media and creative industries.

The candidate will primarily contribute to teaching social media and analytics on our undergraduate degree in Digital Media and MSc in Digital Media and Communications, including on our transnational education programmes with the Singapore Institute of Management (Singapore) and Chengdu University (China). In addition, they will contribute to digital media teaching across the CMC undergraduate and postgraduate portfolio. They will be an excellent communicator who is able to effectively teach, motivate and mentor postgraduate and undergraduate students. Post holders may be required to travel abroad as part of their duties.

An established research profile will be evidenced by an emerging track record of published research, peer reviewed scholarly activity, and a record of pursuing and attracting research funding. The appointee will have a strong understanding of various forms of digital media, social media, analytics, big data and data science, the processes behind these and in relation to complex social issues (e.g. social justice, environmental sustainability, creative economy, smart cities, human rights, health and wellbeing, creative futures). The appointed candidate will contribute to the cutting-edge research in emerging digital media fields produced by colleagues in the Digital Media research team, resulting in REF outputs, impact and environment narratives. They will engage effectively with internal departments within the University and external stakeholders to pursue opportunities for collaboration, partnerships, impact and income generation and enhancing CMC’s regional, national, and international profile.

Applicants with specialist knowledge, skills or interests in the following areas are invited to apply:

• Social media and social media analytics
  
• Data science and analytics
  
• Data visualisation
  
• Quantitative research and quantitative research methods
  
• Web analytics
  
• Digital storytelling
  
• Digital audiences, cultures and creative media industries
  
• Future directions in digital media analytics and AI
  

Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Alenka Jelen, Head of the Division of Communications, Media and Culture: alenka.jelen@stir.ac.uk

Description of Duties

Grade 7

• Engage in individual and collaborative research, which aligns to the strategic direction of the University, establish a distinctive programme of research and disseminate results through regular publication in high impact journals, books and conference proceedings
  
• Identify appropriate sources of funding, prepare research proposals for funding bodies and manage grants awarded
  
• Supervise and mentor research students and staff as required, providing direction, support and guidance
  
• Design, teach and assess a range of teaching and learning, supervision and assessment activities across BA (Hons) Digital Media and MSc Digital Media and Communications, but also across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including online programmes where required
  
• Participate in the Faculty’s local and international engagement activities as required, e.g. delivering teaching and CPD courses, contributing to joint programmes and recruitment of students. This is likely to require occasional periods of international travel
  
• Participate in, and develop, networks and collaborations both internally and externally to the Division/Faculty/University
  
• Participate in the administrative processes of the Division/Faculty/University, including programme and module leadership, managing international partnerships, committee membership, quality assurance procedures and recruitment and admission of students
  
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post
  

Grade 8

• Engage in individual and collaborative research, which aligns to the strategic direction of the University, establish a distinctive programme of research and disseminate results through regular publication in high impact journals, books and conference proceedings
  
• Identify appropriate sources of funding, prepare research proposals for funding bodies and manage grants awarded
  
• Supervise research students and staff as required, providing direction, support and guidance
  
• Design, teach and assess a range of teaching and learning, supervision and assessment activities across BA (Hons) Digital Media and MSc Digital Media and
  
• Communications, but also across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including online programmes where required
  
• Contribute to curriculum review and enhancement, in a manner that supports a research-led and practice-based approach to student learning and enhances student experience and employability
  
• Participate in the Faculty’s international engagement activities as required e.g delivering teaching, contributing to joint programmes and recruitment of students
  
• Participate in, and develop, networks and collaborations both internally and externally to the Division/Faculty/University
  
• Participate in the administrative processes of the Division/Faculty/University including committee membership, quality assurance procedures and recruitment and admission of students
  
• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post

Essential Criteria

Grade 7

• Qualifications
  
• • PhD in relevant discipline (digital media, media and communication studies or similar) or close to successful completion
• Knowledge, Skills & Experience
  
