ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

27 June – 1 July 2022

Utrecht, The Netherlands

Deadline: May 1, 2022

Sub-topic: SCIENCE BROKERS FOR TRANSITIONING TO A CLIMATE RESILIENT AND CIRCULAR SOCIETY

Session: Environmental Resilience Communication: Institutions, Media, Citizens

Session coordination: Dr. Enric Castelló, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, enric.castello@urv.cat

As human societies, we have entered a point of no return in terms of the consequences of climate change. Global warming is at the root of more and worse floods, wildfires, and extreme weather events. The discursive paradigm of "the fight against climate change" and its consequences is turning towards the need for parallel communicative action to promoting the management of change. Nature has resilience mechanisms that we must understand and accompany. For this, we need better Environmental Resilience Communication (ERC), an interpretive frame recently reactivated that interacts with the need to take urgent decisions to slow down global warming. ERC includes communicating and circulating knowledge of the mechanisms required to attenuate the consequences of climate change on the environment and nature: these include vegetation recovery, soil transformation, physical and chemical processes, species adaptation, and all sorts of reorganization in response to the changes. ERC also includes understanding and communicating how human societies can help foster environmental resilience. This requires joint efforts from policy makers, educational agents, institutions, media, organizations and citizens. This section welcomes proposals in the following areas.

• Analysis of ERC policies and management by all sorts of stakeholders (governments, educational agents, institutions, political parties, media, organizations, local communities, citizens).
• Discourse and frame analyses on media, political statements, organizational communication, scientific output, etc.
• Analytical and critical approaches to the relationship between ERC and Global North/South dynamics.
• Studies on the media production of ERC and people’s awareness of resilient systems, including social media, journalism, film and TV.
• Other research-based studies that consider communication complexities among stakeholders and ERC.

Abstracts must be submitted following the guidelines given by the TERRAenVISION congress. DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS 1 MAY 2022.

ALL INFORMATION: https://terraenvision.eu

University of Zurich, Switzerland

The Science Communication Division (Prof. Dr. Mike S. Schäfer) at the Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich invites applications for a doctoral position (60%). Start of employment: August 15 or September 1, 2022.

About the position

• 3-year doctoral position (60%, paid according to cantonal salary scheme)
• Contract can be extended by an additional 3 years
• Workplace is Zurich

What would be your main tasks?

• Conduct high-quality research on science communication
• Collaborate in team projects
• Attend conferences and publish in leading communication journals
• Pursue your PhD within the period of appointment
• Teach one class per semester relevant to your research interests in our BA/MA programs
• Some organizational or administrative tasks

What should you bring to the team?

• Master’s degree in communication science or a related subject (certificate required at start of employment)
• Interest in research on science communication, preferably also on climate change communication
• Experience with computational methods of social/communication science would be welcome
• Proficiency in English and ideally also in German
• Interest in/ability to work in a team, but also to work independently on your PhD project

What can we offer you?

• Dynamic and research-oriented team
• Collegial and inspiring working atmosphere
• Excellent resources
• Track record of successful PhD supervision

How to apply

Your application should include a motivation letter, your CV, copies of degrees and relevant transcripts, and a list of scientific publications (if applicable) in one PDF file.

Further information and application details: https://www.ikmz.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:9922060a-bcba-49ff-a251-9aae305b03da/CfA2022.pdf

Event takes place: Monday, 17 October 2022

Online conference (Zoom)

Abstract deadline: 15 June, 2022

ECREA online pre-conference: Science and Environment Communication Section

Misinformation is high on the public agenda, not least in the area of science, environment and climate communication following the current pandemic, climate, and environmental crises. With this pre-conference the ECREA Science and Environment Communication Section puts a focus on how we can understand and analyse misinformation, as well as disinformation, in relation to science and environment conflicts and how we can perceive the roles of citizens that are facing different levels of misinformation in public debates. Misinformation is sometimes linked to science populism which emerges in opposition to what is perceived as elite representations of scientific and environmental dilemmas and problems. The complex and contested dichotomy between expert and lay discourses is therefore central to understanding both misinformation and science populism in science and environment conflicts.

