[Commlist] CDCS Symposium Calls for Abstracts: Good Vibes Only? How Affects and Emotions Are Mediated for Justice in Digital Culture

CDCS Symposium Call for Abstracts 
(https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/call-abstracts-2026-cdcs-symposium 
<https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/call-abstracts-2026-cdcs-symposium>)

*Good Vibes Only? How Affects and Emotions Are Mediated for Justice in 
Digital Culture*

April 9-10, 2026

Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

Contemporary digital cultures are affective cultures. Memes, viral 
videos, and stories on social media both generate and thrive on affects 
and emotions. Their endless production, circulation, repetition and 
reproduction both sustain and depend on global cultures and economies of 
affects and attention. They shape both the experiences of ordinary 
people and the fates and fortunes of large and small social groups and 
nation-states.

Affects and emotions take numerous mediated forms on social media. They 
can be textual or multi-modal. They are the lifeblood of livestreaming 
videos, hashtags, emojis, music, photographs, personal memories and 
stories. Fake news transmits and feeds on affects and emotions.

How are digital affects and emotions related to social movements, 
everyday activism and social justice work? What mediated forms do they 
take and how to study these mediated forms and practices? How might 
affect and emotion help us understand discourses related to digital 
tribalism, misinformation and disinformation in online spaces, and as an 
organizing force in the face of fascism & militarism? How might they be 
weaponized and with what consequences?

Without drawing a strict line between affect and emotion, we welcome 
submissions which focus on either or both. We also welcome studies of 
specific kinds of digitally mediated affective/emotional practices, from 
depression and anxiety to anger and joy, and more. We particularly 
encourage empirical studies of affects and emotions in relation to 
digital activism and social justice struggles. Submissions from both 
early career and established researchers are welcome.

Topics include but are not limited to the following: Emotions and 
digital storytelling; affective economies of social media; affects of 
digital objects in activism; digital archival practice and affects; 
playful emotions online; affective publics and digital networks; 
rage-baiting and sensationalism; authoritarianism and mis/disinformation 
campaigns; digital tribalism and echo-chambers; memes, gifs, and 
mediated humor and satire; mediated joy as resistance; affective 
refusal; algorithmic resistance and creativity; digital love; feelings 
of obsolescence; feelings of victimization; digital diasporas and 
affective cultures; AI chatbots and artificial empathy; emotions and AI 
generated art and narratives.

Please submit your 800-word abstract to cdcs(at)asc.upenn.edu before 
December 1, 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent by December 
20, 2025. Complete papers are due three weeks before the symposium. The 
symposium will take place at the Annenberg School for Communication at 
the University of Pennsylvania on April 9-10, 2026. Conference 
organizers will cover hotel and provide partial funding for travel for 
invited paper presenters (pending budget availability). Final papers 
presented at the conference will be edited for a special journal issue. 
This symposium is organized by the Center on Digital Culture and Society 
at University of Pennsylvania.


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