• • Evidence of a developing publication record in digital media, analytics and/or digital creative and media cultures
  • Credible plans for the active pursuit of external research funding
  • Experience or knowledge to design, teach and assess modules in the subject area
  • Evidence of the ability to deliver excellent teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level
  • A commitment to diversity and inclusivity within teaching and research, and
  • an understanding of the needs of a diverse student cohorts

Grade 8

• Qualifications
  
• • PhD in relevant discipline (digital media, media and communication studies or similar)
• Knowledge, Skills & Experience
  
• • Established track record of high quality published research in digital media, analytics and/or digital creative and media cultures
  • A record of involvement in applications for external funding for research and/or knowledge transfer
  • Experience of supervising dissertation projects across the range of undergraduate/ postgraduate and of supervising doctoral students
  • Experience of providing high quality teaching across a range of programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level preferably including online/digital programmes
  • Experience of designing and delivering course modules
  • Evidence of successful co-ordination, support, supervision, management and/or mentoring of others
  • A commitment to diversity and inclusivity within teaching and research, and
  • an understanding of the needs of a diverse student cohorts

Desirable Criteria

Grade 7

• Qualifications
  
• • Higher Education teaching qualification or equivalent e.g. PGCert and/or holding or working towards Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy (HEA)
• Knowledge, Skills & Experience
• • Evidence of success in attracting research grants/external funding and delivering on externally funded research projects
  • Experience of supervising dissertations and research projects
  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of effective approaches to teaching and learning support as key contributions to high quality student learning
  • Evidence or knowledge to support international activities
  • Evidence of a basic knowledge of the Higher Education context and regulatory framework
  • Able to demonstrate a commitment to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion. This might include - but is not limited to - evidence of work to advance gender equality, positive mental health, disability equality, anti-racism or tackling gender-based violence

Grade 8

• Qualifications
  
• • Higher Education teaching qualification or equivalent e.g. PGCert and/or holding an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and be working towards Fellowship
• Knowledge, Skills & Experience
• • Evidence of collaborative research with other institutions and interdisciplinary work
  • Demonstrates a thorough understanding of effective approaches to teaching and learning support as a key contribution to high quality student learning
  • Evidence of programme innovation and development
  • Evidence or knowledge to support international activities
  • Evidence or knowledge of the Higher Education context and regulatory framework
  • Able to demonstrate a commitment to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion. This might include - but is not limited to - evidence of work to advance gender equality, positive mental health, disability equality, anti-racism or tackling gender-based violence

Additional Information

Full time

Open ended

Grade 7: £37,999 - £45,163 p.a. or

Grade 8: £46,485 - £55,295 p.a.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Thursday 20 March 2025.

Interviews are expected to take place on Thursday 03 April 2025.

Expected start date is Thursday 01 May 2025 or by mutual agreement.

There is an expectation that work will be undertaken in the UK.

For the purposes of sponsorship, this is a postdoctoral role may be eligible depending on candidate circumstances under SOC code 2311.

The University has implemented the pay uplift for 2024/25 as confirmed by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). This is being implemented in two stages - the first stage was effective from the 1 August 2024 and is reflected in the advertised salary, the second stage is effective from 1 March 2025 therefore salaries will increase in accordance with agreed rates.

The University of Stirling recognises that a diverse workforce benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers and welcome applications from those who would contribute to further diversification of our staff and ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is woven into the substance of the role. We strongly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds including gender, identity, race, age, class, and ethnicity.

Behaviours and Competencies

The role holder will be required to evidence that they can meet the qualities associated with the following behavioural competencies, as detailed within the AUA Competency Framework.

• Managing self and personal skills
  

Being aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.

• 2Delivering excellent service

Providing the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.

• Finding solutions
  

Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.

• Embracing change
  

Being open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.

• Using resources effectively
  

Identifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.

• Engaging with the wider context
  

Enhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.

• Developing self and others
  

Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.

• Working together
  

Working collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.

• Achieving Results
  

Consistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.

