Call for Paper Proposals - Submission Deadline: May 5th, 2023.
File size: 180 kB
German Version
File size: 178 kB
Presentations
a) Presentation of current research (without thematic specification)
The conference aims to create a forum for current research in the fields of digital communication and gender studies in communication science in its entire breadth. It thus enables a stronger exchange between the divisions. This is to take place in the form of presentations and subsequent discussions. There are no thematic requirements set for submissions. Both theoretical and empirical contributions from the fields mentioned above are welcome.
b) Submissions to the conference theme: (Non-)binarity in Binary Structures
Digital technologies play a crucial role in the representation and negotiation of gender identities. As in other areas of society, the norm of binary gender categories has shaped digital communication from the very beginning. However, the coexistence of binary and non-binary affordances is increasingly apparent, as not only the linguistic code but also the code of software must be reconceptualized from a queer theoretical perspective to adequately represent gender identities beyond binary categories (Bivens, 2017). In this regard, social media platforms are crucial, as they show us the simultaneous existence and non-existence of gender binaries. The conference is dedicated to the associated challenges and opportunities from a communication research and gender perspective. Therefore, research contributions on binary and non-binary gender identities in digital media environments will be presented and discussed in a topic-specific panel. Possible questions address, for example:
- Theories of the digital public sphere: Which theoretical approaches are applicable for describing and explaining (non-)binarity in digital structures and their effects? (e.g., critical theoretical approaches to technology, queer theory, and insights from science and technology studies)
- Representations, portrayals, and effects: How are (non-)binary identities represented in digital media environments? How do they represent themselves (e.g., avatars, profiles)? How do distortions in the representation of gender or their portrayal, for example, affect perceptions, attitudes, or behavior?
- Participation and discourse: What conditions characterize the participation of (non-)binary gender identities in digital publics (e.g., hate speech, fake news)?
- Methodology: How can non-binarity be captured in quantitative and qualitative research What are new methodological approaches needed?
- Regulation and policies: What are platform operators and policymakers doing to make digital media environments gender-inclusive? What role do economic (e.g., business models) and political conditions play in this?
Submission Guidelines
Anonymized abstracts (4.000 to 5.000 characters, including spaces, excluding references and appendices) can be submitted until 05 May 2023 in PDF format using the platform ConfTool:
https://www.conftool.pro/digicomm2023/.
Please indicate whether the contribution is to the a) open or b) topic-specific panel. Contributions to the open panel a) can be submitted in English or German. Contributions to the conference topic b) should be submitted in English.
All submissions will be peer-reviewed according to the following criteria, which are standard in the DGPuK: thematic fit to the call (in case of submission for the topic-specific panel), theoretical foundation, the relevance of the research question, appropriateness of the method/approach, novelty value/originality, clarity as well as conciseness of the presentation. The review process results will be announced at the end of June 2023. The organizers plan to publish selected contributions on the conference topic in an international journal special issue.