Rethinking Power in Communicative Capitalism. Critical Perspectives on 
Media, Culture and Society
European Sociological Association Research Network 18: Sociology of 
Communications and Media Research RN18 Mid-Term Conference
Venue: ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
September 8-10, 2016
 http://esarn18.tumblr.com

Keynote Speakers:
Jodi Dean (Hobart and William Smith Colleges, NY, USA): Communicative 
capitalism and class struggle
Christian Fuchs (University of Westminster, UK): Karl Marx and 
communicative capitalism

Abstract submission deadline: May, 15, 2016
Notification of selected abstracts: June, 10, 2016
Conference dates: September 8-10, 2016

Please send your 250-400 words abstract to Romina Surugiu (University of 
Bucharest) [log in to unmask], Roy Panagiotopoulou (University of 
Athens) [log in to unmask], and Marisol Sandoval (City University 
London) [log in to unmask]

The proliferation of digital media in the 21st century has once again 
shown the deeply ambivalent and contradictory potentials of 
technological development.
Digital technologies have been celebrated for enabling new levels of 
democratic communication, participatory media production, community 
building and media activism. From Wikipedia, to open source programming, 
open access publishing, and peer-to-peer file sharing, we have witnessed 
the rise of a range of alternative forms of communication and media 
production that seemed to challenge established media business models 
and momentarily contested corporate power.
However, far from decreasing the dominance of corporate media, the 
expansion of digital culture, the Internet and social media further 
strengthened the power of multinational corporations over media culture 
and human communication. Despite the rhetoric of ‘social’media, 
sharing, community and collaboration, the majority of the digital media 
sphere remains privately owned and controlled. In this corporate media 
system, multinational corporations maintain almost exclusive control 
over large parts of the media and communication technology, 
infrastructure and content.
Power in communicative capitalism is uneven and corporate control 
confronts us with a range of problems such as the systematic 
surveillance of Internet users, an increasingly commercialised online 
environment, devastating environmental impacts of the production and 
usage of media technologies and the global exploitation of digital 
labour. (Digital) media technologies are deeply entangled with the 
on-going economic, social, environmental and political crises.
Mobilising the empowering qualities of digital technologies and their 
potential to contribute to progressive social change requires an 
effective critique of corporate dominance, challenging power 
inequalities and strengthening radical alternatives.
This conference invites contributions that offer a critical analysis of 
corporate media culture and alternatives to it and thus contribute to 
rethinking power in communicative capitalism.

Conference fees
80 Euro for ESA RN18 members / 100 Euros for non ESA RN18 members 
(conference dinner included)
60 Euro for ESA RN18 members / 80 Euros for non ESA RN18 members 
(without conference dinner)
25 Euro for students (Bachelor and Master) (without conference dinner) / 
45 Euros (conference dinner included)

The registration details, including the registration form, will be 
available on the DINÂMIA’CET-IUL website 
(http://dinamiacet.iscte-iul.pt/) on June 1, 2016.
You can become a member of ESA RN18 by joining the ESA and subscribing 
to the network. The network needs material support, so we encourage you 
to join or renew your membership. The network subscription fee is only 
10 Euros:
http://www.europeansociology.org/member/

Participation support for 4 PhD students and/or independent researchers 
will be available. This will not cover all costs, but part of them 
(accommodation and full conference fee). Preference will be given to 
presentations that suit the overall conference topic.
If you want to apply for participation support, please indicate this in 
your abstract submission by adding the sentence “I want to apply for 
participation support for PhD students / independent researchers”. The 
notifications about participation support will be sent out together with 
the notifications of acceptance or rejection of presentations. 
Additional information to prove your condition as PhD student or 
independent researcher will be requested.