The event furthermore encourages the exploration of the multifarious role of citizens facing mis- and disinformation as either media audiences and users or as active producers or contesters of misinformation in public spheres. The development of a hybrid media environment particularly allows citizens to play an active role in relation to misinformation and science populism. This leaves public authorities and established media institutions with several dilemmas relating to the limits and possibilities of democratic debate and public engagement in science and environment conflicts.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Misinformation and disinformation in science and climate communication
• Conceptualisations of science populism
• The role of digital and traditional media in the spread and/or containment of mis- and disinformation
• The complex role of citizens in science populism: activism, protest, and resistance, on- and off-line.
• Affect, misinformation, and science populism
• Case studies of misinformation and science populism: e.g. anti-Covid regulation protests, climate change denialism, anti-vaccination movements
• Public authorities’ and journalistic strategies and measures against mis- and disinformation
• Media representations of misinformation and science populism as social phenomena.

We encourage work-in-progress and alternative (visual, video, interactive) formats as well as traditional presentations.

Please send a 200-300-word abstract to:

Mette Marie Roslyng: mmroslyng@ikp.aau.dk

Participation in the event is free of charge.

September 8-9, 2022

Halifax Hall, Sheffield, UK

Deadline (extended): May 9, 2022

Drones are an increasingly important social phenomenon. Their use has the potential to change the way people see the world in the same way other technologies have, like smartphones and the internet. Generating questions that go beyond safety and security issues, their widespread use opens new debates on the relationship between media and mobility (Hildebrand, 2021), material practice (Howley, 2017), and vertical power (Kaplan, 2018). Drones are the latest technological advancement to have a significant impact in the world we live in, offering opportunities for new forms of visual communication, culture and practices.

We invite the submission of proposals for an interdisciplinary conference on these topics, ‘Drones in Society: New Visual Aesthetics’, which will be held on 8th and 9th September at Halifax Hall in Sheffield, UK. This 2-day conference will be hosted by the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield. The updated deadline for submission is May 9 2022.

The conference is concerned with the role of drones in society and the way in which they are contributing to new visual aesthetics.

The conference invites interdisciplinary research, reflection and critique on topics including (but not limited to) the following:

• People’s perspectives on drones (and their data): surveillance, ethics and privacy issues in domestic and commercial uses.
• New visual perspectives: the creation of new visual content (drone art and amateur uses).
• Drone regulations: potential gaps in regulating domestic and commercial drones, future perspectives.
• Current uses and future applications: the implementation of drones in society.
• Drones and vertical power: the uses of drones in war zones, activism and humanitarian activities.

Proposed formats:

• Individually submitted papers (organised into panels by the DiS committee)
• Panels (3-4 individual papers)
• Roundtable discussions (led by one of the presenters)
• Visual posters

Abstracts between 300-500 words in Word format must be submitted to e.serafinelli@sheffield.ac.uk by May 9 2022.

You will be notified of the decision by June 13 2022.

Conference proceedings and selected papers will be published in a section of the forthcoming book Vision and Verticality (Palgrave), edited by Gary Bratchford and Dennis Zuev.

Confirmed keynote speaker: Julia M. Hildebrand, Assistant Professor of Communication at Eckerd College

Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to visit a drone visuals exhibition held on the evening of 8th September and participate in a workshop with two drone artists on 9th September.

Conference organised by Elisa Serafinelli and Lauren Alex O’Hagan, Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield

For more information, contact e.serafinelli@sheffield.ac.uk or visit www.visualsociety.net

References

Hildebrand J. (2021): Aerial Play: Drone Medium, Mobility, Communication, and Culture. Singapore: Palgrave Mcmillan

Howley K. (2017): Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination. New York: Peter Lang.

Kaplan C. (2018): Aerial Aftermaths: Wartime from Above. Durham: Duke University Press.

Alongside great destruction and human suffering, the war in Ukraine has brought governments, regulators and platform services to combat disinformation and incitement or to control the message, depending on one’s perspective. The role of public interest media has been foregrounded, not just of the big public service broadcasters, but also of small independent media and journalists’ collectives. In response to ECREA’s invitation to sections to hold virtual pre-conference events around the 9th European Communications Conference, the Communications Law and Policy section is planning three two-hour long sessions on themes that are now more urgent than ever.

