[Commlist] Call for proposals: From the Closed Internet to Infinite Metaverses? The future of technological mediation in journalism and the media

*Call for proposals*
*
*
*International conference*

/From the Closed Internet to Infinite Metaverses?/
/The future of technological mediation in journalism and the media/
https://metaverse.sciencesconf.org/ <https://metaverse.sciencesconf.org/>

Paris, 7 Mars 2023




/“ The road from the closed world of the Ancients to the open world of 
the Moderns has been traveled with surprising speed: barely a hundred 
years separate Copernicus' De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (1543) 
from Descartes' Principia Philosophiae (1644); barely forty years from 
these Principia to Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia 
Mathematica (1687). This speed is all the more surprising given that 
this road is difficult, full of obstacles and dangerous passages or, to 
say it more simply, that the problems posed by the infinitization of the 
Universe are too deep, the implications of the solutions extend too 
far to allow continuous and constant progress.”/ (Alexandre Koyré, Du 
monde clos à l'univers infini, 1973[i], p.14)


After 70 years of cyclical ups and downs in global economic development, 
current environmental, social and political transformations suggest that 
we are facing a shift from closed worlds to an infinite, multiple, 
emerging, dynamic and creative universe. The relations between subjects 
and objects, as well as our representations of these relations in the 
digital domain are now strongly driven by the Internet and its 
interfaces - often with a playful component. In particular, the 
underlying impacts associated with the digitization of lifestyles lead 
to new challenges for social actors to educate[ii], 
inform[iii] and govern[iv]. Just as A. Koyré (1953) pointed out the 
presence of "obstacles and dangerous passages" linked to modernity and 
the emergence of a public sphere governed by civil law, science, 
technology and the arts, we are today faced with major challenges to the 
consolidation of more open, solid and sustainable models. The aim of 
this conference is to explore and reflect upon the future of 
technological mediation for journalism and the media. Its scope is 
interdisciplinary, between Humanities[v] and Social Sciences[vi], 
Economics[vii] and Law[viii].

As evidenced by the Brazilian Journalism Research[ix] journal’s 
latest call for papers and the Media Party 2022 hackthon[x], the 
relationship between journalism and decentralized virtual realities 
raises both old and new questions, at the intersection of entertainment 
and information, commercial and public interest. The impact of digital 
technologies on newsrooms, journalism as a profession and the media 
sector more broadly has been studied for several years. Reviewing this 
literature in 2014, A. Mercier and N. Pignard-Cheynel[xi] put the French 
context into perspective. A few notable examples include Réseaux’s 
special issues on online press (2010) and information pluralism and the 
internet (2012), that of tic & société on the transformations of 
journalism (2012), and Cahiers du journalisme on digital journalism 
(2011). In line with these works, this conference addresses what is 
currently described as "High-Tech Journalism"[xii], "Augmented Reality 
Journalism"[xiii] or the "Gamification of Journalism"[xiv]. We are 
therefore seeking address the possibilities (and challenges) offered to 
information professionals by virtual, connected and immersive 
environments. How do gamification and the metaverse establish a new 
paradigm for news professionals? How are they changing the production 
and distribution of information? What opportunities do 
decentralized technologies present? Could the blockchain help curb false 
information[xv]? Is audience validation the key to validating 
the gamification of journalism[xvi]? Can this be a new business model 
for media organizations?


