Deadline (EXTENDED): June 27, 2022

ECREA’s Digital Culture and Communication (DCC) section invites applications for The Work-in-Progress in Social Media Research: a one-day remote ECREA pre-conference workshop to be held online via Zoom on Wednesday 12th October 2022.

We often encounter scholars' work at a finished stage – like a published article or a polished presentation – while the trials and tribulations of research are often experienced in isolation. This is especially the case for social media researchers, whose field sites can disappear overnight and who face new and challenging questions about the methods, ethics, and sometimes legalities of their work. The aim of this workshop is to create a collaborative space for social media researchers to feed back on each other’s ideas and concerns, and help to inspire progress in what has been an extremely challenging couple of years.

We invite social media researchers to submit between 500-750 words about their “work-in-progress”, outlining the following as best they can:

·       The current stage of your work-in-progress

o Oh, this could be interesting!

o Ongoing research

o I think I’m getting there…

·       Research context and background

·       Research questions

·       Research methods/approach

·       Research ethics

·       Which aspect of your research would you like to address in more depth (Choose one aspect and pose a question):

·       Methods

·       Theories/concepts/research design

·       Research ethics

·       Other

Workshop attendees will be grouped together according to the aspect of their work-in-progress they wish to address in more depth, ranging from theoretical contributions to research methods and ethics.

We are also *delighted* to announce our two keynote speakers for the event: Keisha Bruce (University of Nottingham) and Dr. Hannah Ditchfield (University of Sheffield). Details about their talks will follow.

The extended deadline for applications is 27th June 2022 by 5:00pm GMT, and the notification of acceptance will be 15th July 2022. Applications should be sent via this Google Form, or as a PDF to y.gerrard@sheffield.ac.uk. We welcome applications from scholars at all career stages, in particular early career researchers, and from non-DCC members. We welcome submissions of work-in-progress at every stage of completion – from vague “this-could-be-interesting” ideas, to on-going research, to nearly-completed works.