CFP: Twitter, Celebrity and online public identity
Abstracts due: 28th Feb 2014
Contact and submissions to: Sarah Thomas skt@aber.ac.uk
The ongoing adoption of Twitter as a tool for communication, broadcasting and interaction has meant that the social media platform has emerged as a significant site for re-thinking some of the key relationships between celebrity, performance and the presentation of the self. This CFP seeks short articles for Celebrity Studies Journal Forum section that explore Twitter and its usage beyond its status as a ‘new’ platform (that positions its singular significance through comparison with traditional representational media). We aim to consider the diversity of presentational modes that Twitter allows for through an examination of the different functions, usages, modes of address and performance that may operate across the site in its own right. In particular, we are interested in the way the platform has re-invigorated debates around the conception of authenticity as a way of understanding the online presentation of public personalities, and are especially interested in receiving submissions that explore the following topics:
- The presentation of self online
- Authenticity and interactivity
- Performance, authenticity and the digital self
- Interactive celebrity
- Digital labour and celebrity
- Online spaces of ‘public privacy’
The special issue of the journal will incorporate the style and ethos of Twitter in the submissions:
Abstracts should be 140 words.
The short articles should begin with reference to a specific Tweet that sparks the analysis within the rest of the article.
The final word count for the article will be between 750 and 1,500 words, depending on the number of accepted submissions.
Detailed schedule of production
Abstracts due: 28th Feb
First drafts: 28th March
Editors return: 25th April
Final drafts: 23rd May
Contact and submissions to: Sarah Thomas skt@aber.ac.uk
The Fan Studies Network 
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