*/Gamification and metaverse, more than trendy expressions?
/*
Gamification can be described by three characteristics: the user 
co-authors a playful experience (1), by manipulating technically 
accessible features (2), using networked digital data (3). In this 
sense, the metaverse accentuates these characteristics by creating a 
"virtual world[xvii]" capable of centralizing all daily activities 
(work, education, health, sports) and evolving in the absence of the 
user. In other words, it could be “an immersive ecosystem where 
interpersonal relationships are linked to the creation of monetized 
content allowing for entertainment, communication and information in a 
fluid and seamless navigation between digital platforms”[xviii]. In 
these descriptions of a new virtual and unified world, one can trace 
back the utopian narratives of the early days of the Internet, which are 
frequently renewed according to the Web's evolutions (the end of 
geographical and cultural boundaries, the information highway, the new 
Habermasian public sphere, etc.[xix]). It is no coincidence that the 
term "metaverse" originates from the science fiction genre of literature 
and lies at the intersection of creative industries and academia. Philip 
K Dick and Daniel Francis Galouye introduce the concept without 
naming it, in The Simulacra and Simulacron 3 respectively. For 
William Gibson, the "cyberspace" introduced in Neuromancer (1984) is a 
virtual world, while Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash (1992) finally 
introduces the term. On the media side, Canal+ launched Le Deuxième 
Monde (literally the Second world) in 1997, but this first virtual world 
was quickly overtaken by the global phenomenon Second Life (2003)[xx], a 
new digital space which successfully attracted brands[xxi] and French 
political parties[xxii].

The metaverse is not a "browser window", but a place to exist (online 
and offline, simultaneously[xxiii]) and especially to centralize 
different aspects of life. Platformization[xxiv] has led users to 
an intense multiplication of themselves on various media and 
formats[xxv], as evidenced by the various profiles, pages and accounts 
operated by most individuals today. A single platform is not enough, 
despite Big Tech’s best efforts to centralize ever more tools in one 
place. Facebook, for example, has become a platform for connecting 
with friends, organizing events, creating discussion groups 
with strangers, buying and selling goods and services, playing games, 
watching videos and consuming news content. According to Anne Helmond, 
Facebook is characterized by its “drive to make external web data 
platform ready[xxvi]” in a dual movement of decentralizing platform 
features while centralizing data. On the other hand, users rarely limit 
themselves to Facebook and are present on other social networking 
platforms offering similar functionalities. This multi-positionality 
therefore goes beyond the logic of complementary usage.

While it cannot be defined by a specific technology, the current 
development of the metaverse benefits from the democratization 
of Internet access, the miniaturization of equipment and the recent 
consolidation of cryptocurrencies, combined with the expansion of social 
networking, online games and immersive virtual reality[xxvii]. The 
concordance of these factors contributes to a certain maturity of 
the current market[xxviii], so much so that in October 2021, Mark 
Zuckerberg announced the recentering of Facebook around his vision of 
the metaverse, even renaming the company Meta[xxix]. There are three 
elements to how this episode can be interpreted. First, it demonstrates 
the changes in the global economy due to digital transformations, what 
G. Schwartz calls the “iconomy”[xxx]: technological changes in relation 
to the media, journalism and the "knowledge society". Second, it 
testifies to the accentuation of infomediation 
processes[xxxi], illustrating the acceleration of three mechanisms above 
all: the transposition of certain aspects of social life into 
data (datafication), the transformation of online activities into 
commodities (commodification), and the selection and personalization of 
objects (curation)[xxxii]. Third, Zuckerberg's presentation reminds us 
that the metaverse is not yet here. It still in the making, being built 
by the largest (American[xxxiii]) companies in the field - Amazon, 
Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia - which dictate the agenda. In his article 
for Time magazine, Matthew Ball draws attention to this side of the 
issue: “It's not difficult to imagine how different the internet would 
be if it had been created by multinational media conglomerates in order 
to sell widgets, serve ads, or harvest user data for profits”[xxxiv]. 
Contrary to over-enthusiastic narratives, can the metaverse be seen as a 
trojan horse for the further commodification of the online realm, based 
on blockchain technologies and NFTs?

In addition to economic and geopolitical questions, the metaverse also 
raises other concerns, in relation to the environment (a), the 
protection of personal data (b), and freedom of expression and content 
regulation (c). First of all, the metaverse 
is energy-intensive[xxxv] and thus, as for other digital 
infrastructures[xxxvi], it stimulates risky energy cycles. Second, 
it leads to a concentration of power and wealth through the accumulation 
of personal data[xxxvii] in various forms (productive, financial, 
social, symbolic and environmental). Finally, the metaverse also renews 
current debates around the governance and regulation of platforms, 
particularly in terms of content moderation (disinformation, 
hate speech[xxxviii]), and trust and safety (terrorist 
exploitation[xxxix], foreign interference).


