[Commlist] Call for abstracts: Distributed Citizenship & Public Connection (IJoC)

Call for Papers - Special Section in the International Journal of 
Communication
Title: "Distributed Citizenship: Sharing, Shifting, and Appropriating 
the Chores of Democracy Across Platforms, Networks, and Infrastructures"

Guest Editors: Emilija Gagrcin, Hallvard Moe, Ozlem Demirkol-Tonnesen, 
Mehri Agai

// Timeline //

  * Workshop abstract deadline: 15 December 2025
  * Workshop in Bergen: Early March 2026
  * Submission deadline for full papers: 31 May 2026
  * Expected publication: Summer 2027


No payment from authors will be required for publication in this Special 
Section.

FULL 
CALL: https://www4.uib.no/en/research/research-projects/distributed-and-prepared-a-new-theory-of-citizens-public-connection-networks-in-the-age-of-datafication-prepare/call-for-papers-special-section-on-distributed-citizenship 


// Scope //
Algorithmic curation and generative AI intensify the connections between 
media, platforms, institutions, and citizens. They also highlight how 
democratic life depends on the capacity of ordinary people to manage 
shifting burdens of political information. While an abundance of 
information sources can make engagement more convenient, it also raises 
issues of distraction, uncertainty, and credibility. Citizens must 
become more selective about what they pay attention to, whom they trust, 
and when they act.

Debates about the role of citizens in democracy often rely on the ideal 
of the informed citizen. More recent research suggests that most people 
act instead as monitorial citizens who delegate aspects of public 
connection to trusted sources, personal networks, and now AI-mediated 
intermediaries. This raises questions about when delegation supports 
democratic engagement and when it undermines it.

This Special Section invites contributions that examine how distribution 
works, when it enables democratic action, and when it deepens inequalities.

// Guiding Questions //
We welcome empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions. 
Studies may use surveys, digital methods, qualitative approaches, 
ethnography, experiments, or mixed methods. Submissions from outside 
Western democracies and from marginalised or understudied publics are 
strongly encouraged.

Possible themes include:

(1) Everyday distribution of attention and knowledge

  * How is attention to policy domains such as climate, housing, or
    migration distributed within households, peer groups, or online
    communities?
  * How do news-avoidant or otherwise disconnected publics assemble
    alternative repertoires, and at what point does distribution limit
    awareness or willingness to engage?


(2) Spaces and practices of civic delegation

  * Which offline or online third spaces (for example gaming servers,
    influencer streams, neighbourhood chats) facilitate civic engagement
    or the delegation of democratic tasks?
  * How do communicative modes and AI-driven intermediaries shape
    rhythms of attention, exposure, and activation? How do they equalise
    or exacerbate inequalities in encountering policy information,
    misinformation, or selective visibility?


(3) Infrastructures, methods, and media systems

  * How can mixed-methods or experimental designs combining digital
    traces, diaries, interviews, or ethnography reveal who "sounds" and
    who "hears" the alarms across different media environments?
  * How do media systems and political communication actors shape or
    adapt to distributed patterns of attention and civic activation?


// Workshop in Bergen (5-6 March 2026) //
Interested authors may submit a 500-word abstract outlining their 
approach, data, and connection to the call. Participation in the 
workshop is encouraged but not required for submitting a full paper. 
Funding for accommodation and, where needed, travel may be available.
Abstract submission deadline: 15 December 2025 (23:59 CET).
Decisions will be sent by 15 January 2026.

// Contact //
Content-related questions: (Emilija.Gagrcin /at/ uib.no) or (Hallvard.Moe /at/ uib.no)
Organisational and logistical questions: (Lene.Angelskar /at/ uib.no)

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