Special call from the Journal of Media Ethics: Media Ethics and Impermanence/Permanence

Abstract

Alvin Toffler wrote more than 50 years ago that modern civilizations, as they acquired more knowledge and technology, were exhibiting increased impermanence. The rates of change throughout modern societies were exponential, becoming more pronounced and occurring within shorter intervals, he said, with such impermanence “leading to less time for extended peaceful attention to one problem or situation at a time.” However, Toffler did not anticipate countervailing trends that point to different forms of emerging permanence. For example, individuals’ online profiles can continue well past their deaths, and mechanized and automated ways of creating products are increasingly intensifying. As these dynamics exhibit themselves today – particularly manifested in humankind’s struggle to attend to cultural disruptions, socio-economic upheaval, and increased exposures to risk and crises – how is media ethical theory and practice best situated to rise to the challenge? For example, how does message production, audience consumption of mediate messages, and media professional practice point to questions about constructive and beneficent ways to address this duality? Additionally, how are shifting applied and theoretical understandings of “media” interacting with (and within) the impermanence/permanence continuum? That is, while ethics can serve as an enduring foundation for sound decisions that, for example, reflect a respect for autonomy, duty, and virtue, how do purveyors of media translate their activities in such a way that ethically ameliorates the fractured nature of the impermanence/permanence dynamic and, in the process, help society move toward more just decisions? A special issue of the Journal of Media Ethics is planned to showcase scholarship regarding this subject from diverse perspectives focused on news, public relations, marketing, advertising, or new media (e.g., social media, gaming, etc.) use. Efforts to explore related issues of digital presence, identity, and community formation also are of interest. Both empirical studies and philosophical explications that explore media ethics questions from scientific and humanities traditions are encouraged. Also encouraged are examinations of both historical and contemporary aspects and essays that explore broader theoretical constructs of the role of ethics in the face of broader impermanence/permanence dynamics. Polemical essays are discouraged. Case studies are welcome if they provide relevance beyond local or national boundaries. Manuscripts should be submitted by September 30, 2020, for consideration. All authors must prepare their work for blind review by following Journal submission guidelines, which can be found here: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hmme20/current