/*Is a public, common[xl] and open metavers possible?*/

The University of São Paulo (USP) is the first public 
academic institution in Latin America to receive an NFT (Non-Fungible 
Token) to integrate with other institutions o USM Metaverse (United 
States of Mars) [xli]. In other words, USP now has its own "land" to 
build an immersive space for interaction between users (students, 
professors, researchers, visitors) - called University Blockchain 
Research Initiative[xlii]  (UBRI). In this context, this conference 
marks the launch of an international cooperation project around 
the creation of an interdisciplinary research-action network between the 
Center for Interdisciplinary Analysis and Media Research (Carism) at 
Paris-Panthéon-Assas University and the School of Communication and Arts 
of the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP). The project is supported by 
the Institute of Iconomics in Paris, the Institute of Advanced 
Studies in São Paulo (IEA/USP), the international movement Games 
for Change Latin America (G4C) and the Mural agency (Brazil).

The goal is to open a space for discussion on the place of journalism 
and media in Web3. How can we prepare for the arrival of this new 
technology? What place will the media hold in this universe?


Three strands of research questions emerge:

*/Interactive and alternative narratives
/*
Gamification is already used by journalists in the construction of 
interactive digital narratives: Rue 89 created a multimedia 
fiction-reportage on the reconstruction of Haiti after the 2010 
earthquake[xliii]. The Financial Times developed The Uber Game, an 
interactive experience designed to inform the public about 
drivers’ working conditions and raise awareness on the gig 
economy[xliv]. The New York Times used 3D technology to address social 
distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic[xlv]. These examples are still 
on an ad hoc basis, leading us to question how gamification and the 
metaverse can be used by the media: are all topics transposable and in 
what way[xlvi]? Is it a new business model, at the crossroads of 
media and creative industries[xlvii] ? In this sense, the GAME journal 
recently published a call for papers for a special issue on “Interactive 
Digital Narratives: Counter-Hegemonic Narratives and Expression of 
Identity”[xlviii], to examine the place of minority narratives. 
Other questions still pertain to inequalities marking the production and 
distribution of information, for example questions of identity[xlix], 
the relationship between Global North and South[l] in the metaverse and 
issues of disinformation.

/*Audience and reception
*/
This axis addresses the reception experience and the relationship 
between users, designer and  device[li]. Firstly, in a society 
characterized by the multiplication of the self and by multidimensional 
media, it is a matter of questioning the capacity of users to manage a 
complex digital identity, or their Media Literacy. Does acquiring new 
digital skills become a condition for the reception of media content? 
How can the participation of the public as co-author be interpreted? 
What types of interactions, resistances and detours are possible? Is the 
metaverse compatible with new forms of identity, of open and free, 
public and moderated conversations? Secondly, issues tied to the 
relationship to health[lii], the body[liii] and the self-image[liv] can 
be explored. Screen time crystallizes in a way the discussions related 
to the modes of participation in an immersive environment. Does 
it revive media “effects” studies, in a bio-socio-creative logic? What 
are the links between health and body that can be fostered by digital 
technologies in societies marked by algorithms and artificial intelligence?

/*Changing practices and professional groups
*/
When he launched Meta, Mark Zuckerberg also announced the hiring 
of 10,000 people in Europe to work on the creation of the metaverse[lv]. 
This last axis deals with the way professional groups are 
metamorphosed[lvi]. First, the appropriation of journalistic practices 
by other professional groups (computer scientists, engineers, designers) 
can be questioned from a deontological point of view. Is the role 
of these professionals still established? What skills will future 
journalists need to acquire? How are journalism schools adapting their 
curricula to gaming, Web3 and hence the metaverse? This also covers the 
"branded content" aspect of journalistic work, following the example of 
YouTube, which "sets highly commercial standards for content production 
at a global scale[lvii] ”. Secondly, this axis also calls for a 
reflection on how professional media organizations are adapting: how do 
public and private media invest in the development of this technology? 
Here, we encourage interventions from professionals to testify to the 
transformations and negotiations underway within the sector.