The format is designed to enable a dynamic exchange of ideas and recent research findings among scholars and stakeholders that address some of the most pressing issues in the field. After opening comments by invited speakers from both media and communication policymaking and policy research, 5 section members will present insights from their research or their cutting-edge ideas in 4-minute elevator pitches to kick off discussion. We welcome exploratory research findings, yet to be tested hypothesis, innovative policy ideas, calls to action in new research directions.

• Tuesday, 11 October 14:00 – 16:00 CET Regulation of content: risks of harms from online content; freedom of expression and media diversity online

o Chair: Sally Broughton Micova

o Ofcom or European Commission (TBC)

o Facebook (TBC)

o Mark Cole, University of Luxembourg

• Wednesday, 12 October 14:00 -16:00 CET The future of the public interest: prioritization and prominence; cultural and political aims, and public service media

o Chair: Manuel Puppis, University of Fribourg

o Florence Hartman EBU

o Netflix (TBC)

o Eleonora Mazzoli, LSE

• Thursday, 13 October 14:00 -16:00 CET Standards vs Abusers: new developments in governance; the interaction between standardization and illiberalism; threats to media freedom

o Chair: Hilde van den Bulck, Drexel University

o Flutura Kusari, ECPMF

o Urska Umek (CoE)

o Marko Milosavljević, University of Ljubljana

Interested in delivering one of these short pitches? Please send your 300 words abstract to the section chair (s.broughton-micova@uea.ac.uk) by 29 April, 2022, indicating for which of the three online events your input is intended in the subject line. Two slots per session will be ringfenced for early career researchers, pending sufficient applications.

Participation will be free and open to all CLP members. So, mark your calendars now! More information will be shared closer to the events.

We are delighted to announce that the European Journal of Cultural Studies have kindly agreed to establish a best paper award for early career scholars presenting their research at the ECC in Aarhus in October 2022. The award has a financial value of 1500 euros and includes publication of the winning paper in the journal. It will be presented at the Aarhus conference.

The award is open to early career researchers who are either doctoral researchers or who have received their doctorate recently. Please submit papers that share the journal’s broad conception of cultural studies as rooted in lived experience and present well-theorized empirical research (https://journals.sagepub.com/description/ECS). The award will be given to the best paper which demonstrates critically-engaged and empirically-driven cultural studies in keeping with the aims of the European journal of Cultural Studies. Entrants must be presenting their paper at the ECC and must be a member of ECREA. Applicants should either be single or first authors and the papers should not have been already published in a scholarly journal.

The submission date for entries is Friday September 9th 4pm CEST.

All entries must follow the guidelines for submission to the European Journal of Cultural Studies (https://journals.sagepub.com/author-instructions/ECS). Entrants should also submit a short biography (no more than 10 lines).

We are looking forward to reading your submissions! Please send your papers to info@ecrea.eu.

If you have further questions, please contact us at info@ecrea.eu.

The award will be judged by a committee comprising of:

• Joke Hermes (ECS founding co-editor)
• Goran Bolin
• Despina Chronaki
• John Downey

Edited by: Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech, Mateusz Sobiech

This volume brings together an international team of authors to investigate a wide range of issues concerning the fundamental role of media technologies in shaping contemporary emotional life. Chapters explore key aspects of the mediatisation of emotional life, feelings and interpersonal relations: love, intimacy, loneliness, friendship, family relations, erotic, sexual and romantic experiences.

The authors explain the key aspects of strong user–media relationships and human relationships based on media use and investigate problems such as the formation of identity based on social media, the role of communication applications and the effects of mobile and locative media on our relationships, as well as artificial intelligence, on our perception of our emotions. With a focus on new media, the book also draws on the scope of traditional media that express and shape emotions, taking into account the classic approaches to emotionality of messages from the perspective of film creators and recipients.

This cutting-edge collection will be of interest to scholars and students of media and communication studies, especially digital media and new technologies, psychology, pedagogy, sociology of everyday life and cultural studies.

