[Commlist] cfp: 3rd Futures of Media Conference

*Final Call for Abstracts - 3rd Futures of Media Conference: 20 Years of 
File Sharing - What is Next? - Conference on File sharing, IP, media 
ethics, media theory and more*

8th – 10th November 2019

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Suzhou, China

**

*Final Call for Abstracts*

**

Due to a rush before the deadline, we have decided to extend the 
deadline for submission of abstracts to the *31st of July.*

After two successful Futures of Media Conferences, we are happy to 
announce the 2019 Futures of Media Conference with the title: *20 Years 
of File Sharing - What is Next?*

In June 1999 the peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing website Napster opened, 
having been developed by Sawn Fanning and Sean Parker. While there were 
other file sharing platforms such as Usenet and IRC, it was the first 
site dedicated to music sharing, at this point meaning mostly encoded as 
MP3. With computer power steadily increasing, and MP3 compression having 
publicised as international sound standard in 1998, for the first time 
music file sharing became an easy option. Napster was a quick success, 
with more than 80 million registered users availing themselves of it 
services by January 2001. Especially fast university server networks 
were used to share files, with much of them being usurped by Napster 
aficionados.

But legal troubled loomed, with several artists such as Metallica and 
Dr. Dre as well as &M Studios and the Recording Industry Association of 
America (RIAA) suing it for infringement of copyright. Napster was 
forced to close down on 11 July 2001. It had only been the beginning. 
Today, P2P file sharing sites have become a staple in society’s 
mediascape. While there have been high publicity shutdowns such as Kim 
Dotcom's MegaUpload (2005–2012), KAT (2008 - 2016), Demonoid (2003 - 
2018), and Torrentz (2003 - 2016), many others have survived and new 
ones are popping up all over the world. The most famous of the survivors 
is ThePirateBay (2003 - present), which even spawned a political party. 
This history demonstrates that P2P is a global phenomenon and cannot be 
relegated to 'a few teenagers engaging in illegal downloading activity’. 
Media futures will have to contend with such websites remaining an 
integral part of the Internet.

*The topics for discussion* can include – but are not limited to – the 
following:

How has device mobility changed media reception modes? How can the gap 
between technological advancements and other areas of society - 
politics, economy, the law - be closed? What role does the global 
availability of media play, or do recent successful attempts at 
censorship bode ill for sustainable global accessibility in the future? 
How can and should media theory influence future developments? How has 
globalization, the global South and the Asian Century redefined 
approaches to file sharing? How will movements such as Digital Commons 
and Open Source change the way business, science and entertainment will 
develop?

*Keynote speakers*

We are excited to announce Professor Gary Hall and Ms. Xiaobing Wang as 
our keynote speakers for the third Futures of Media Conference. More 
keynote updates to follow.

*Bio: *

Gary Hall is Professor of Media in the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at 
Coventry University, UK, where he co-directs the Centre for Postdigital 
Cultures and its Post Office research studio, which brings together 
media theorists, practitioners, activists and artists. Recent 
publications include /The Inhumanist Manifesto/ (Techne Lab, 2017), 
/Pirate Philosophy/ (MIT Press, 2016) and /The Uberfication of the 
University/ (Minnesota UP, 2016). He is currently completing a monograph 
titled /Liberalism Must Be Defeated/ for Joanna Zylinska’s new 
Media:Art:Write:Now series for Open Humanities Press.

Ms Xiaobing Wang is Director of Tencent Social Research Centre and 
Tencent Tengyun Think Tank. Tenyun Think Tank is the social science 
research centre of Tencent. It aims to explore futures and make impact 
with a focus on the intersection between technology, society and 
culture. Its interdisciplinary research includes but not limited to, 
legal studies, sociology and cultural and creative industries. It’s home 
to a number of aspirational researchers collaborating with over 500 
scholars and experts around the world. Collaborators include, Tsinghua 
University, Yunnan University, Curtin University, People's Education 
Press, etc. It currently publishes two magazines, titled /Teng Yun/ and 
/9th Zone/, organises one regular Salon and one annual summit on 
Technologies and Humanities. It also publishes a blue book on Internet 
and Creative Industry in collaboration with Chinese Academy of Social 
Sciences.

**

*Venue: *

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is a pioneering, 
international joint venture university located in the city of Suzhou on 
China’s east coast close to Shanghai. Founded in 2006, it has quickly 
established itself as one of the leading research universities and it is 
the largest international joint venture university in China, a 
partnership between Xi’an Jiaotong University and the University of 
Liverpool. As an independent Sino-foreign cooperative university, it 
captures the essence of both prestigious parent universities and is the 
first and only one of its kind approved by the Ministry of Education in 
China.

The city of Suzhou is one of the most culturally rich areas of China, 
with Suzhou’s UNESCO World Heritage gardens and canals famous around the 
world. Upon completion of China’s Grand Canal, Suzhou was strategically 
located on a major trade route. Throughout the course of Chinese 
history, it has been a metropolis of industry and commerce. Since the 
Song Dynasty (960-1279), the city has been an important centre for 
China's silk industry. The explorer Marco Polo once described Suzhou as 
the "Venice of the East". With its gardens, canals, Tiger Hill and Pan 
Gate, it is one of the top tourist attractions in China and has a 
history of more than 2,500 years making it one of the oldest towns in 
the Yangtze Basin area.

Suzhou combines its rich history with being one of the most modern 
cities in China. It has a population of more than six million and a GDP 
of a trillion RMB – far larger than those of many entire countries! 
Alongside its beautiful tourist spots, Suzhou has many excellent 
learning resources and sports facilities, a great choice of shopping 
malls, cinemas and restaurants, and a variety of bars and nightclubs.

**

*Abstract submission deadline: *31st July 2019. Notification of 
successful applicants by 3rd August 2019. For further submission 
requirements, accommodation and fee waivers, please consult the 
instructions on the conference website, https://www.futuresofmedia.com/

All presentations will be collected in the conference proceedings. The 
best contributions will be considered for the indexed/IAFOR Journal of 
Cultural Studies /and a book by University of Liverpool Press.

*_Submission guidelines & key dates:_*

•200-word abstract or workshop/roundtable proposal

•Include a title, your name, e-mail address, and affiliation if applicable

•Submit to conference via https://www.futuresofmedia.com/

•Deadline for abstract submission: *31 July, 2019*

•Notification of acceptance: *1-3 August, 2019*

•Early bird registrations open: *3-15 August, 2019*

•Conference presentations: *8th – 10th November 2019*

•Early bird: 75 USD (student rate); 175 USD (non-student rate)

•Regular registration: 100 USD (student rate); 200 USD (non-student rate)

Included in the Registration are coffee and tea breaks, access to all 
conference sessions, publication in the conference proceedings or later 
publications.

*Conference Chairs*: Dr Holger Briel and Dr Markus Heidingsfelder

*Conference Committee Members*: Dr Michael High and Dr Zhen Troy Chen

*Conference website: https://www.futuresofmedia.com 
<https://www.futuresofmedia.com/> *


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