*
  How to participate*

Abstracts should be send to (jaercio-bento.da-silva /at/ u-paris2.fr) 
<mailto:(jaercio-bento.da-silva /at/ u-paris2.fr)> and (schwartz /at/ usp.br) before 
November 16, 2022. They must include:

  * A title;
  * A proposal of maximum 3,000 characters (including spaces), complete
    with the object of the presentation, its disciplinary, theoretical
    and methodological orientation, the research question(s) addressed
    and main results;
  *   A short biography ;


We welcome proposals from all relevant disciplines: Media and 
Communication Studies, Sociology, Economics, Law, Semiotics, Cinema, 
Anthropology, History, Philosophy, Art, Computer engineering, etc. The 
conference will be held in English and French. Beyond the three proposed 
research axes, all proposals which fall within the scope of 
the conference will be sent to the scientific committee for a 
double-blind peer review.



*Working schedule:*

Diffusion of the call for proposals: Octobre 2022

Proposal submission deadline: 30 November 2022

Notification of acceptance: on the week of 5 January 2023

Publication of the programme: 15 January 2023

Conference: 7 March 2023 in Paris



*Organizers*

Marguerite Borelli (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Jaércio da Silva (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Thomas Jaffeux (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Gilson Schwartz (ECA, Université de São Paulo)



*Scientific committee*

Almir Almas (ECA, Université de São Paulo)

Vincent Berry (Labex ICA, Université Paris 13)

Romain Badouard (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Victor Blotta (ECA, Université de São Paulo)

Maude Bonenfant (Université du Québec à Montréal)

Alexandre Delbem (ICMC, Université de São Paulo)

Valérie Devillard (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Florence Dravet (Université catholique de Brasília, UCB)

Joëlle Farchy (EMNS/PcEn, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

Quentin Gilliotte (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Tristan Mattelart (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Cécile Méadel (IFP/Carism, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas)

Camila Moreira Cesar (IRMÉCCEN, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle)

Gilson Schwartz (ECA, Université de São Paulo)

Marcos Simplício (École Polytechnique, Université de São Paulo)

Ricardo Uvinha (EACH, Université de São Paulo)



/

[i] Our translation from Koyré A., Tarr R. (1973). Du monde clos à 
l’univers infini, Gallimard, Paris, France.

[ii] Pischetola M., Thediga de Miranda L. (2021). A sala de aula 
como ecossistema: Tecnologias, complexidade e novos olhares para a 
educação, Vozes, São Paulo.

[iii] Rebillard F., Smyrnaios N. (2010). « Les infomédiaires, au cœur de 
la filière de l’information en ligne. Les cas de google, wikio et 
paperblog », Réseaux, 160-161, n° 2-3, p. 163-194.

[iv] Voir le blog Métavers Tribune (https://metavers-tribune.com/)

[v] Péquignot J., Roussel F.-G. (2015). Les métavers: dispositifs, 
usages et représentations, L’Harmattan, Paris, France.

[vi] Fuchs P. (2018). Théorie de la réalité virtuelle: les véritables 
usages, Mines Paristech : PSL, Paris, France.

[vii] Hueber O. (2010). « Réseaux sociaux virtuels et création de valeur 
», HAL Archives Ouvertes.

[viii] Laverdet C. (2020). Aspects juridiques des mondes virtuels, These 
de doctorat, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, Paris.

[ix] Brazilian journalism research (2022). « Call for papers for 2023 
(Vol. 19, n. 2): Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Realities in Journalism ».

[x] Zucarelli S. (2022). « Una hackathón para darle forma al periodismo 
Web3.0 », Medium.