About Us

Within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, our students have the desire to explore, to innovate and to create. One of the largest Faculties in the University, our subject areas are renowned for international and world leading research. Our work is well represented in national and international journals, at academic conferences around the world and in the media. We offer students a broad range of subjects to study in an exciting, research-led and highly interdisciplinary environment. Our teaching is regarded as innovative and the levels of student satisfaction are consistently high. A vibrant intellectual community is constantly enriched and renewed by the contribution of visiting scholars and practitioners. The Faculty encompasses four multidisciplinary divisions: Communications, Media and Culture; History, Heritage and Politics; Literature and Languages; and Law and Philosophy.

The Division

The Division of Communications, Media and Culture (CMC) at Stirling is an internationally renowned centre for research and teaching and consistently draws high ratings for its teaching across digital media, film and media, journalism and public relations. In the recent Research Excellence Framework assessment, we were ranked second in Scotland. Our students frequently win awards at major national and international competitions and many go on to become successful practitioners, entrepreneurs and executives in the media, creative and communications industries globally.

CMC research expertise spans the humanities, social sciences and management. We have long been recognised for our research in screen studies, creative industries, media and cultural policy and in recent years our research has increasingly focused on digital media and communications, storytelling, technologies and complex social issues. Our expansion strategy has seen the arrival of a group of talented new colleagues with diverse interests, including investigative journalism and analytics, the creative economy, design, animation, games and interactive media, music, digital publishing and media policy and regulation. The Division now offers a wide choice of options in taught postgraduate and undergraduate programmes, and in doctoral research, spanning digital media, film, media and sport, journalism, creative industries, cultural policy and political and promotional communications.

CMC is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to being an inclusive workplace. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from different backgrounds. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

The University

The University of Stirling is committed to providing education with a purpose and carrying out research which has a positive impact on communities across the globe – addressing real issues, providing solutions, and helping to shape society.

The University has 18,500+ students globally and employs 1,800 staff, with more than 140 nationalities represented on our scenic central Scotland campus. Our campus environment is ranked first in the UK and top three in the world, and our sports facilities rank first in the UK and top five in the world (International Student Barometer 2022, wave two), reflecting our long-standing designation as Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence.

We were shortlisted for University of the Year 2024 at the Times Higher Education Awards and are proud holders of a Silver award from the Athena Swan Charter, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality. We have an overall five-star rating in the QS Stars University Ratings and are ranked top 30 in the UK for postgraduate teaching and learning (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2024). In recognition of our excellence in business education, we are accredited by AACSB International.

Eighty-seven per cent of our research has an outstanding or very considerable impact on society, with more than 80% rated either world leading or internationally excellent (Research Excellence Framework 2021), and we have twice been recognised with a Queen's Anniversary Prize; for our Institute for Social Marketing and Health (2014) and our Institute of Aquaculture (2019).

Alongside partners, the University spearheads the £214 million Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal – which will deliver three major University-led projects: the National Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Hub, Scotland’s International Environment Centre, and the Intergenerational Living Innovation Hub. We are also a central partner in the Forth Valley University College Health Partnership.

www.stir.ac.uk

June 6-7, 2025

Zadar, Croatia

Deadline: February 28, 2025

The deadline for abstract submission for the CEECOM 2025 conference is approaching! 

The Department of Sociology at the University of Zadar in cooperation with the ECREA Central and East European Network is organizing the 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference CEECOM 2025 from June 6-7, 2025 in Zadar, Croatia.

The theme of the 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference is Journalism, Audiences, and Platform Power in the Age of Transformation.

The deadline for abstract submission is February 28, 2025.

More on the conference and important dates: 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference | 2025 – Sveučilište u Zadru | University of Zadar

Deadline: March 10, 2024

Media Studies and Applied Ethics (MSAE) is a peer-reviewed journal of the Faculty of Philosophy Niš (Department of Communicology and Journalism). The aim of the journal Media Studies and Applied Ethics is to publish high quality interdisciplinary research in the broader field of media studies. We take into consideration empirical, theoretical and methodological research papers that will contribute to the advancement of media studies.

