*CFP* "FORMATION OF OPINIONS IN EVOLVING PUBLIC SPHERES", MERZWISSENSCHAFT 2019

Public discourse is of enormous importance in democratic societies and has for many years been primarily medial in nature. The current transformation in the media landscape, in particular in the online world, raises a number of questions regarding the significance of media for the processes involved in formation of opinions. Some examples here are network-specific forms of communitization in homogenous interest groups or in groups which are dominated by highly polarizing extremist positions, the significance of filter bubbles and filter clash, alternative facts and fake news. With a particular eye to social networking services, another example is the role of social media influencers, the impact of information intermediaries as well as the use of image-based and audio-visual messages such as memes, GIFs and video clips as arguments in discourse. Structurally speaking other agents appear in addition to journalistic providers. In spite of the hope of democratizing public discourse through new possibilities for participation for all potentially informed citizens, currently the power of algorithms and the granularization of message contact give reason to ask:

*CFP* CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTER ON MEDIA RHETORIC

The book aims to provide an insightful, easy to understand, approach to an emerging field. It is committed to assume a multidisciplinary viewpoint and summon up developing domains within contemporary rhetoric in order to offer the reader a comprehensive assessment of Media’s persuasive dimension.

Also, it puts into prominence the role of Rhetoric in the configuration and practice of Media Studies as well as evidencing the new possibilities Media introduced in rhetoric and persuasion processes.

The edited book will present the state-of-the-art research providing a useful (conceptual and methodological) tool. His goal is to provide a starting point to the study of the many forms by which media takes us to think, feel, and act.