[xi] Mercier A., Pignard-Cheynel N. (2014). « Mutations du journalisme à 
l’ère du numérique : un état des travaux », Revue française des sciences 
de l’information et de la communication, n° 5.

[xii] Verdú F.J.M., Ruiz M.J.U. (2019). « Mapa de riesgos del periodismo 
hi-tech », Hipertext.net, n° 18, p. 47-55.

[xiii] Aitamurto T., Aymerich-Franch L., Saldivar J., Kircos C., Sadeghi 
Y., Sakshuwong S. (2020). « Examining augmented reality in journalism: 
Presence, knowledge gain, and perceived visual authenticity », New Media 
& Society, p. 146-192.

[xiv] Dowling D.O. (2021). The Gamification of Digital. Innovation 
in Journalistic Storytelling, 1ère, Routledge, London.

Thulin A. (2021). « Let’s Play News. The gamification of journalism 
», POLIS/LSE.

[xv] “Blockchain technologies allow for the creation of digital scarcity 
(digital objects that can only exist in finite numbers), in order to 
verify the authenticity and ownership of an object, to trace its 
history, to allow its creator to collect a royalty on its resales 
through ‘smart contracts’”, see : Roussel N., Guitton P. (2022). « Sur 
quelles technologies les métavers reposent-ils ? », The Conversation.

[xvi] The combination of video game design and journalistic content on 
new digital platforms. See : Vos T.P., Perreault G.P. (2020). « The 
discursive construction of the gamification of journalism 
», Convergence, 26, n° 3, p. 470-485.

[xvii] Roussel F.-G., Jeliazkova-Roussel M. (2012). Dans le labyrinthe 
des réalités: la réalité du réel, au temps du virtuel, l’Harmattan, 
Paris, France.

[xviii] Frau-Meigs D. (2021). « De quoi le « Meta » de Facebook est-il 
le nom ? », The Conversation.

[xix] Proulx S. (2004). La Révolution Internet en question, Montréal, 
Québec Amérique.

[xx] Sylvqin (2020). « Second Life : l’OVNI qui a voulu révolutionner 
Internet (et qui l’a un peu fait en vrai) [Metaverse] », YouTube.

[xxi] Beurnez V. (n. d.). « Carrefour a acheté une parcelle virtuelle 
dans le “métavers” de The Sandbox », BFMTV.

[xxii] Rédaction L’Obs (2007). « Manifestation virtuelle anti-FN sur 
Second Life », L’Obs.

[xxiii] Roussel F.-G., Jeliazkova-Roussel M. (2012). Dans le labyrinthe 
des réalités: la réalité du réel, au temps du virtuel, l’Harmattan, 
Paris, France.

[xxiv] Poell T., Nieborg D., Dijck J. van (2019). « Platformisation 
», Internet Policy Review, 8, n° 4.

[xxv] Da Silva J.B. (2022). Un concept sur la toile. Circulation 
et traduction à bas bruit de l’intersectionnalité, These de 
doctorat, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas, Paris.

[xxvi] Helmond A., Nieborg D.B., Vlist F.N. van der (2019). « Facebook’s 
evolution: development of a platform-as-infrastructure 
», Internet Histories, 3, n° 2, p. 123-146.

[xxvii] Frau-Meigs D. (2021), Op. cit.

[xxviii] Bourliataux-Lajoinie S. (2021). « « Métavers » : le nouvel 
Eldorado ? », The Conversation.

[xxix] META (2021). « The Metaverse and How We’ll Build It Together - 
Connect 2021 », YouTube.

[xxx] Schwartz, G., Vianna, D. (2015). « The Iconomy of Creative 
Currencies in the City of Knowledge: a Transmonetary Approach », 3rd 
International Conference on Social and Complementary Currencies, 
Management School at Federal University of Bahia.

Schwartz, G. (2015). « Iconomy, Cultural Diversity and Ludic 
Monetization on the Internet of Things », in Richieri Hanania, L. e 
Norodom, A.-T., Diversity of Expression in the Digital Era, Buenos Aires.

