What is the conference about?

Hype is a powerful and pervasive phenomenon that influences economic trends, political agendas, media narratives, and technological development. It creates momentum, attracts investment, and fuels speculation, while simultaneously distorting reality, misallocating resources, and amplifying uncertainties. Hype is not just an exaggeration—it is a dynamic process that plays a crucial role in contemporary societies, shaping decision-making at multiple levels.

This conference aims to examine hype as a performative force, exploring its mechanisms, effects, and implications across different domains. From the speculative visions of emerging technologies to political rhetoric, from financial bubbles to cultural trends, we seek to understand how hype operates, who benefits from it, and how it transforms the social, media, political, economic and technological landscape.

Abstract submission

Submit your abstract, no longer than 300 words, before the 10th of May 2025!

While writing the abstract, please consider the thematic track and format.

1. Concepts and characteristics: How to define hype against rivaling concepts in academic and media representations? What is the difference between hype an imaginaries, trends, alarmism, visions, expectations or futures?

2. Dynamics and temporalities: How can hype be read, studied, assessed - or even anticipated? When and where does hype happen? How can linguistic, narratological, artistic, historic, ethnographic, statistical and bibliometric, or discourse analytical approaches inform the study of hype?

3. Engaging: How do practitioners and artists depict, experience, produce and deal with hypes? We welcome contributions on topics ranging from debunking, myth-busting, fact-checking, training in journalism, science and technology communication, artistic interventions...

Location

The conference will take place at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), located centrally in the city of Barcelona. The conference is accessible with wheelchairs as there are ramps an elevators to reach all facilities. No matter how you want to participate, as speaker, practitioner or artist - or simply as a visitor or curious mind: Do not forget to register to be able to access the conference space.

More information available in the conference website.