MSAE is an interdisciplinary journal which publishes original papers semi-annually. The journal welcomes all analytical viewpoints and research methods. MSAE encourages contributions from professors, MA and PhD students, media professionals as well as researchers in the field of media studies and applied ethics.

The deadline for submitting papers for the next issue is March 10, 2025.

MSAE accepts original research, review articles, critical essays, perspective pieces and book reviews related to communication throughout the world.

MSAE welcomes papers on topics such as: Media and society; Media and culture; Media history; Media and entertainment; Media and religion; Media and violence; Media and advertising; Media effects; Audience and reception studies New media; Journalism; Communication; Media philosophy; Media aesthetics; Visual Communications; Media Law; Media and/in Education; Media Literacy; Applied Ethics (Journalism ethics, Media Ethics, Marketing ethics, Business Ethics).

Only scientific texts, not previously published, could be submitted for the publication. The author is obligated to submit only the original papers not previously published or offered to different journals at the same time. The major criteria for publication: scientific contribution, the quality of scientific argumentation, the precision and clearness of presentation, consistent methodological structure and educational contribution. Corrected and ready for publication papers should be sent to authors via electronic mail for the final verification before publication.

The Journal of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš “Media Studies and Applied Ethics” respects standards of ethical publishing. Peer reviewed articles support and embody the scientific method. It is therefore important to agree upon ethical standards for all parties involved in publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, and the publisher.

Open Access Statement

This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. All users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

The journal does not require article processing charges or any other author fees.

The journal is on the list of categorized journals of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, and is indexed in ERIH PLUS.

ISSN 2683-5355

https://msae.rs/index.php/home

Call for book chapters

Deadline: March 31, 2025

Key info:

Abstracts (500-600 words) + bio (100 words) due 31st March 2025.

Chapters (6-8,000 words) due 31st July 2025.

To be published with Amsterdam University Press.

Book editors: Dr Bettina Bódi (University of Birmingham), Dr Agata Waszkiewicz (Catholic University of Lublin).

We are seeking chapter contributions for an edited volume published by Amsterdam University Press, tentatively titled Cozy Media. The book will investigate the various meanings of coziness across media.

Over the last five years, the adjective cozy has become more commonly used to describe comfort brought by media and their users’ experiences. After the global Covid-19 pandemic, the popularity of cozy in journalistic and social media discourse increased. It is now often used to describe video games, novels, playlists of low-fi or otherwise chill music, ASMR videos designed to help one unwind and relax, reality television shows centering crafting, cooking, tinkering, and fishing, or lifestyle social media influencers creating content on pre-digital hobbies, romanticizing the everyday and the mundane, from tradwives to BookTok.

There is currently a lack of research into cozy media’s specific characteristics, origins, design, and experience and its place within contemporary culture. Notably, in videogame discourse journalists (Campbell 2022; The Escapist 2022) and academics (Boudreau, Consalvo and Phelps 2025; Bódi 2023; De Pan and Bosman, 2024; Waszkiewicz and Bakun 2020) have recently begun to explicitly discuss the phenomenon. However, what little research there is beyond these outliers exists in disparate disciplines, and it is generally tangential in its engagement with coziness specifically. There exists, for instance, research on ‘chill’ playlists and watchlists (Anderson 2015; Rekret 2019), ambient media (Burdon 2023; Roquet 2016; Kim-Cohen 2013), ASMR (Gallagher 2016, 2019; Smith and Snider 2019), which often draw upon and intersect with theories of media aesthetics, affect and care (Chun 2016; Clough 2018; Groys 2022; Ngai 2012; The Care Collective 2020). However, there are yet to be substantive attempts to understand and theorize coziness as a popular experience and a distinct characteristic of our media era.

And thus, drawing inspiration from the foundational definition of cozy games as evoking “the fantasy of safety, abundance, and softness” (Short 2018), through this volume, we invite scholars to critically investigate how coziness is conceptualized, represented, and experienced across various media, from literature to film, music, television, social media, and beyond. 