[xxxi] Rebillard F., Smyrnaios N. (2019). « Quelle « plateformisation » 
de l’information ? Collusion socioéconomique et dilution éditoriale 
entre les entreprises médiatiques et les infomédiaires de l’Internet 
», tic&société, n° Vol. 13, N° 1-2, p. 247-293.

[xxxii] Frau-Meigs D. (2021), Op. cit.

[xxxiii] Laubier C. de (2022). « Réalité virtuelle : l’Europe peine à 
s’armer dans la bataille du métavers », Le Monde.

[xxxiv] Ball M. (2022). « The Coming worlds. the metaverse is still 
under construction, but it’s sure to change our lives », Time, 2022, p. 
36-43.

[xxxv] Origas, M., Boulmane, N. (2022). « Métavers, le gouffre 
énergétique », YouTube, SciencesMediasParis7.

[xxxvi] Marquet C. (2019). Binaire béton : Quand les infrastructures 
numériques aménagent la ville, These de doctorat, Université 
Paris-Saclay (ComUE).

[xxxvii] Fauré T. (2022). « Les enjeux du Métavers en matière de 
protection des données personnelles », Réalités Industrielles, p. 67-70.

[xxxviii] Badouard R. (2020). Les Nouvelles Lois du web: Modération 
et censure. Paris: Seuil

[xxxix] Borelli M. (2021). « Social media corporations as actors of 
counter-terrorism », New Media & Society, p. 14614448211035120.

[xl] Bonenfant M. (2022). « Le métavers, une contrée numérique aux mille 
facettes », The Conversation.

[xli] Rabelo A. (2022). « USP será a primeira universidade pública 
brasileira no metaverso », Escola Politécnica da USP.

[xlii] See : https://sites.usp.br/ubri/

[xliii] See : http://apps.rue89.com/haiti/

[xliv] See: https://ig.ft.com/uber-game/

[xlv] See 
: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/14/science/coronavirus-transmission-cough-6-feet-ar-ul.html

[xlvi] Jaffeux T. 2022. « Produire l’information au gré des plateformes 
numériques et de leurs algorithmes : le cas des vidéos d’actualité », 
upcoming article.

[xlvii] Bogost I., Ferrari S., Schweizer B. (2010). Newsgames: 
journalism at play, MIT Press, Cambridge.

[xlviii] Mariani I., Ciancia M., Ackermann J. (2022). « n. 11/2023 – 
Interactive Digital Narratives « G|A|M|E », GAME – Games as Art, Media, 
Entertainment.

[xlix] Derfoufi M. (2021). Racisme et jeu vidéo, Éditions de la Maison 
des sciences de l’homme, Paris, France.

[l] Bouquillion P., Ithurbide C., Mattelart T. (2021). « Journée 
d’étude : Digital platforms in the global south: shaping a 
critical approach », ICCA.

[li] Crombet H. (2016). « Julien Péquignot, François-Gabriel Roussel, 
dirs, Les Métavers. Dispositifs, usages et représentations », Questions 
de communication, n° 29, p. 459-461.

[lii] Micheli-Rechtmann V. (2022). Les nouvelles beautés fatales: les 
troubles des conduites alimentaires comme pathologies de l’image, 
Éditions érès, Toulouse.

[liii] Cabannes V. (2022). « Le futur du numérique sera-t-il incarné ? 
», Esprit, Juillet-Août, n° 7-8, p. 117-125.

[liv] Godart E. (2020). Le sujet du virtuel: transformation. 
Métamorphose des subjectivités, Hermann, Paris.

[lv]Le Monde avec AFP (2021). « Facebook va recruter 10 000 personnes en 
Europe pour créer le métavers », Le Monde.

[lvi] Ball M. (2022). The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize 
Everything, Liveright Publishing, New York.

[lvii] Mattelart T. (2021). « L’élaboration par YouTube d’un modèle 
mondial de production de vidéos », Questions de communication, 40, n° 2, 
p. 119-140.

/
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