[Commlist] New Special Issue on NMS published: Contextual Complexities of Violence on Digital Platforms

New Special Issue on NMS: Contextual Complexities of Violence on Digital 
Platforms

We are delighted to announce the publication of our new special issue in 
New Media & Society, centred on the *contextual* nature of violence on 
digital platforms. Edited by Tom Divon, Martin Lundqvist, and myself, 
the issue intervenes in ongoing debates about platform governance, harm, 
power, visibility, and circulation, by arguing that violence cannot be 
understood in isolation from the infrastructures, cultural narratives, 
governance regimes, and local dynamics through which it emerges.

Our issue brings together 10 papers that collectively showcase how 
attending to context transforms our understanding of the platformization 
of violence, offering conceptual, empirical, and methodological pathways 
for advancing research in this rapidly evolving field. Together, the 
papers travel across platforms and practices, from TikTok and Twitch to 
internet shutdowns in Sri Lanka and sites of participatory warfare, 
engaging with phenomena such as image-based abuse, memetic misogyny, 
conspiracy imaginaries, and self-documented terrorism.

The issue is available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/nmsa/28/4 
<https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/nmsa/28/4>

Table of contents:

- Morales, E., Divon, T., & Lundqvist, M. (2026). Context matters: 
Understanding the platformization of violence. New Media & Society, 
28(4), 1395–1411. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261420823 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448261420823>

- Cabanzo Valencia, M., & Guntrum, L. G. (2026). Race, ethnicity, and 
technology-facilitated violence: The experience of activists in Chocó, 
Colombia. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1412–1436. 
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251344286 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251344286>

- de Keulenaar, E., & Alves dos Santos, M., Jr. (2026). Normative 
dislocation: When platforms moderate without memory. New Media & 
Society, 28(4), 1437–1463. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251364814 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251364814>

- Petersen, L. N., & Johansen, M. B. (2026). The violence of online 
conspiracy theories. New Media & Society, 28(4), 1464–1481. 
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336431 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336431>

- Eriksson Krutrök, M., & Mitchell, J. (2026). Memeing the moniker: The 
stickiness of gang myths in Swedish news legacy media and TikTok. New 
Media & Society, 28(4), 1482–1503. 
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338507 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338507>

- Ryder, C. (2026). Affordance folklore: Truth, community and visibility 
during Sri Lanka's Internet shutdowns. New Media & Society, 28(4), 
1504–1523. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251357264 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251357264>

- Morse, T., & Altaratz, D. (2026). Witnessing carnage: Self-documented 
terrorism and the moral challenges of decentralized digital platforms. 
New Media & Society, 28(4), 1524–1549. 
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251370967 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251370967>

- Harris, B. C., Tran, C. H., & Persaud, C. J. (2026). Contextual 
governance & androcentric hegemony on Twitch.tv. New Media & Society, 
28(4), 1550–1570. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251370965 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251370965>

- Henry, N., Vowles, C., & Beard, G. (2026). "Doing gender": A digital 
ethnography of image-based abuse perpetration. New Media & Society, 
28(4), 1571–1591. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251356604 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251356604>

- Özkula, S. M., & Prieto-Blanco, P. (2026). Just a meme? The role of 
context in mythologies of memetic misogyny. New Media & Society, 28(4), 
1592–1618. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251396942 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251396942>

- Chonka, P. (2026). (De)constructing research 'expertise' in 
transnational participatory warfare. New Media & Society, 28(4), 
1619–1637. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251357269 
<https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251357269>

We hope our issue offers insights that can traverse across contexts and 
be useful to the community and beyond. We also warmly welcome any 
questions or reflections it might spark.

Esteban Morales ((Esteban.Morales /at/ royalroads.ca) 
<mailto:(Esteban.Morales /at/ royalroads.ca)>)
Tom Divon ((tom.divon /at/ mail.huji.ac.il) <mailto:(tom.divon /at/ mail.huji.ac.il)>)
Martin Lundqvist ((martin.lundqvist /at/ iko.lu.se) 
<mailto:(martin.lundqvist /at/ iko.lu.se)>)

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