[csaa-forum] Cfp - New Media, Global Activism and Politics

[Angi Buettner]

Convergence
The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies

Call for Papers


Special issue on:  New Media, Global Activism and Politics
Vol. 20, no. 3 (August 2014)

Guest editors:  Carolyn Guertin (University of North Texas at Dallas) and Angi Buettner (Victoria University of Wellington)

Deadline for refereed research articles:  30 August 2013



Indignados. Arab Spring. #Occupy. The 99%. Idle No More. #Upsettler. GlobalNoise. Strike Debt. These are just some of the new terms to emerge from the global mass protests of the last two years. They are part of a sea change as political engagement, citizen journalism and tactical media evolve as tools of protest and communication. These terms mark only one small part of a much larger shift in media production and distribution that is the rise of user-generated content or social media. Within digital culture, the creative act has become a form of activism carried out through the repurposing of pre-existing materials and media for political change—and it is a practice that has swayed policy, overturned governments and politicized subcultures and peoples on a global scale.

In the 19th century, the crowd emerged as a new social force. It was a force, it was argued, that shook the foundations of society and led individuals to commit irrational acts. In the 21st century, we have seen the power of crowds re-emerge as an ostensibly smarter and more nimble cultural force empowered by mobile technologies, crowdsourcing methodologies and networked systems.  How has activism changed as a result of new technologies? How are new media enlisted to assist in the planning and enactment of socio-political change? How are governments and political candidates using social media? How has social media altered policies, elections and the democratic process?

Topics might include:


-        Hacktivism

-        Wikileaks

-        Arab Spring

-        #occupy

-        Indignados

-        Idle No More

-        #upsettlers

-        Global Noise

-        Crowdsourcing

-        Lobbying

-        Flashmobs, smart mobs or network armies

-        Riot simulation or protest modeling

-        Microblogging as a form of protest

-        Protest apps, including geolocative ones

-        Eco-activism

-        Activism in education

-        Gaming and new media activism

-        New media and the environment

-        Politics and new media

-        Activist or protest art

-        Appropriation, subvertising, culture jamming or memes

-        Slacktivism

-        Clicktivism

-        Cyberfeminism

-        DIY culture

-        Global protest networks

-        Participatory culture

-        eDemocracy

-        Government sponsored social media

-        Public media initiatives

-        Elections and social media

Queries may be directed to the guest editors, Carolyn Guertin at carolyn.guertin at gmail.com<mailto:carolyn.guertin at gmail.com> or Angi Buettner at Angi.Buettner at vuw.ac.nz<mailto:Angi.Buettner at vuw.ac.nz>.


Convergence is published by Sage and all contributors must consult the guide to manuscript submission at: http://www.uk.sagepub.com/journalsProdDesc.nav?prodId=Journal201774#tabview=manuscriptSubmission for details of house style.



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