The international conference “Beyond the Audience: Rethinking Participation and Power in the Age of Data Capitalism” will take place on January 15–16, 2026 at IULM University, Rome. This event invites critical reflections on audiences, participation, and power in the context of data capitalism, where platforms increasingly commodify and control creativity, attention, and interaction.
Conference Focus
The concept of the “audience” has always been plural, diverse, and difficult to pin down. In today’s digital environment, however, audiences increasingly become users, participants, and creators—while still being subject to commodification and platform control.
This conference seeks to critically engage with how audiences are positioned within data capitalism, exploring tensions between the political economy perspective (audiences as commodities, workers, and exploited data sources) and the active audience tradition (emphasizing agency, participation, and cultural practices).
The aim is to rethink participation and power in contemporary media environments shaped by algorithmic extraction, datafication, and AI.
Suggested Topics
Contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The audience commodity and its contemporary applications
- Audiences as digital workers
- Content creators, influencers, and bloggers
- Algorithmic and datafied audiences
- Generative AI and audience replacement
- Media literacy in data societies
- Audience exploitation and polarization
- Activism, hashtags, and platforms
- Fans, fandoms, and participatory cultures
- Audiences in streaming, VOD, SVOD, and OTT platforms
- Piracy and alternative media practices
- Deepfakes, Gen-Z, and new audience identities
Both theoretical contributions and case-study research are welcome.
Submission Details
- Abstract length: Maximum 500 words
- Additional requirement: Short bio
- Submission email: conference@medemap.eu
- Deadline for abstracts: September 30, 2025
This conference is organized in the framework of MEDEMAP, a Horizon
Europe research project: www.medemap.eu
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