*CFP* "A NEW MEANING OF VIRAL: COVID-19 AND INTERNET MEMES", EDITED COLLECTION

After completing four essays (two with a co-author), which are set to be published in different collections, on COVID-19 Internet memes, this collection seeks to include novel perspectives in addition to these to be gathered in a meme-focused volume, especially since online practices and behaviors have become the critical forms of expression during the pandemic.

Topics include but are not limited to:

Public figures during the pandemic
Online expressions of biases
Analyses of common meme background images used for the coronavirus
Depictions of the virus itself
Pandemic practices
Representations of lockdown
Celebrities

*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?

*CFP* "#TALKINGPOINTS - TWITTER AND CIVIC DEBATE", EDITED VOLUME

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?

This volume, edited by Gwen Bouvier and Judith E. Rosenbaum, 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.