[Commlist] Hipertext.net, n. 25 | Call for Papers: Interfaces: networks, ecology and evolution

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Subject: 	Hipertext.net, n. 25 | Call for Papers: Interfaces: networks, 
ecology and evolution
Date: 	Tue, 28 Jun 2022 09:48:26 +0200
From: 	hipertext.net <(hipertext /at/ upf.edu)>
To: 	(nico.carpentier /at/ commlist.org)



Dear Nico Carpentier,
We would be most grateful if you would disseminate Hipertext.net CFP 
(num.25, November 2022) in the distribution list The COMMLIST.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best wishes,

Pere Freixa
Hipertext.net Director
Universitat Pompeu Fabra

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Hipertext.net | Call for Papers:
Interfaces: networks, ecology and evolution


Guest editors:
Carlos A. Scolari
Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
(carlosalberto.scolari /at/ upf.edu) <mailto:(carlosalberto.scolari /at/ upf.edu)>

Francisco Albarello
Universidad Austral – Argentina
(falbarello /at/ austral.edu.ar) <mailto:(falbarello /at/ austral.edu.ar)>

Deadline for submission: September 1st, 2022
Notification of acceptance: October 15th, 2022
Publication: November 2022

Introduction

The concept of ‘interface’ appeared at the end of the 19th century to 
designate a surface or membrane that separated two substances, but, at 
the same time, served as a filter between them. Throughout the 20th 
century, the concept was used in countless situations and theoretical 
contexts. Perhaps the most widespread and prolific use has been in the 
field of Human-Computer Interaction: since the 1980s the concept of 
‘graphical user interface’ (GUI) has been displacing other uses and 
meanings. Today, when someone says the word ‘interface’, everyone 
immediately thinks of a mouse, a joystick, or an interactive screen. 
However, some researchers have explored the concept and used it to 
conceptualize or describe situations that go beyond the traditional user 
sitting in front of an interactive screen (Lévy, 1990; Johnson, 1999; 
Galloway, 2012).

On many occasions, scientific concepts -and their statements- continue 
to be used even though their ability to describe and explain the world 
has clearly diminished. Ulrich Beck considered that most concepts in 
sociology "are misleading to some extent" (2004:145) and proposed the 
category of ‘zombie concepts’ to define categories that endure after 
their death. Beck acknowledged that "maybe we need some new categories", 
but "we would have to make this shift in a very sophisticated way, with 
maybe some new concepts that are close to the specific people, networks, 
and experiences we are working with" (154). Furthermore, he argued that 
“sociologists should start doing their job in the right way: they should 
start redefining society beyond its zombie categories” (163). In this 
context of semantic and epistemological renewal, the concept of 
‘interface’ can become a very useful category to understand the changes 
in contemporary society and guide concrete actions to deal with its 
problems.

To transform the concept of ‘interface’ into a flexible and useful 
analytical tool, the first condition is to leave the ‘graphical user 
interface’ behind and take it to another level. The interface understood 
as a network of actors, relationships and processes is a first step in 
that direction (Scolari, 2021). The expansion of the concept of 
‘interface’, and its application to all kinds of social, technological, 
economic, or cultural processes, must be accompanied by theoretical and 
methodological work that only empirical praxis can generate. Although in 
recent years this perspective has been applied to museums (Scolari, 
2020), video games (Scolari, Pires, and Masanet, 2022) or new actors in 
media ecology (Scolari and Establés, 2020; Tomasena and Scolari, 2022), 
there are many roads to travel and interfaces to explore.

The editors are pleased to invite researchers from all over the world to 
submit their proposals. Both theoretical contributions and practical 
applications of the 'extended' model of the interface will be positively 
valued. The following topics are presented as a guideline, but they are 
not exclusive:

• Theory of interfaces: beyond Human-Computer Interaction.
• Relations of the interface theory with other theoretical frameworks 
(relational sociology, actor-network theory, social construction of 
technology, etc.).
• Relationships of the concept of ‘interface’ with other adjacent 
concepts (‘medium’, ‘platform’, ‘field’, etc.).
• Interface metaphors. New metaphors to think about interfaces beyond 
the interface as an instrument, as a network, etc. Possibilities and 
limitations of each metaphor.
• Analysis focused on the interface: application and evaluation of 
qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. Difficulties and 
methodological possibilities of an interface-centered analysis.
• Practical applications of the interface theory in different fields 
(educational, cultural, urban, political, gastronomic, sports, etc.): 
from the identification of tensions and critical points to the redesign 
of interfaces.
• Challenges presented by the graphic representation of networks of 
actors, relationships, and processes.
• Ecology and evolution of interfaces. Concepts, theories, and analyses.
• Interfaces and innovation processes: the analysis of interfaces as a 
preliminary phase of Design Thinking processes.


