[Commlist] MeCCSA PGN 2019 CFP

CFP MeCCSA PGN Conference 2019

July 1-2, 2019, Bangor University

‘Delivery technologies become obsolete and get replaced; media, on the 
other hand, evolve.’ –Henry Jenkins (2006: 13)

The changes that have taken place within any aspect of media over the 
last several decades have been immense; some areas of the field are all 
but unrecognisable following such drastic adaptations and alterations. 
It is these adaptations, these changes, the evolution of media itself 
that is the theme of this conference. ‘Media evolution is a cultural 
process; it does not follow a grand plan either, but sometimes the 
direction and speed of the development can be – more or less – planned’ 
(Stöber, 2004: 485-486). However, ‘recent developments in literature as 
well as in literary theory… have posed new challenges to established 
theories and concepts’ (Reinerth and Thon, 2016: 11), and as such we 
must ourselves evolve both creatively, and academically. Elements of 
media evolutions are the focus of this conference but such a topic can 
be interpreted in a multitude of ways; fields of research such as 
narratology, practice-based research, creative practice, film studies, 
game studies, performance analysis, etc. are but a few of many examples.

Marshall McLuhan stated that ‘the personal and social consequences of 
any medium – that is, of any extension of ourselves – result from the 
new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of 
ourselves, or by any new technology’ (1964: 7), and therefore as 
technology evolves, media evolves with it. For the MeCCSA PGN Conference 
2019 we invite proposals for presentations, performances, or media works 
(maximum of fifteen minutes) that address or contribute to any of the 
areas of research mentioned above but also any further fields that might 
apply. We will also consider workshop/panel proposals (up to fifty 
minutes) that address such elements of media with particular interest to 
practical application within the industry. Proposals may be from an 
academic discipline but we are equally welcoming of proposals from 
outside the academy especially if submitted by those with experience 
within the industry.

Many fields of research within the greater disciplines have the 
potential to overlap, and we welcome submissions from interdisciplinary 
sources and experimental practitioners. Though candidates are not 
limited to this list, below are some example areas that candidates may 
present on:

— Evolution of Media

The examination of how differing forms of media have evolved and adapted 
with passing time and how these changes affected both the industry and 
creative output.

— Evolution of the Creator

The examination of how the creators of media have needed to adapt and 
change over time; script writers, novel writers, short-story writers, 
directors, producers, etc.

— Evolution of the Recipient

The examination of the evolution of the audience. Impact of changes that 
have taken place in film and TV audiences, video-game players, internet 
users, students in a classroom, readers of novels and short-stories, 
listeners to podcasts and radio broadcasts, etc.

— Evolution of Practice

Examinations of changes in the creative process, how creators view their 
own work critically and build from it, including in particular 
practice-based research within academia.

— Evolution of Communication

The examination of communication in relation to media and the ways in 
which such communications have evolved and adapted with changing 
technology and content.

— Evolution of Culture

The examination of evolution of wider culture in regards to media, 
changes within society or expectations that have in turn altered the 
forms of media popularity. This could be narrowed to cover only a 
sub-culture or portion of society at large, including minorities.

— Evolution of Experience

The examination of how media has evolved to heighten its impact and the 
ways in which it can affect a recipient(s). How experiencing a form of 
media has changed with time and technology.

— Evolution of Enhancement

How forms of media have enhanced one another in order to change the ways 
in which it is interpreted and received, elements of ergodic literature, 
virtual reality systems, augmented reality systems, etc.

Proposals/Deadlines

The MeCCSA PGN Conference 2019 will be a large conference in which 
presentations, workshops, and keynotes speeches will be given over a 
two-day period with the aim of constantly building discussion between 
attendees for the advancement and application of theory and practice 
methods. Given the expected number of attendees it is highly likely the 
conference shall run parallel sessions, though the keynotes and some 
workshops will run alone. Please send proposals (200-400 words) to 
(MECCSAPGN2019 /at/ bangor.ac.uk) by 5pm, 8thApril 2019. Proposals should be 
for a 15-minute presentation (followed by time for questions after the 
talks) or for a 50-minute workshop/panel (please include a brief 
rationale for the workshop/panel and abstracts for all papers, including 
authors and affiliations). All conference spaces will have access to a 
lectern, computer, and projectors with speakers as standard but if any 
specialist technology should be required this should be specified within 
the proposal.

In addition, Networking Knowledge (the journal of MeCCSA Postgraduate 
Network) will publish a guest edition with papers delivered during the 
conference in late 2019 or early 2020. We would like to encourage 
delegates to write the full version of their papers for further peer 
review and potential inclusion in this special edition. Full papers 
submitted by 24 June 2019 will enter the Best Paper Award competition. 
The paper(s) that receives this award will be included in the guest 
edition of the journal.

We look forward to receiving your submissions, and if you have any 
questions please email us at (MECCSAPGN2019 /at/ bangor.ac.uk).

References

Jenkins, H., 2006. Convergence culture. New York: New York Univ. Press.

McLuhan, M., 1994. Understanding media. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Reinerth, M.S. and Thon, J.-N., 2016. Subjectivity across Media: 
Interdisciplinary and Transmedial Perspectives. London: Taylor & Francis.

Stöber, R., 2004. What Media Evolution Is: A Theoretical Approach to the 
History of New Media. European Journal of Communication, 19(4), pp. 483–505.



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