Chapter 5 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003254287-8/love-jono-van-belle?context=ubx&refId=0deb9108-cd9e-4d98-b0b8-4f4ce1cce4c0

Chapter 10 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003254287-13/family-relations-tiina-r%C3%A4is%C3%A4?context=ubx&refId=2dec0bcd-cbba-493c-bbec-8cb5c6bd0086

Check the book here: https://www.routledge.com/Mediatisation-of-Emotional-Life/Kopecka-Piech-Sobiech/p/book/9781032181066

Victoria University of Wellington - Political Science and International Relations (PSIR)

Location: Wellington - New Zealand

Salary: Not Specified

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Placed On: 21st April 2022

Closes: 14th June 2022

Job Ref: 3773

About the role

The Political Science and International Relations programme in the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington seeks to appoint a permanent Lecturer in Political Communication (equivalent to tenured assistant professor). The starting date is 11 January 2023 (negotiable).

About you

The Lecturer in Political Communication will have expertise in one or more of the following areas: Political Party Communication and Elections; Digital Media and Political Communication; and/or Interest Groups, Social Movements and Civil Society. In addition to teaching courses in one or more of these areas, an ability to teach a course on research methods will be useful but all strong candidates are encouraged to apply. A PhD must be in hand prior to taking up the appointment as Lecturer.

This role will require preparation and delivery of graduate and undergraduate courses in Political Communication; an active research profile; and other teaching or administrative duties as agreed with the Head of School.

Why you should join our team

The Political Science and International Relations (PSIR) Programme in the School is New Zealand's largest and oldest department of politics. It is in the top 100 in the world in the QS rankings. The programme has 24 academic staff and is responsible for teaching two majors within the Bachelor of Arts and one major within the Bachelor of Communications. The programme also offers four taught Master's degrees, and attracts a significant number of research Master's students and PhD students. Many of our staff are involved in international research collaborations and are on externally funded research projects. The diversity of our Programme's research, teaching, engagement and leadership activities make it a dynamic and stimulating place to work and study.

Role Description

From 31 January 2022, a COVID-19 vaccine mandate will apply to all University staff, students, contractors and visitors. For more information see: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/covid-19/vaccine-mandate

Contact details for vacancy

For further information about the role, please contact Dr Manjeet Pardesi, Head of Programme, Political Science and International Relations: manjeet.pardesi@vuw.ac.nz or Prof Aeron Davis for information on the Political Communication major: aeron.davis@vuw.ac.nz

But applicants should follow all steps listed below.

Important - Application steps and information

For applicants who are not NZ Citizens or Permanent Residents, we recommend you check the NZ Immigration website for updates related to Covid19 restrictions on entry to New Zealand: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/about-us/covid-19

Download and complete the University Application Form

Please include a cover letter in your application, telling us why you're a great fit for this position then email the completed application form, cover letter and any other supporting documentation to erecruit@vuw.ac.nz stating the reference number and position title from the advert in the subject line.

Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Germany

Are you studying the social, political, economic, media-related or cultural effects of digitalization? Do you want to concentrate exclusively on a project and are interested in interdisciplinary exchange?

The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum, Germany, supports innovative projects that deal with the social opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation. Experts from academia and practice can apply for Fellowships and Working Groups.

The funding program is open to experts of all career stages, to all disciplines and areas of investigation, as well as to pure research and to projects that are more applied in orientation.

The funding program is continuous. Apply by 31 May 2022 for Fellowships starting from April 2023 and for Working Groups starting from 15 May 2023.

For more information go to: www.cais.nrw/en/callforapplications/.

If you have any questions, please contact esther.laufer@cais.nrw.

May 9, 2022 (4-6pm BST) on Microsoft Teams

Online Roundtable

This two-hour event brings together researchers approaching the phenomenon of influencers and the question of influence from a media aesthetics point of view.

Each contribution, in the first hour, taps into a particular dimension of influencer aesthetics. Grant Bollmer (NCSU) and Katherine Guinness (QU) look into issues of excess that characterise social media performances. Rachel O’Neill (LSE) draws on her research into wellness as a cultural practice and industry. Mari Lehto (Turku) puts the question of ordinariness into discussion in reference to Finnish lifestyle influencers. Finally, Yiğit Soncul (Winchester) examines the sensations associated with ASMR and discusses how its aesthetics extend from the visual to auditory and haptic. The second hour is designed as a moderated discussion open to all the contributors and attendants.

Please click here and fill the registration form to receive a link to the event.

If you have any questions about the roundtable, please send an email to yigit.soncul@winchester.ac.uk

The event is hosted by the Culture-Media-Text Research Centre at the University of Winchester.