Call for Papers: East Asian Media Culture in the Age of Digital Platforms

The process of digital platformization has been shifting the ways in which media and popular culture evolve in the global context (Burgess, 2021; Helmond, 2015). In particular, East Asian media industries have emerged at the center of the increasing transnational flows of popular culture via global platforms – from streaming platforms (e.g., Netflix and YouTube) to portal/network platforms (e.g., Naver and Rakuten). Major platform corporations have increasingly circulated East Asian content, whereas East Asian creators explore opportunities to produce and disseminate their content globally through the platforms. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, during which online entertainment experiences were widely integrated into audiences’ everyday lives, East Asian media have gained the momentum to penetrate global markets. Given the importance of global flows of East Asian media and popular culture through digital platforms, it is timely to explore how East Asian media industries, content, and audiences are integrated into the process of digital platformization. In light of the rapid digital platformization of media and popular culture, the proposed conferences aim to explore various aspects of digital platform-driven media industries, texts, and audiences in East Asia, including South Korea, Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. We welcome contributions that draw on theoretical and/or empirical analyses of digital platform-driven media practices. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

·      Digital platforms and content industries in East Asia

·      Digital platforms and audiences in East Asia

·      Tensions between global and local digital platform industries

·      Intra-Asian comparison of digital platform industries

·      Creative labor in the platform-driven East Asian media economy

·      Digital storytelling in platformized media industries of East Asia

Conference Organizing Committee

o  Organizers: Dal Yong Jin (Simon Fraser University) and Kyong Yoon (University of British Columbia Okanagan)

o  Co-organizer: Benjamin Han (University of Georgia)

Dates and Venues:

o  Conference 1: Simon Fraser University’s Vancouver campus (Oct 4 and 5)

o  Conference 2 (optional): University of British Columbia Okanagan campus (Oct 7)

Travel support: We provide some benefits to the presenters, including hotel, meals, and registration fees, and we are trying to find conference grants to support travel.

Outcomes: We would like to receive the papers by September 20, 2024. Your paper has neither been published previously nor submitted elsewhere. We plan to publish an edited volume.  

Abstract Submission: Mar. 18, 2024 (300 words) to djin@sfu.ca & kyong.yoon@ubc.ca

Call for Abstracts and Panel Proposals 

Inaugural Annual Korean American Communication Association Conference: Communication Research from KACA’s Perspectives

Washington DC, USA | April 12 – 13, 2024 

Korean American Communication Association (KACA) is launching its annual conference series, and the inaugural KACA conference will take place on April 12-13 in Washington D.C.
Celebrating KACA’s 50th anniversary in a few years and discussing future directions, it is essential to organize our regular conference series to advance various theoretical, conceptual, and academic frameworks that reflect and represent KACA’s growing scholarship. The conference aims to facilitate scholarly engagement in diverse fields of communication that address Korea-related communication phenomena.
KACA invites our members, communication scholars, and graduate students to submit abstracts for research presentations at this inaugural conference. We welcome all theoretical, methodological, and creative approaches to communication research. 

[Submission Instructions] 

Two types of submissions are invited: Abstract and Panel. Two separate files are required for both types of submissions:
(1) manuscript (abstract or panel proposal) and (2) cover page. 

Abstracts/Papers:

1. Manuscript 

The initial paper acceptance is based on an abstract submitted for competitive consideration. Abstracts can include either completed research or research-in-progress. Completed study has priority to be selected for programming. To complete the abstract submission, please follow the instructions below.  

• Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be submitted via the online submission form (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=kacacon2024 ) by the deadline. In the abstract, provide a blinded copy of your research. The abstract should be single-spaced, using 12-pt Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins all around one letter size (8.5 x 11 in) paper.
• Cover Page: Submit a separate cover page file along with the manuscript (abstract or panel proposal) file.  EasyChair will allow the author to upload multiple files. The cover page must include the following information:
•     Paper title
•     An abstract (50- 100 words)
•     5 to 8 keywords
•     Submission Categories: Open Submission or Student Submission*
•     All author names, email addresses, affiliations, and departments listed in the order they appear on the paper.
•     Corresponding author and contact information including e-mail address, mailing address, and phone number if different from the first author.

2. Panel Proposal 

• Abstract consisting of a 300-word rationale for the panel and 100-word abstracts of each of the papers (up to four papers) to be presented at the panel should be submitted via the EasyChair system (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=kacacon2024). In the panel proposal, provide a clear rationale for the importance of the panel with respect to the Korean communication scholarship. Provide a blinded copy of your proposal. Specifying a session chair is required, although respondent is optional. Panels shall avoid single-institution representation.  
• Cover Page: For the cover page, refer to the abstract submission session above.  

[Deadline]  

Both manuscript and cover page files need to be completed by the deadline (Monday, December 4th, 2023, at 11:59 pm, Eastern Time) for full consideration. Not following the procedure will result in disqualification of your abstract submission.  

[Attention] 

Each author is restricted to no more than two abstract submissions regardless of authorship status. For each submission, you will need a new entry separately following the link. All submissions will undergo a blind review process. Stay tuned to the KACA communications such as email listserv and social media channels for more information regarding registration and the latest updates of the conference. For further questions, please contact the conference chair, Dr. Jin-Ae Kang (kacacon2024@easychair.org (preferred) or kangj@ecu.edu ). 