What we’re looking for 

What does coziness mean across media, such as television, film, social media, or music and sound? What core elements of coziness are consistent across media? How do its manifestations differ? How has the proliferation of cozy on social media shaped its cultural and aesthetic meanings since the COVID-19 pandemic? How can we trace the intricate network of influences between different media, but also from outside such as interior design, architecture, and other domains where cozy appears? What are the similarities and differences of coziness across different geographical and cultural contexts?

We invite academics, researchers, students, and industry experts to submit book chapter abstracts of 500-600 words (excluding references) and a 100-word author bio.

Submissions might take inspiration from the following themes:

• Definitions and genealogies of coziness across media
  
• Cozy as an aesthetic quality vs marketing buzzword; cozy art vs cozy advertising
  
• Close readings of cozy (in) media texts
  
• Materiality, crafts, and representation of cozy hobbies in media
  
• The politics of coziness across media: cozy activism; cozy and gender, race, class, and (dis)ability
  
• Coziness as self-care; cozy and mental health across media
  
• Cozy across different national, cultural, and religious contexts
  
• Coziness and nature – romanticisation of and nostalgia for pre-industrial times
  
• Cozification of algorithms – mood-management in streaming platforms
  
• Dark (sides of) coziness
  
• • cozy aesthetics as a vehicle for disinformation, monetization, pacification, radicalisation
  • Cozy horror, cozy and the gothic
• The future of cozy gaming/watching/reading/listening
  

You can also find the call for chapters on the newly launched website for our Cozy Media Network here.

Kind regards,

Bettina Bódi & Agata Waszkiewicz

School of Communications at Dublin City University

The School of Communications at Dublin City University (DCU) has an opening for two funded PhD scholarships (across a four-year duration). As well as a tax-free stipend of €25,000 plus fees, we also support our students with funding for conference travel and paid teaching experience as part of their career development 

Funding amount: €25,000 pa plus fee waiver

Duration: 4 years, full-time

Deadline: 31 March 2025

Start date: September 2025 

In this call, we invite applications in the following thematic areas:

• Identities and Cultural Production in the Digital Age
  
• Hybrid Sounds, Digital Shifts & Global Music Economies
  

Applicants are invited to submit:

• A 2,000-word research proposal 
  
• A brief CV detailing academic qualifications and professional experience to date
  
• A personal statement
  

More details on the thematic areas addressed by the call and on how to apply are available at: https://www.dcu.ie/communications/phd-scholarships-call-2025

Catherine Bouko

Routledge (2024) 

This book explores visual political engagement online – how citizens participate in the dynamism of life in society by expressing their opinions and emotions on various issues of democratic life in image-based social media posts, independently of collective actions.

Looking beyond large digital social movements to focus on the everyday, the book provides a well-documented and comprehensive framework of key notions, concrete methods and examples of empirical insights into everyday visual citizenship on social media. It shows how the visual has become ubiquitous in citizens’ communication on social media, focusing on how citizens use visual content to express their emotions and opinions on social media platforms when they discuss politics in a large sense.

With this book, every reader interested in political communication, visual communication and/or new media is fully equipped to analyse everyday visual citizenship on social media platforms.

You can read or download it via this link: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mono/10.4324/9781003398806/visual-citizenship-catherine-bouko?context=ubx&refId=1fc44635-7e76-45f2-9d1a-5f223398b591

October 29-30, 2025

Madrid (Spain)/Hybrid

Deadline: September 15, 2025

Following the success of the inaugural event in November 2023, the 2nd European Congress on Disinformation and Fact-Checking is back and will take place on 29 - 30 October 2025 to convene experts, scholars, journalists, policymakers, and practitioners to address the evolving challenges of disinformation in Europe and beyond. Building upon the foundation laid by the first congress, which emphasized the multifaceted impact of disinformation and the importance of international collaboration, this year's event aims to further explore innovative strategies for combating false information and enhancing fact-checking practices.

