[Air-L] CfP: "Distributed Citizenship: Sharing, Shifting, and Appropriating the Chores of Democracy Across Platforms, Networks, and Infrastructures"

[Özlem Demirkol Tönnesen]

Call for Papers - Special Section in the International Journal of Communication
Title: "Distributed Citizenship: Sharing, Shifting, and Appropriating the Chores of Democracy Across Platforms, Networks, and Infrastructures"

Guest Editors: Emilija Gagrcin, Hallvard Moe, Ozlem Demirkol-Tonnesen, Mehri Agai

// Timeline //

  *   Workshop abstract deadline: 15 December 2025
  *   Workshop in Bergen: Early March 2026
  *   Submission deadline for full papers: 31 May 2026
  *   Expected publication: Summer 2027

No payment from authors will be required for publication in this Special Section.

FULL CALL: https://www4.uib.no/en/research/research-projects/distributed-and-prepared-a-new-theory-of-citizens-public-connection-networks-in-the-age-of-datafication-prepare/call-for-papers-special-section-on-distributed-citizenship

// Scope //
Algorithmic curation and generative AI intensify the connections between media, platforms, institutions, and citizens. They also highlight how democratic life depends on the capacity of ordinary people to manage shifting burdens of political information. While an abundance of information sources can make engagement more convenient, it also raises issues of distraction, uncertainty, and credibility. Citizens must become more selective about what they pay attention to, whom they trust, and when they act.

Debates about the role of citizens in democracy often rely on the ideal of the informed citizen. More recent research suggests that most people act instead as monitorial citizens who delegate aspects of public connection to trusted sources, personal networks, and now AI-mediated intermediaries. This raises questions about when delegation supports democratic engagement and when it undermines it.

This Special Section invites contributions that examine how distribution works, when it enables democratic action, and when it deepens inequalities.

// Guiding Questions //
We welcome empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions. Studies may use surveys, digital methods, qualitative approaches, ethnography, experiments, or mixed methods. Submissions from outside Western democracies and from marginalised or understudied publics are strongly encouraged.

Possible themes include:

(1) Everyday distribution of attention and knowledge

  *   How is attention to policy domains such as climate, housing, or migration distributed within households, peer groups, or online communities?
  *   How do news-avoidant or otherwise disconnected publics assemble alternative repertoires, and at what point does distribution limit awareness or willingness to engage?

(2) Spaces and practices of civic delegation

  *   Which offline or online third spaces (for example gaming servers, influencer streams, neighbourhood chats) facilitate civic engagement or the delegation of democratic tasks?
  *   How do communicative modes and AI-driven intermediaries shape rhythms of attention, exposure, and activation? How do they equalise or exacerbate inequalities in encountering policy information, misinformation, or selective visibility?

(3) Infrastructures, methods, and media systems

  *   How can mixed-methods or experimental designs combining digital traces, diaries, interviews, or ethnography reveal who "sounds" and who "hears" the alarms across different media environments?
  *   How do media systems and political communication actors shape or adapt to distributed patterns of attention and civic activation?

// Workshop in Bergen (5-6 March 2026) //
Interested authors may submit a 500-word abstract outlining their approach, data, and connection to the call. Participation in the workshop is encouraged but not required for submitting a full paper. Funding for accommodation and, where needed, travel may be available.
Abstract submission deadline: 15 December 2025 (23:59 CET).
Decisions will be sent by 15 January 2026.

// Contact //
Content-related questions: Emilija.Gagrcin at uib.no<mailto:Emilija.Gagrcin at uib.no> or Hallvard.Moe at uib.no<mailto:Hallvard.Moe at uib.no>
Organisational and logistical questions: Lene.Angelskar at uib.no<mailto:Lene.Angelskar at uib.no>

We look forward to receiving your abstracts!