We invited paper abstracts and proposals for panels and roundtables that revolve around, but not limited to, the following areas:

Conceptualizations and contexts: What defines personal information or public space? What is privacy? What are the intercultural dimensions of privacy and its norms? How is privacy perceived or balanced in different offline or online pursuits, settings, or countries? For instance, how should privacy be understood in the context of family?

Representing the Public vs. Private: How are personal lives portrayed, negotiated, and consumed in media narratives? What are the ethical considerations that arise? How does privacy contribute to the formation and expression of personal identities, particularly in relation to gender, culture, and politics?

Digital Spaces and Information Flow: From social media oversharing to the quantification of everyday life, how are digital tools reshaping our understanding of public and private? What are the implications of artificial intelligence in communication, the sharing of ideas, and emerging privacy concerns? What are the effects of datafication on one’s control over personal information? How do social media companies contribute to the understanding of privacy?

Public Spaces and Private Initiatives: How is the concept of the public good being reshaped in the face of rising privatization in public governance? In what ways are urban spaces and public landscapes being transformed through the use of privately managed digital technologies? And how does the privatization of functions such as border controls, which traditionally serve the public good, impact societal structures and norms? How does crisis communication differ when addressing issues that involve both the public and private? How do power dynamics play out in the interactions between public and private entities?

Around and Beyond the Digital: How should we explore how the public-private dichotomy manifests in various contexts such as the household, dating, or activism? How do family dynamics and interpersonal relationships negotiate the boundaries of privacy? How do digital communication technologies shape such norms and dichotomies? How do societal norms and personal boundaries intersect in intimate relationships? How does activism navigate the balance between public causes and private lives?

Art and the Public-Private Interface: How do artists convey their emotions, experiences, and stories, and how are these personal narratives received and interpreted by the public? Public art installations, murals, and performances interact directly with the public realm. How do these artworks balance the artist’s private intent and the interpretations of the viewers? How has the digital realm impacted the way artists share their work? How does the online space blur or accentuate the lines between public display and private creation?

Public relations and the public-private divide: How does public relations address the public-private divide in contexts such as private sustainability and CSR initiatives, corporate governance codes, and employee surveillance? In the context of marketing communications, how do PR strategies utilize personal narratives, and where is the line drawn? With the rise of social media influencers, the boundary between ‘authentic’ personal stories and brand promotion has become increasingly blurred. Individuals, especially public figures, are increasingly conscious of their ‘personal brand’. How does this trend influence how individuals communicate, and what implications does it have for the public-private divide?

Personal Identity and Gaming: How do gamers negotiate their identities within public gaming communities? What are the cultural and social implications of such processes? In particular, how have e-sports turned individual play into a public spectacle?

Visual Communication: How does graphic design shape or contribute to the functionality and aesthetics of public spaces? How can designers balance the need for engaging visual content with respect for individual privacy and security?

Doing Research on Private Spaces: We also welcome contributions addressing the methodological and ethical challenges inherent in researching private spaces. In particular, we would like to invite innovative approaches to study personal domains while maintaining ethical standards.