CFP: Transformative Experiences in Digital Environments

Can transformative experiences—those that profoundly change how we see ourselves, others, and the world—occur in digital spaces? As virtual reality, social media, and online communities increasingly shape modern life, these environments offer new opportunities for identity exploration, decision-making, and social connection. But they also raise important questions:

Can virtual reality foster empathy and lasting change? Do social media and gaming platforms help us discover who we are, or do they fragment our sense of self? How do algorithms, designed to shape our choices, influence who we become?

This conference invites submissions exploring how digital environments invite or allow for transformative experiences. We welcome papers that address (but are not limited to) the following issues:

Digital Identities & The Self: Transformation or Fragmentation? 

What is the interplay between identity construction and transformation in digital environments, such as social media, gaming, and virtual reality?

•Can maintaining multiple online personas hinder the formation of an authentic self, or do these personas enrich identity?

•How do algorithms influence the ways we construct and transform our digital identities?

•What role do immersive technologies play in allowing individuals to experiment with or redefine their sense of self?

Decision-Making and the Unknowable: Predicting Transformative Outcomes Online

What are the challenges in predicting the transformative potential of digital experiences when preferences and identities are subject to change?

•How do people make decisions about engaging in potentially transformative digital experiences when outcomes are unpredictable?

•What role do algorithms play in shaping access to transformative digital experiences? Do recommendation systems expand opportunities for transformation or confine users to echo chambers?

•Do digital platforms bear responsibility for the transformative impact of the experiences they offer?

Immersive Technologies as Catalysts for Transformation

What is the role of VR, AR, and AI in fostering life-altering changes in perception, empathy, and decision-making?

•What unique characteristics of immersive technologies might enable transformative experiences? 

•Can VR experiences, such as simulations of marginalized perspectives, lead to long-term attitudinal changes?

•Are transformative experiences in VR or AR dependent on the realism of the simulation?

Transformative Experiences and Social Connection in Digital Communities

How digital platforms create or hinder transformative social connections and collective experiences. 

•How do transformative experiences emerge within digital communities, such as fandoms, forums, or online activism? 

•Can shared online experiences lead to collective transformation? 

•How do the dynamics of anonymity and visibility in digital spaces shape these transformations?

•What role do shared rituals or events in online spaces (e.g., virtual concerts, coordinated campaigns) play in creating transformative social bonds?

We encourage BA, MA and PhD students, as well as early PhD's and postdocs, to contribute research abstracts related to the event's topic areas. Abstracts should be written in English and should not exceed 300 words. Abstracts will receive full consideration if sent before March 1st, 2025 at the following address: [email protected]@gmail.com Word or PDF attachments preferred, with the message titled "abstract submission".

All submissions will go through a process of blind peer review. (Please write your identifying details in the body of the email, and leave the attached abstract anonymized.) We intend notifications of acceptance to be sent out on or before March 15th, 2024. The conference programme will be announced as soon as review is completed. For any questions, please don't hesitate to email [email protected]@gmail.com