Important Dates (all based on Eastern Time) 

• Abstract Submission Due: Monday, December 4th 11:59 pm 

• Acceptance Notification: Wednesday, January 10, 2024, 11:59 pm 

For presenters: 

Solicitation of travel grant (pending): Wednesday, January 10, 2024, 11:59 pm
Travel grant application due (pending): Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 11:59 pm
Paper Competition Submission Due: Friday, February 2nd, 2024, 11:59 pm 

[Paper Competition Round Submission Policies] 

Upload your completed papers to the EasyChair system (same link above) where you originally submitted your abstract by the deadline (Friday, February 2nd, 2024, 11:59 pm, ET). A completed research article is between 6000 and 9000 words, including references, figure captions, and endnotes.  

[Eligibility] 

You do not need to be a member of the KACA to submit an abstract. However, if your paper is accepted for the session, you will need to (1) be a member of the KACA, (2) register for the conference and (3) attend the conference to present your paper. For the KACA membership, visit http://www.thekaca.org/membership/   

[Travel Support and Other Benefits] 

• Contingent on funding approval, KACA will provide hotel accommodations and meals during the conference to all participants (one participant per paper) whose papers are accepted.  

• There will be a limited number of modest travel grants available by application to those who need further support, particularly graduate students.  

• Outstanding manuscripts that are recognized at the paper competition round will be invited to the Korean Journal of Communication for publication.   

KACA 2024 Inaugural Annual Conference Organizing Committee 

Conference Chairs:  

Jin-Ae Kang, Nojin Kwak, Dal Yong Jin, and Kwan Min Lee 

Conference Committee Members: 

Jihoon Kim, Jinhyon Kwon Hammick, Rachel Son, Jungyun Won 

Soyun Choi, Hyungrok Jin, Kibum Youn 

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*All authors must be students of the paper that is submitted to the student submission category. 

Call for Papers for the Special Issue in Global Storytelling: Journal of Digital and Moving Images

Special Issue Topic: Netflix and East Asian Audio-visual Culture

In the early 21^st century, Netflix fundamentally shifted the delivery model for global audio-visual content, and its unique characteristic as a program curator has made it a cultural mediator with the ability to shape local content productions. As global OTT (over-the-top) platforms, including Netflix and Disney+, play a pivotal role in cultural production, East Asian cultural products such as dramas, reality shows, films, and animation have experienced changes in genres, themes, visual style, and narratives. Netflix originals or licensed cultural programs are circulated simultaneously in many countries, compelling local cultural creators to adjust their production norms to attract Netflix and Netflix users. In South Korea, for example, the local audio-visual industry started to develop zombie, sci-fi, adventure, and dark thriller; and there are now a multitude of television dramas and films that focus on these genres and themes in the era of global OTTs. Netflix has also driven in changes in audiences' consumption habits in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other countries. East Asian cultural creators have re-oriented their standards in cultural production. On the other hand, Netflix has also been on the constant lookout for new genres and themes that have proven successful elsewhere including in East Asia. In Japan, for instance, based on the global success of several Anime products, Netflix plans to develop live-action and animated feature films originating from the country.

The ongoing evolution of global OTT platforms asks scholars from diverse fields, including media/cultural studies, film studies, area studies, sociology, and anthropology, to entertain under-addressed issues and explore new approaches in understanding digital platforms’ effect in the East Asian cultural sphere and beyond. This special issue will zoom in on the impact of Netflix in tandem with Asian popular culture and the dynamic interplay between Netflix and local cultural creators. We welcome contributions that use a case studies approach to address recent developments and help unpack our understanding of East Asian popular culture and OTT platforms. Through interdisciplinary and transnational discussions, we hope to shed light on current debates and place them in perspectives that have relevance for future transnational cultural and audio-visual media studies.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Shifts in cultural genres and themes in the Netflix era
• New opportunities and challenges for East Asian creators
• Cultural analysis of Netflix originals
• Comparison studies between East Asian countries in audio-visual images in the Netflix era
• Netflix’s effects on East Asian content
• Critical understanding of Netflix in the East Asian cultural industries
• Global and transmedia storytelling strategies in the era of global OTTs
• Emerging global OTT celebrities and audience cultures

Special Issue Details

1. Abstract Submission: November 15, 2023

Abstracts should be written in English and should be submitted as PDF files. An abstract of no less than 500 words and a 150-word scholarly bio should be submitted to Dal Yong Jin (djin@sfu.ca). We will notify the accepted abstracts at the end of November 2023. The length of the paper will be around 6,000-10,000 words.

2. Full paper Submission: March 1, 2024

3. Expected Publication Date: December 2024.

4. The publication venue: Global Storytelling: Journal of Digital and Moving Images, which is published by the University of Michigan Press

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Dal Yong Jin (Simon Fraser University, djin@sfu.ca)

Dr. Ying Zhu (Hong Kong Baptist University, yingzhu@hkbu.edu.hk)