Call for Abstracts

Edited volume: Live Streaming Culture
Editors: Johanna Brewer, Bo Ruberg, Amanda L. L. Cullen, and Christopher Persaud
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J8W7er3wrnNNxS98EoyJwCBZ60sCtnqbAZ1ikqYBkL8

Abstract Deadline: July 17, 2020

Live streaming is a rapidly growing phenomenon that is having profound effects on the contemporary landscape of digital media, entertainment, and online culture. Across the internet, live streaming takes an array of forms: from gaming-focused sites like Twitch and Mixer, where millions of viewers watch live video gameplay, to social media sites like Facebook and YouTube, where streamers translate their day-to-day lives into broadcasts. As with all technological platforms, live streaming is deeply shaped by (and also itself actively shapes) broader cultural issues.

This edited volume will take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of cultural issues in live streaming. Examples of topic areas include but are not limited to: identity, community, power, access, aesthetics, gender, sexuality, race, disability, discrimination, harassment, politics, and activism. While important fundamental work on live streaming has been done by game studies scholars like T. L. Taylor, Mia Consolvo, and Will Partin (among many others), this collection will expand that research to a broader network of questions around the relationship between live streaming and society.

We understand live streaming to encompass many forms of real-time broadcasting online-such as “Just Chatting” streams on Twitch, social eating on YouTube, live music on Facebook, webcam modeling on MyFreeCams, as well as video and analog gameplay. Scholars, methods, and perspectives from across disciplines are all welcome, as long as they are rooted in the cultures, human experiences, and histories that surround live streaming. Contributions from non-academics, including streamers and community organizers, are also encouraged.

Contributions may take one of the following general formats:

• Academic article written for an interdisciplinary audience. Accessible writing is appreciated.
• First-person account of experiences with streaming or streaming communities.
• Q&A-style interview with live streamers or others involved in live streaming cultures.
• Research- or experience-based call to action, such as arguments for new approaches to design, community management, or platform policy.

Abstracts of 300-500 words are due by July 17, 2020 and can be submitted to the contact address above. Authors can expect to hear back regarding abstracts by August 14. Full paper submissions of 3,000 – 5,000 words will be due December 18. Any citation style is acceptable for abstracts.

We know these are challenging times and we are willing to work with potential contributors on deadlines. If you have questions, please feel free to send a quick query to Johanna Brewer (johanna@anykey.org) and Bo Ruberg (bruberg@uci.edu).