The Association of Internet Researchers has decided that the annual conference that was scheduled to take place in Dublin on October 28 – 31, 2020 will now be hosted as a virtual event to take place over a two-week period in October. The conference is still six months away, but it is clear already now that many in our vibrant international community will continue to be affected by travel restrictions in addition to issues of health and finances. Thus we want to take the opportunity to make alternate plans for a virtual event, aiming to maintain as much of the annual conference experience as possible. We recognize the incredibly high quality of the research that has been submitted to the AoIR conference, and we are looking forward to sharing the best of this work in ways that will be beneficial to members of the Association, to our research community, and to those beyond it.
We will be inviting authors of accepted contributions to participate in the virtual conference format during times that will take every time zone into account. You’ll still be introduced to people and research topics that are of interest to you, you’ll have opportunities for fruitful conversations, and we will still utilize our rigorous review process to determine the acceptance of papers, panels, roundtables and fishbowls into both these virtual events and into SPIR (the Selected Papers in Internet Research archive of accepted conference papers).
We also remain committed to providing avenues for doctoral students and early career colleagues to share their research in a supportive and welcoming environment, and thus we are organizing a Doctoral Colloquium and an Early Career Researchers event as part of the virtual event. Additionally, our Dublin organizing team has offered to host AoIR in Dublin in the future. More information on these and other events will be coming soon.
Most importantly for you right now is that these virtual events will be open only to members of the Association, so it is important that you renew your membership if you wish to participate in October.
We are deeply saddened by the impact that the Coronavirus pandemic has had on so many lives around the world, and we are mindful of how difficult it is to be in this moment. Nevertheless, we strive as an organization to support you in your endeavors as a researcher, scholar, teacher, designer, innovator, and human being. We are excited about the possibilities of the online event and we look forward to creating something consistent with the principles of AoIR that harnesses the AoIR community’s unique talents and energy. If you feel able and inclined to contribute to the organization and to the coordination of some aspect of the online conference, please drop us a note at prez@aoir.org and we’ll be in touch.
Members of your AoIR Executive Committee:
Lynn Schofield Clark, President
Tama Leaver, Vice President
Axel Bruns, Immediate Past President
Kelly Quinn, Treasurer
Kat Tiidenberg, Secretary
Zoë Glatt, Grad Student Representative
Crystal Abidin, Open Seat
Fabio Giglietto, Open Seat
Erika Pearson, Open Seat
Update: We will be providing additional details and information to only those members who have registered for the conference.
