BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//MediaWell - ECPv6.6.4.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:MediaWell
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for MediaWell
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/Berlin
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:+0100
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
TZNAME:CEST
DTSTART:20260329T010000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0100
TZNAME:CET
DTSTART:20261025T010000
END:STANDARD
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260515T000000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260515T235959
DTSTAMP:20261019T025900
CREATED:20260413T194543Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T194543Z
UID:516012-1778803200-1778889599@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Call for Papers: Measuring Media Use and Effects | Annual Conference of the Methods Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK)
DESCRIPTION:The increasing availability of digital behavioral data and computational tools has transformed how communication researchers study media use\, exposure\, and effects. These developments offer unprecedented analytical depth – but also introduce new complexities in measurement\, theory-building\, and ethical practice. This year’s conference of the Methods Division invites contributions that advance and critically engage with computational approaches to the measurement of media use and effects – through methodological innovation\, conceptual refinement\, or empirical application. \nWe seek submissions that explore how computational methods can not only extend but also rethink established approaches to studying media exposure\, its drivers\, and its consequences. \nThe deadline for submission is May 15\, 2026. Submissions can be in English or German. \nClick here to learn more.
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/call-for-papers-measuring-media-use-and-effects-annual-conference-of-the-methods-division-of-the-german-communication-association-dgpuk/
CATEGORIES:Call for Paper or Proposal
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260515T000000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260515T235959
DTSTAMP:20261019T025900
CREATED:20260413T202505Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260413T202505Z
UID:516019-1778803200-1778889599@mediawell.ssrc.org
SUMMARY:Conspiracy Theories in the Wake of Disaster | Call for Papers for Edited Volume
DESCRIPTION:In late September\, 2024\, Hurricane Helene made landfall in the continental United States\, churning its way up the Atlantic seaboard. The storm devastated North Carolina with massive rainfall and flooding of towns such as Asheville. All told\, the damage from Helene totaled over 50 billion dollars and the loss of entire communities. But Hurricane Helene inadvertently produced another storm in its wake\, a deluge of conspiracy theories about the “true” cause of the hurricane and about the response from the Federal government. Even as the Biden administration rushed to respond to the destruction\, conspiracy theories began circulating on X.com (formerly Twitter) about Biden ignoring the destruction due to senility\, about the government using the hurricane as a pretext for nefarious deeds\, and\, perhaps most bizarre of all\, about Federal agencies using secret weather technology to steer the hurricane into conservative parts of the country to dampen electoral turnout. Donald Trump\, then candidate for president\, circulated some of these conspiracy theories himself on Truth Social\, claiming that President Biden steered disaster aid to illegal immigrants\, among other lies. (Waldman and Aton\, 2024). The spread of these conspiracy theories forced the Federal Emergency Management Agency\, long a villain in conspiracy theory discourse\, to publish a fact-checking website to deal with public outrage (FEMA.gov). These false claims hindered disaster relief efforts and impacted the 2024 elections as Americans responded in outrage to perceived incompetence by the Biden administration (Gollom\, 2024).\n\nThe story of Hurricane Helene’s aftermath is not new. Conspiracy theories circulate in the wake of disasters because these events are such traumatic and sensational eruptions in media coverage that alternative narratives about their “true” causes are almost inevitable. If disasters are events that render the unthinkable thinkable (Cerulo\, 2006)\, then conspiracy theories twist this revelatory moment into a warped attempt to think about something else. They provide a context for disaster that provides a distorted simulacrum of an explanation of the destruction and death and loss by offering a convenient villain whose shadowy machinations are to blame for the tragic event. They turn what could be explained as an unfortunate but “normal accident” (Perrow\, 1999)\, into proof of nefarious agents. Shifting the focus from the human role in creating and exacerbating disastrous conditions (Erikson\, 1995)\, to a way of blaming a secretive cabal. And because many disasters are caused by human error or negligence or complicated historical trajectories\, conspiracy theories may seem plausible even when they are not. Conspiracism offers a satisfying explanation for the spectacle of destruction\, rooted in narratives about evildoers who cause such pain and anguish (Rice\, 2020). While at the same time providing a comforting assurance that the skeptics\, unlike the supposed experts\, are the ones who know the real explanation for what has happened (Murphy\, 2006; Buhs\, 2009).\n\nSuch conspiracy theories are detrimental because they produce suspicion\, fear\, and anger toward the very agencies responsible for responding to these disasters\, while undermining efforts to understand the decisions that have been made over decades (if not centuries) that generated the risks that eventually turned into disasters. And in the age of social media\, conspiracy theories can circulate with incredible speed and scope\, fueled by recommendation algorithms and the attention economy which ensures that the most sensational content is incentivized (Valaskivi\, 2022; Popken\, 2018). While thinking about worst case scenarios plays an important role in disaster preparedness (Clarke\, 2006; Thomas\, 2021; Wuthnow\, 2010)\, events such as Hurricane Helene demonstrate that today even as organizations like FEMA try to manage crises on the ground they find themselves bogged down combatting conspiracy theories online.\n\nConspiracy Theories in the Wake of Disaster will combine conspiracy theory research with disaster studies to launch a new horizon for research focused on the relationship between disasters and conspiracy\, which we see as an understudied and fruitful area of study. Contributions can include multiple authors from various disciplines and methodological approaches\, including work from sociology\, history\, communications\, philosophy\, information studies\, data science\, and other relevant disciplines\, and we are especially interested in approaches from science and technology studies\, extremism and conspiracism studies\, and disaster studies.\n\nAbstracts of 250-300 words and biographical statements will be due by May 15th\, 2026. Please send materials to both Matthew N. Hannah at matthew.hannah@wisc.edu and Zachary Loeb at zloeb@purdue.edu. While we are still working on identifying a press\, but we are currently in discussion with editors about publishing the book.\n\n\nPossible topics of interest include:\n\nHurricanes\, conspiracism\, and recovery efforts\nWildfire and water/forest management conspiracy theories\nMysterious technologies as cause of disasters\nAnalysis of social media discussions following disaster (Telegram\, X\, Truth Social)\nConspiracy theories about Federal disaster agencies such as FEMA or NOAA\nDisaster preparedness efforts and public conspiracism\nAnthropogenic disasters (Fukushima\, 3-Mile Island) and conspiracy theories\nFalse-flag operations and disasters (September 11)\nThe impact of conspiracism on civil society in the wake of disasters\nGeoengineering and disasters\nClimate change conspiracy theories
URL:https://mediawell.ssrc.org/event/conspiracy-theories-in-the-wake-of-disaster-call-for-papers-for-edited-volume/
CATEGORIES:Call for Paper or Proposal
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR