Back Hipertext announces a call for papers, for its 25th number to be published in November 2022

Hipertext announces a call for papers, for its 25th number to be published in November 2022

The editors are pleased to invite researchers from all over the world to submit their proposals. Both theoretical contributions and practical applications of the 'extended' model of the interface will be positively valued.
07.02.2022

Imatge inicial

Interfaces: networks, ecology and evolution

 

Introduction

 

The concept of ‘interface’ appeared at the end of the 19th century to designate a surface or membrane that separated two substances, but, at the same time, served as a filter between them. Throughout the 20th century, the concept was used in countless situations and theoretical contexts. Perhaps the most widespread and prolific use has been in the field of Human-Computer Interaction: since the 1980s the concept of ‘graphical user interface’ (GUI) has been displacing other uses and meanings. Today, when someone says the word ‘interface’, everyone immediately thinks of a mouse, a joystick, or an interactive screen. However, some researchers have explored the concept and used it to conceptualize or describe situations that go beyond the traditional user sitting in front of an interactive screen (Lévy, 1990; Johnson, 1999; Galloway, 2012).

 

 On many occasions, scientific concepts -and their statements- continue to be used even though their ability to describe and explain the world has clearly diminished. Ulrich Beck considered that most concepts in sociology "are misleading to some extent" (2004:145) and proposed the category of ‘zombie concepts’ to define categories that endure after their death. Beck acknowledged that "maybe we need some new categories", but "we would have to make this shift in a very sophisticated way, with maybe some new concepts that are close to the specific people, networks, and experiences we are working with" (154). Furthermore, he argued that “sociologists should start doing their job in the right way: they should start redefining society beyond its zombie categories” (163). In this context of semantic and epistemological renewal, the concept of ‘interface’ can become a very useful category to understand the changes in contemporary society and guide concrete actions to deal with its problems.

 

To transform the concept of ‘interface’ into a flexible and useful analytical tool, the first condition is to leave the ‘graphical user interface’ behind and take it to another level. The interface understood as a network of actors, relationships and processes is a first step in that direction (Scolari, 2021). The expansion of the concept of ‘interface’, and its application to all kinds of social, technological, economic, or cultural processes, must be accompanied by theoretical and methodological work that only empirical praxis can generate. Although in recent years this perspective has been applied to museums (Scolari, 2020), video games (Scolari, Pires, and Masanet, 2022) or new actors in media ecology (Scolari and Establés, 2020; Tomasena and Scolari, 2022), there are many roads to travel and interfaces to explore.

 

The editors are pleased to invite researchers from all over the world to submit their proposals. Both theoretical contributions and practical applications of the 'extended' model of the interface will be positively valued. The following topics are presented as a guideline, but they are not exclusive:

  • Theory of interfaces: beyond Human-Computer Interaction.
  • Relations of the interface theory with other theoretical frameworks (relational sociology, actor-network theory, social construction of technology, etc.).
  • Relationships of the concept of ‘interface’ with other adjacent concepts (‘medium’, ‘platform’, ‘field’, etc.).
  • Interface metaphors. New metaphors to think about interfaces beyond the interface as an instrument, as a network, etc. Possibilities and limitations of each metaphor.
  • Analysis focused on the interface: application and evaluation of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. Difficulties and methodological possibilities of an interface-centered analysis.
  • Practical applications of the interface theory in different fields (educational, cultural, urban, political, gastronomic, sports, etc.): from the identification of tensions and critical points to the redesign of interfaces.
  • Challenges presented by the graphic representation of networks of actors, relationships, and processes.
  • Ecology and evolution of interfaces. Concepts, theories, and analyses.
  • Interfaces and innovation processes: the analysis of interfaces as a preliminary phase of Design Thinking processes.

 

Guest editors:

Carlos A. Scolari, Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona

[email protected]

 

Francisco Albarello, Universidad Austral – Argentina

[email protected]

 

Deadline for submission: September 1st, 2022

Notification of acceptance: October 15th, 2022

Publication: November 2022

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