[Air-L] CFP: Theorizing the Web 2016

[David Banks]

Theorizing the Web 2015

April 15–16 in New York City

Venue: the Museum of the Moving Image, in Queens

Abstract submission deadline: 11:59 pm (EST), January 24, 2016

Theorizing the Web is an annual event featuring critical, conceptual
discussions about technology and society. We began in 2011 to advance a
different kind of conversation about the Web, one which recognizes that to
theorize technology is also to theorize the self and the social world.
Given that technology is inseparable from society, the ideas and approaches
that have historically been used to describe social reality must not be
abandoned. Instead, these historical approaches must be applied, reworked,
and reassessed in light of the developing digitization of social life.

We are now seeking presentations for our sixth annual event, which will
take place on April 15 and 16 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York
City. We invite submissions that engage with issues of social power,
inequality, vulnerability, and justice from a diverse range of
perspectives. Theorizing the Web is not an event just for academics or
“tech” thinkers: activists, journalists, technologists, writers, artists,
and folks who don’t identify as any of the above are all encouraged to
submit a presentation abstract.

We are looking for abstracts that feature clear conceptual arguments and
that avoid jargon in favor of more broadly accessible critical insight.
Submissions on any topic are welcome, but some specific topics we’d like to
address this year include:

--moving images, gifs, video, live streaming, copcams

--social photography, filters, selfies, posing

--race, racism, race posturing, ethnicity, #BlackLivesMatter

--sex, gender, feminism, queer and trans* politics

--sexuality, sexting, sex work, consent

--mental health, illness, neurodiversity

--(dis)ability and ableism

--non-Western Web(s), language barriers, hegemony, globalization

--social movements, protest, revolution, social control, censorship

--hate, harassment, intimidation, trolling, bullying, resistance

--pain, sickness, loss, death and dying

--parenting, birth, life course

--bodies, cyborgs, wearables, trans/post-humanism, bots

--the self, identity, subjectivity, (in)authenticity, impression management

--privacy, publicity, surveillance

--encryption, anonymity, pseudonymity

--presence, proximity, face-to-face, (dis)connection, loneliness

--capitalism, Silicon Valley, venture capital

--crowd funding, micro currencies, crypto currencies, blockchains

--work, labor, “gig” or “sharing” economy, “Uber for”, exploitation

--transportation, self-driving cars, drones, cities

--code, affordances, infrastructure, critical design

--knowledge, “big” data, data science, algorithms, positivism

--memes, virality, metrics, (micro-)celebrity, fame, attention,
click-baiting

--underground markets, child porn, revenge porn, the extra-legal web

--fiction, literature, visual narratives, storytelling, self-publishing,
fandoms

--time, (a)temporality, ephemerality, history, memory, right to forget

--games, gaming, gamification, free-to-play, fantasy sports, gambling

--elections, campaigns, presidential politics

Successful abstracts will address intersections of gender, race, class,
age, sexual orientation, disability, and other forms of inequality as they
pertain to any of the topics above.

Abstract submissions should be 300 to 500 words (only the first 500 words
will be reviewed). Arguments should be scaled to fit 12-minute panel
presentations, and titles should appeal to a general audience. Your
submission should not only describe your topic and question but also
summarize your thinking and your conclusions. Good abstracts will provide a
specific, original argument with clear stakes. Please do not ask questions
in your abstract without answering them, or state “I will make an argument
about X” without making the argument.

Note that, because Theorizing the Web deeply values public engagement, we
expect all TtW16 presentations to be both comprehensible and rewarding to
people from outside the presenter’s specific areas of expertise.

Abstract submissions are due by 11:59 EST on January 24, 2016, and can be
submitted through our form located at theorizingtheweb.org/submit. The
TtW16 selection committee will blindly review all submissions. Space is
limited, and selection is competitive. Our acceptance rate is typically 20%
to 35%.

Please note that we have a separate submissions process for art and
alternative-format presentations. If you would like to participate in some
way that isn’t giving a spoken presentation (e.g., displaying a piece of
art; giving a performance; doing something else entirely), please use this
separate submission form: http://tinyurl.com/ttw16alt

Registration for Theorizing the Web remains “pay what you can,” and we ask
that you donate whatever amount you deem fair or can afford (minimum $1).
More information (including the registration form) can be found at
theorizingtheweb.tumblr.com/2016/registration.

Stay tuned to theorizingtheweb.org for announcements about invited panels,
and mail us at theorizingtheweb at gmail.com if you would like to help out
with our all-volunteer event in any way.

The conference hashtag is #TtW16.

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