Call for abstracts 

Researchers and professionals from various disciplines are invited to contribute to the discourse on addressing dis/misinformation and proposing solutions for promoting reliable information. Interdisciplinary research that combines the expertise of tech and computer scientists with social scientists, as well as other disinformation-related professionals, is highly encouraged. Topics of interest for paper submissions include, but are not limited to: 

• Assessing the authenticity of online information in the age of deepfakes and synthetic media
  
• Evolving challenges posed by generative AI in disinformation and fact-checking
  
• Advanced strategies for debunking dis/misinformation in an AI-driven information landscape
  
• The role of social media platforms in amplifying fake news, rumors, and their societal impact
  
• New machine learning methods, evaluation techniques, and datasets for detecting dis/misinformation
  
• Enhancing media literacy to fight against manipulated content and deepfake misinformation
  
• Fact-checking automation: Opportunities and risks of AI-driven verification tools
  
• Dis/misinformation, political polarization, and its evolving influence on public opinion
  
• The impact of misinformation on global crises: Health, climate, and geopolitics
  
• Cognitive biases, psychological characteristics, and the spread of misinformation
  
• Ethical considerations in AI-assisted information verification
  
• Techniques for ensuring access to and retrieval of verified, genuine online information
  
• Case studies on disinformation and fact-checking explored across various fields, including the electoral process, public health, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, financial markets, and emerging technologies.
  
• Research and funding opportunities for combating disinformation and enhancing fact-checking

Authors of accepted abstracts will have the opportunity to present their work either online or in person during the congress. Additionally, they will be offered the chance to contribute to the book to be published by a renowned editorial.

For detailed submission instructions and deadlines, please visit the official Call for Abstracts page: https://www.disinformation.es/call-for-papers

About the Organizers

The congress is organized by UC3M MediaLab, with financial support from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities in Spain. This collaboration underscores the commitment to fostering a media ecosystem that upholds transparency, accountability, and democratic values.

For more information about the congress, including program details and registration, please visit the official website: https://www.disinformation.es/2025EUCongressDISINFO 

Contact Information:

UC3M MediaLab - Office 17.2.23

Madrid University Carlos III

Calle Madrid 133

Getafe, Madrid 28903 Spain

Email: info@disinformation.es

Phone: +34 916248608

X: @UC3MediaLab

May 14-15, 2025

University of Sheffield, UK 

Deadline (EXTENDED): February 28, 2025

Over the past decades, digitalization and sustainability have emerged as two of the most significant global trends, yet they have largely developed independently. Digitalization is proposed as a solution to address global sustainability challenges such as climate change, environmental pollution, and biodiversity loss (United Nations 2018; Dwivedi et al. 2022). Nevertheless, technologies such as AI are partial and deceptive solutions to the planetary crises if their sustainability is not addressed.

Alarming figures from scientific research have highlighted the detrimental environmental effects of digitalization and datafication. The environmental impacts of digitalization are significant and growing, with rising electricity consumption, water usage, and emissions from devices, networks, and data centers (Gelenbe, 2023; Lange et al., 2023; Li et al., 2023). Moreover, the extraction of critical minerals for digital devices as well as planned obsolescence and poor recycling cause severe ecological harm, particularly in the Global South (Lange et al., 2023).

Although societies want digital technologies to serve the social good, there has been far more focus on environmental harms of digital technologies than sustainable alternatives. In this symposium, we ask what a sustainable digital society looks like and how we get there. What kind of research is needed to make the digital future more sustainable? 

The interdisciplinary symposium will include paper presentations, a workshop, and keynote talk. We welcome different types of presentations: theoretical, empirical, and methodological research papers, “work-in-progress”, practice-based responses, and “wildcards” (suggest your own presentation type).