Bibliography:

Ash, J. (2015). The Interface Envelope. Gaming, Technology, Power. 
Bloomsbury.
Beck, U. (2004). The cosmopolitan turn. In: N. Gane (ed.) The Future of 
Social Theory. Continuum.
Galloway, A. (2012). The Interface Effect. Polity Press.
Johnson, S. (1999). Interface Culture: How New Technology Transforms the 
Way We Create and Communicate. Basic Books.
Lévy, P. (1990). Les Technologies de l’intelligence. L’avenir de la 
pensée à l’ère informatique. La Découverte.
Scolari, C.A. (2021). Las leyes de la interfaz. Gedisa (1º edición: 2018).
Scolari, C.A. (2020). El museo como interfaz. De la crisis al rediseño. 
In: AAVV. El museo sin cuerpo. K6 Gestión Cultural.
Scolari, C. A. & Establés, M. J. (2020). Ecología mediática en tiempos 
de pandemia: virus, comunicación e interfaces. En: Cartografía de la 
comunicación post digital: medios y audiencias en la Sociedad de la 
COVID-19/Post digital communication cartography: media & audiences in 
COVID-19 Society (pp.57-72). Cizur Menor: Civitas Thomson Reuters.
Scolari, C. A., Pires, F. & Masanet, M.-J. (2022). Gamers never play 
alone: An interface-centred analysis of online video gaming. First 
Monday, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v27i1.11623 
<https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v27i1.11623>
Tomasena, J.M. & Scolari, C.A. (2022). Books, Videos & Platforms: 
Exploring the BookTube interface. Paper accepted to the 72nd Annual ICA 
Conference, Paris, 26-30 May 2022.


Information and contact:

Carlos A. Scolari
Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona
(carlosalberto.scolari /at/ upf.edu) <mailto:(carlosalberto.scolari /at/ upf.edu)>
Francisco Albarello
Universidad Austral – Argentina
(falbarello /at/ austral.edu.ar) <mailto:(falbarello /at/ austral.edu.ar)>

Deadline for submission: September 1st, 2022
Notification of acceptance: October 2022
Publication: November 2022
Author guidelines: http://raco.cat/index.php/Hipertext/about/submissions 
<http://raco.cat/index.php/Hipertext/about/submissions>

Section Policies:
• Papers. Original texts of between 4,000 and 8,000 words, excluding the 
bibliography. Recommended structure: introduction, theoretical 
framework, methodology, results, discussion, and references.
• Analysis and case studies. Texts of between 4,000 and 8,000 words, 
excluding the bibliography. With free structure.
• Letters. Texts of between 1,000 and 3,000 words. Recommended 
structure: introduction, report, discussion, references.

Publication Fees:
Hipertext.net is an open access journal which means that all content is 
freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. The 
authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge (APC)

Languages:
Originals written in Spanish, English and Catalan are accepted

Revision:
Peer Review

Contact: Editorial team, (hipertext /at/ upf.edu) <mailto:(hipertext /at/ upf.edu)>

About the Journal:
http://raco.cat/index.php/Hipertext/about 
<http://raco.cat/index.php/Hipertext/about>

Hipertext.net prioritizes states of the art and the results of research 
projects through competitive calls. It provides an open space for other 
national and international groups and researchers who are willing to 
publicize their state-of-the-art accomplishments, case studies, 
conceptual models and research results related to Digital Information 
Science and Interactive Communication.
Hipertext.net is an Open Access academic publication created and 
promoted by the Information Science and Digital Media research group 
(DigiDoc) of the Department of Communication at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

More about call for papers:
https://raco.cat/index.php/Hipertext/announcement/view/160

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