Call for Papers: i-com Journal – Special Issue on “Social Media and Society”
The i-com Journal invites submissions for a special issue focusing on the theme “Social Media and Society.” As social media and online social networks continue to shape communication, culture, and interactions in profound ways, this special issue aims to explore the multifaceted implications of social media on societal structures, individual behavior, and public discourse. Plenty of research has shown that online social networks did not develop the deliberative power that was originally expected from them. On the contrary, the escalating prevalence of hate speech and the broad dissemination of disinformation are increasingly evident, putting democracies under unprecedented pressure. Facing the increasing fragmentation of the digital sphere, with uncertainties over whether the future will unfold across a multitude of isolated social media platforms, these challenges pose significant risks to the cohesion of democratic discourse. Current research on social media examines critical questions such as the platforms’ role in disseminating information and misinformation and their impact on democratic processes. Additionally, the evolving nature of artificial intelligence raises concerns about the upcoming deepfakes and coordinated manipulation. Together, these developments may have harmful implications for users’ perceptions and behavior and democratic processes relevant to society at large.
At the same time, social media can facilitate global social interactions as well as intergroup contact and allow users to explore new perspectives and knowledge, thereby contributing to democratic opinion building. Given these effects, further research is essential to provide recommendations that could inform educational programs, platform changes, and regulatory measures. This issue seeks to gather current research in the field and highlight cases that might serve as a blueprint to overcome current problems.
Topics of Interest: We welcome original research, theoretical papers, (application-oriented) case studies, and empirical studies that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The role of social media, online social networks and instant messengers in shaping public opinion and political engagement
- Social media and their role in authoritarian and democratic political systems
- Social cohesion through social media
- Social media as a tool for civic engagement, participation, and activism
- The impact of social media on users’ mental health and well-being
- Methods to measure the impact of social media platform mechanisms
- Implications of social media for businesses, employees, and consumers
- The influence of social media on interpersonal relationships and community building (e.g., minority communities, marginalized groups)
- Cultural representation and diversity in social media narratives
- Social media intergroup contact
- Ethical considerations and privacy issues in social media usage
- Artificial intelligence, recommender systems, and algorithmic bias in social media
- Hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation in social media
- Targeted disinformation to evoke hate
- The impact and need of regulations on social media
Submission Guidelines:
- Manuscripts should be written in English and adhere to the i-com Journal’s submission guidelines, which can be found on our website (https://i-com-journal.org/).
- Submit manuscripts for the special issue via the journal management system for i-com at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/icom (create account for submitting author if needed). Proceed to „Author“ / „Start New Submission“. Select the „research article“ as type and „special topic research article“ as the classification term.
Review Process: Submitted papers will undergo a single-blind peer review process. Accepted papers will be published in the special issue 02/2025 scheduled for August 2025.
Important Dates:
- Submission Deadline: 28th February 2025
- First Feedback: 15th of April 2025
- Submission of the revision: 31st May 2025
- Notification of Acceptance: 15th of June 2025
- Final Paper Submission: 10th July 2025
- Publication Date: August 2025
Contact Information: For inquiries regarding this special issue, please contact the guest editors at stefan.stieglitz@uni-potsdam.de
We look forward to your contributions that will enrich the discourse on the role of social media in contemporary society!
Guest Editors:
- Stefan Stieglitz, University of Potsdam
- Jonas Fegert, FZI Research Center for Information Technology
- Hanna Krasnova, University of Potsdam / Weizenbaum Institut
- Georg Voronin, University of Potsdam
- Christof Weinhardt, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology