Archive for May 2023

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[Commlist] CFP: Digital Platforms and Democracy: Journalism and Political Communication in a World of Polycrisis

Mon May 22 21:38:20 GMT 2023




Corrected Call for Papers/Extended deadline for abstract submission



Digital Platforms and Democracy:

Journalism and Political Communication in a World of Polycrisis



We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for presentations at the forthcoming

international conference entitled “Digital Platforms and Democracy: Journalism and

Political Communication in a World of Polycrisis”, which will be held in November 2-5,

2023, in Athens, Greece. The conference is organized by:

• Advanced Media Institute

• “Communication and New Journalism” MA program, Open University of Cyprus

• School of Law, University of Nicosia

• Media Studies Program, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

• Department of Digital Media and Communication, Ionian University

• Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Cyprus University of Technology



Conference Theme & Topics

In principle, having as many opportunities as possible for everyone to be "heard" in the public space would enhance meaningful discussion and deliberation in digital interactive environments, contributing to the deepening of democratic norms and values, by fostering the development of robust global digital publics, in which everyone has a voice.

However, humanity and democracy are currently in a major crisis and digitalization mediates this crisis. It is hard to question the upsurge of extremist public discourse, political flaming and hate speech, aggression in the expression of online opinions, the constant battle against the intractable problem of misinformation and disinformation, the propagation of conspiracy theories and the incitement to violence and facilitation of all types and forms of radicalization in digital spaces - phenomena that contaminate the current media ecosystem and society at large. The proliferation and, to a large extent, the normalization of toxic, harmful or abusive content is mediated and largely assisted by modern digital platforms, which are being leveraged or often weaponized by actors with diverse political agendas.

Against this background, the immediacy of digital communication has altered journalists’ roles and the position they often assume over any current issue. The challenge to go for “now” has proved overwhelming; double-checking or even checking has fallen prey to this. If combined with the long-standing appeal of image as opposed to text, with all the slippage that angle or focus under pressure can bring along, little room is left for reliable news reporting.

Additionally, the retreat of the traditional media business model, along with the constraints digital media have been working under, has pushed journalists to venture at the wilderness of social media and owner-operated sites and/or blogs. Initially experienced as freedom-of-expression havens, they have often brought about a hard landing to receding journalistic standards. The effort to get on-board some sort of sponsored content and/or much-needed advertisement has had a detrimental impact on editorial decisions and the overall quality of new content.

What is the role of Journalism in the current environment, which is being shaped by the internet, social media and personalized practices of information generation, reproduction and dissemination?

How can media be empowered to fulfil its normatively ascribed roles in society and strengthen democracy in digital spaces? What are the challenges to media’s roles in defining and management of issues?

In which way can digital media be organized so that they behave in the wider public interest or for the good of society as a whole? How can journalists provide a platform for truthful and comprehensible public political discourse, facilitating the formation of conductive ‘public opinion’?

How can citizens be properly informed in an environment that is flooded with diverse and unverified media content?



The conference themes speak to the past, present and future, as a reflection of the role of media and journalism in the 21st century. We invite theoretical, methodological, and empirical

submissions that address the following themes, in an effort to spark meaningful conversations and probe multiple perspectives about the challenges facing democracy today. We hope that

our discussions will help set a stepping stone for both academics and professional journalists to reflect on the ideal types of journalism practice in the current digital media environment as we continue to encounter challenges to and transformations of our digital media landscapes.


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