Proposals may respond to, but are not limited by, the following themes:

• Conceptual frameworks and vocabularies for studying good digital sustainability
  
• Rethinking digital efficiency from a planetary perspective
  
• The ethics of resource-intensive technologies (e.g. AI)
  
• Alternative visions of sustainable digital society
  
• Sustainable practices in digital industries and digital everyday life
  
• Policy innovations and interventions for addressing digital unsustainability 
  
• Innovative and/or speculative methods for digital sustainability research
  
• Art-science collaboration, design prototypes, or games on digital sustainability
  

Please submit your proposal (200-250 words) with a brief bio via email to minna.vigren@lut.fi by 28 February 2025. 

Details: 

When: 14-15, May 2025

Where: The Edge, 34 Endcliffe Crescent, Sheffield. S10 3ED (University of Sheffield campus). 

Participation fee: £120, or £90 for PhD students.The fee covers symposium attendance, refreshments, lunches and an evening meal on the first day. Travel and accommodation are not covered.

For questions and more information, please contact minna.vigren@lut.fi. 

The symposium is a collaboration between the ESRC Digital Good Network and the Imagining Sustainable Digital Futures project (Research Council of Finland, 2022-2025).

Organizing committee: Minna Vigren, Dorothea Kleine, Preeti Raghunath, and Thomas Wright

September 8-10, 2025 

Deadline (EXTENDED): March 7, 2025

Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey

(ALSO: PhD pre-conference - 7 September 2025 - details to be circulated separately)

ECREA Radio and Sound Section

Media Department, Faculty of Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University, Santral Istanbul Campus 

Abstract Submission site: https://ecrearadioandsound2025.org/

Keynote Speaker: Professor Mia Lindgren, University of Tasmania

Conference theme:

This conference aims to examine the past, present, and evolving role of radio around the world within a dynamic global media landscape. We will highlight the transformation of radio from a static entity to an adaptive component of the larger media ecosystem, continually reshaping itself in response to socio-political, economic, and technological changes. In the early 20th century, radio played an important role in the establishment and development of nation-states — especially militarily, economically, politically, and linguistically. Today, it is ubiquitous in various forms, multi-faceted, and present throughout the world. With the advent of artificial intelligence and non-human presenters, along with rising public mistrust and the prevalence of disinformation, radio faces new pressures to evolve. Nevertheless, radio endures as a critical medium, especially during global conflicts, where it serves as a source or way of communication for the different parties to the conflict as well as for the diaspora communities. 

Starting from this premise, we invite papers that help conceptualise “radio” as a cog in a changing wheel and focus on the dynamics that have shaped, over time and across the globe, the role of radio, be these roles assumed, attributed, or presumed by both broadcasters and listeners and be these radios private, public, university, community, clandestine, political, and more. We seek papers which explore the resilience and ongoing transformation of radio, emphasising its vital role in a shifting media environment and welcome interdisciplinary perspectives. We also welcome papers that contribute to investigating the various roles and forms that radio has occupied, as well as the various topics it has tackled since its inception to the present day across different political, geographical, economic, and cultural contexts. We are particularly interested in exploring the contexts and reasons behind these evolutions.

Furthermore, we aim to understand how the materiality of what is sometimes too quickly labelled as “radio” has evolved. Our goal is to investigate radio's transition from live, real-time broadcasting to a platform that accommodates on-demand audio formats and genres, working alongside podcasts, streaming, and downloadable content. This evolution has rebranded the industry as "audio" or "sound media", showcasing new capacities for audiences to listen almost whenever and wherever they want, thanks to the Internet and associated technologies. 

We particularly welcome conceptual and theoretical proposals that address the place of podcasts, radio and sound studies in academic landscapes. These fields are tackled by researchers from various disciplines, from engineers to art researchers, and are mobilised to explore many topics, from the role they could play in war contexts to their place in the artistic and cultural development of groups and nations. The rise of podcasts has notably transformed how researchers disseminate scientific knowledge and engage in reflection on their methodologies and dissemination processes. The conference will specifically address these ongoing developments.

