CfP: (Mis)information in times of uncertainty: journalism, democracy and social networks
Call for papers: Mediapolis- Revista de Comunicação, Jornalismo e Espaço Público
Title: (Mis)information in times of uncertainty: journalism, democracy and social networks
Deadline: 2 January 2020
Publication: second half of 2020
While fake news, misinformation and media manipulation processes are not new, never before has so much been said about their dangers and impacts. Recent interference in election processes, the escalation of hate speech and intolerance and the concern with personal data have brought these issues to the forefront of public discussion. Moreover, the discussion about misinformation is today re-focused on three critical factors: the rise of new players who now dominate the mediatised public space, the role of social media and the Internet, and the growing feeling that facts are not always unquestionable. In fact, the European Commission itself has highlighted the fact that fake news today are but a small slice of the broader problem of “misinformation”, which is now viewed by many as an intrinsic part of the very media ecosystem.
The forecasts produced more than a decade ago at the dawn of the social networks, and perhaps for this reason still mesmerised by the novelty of the phenomenon, saw in these new opportunities for communication and sociability an open door to great changes, which promised to be a true knowledge-driven revolution. However, although there has never been so much information available than today, signs of obscurantism that are reflected in negationism, in the growing ideological polarisation and in a profound mistrust of the other are increasingly more visible. Bound by economic limitations and seduced by clickbaits and nonsensical contents, journalism has been incapable of swimming against the tide of infoxication, of informing in order to form emancipated, participative citizens, eager for knowledge.
It is, therefore, in this permanently connected society in which information circulates incessantly that a new player has risen from the ashes of the old mass media monopoly. These are times when anyone without specific training in how to construct information, with no reputation or even major means can disseminate information with a reach that was once reserved for large media corporations. Despite this new individual protagonism, as in other times of change, citizens are not yet prepared to deal with this reality.
Although fake newsis not an entirely new phenomenon, the other side of the coin, which is post-truth, has given fresh impetus to its discussion and analysis.
In this thematic issue of Mediapoliswe aim to take a broad and diverse look at this range of topics through conceptual and empirical approaches, promoting a broad reflection on the meaning and value of democracy and information.
The editors of this Mediapolisedition wish to call for the submission of papers which, among other topics pertaining to this context, will address:
- Post-truth, truth and relativisation of facts
- Case studies and forms of misinformation in the digital context
- Taxonomy of core concepts to understand current-day misinformation
- Transparency, crisis and confidence in the media and journalism
- Algorithms, filter bubbles and online serendipity
- Regulation and self-regulation processes
- The influence of misinformation in democracy and, in particular, in election processes
- Media literacy as part of the answer
- Fact-checking and other forms of fighting misinformation
- Misinformation, nationalism and populisms
- The citizen’s role in the post-truth ecosystem
- Deep fake and the new forms of manipulation
- Understanding dissemination processes
- Cognitive processes related with polarisation, validation of personal beliefs and emotions
The paper submission deadline is 2 January 2020. Authors will be informed within no more than one month whether their papers have been accepted and/or require any corrections.
All papers must follow the Mediapolisstandard referencing style.
