*CFP* "#TALKINGPOINTS: TWITTER AND CIVIC DEBATE", EDITED VOLUME WITH PALGRAVE-MACMILLAN

This is a final call for abstracts for this volume, edited by Dr Gwen Bouvier (Maynooth University, Ireland) and Dr Judith E. Rosenbaum (Maine University, USA). The CFP deadline is Tue 30 Oct, and abstracts should be 300-450 words. The volume is under consideration with Palgrave-MacMillan.

With its hashtags, trending topics, and 280-character messages, Twitter has become the place to watch ideas, movements, and communities develop and become part of a global consciousness. While some scholars and social commentators are excited at the increased visibility of groups and ideas commonly excluded from mainstream discourse, as well as the possibility of dialogue between groups, others have expressed concern about the presence of echo chambers and filter bubbles, as well as the lack of “real” interaction. This raises the question what discussions on Twitter actually look like. Is there real engagement? What voices are heard and magnified, and which ones are backgrounded, or missing altogether? What kinds of conversations unfold on the platform, and do they contribute to or even qualify as civic debate?

The volume seeks to shed light on the nature of the debates witnessed on Twitter through a consideration of a multitude of methodological and theoretical viewpoints. We are seeking contributions from a variety of backgrounds that consider the various types of conversations on Twitter, the users who engage in these conversations, and the impact these conversations have.

We welcome abstracts from across disciplines and methods, although proposals that present findings based on empirical analysis, including quantitative, qualitative, ethnographic or political economic, are preferred. Studies can focus on a range of aspects, from the smaller details of conversation to trends that point to broader changes and patterns in use and participation, as well as issues of resistance, marginalization of voices, off-line/ on-line relations, community management, patterns in uses of platforms and campaigning and/or activism.

Please send abstracts and a CV to the editors Gwen Bouvier gwen.bouvier@gmail.com and/or Judith E. Rosenbaum judith.rosenbaumandre@maine.edu. The deadline for full chapters is April 1, 2019. Peer review will take place over May and June, and the revised chapters will be due September 1, 2019.