Lastly, we invite practitioners in the fields of radio and sound studies who are eager to combine their reflections with those of academics. By merging practical insights with theoretical perspectives, we aim to foster a rich dialogue that bridges the gap between practice and research.

The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and paper presentations that address the following themes related to the one or many main topic(s) of this conference:

RADIO AND SOUND: PRODUCTION, FORMATS AND PURPOSES

• Production 
• • Practices
  • Studies
  • Podcasting 
  • Ethnographies
  • Broadcast locations (e.g. prisons, hospitals, educational institutions,refugee camps, farms, armed forces, …)
  • …
• Formats
• • Information
  • Storytelling
  • Narratives
  • Musics
  • Sounds
  • Codes (non-talk)
  • Drama
  • Sound Creation
  • Documentaries, 
  • Talk shows, 
  • Podcast typologies
  • …
• Purposes
• • Politics
  • Pedagogy and education
  • Awareness raising
  • Activism
  • Entertainment
  • (Dis)information
  • …

RADIO AND SOUND: MEDIUM IN CONTEXTS 

• Medium
• • Civic radio 
  • Free radio
  • Pirate radio
  • Alternative radio
  • Radical radio 
  • DIY radio
  • Not-for-profit radio
  • NGOs radio
  • Feminist radio 
  • Community radio 
  • Local / national / regional radio 
  • …
• Contexts
• • Radio in the global media landscape
  • Ownership, regulation and governance of radio
  • Freedom of speech
  • Political and economical constraints
  • Policies of broadcasting 
  • …

RADIO AND SOUND: AUDIENCES AND LISTENING 

• Audiences
• • Community
  • National
  • Transnational
  • Diasporas
  • Demographics within audiences
  • …
• ○ Listening
  
• • Poetics of listening
  • Philosophy of listening
  • Politics of listening
  • History of listening
  • Listening as a cultural practice
  • Phenomenology of listening 
  • …

RADIO AND SOUND: TECHNOLOGIES 

• DAB, streaming or LTE broadcasting
• Podcasting distribution
• Sound platforms 
• Internet
• • Social media 
  • Radio as an app
  • (De)materialisation
  • Hybrid radio
  • …
• Artificial intelligence 
• • Radio production and reception
  • Trust, information and disinformation
  • …

RADIO AND SOUND: RESEARCH

• Radio and sound as research fields 
• Theories of radio and sound studies
• Political economy of the radio
• Radio and gender studies
• Methodological approaches to sound research
• Digital ethnography
• Digital methods
• Network analysis
• Archiving and oral history
• Radio history
• Journalism
• Radio journalism
• Radio art
• Sound art
• Aural culture and cultural aural expressions
• Reception studies 
• …

The conference situates radio and sound studies within the broader contemporary media landscape and aims to start a dialogue with, and accept contributions from platform studies, Internet studies, sound studies, social media studies, critical political economy of the media, media history, digital media management, cultural studies, production studies, ethnography, and social sciences.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Deadline for abstract submissions: 17 February 2025

Notification of acceptance (and announcement of Early Bird date): 31 March 2025

Publication of Programme: w/c 28 April 2025 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Proposals for individual papers and panels can be submitted until 17th February 2025 through the conference website’s platform https://ecrearadioandsound2025.org/. Abstracts should be written in English and contain a clear outline of the argument, theoretical framework, and, where applicable, methodology and results. Individual abstracts and panel proposals should be between 300 and 500 words. In the case of a panel, proposals should contain a short summary of the panel and include the 4 or 5 individual contributions (with the title and author’s names of each contribution composing the panel.

SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE RADIO JOURNAL: INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN BROADCAST & AUDIO MEDIA 

We will invite delegates of the Conference to submit their full papers no later than February 2026 to be selected for a special issue of the Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media, edited by Intellect 

(www.intellectbooks.com/radio-journal-international-studies-in-broadcast-audio-media), to be published in the second issue of 2026.

For further information, please contact the organising committee at this email address: radioandsoundconference@gmail.com