Democracy by Collision or Connection?: The Crisis of the Public Commons
Co-edited by Michael Hoechsmann and María Luisa Zorrilla
Call for Proposals
If democracy depends on common space and language, the question of where and how we “do” democracy is paramount. In the past two decades, an oft chaotic digital public sphere has emerged as a counterweight to the vestiges of a common public sphere. The digital public sphere is a highly diverse space if seen simply from the point of view of “voice” – anyone, anywhere, with a mobile device and an Internet connection can express themselves online. However, the Internet has also become a landscape of “walled gardens” and monetized, datafied corporate controlled spaces.
We are at an historical turning point, where multiple crises are converging and the need for common spaces for dialogue is acute. The Internet should provide this space, but it does not appear to be offering the public commons that we require in order to provide a forum for excluded voices. In this issue, we are looking for examples of voice and expression that engage with the multiple crises in which we find ourselves. This is a call for the utopian side of the coin, even when speaking of the dystopian realities many are living. We are interested in solution-oriented submissions that speak to what is possible, if the public commons were focused on the common good.
This call is intended to be inclusive of the teachers, media practitioners and community organizers that make up this community, alongside academics and other researchers.
Topics/Issues:
- Regardless of all of the pitfalls of social media and the Internet, groups and individuals continue to use it to express themselves in a prosocial manner.
- The Internet was an open space in its early days. It has been taken over by a small number of corporations which mine content and monetize it as data.
- The “traditional media” represented more or less homogenous, dominant groups; the participatory Web has opened space to diverse voices.
- The “traditional media” was known to be agenda setting; the datafied Web has led to fragmented publics in echo chambers.
- The economic models of traditional journalism have been disrupted. This has caused a decline in – and threat to – professional journalism.
- The Internet has become a source of outrage culture. The term “woke” among others is used to attack social justice language without any meaningful engagement.
- AI poses a threat to human creativity, though it can be a tool for expression if used responsibly and critically.
- Social movements and historically marginalized communities use the Internet as a vehicle for expression and mobilization.
- Participatory media projects empower participants and enable important perspectives.
Manuscript Format Options:
The JML Editorial Team encourages a variety of types of submissions for this issue. Please consider any of the following formats for your responses to the above call:
- Scholarly works (original research, program and practice features, reports and briefings, case studies, action research)
- Editorials/opinions
- Books or media reviews
- Photo essays
- Audio essays
- Sound stories
- Personal reflections, stories, blog posts, journals
- Interviews, dialogues, or conversations as written works or podcasts
- Multimedia works – video compilations, animations, live productions, infographics/diagrams/drawings with explanations
To Submit a Proposal:
If you are interested, please create a brief expression of interest that includes: a tentative title, author(s), abstract (250 words), and description of manuscript format, using this Google form. We hope you will consider adding to the success of this special issue by submitting a contribution!
Calendar of Publication:
May 15th – First round of proposals due
May 24th – First round of acceptance notifications go out to authors
July 10th – Second round of proposals due
July 15th – Second round of acceptance notifications go out to authors
August 15th – Early submission of completed manuscript
September 15th – Final submission of completed manuscript with abstract, keywords, authors’ headshot, bio, thumbnail image, and any other necessary images/graphics/files
Sept/Oct. – Editorial committee reviews and works with authors on final edits
Oct/Nov. – Layout and journal design work, final looks by authors and editors
December 1st – Publication Date
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