ZeMKI hosts AoIR Flashpoint Symposium 2025

The Lab Platform Governance, Media, and Technology (PGMT), at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI), University of Bremen, is hosting the next AoIR Flashpoint Symposium on 3-4 june 2025.

ZeMKI together with the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) is pleased to announce the AoIR Flashpoint Symposium 2025, titled “From Platform Governance to Generative AI: Concepts, Methods, and Data for Studying Tech Governance”. The single-track symposium will take place in Bremen, Germany. It provides an opportunity for researchers from this region of the world to meet in between AoIR annual conferences and to feed into AoIR2025, which is to take place in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in October 2025.

Symposium Topic

In an era where digital platforms and generative AI technologies are profoundly influencing public discourse, societal norms, and policy-making, understanding their governance is paramount. These technologies shape how information is created, shared, and consumed, raising complex questions about accountability, fairness, transparency, contestability, and ethics. The AoIR Flashpoint Symposium 2025 aims to delve into these critical discussions, focusing on the analytical concepts, empirical methods, and data approaches essential for studying tech governance. The symposium seeks to explore the (dis-)similarities and intersection of platform governance and generative AI, particularly in light of recent advancements in the latter. Generative AI’s recent development brings up challenges long associated with social media platforms, including misinformation, bias, hate speech, discrimination, power, and agency. 

Call for Papers

Researchers and experts are invited to submit papers and panel proposals that contribute to the understanding of tech governance. Submissions should focus on analytical concepts, empirical methods, and robust data approaches pertinent to the study of platform governance and generative AI. Submission deadline for abstracts is February 15, 2025. For further details, including the submission form and updates, please refer to the Call for Papers.

Contact Information

Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach (katzenbach@uni-bremen.de) 

Conference Organisation 

Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach, Dr. Daria Dergacheva, Dr. Dennis Redeker