The Official Newsletter for the Media Ecology Association

October 2025

Dear MEA Community,

This fall, we invite our members to engage deeply across several offerings that confront transformations from multiple angles. In October, Corey Anton leads a four-part reading group on the newly released 4th edition of Alfred Korzybski’s General Semantics Seminar 1937: Olivet College Lectures. In November, we turn to Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media, a text that continues to challenge and reframe how we understand technological extensions of the human body and mind. And looking ahead to 2026, we encourage you to submit your ideas for our annual MEA convention in Winnipeg, or consider contributing to the upcoming edited volume on Postdigital Media Ecology.  Below, you will see many opportunities to connect and share.  

The questions we ask today are not new—but the environments in which we ask them have changed. By returning to core thinkers, revisiting foundational texts, and inviting new interpretations, we strengthen the capacity of media ecology to make sense of our rapidly shifting world.

--Tiffany Petricini

MEA Board Elections: Voting Opens Today

The Media Ecology Association elections start today, October 1, 2025, to fill four positions on the Board of Directors. All current members are invited to participate in the voting process.  Please check for the link in your email with further instructions. 

CALLS FOR PAPERS, PROPOSALS AND PRESENTATIONS

Final Chance--MEA at ECA 2026: Call for Submissions

The deadline for MEA submissions to ECA is October 19th.  

The Eastern Communication Association will host its 117th Annual Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12, 2026. This year’s convention theme is “Emergence.”

Submission Deadline: October 19, 2025 at 11:59 PM (PST)

ECA Convention Website: ECA Website

Call for MEA Submissions: MEA @ ECA CFP

Questions? Contact MEA’s ECA Liaison:
Dr. Ryan McCullough
West Liberty University

rmccullough@westliberty.edu

Final Chance--International Jacques Ellul Society 2026: Call for Submissions

Conference Theme: The Humiliated Word in a Time of Crisis
Dates: July 14–16, 2026
Location: University of Notre Dame, Indiana

The International Jacques Ellul Society invites proposals for short papers from scholars, artists, and anyone for whom words matter. Submissions should engage with Ellul’s The Humiliation of the Word or related themes such as:

• Word and image in media ecology

• AI and human speech

• Political discourse, propaganda, and polarization

• Theologies of the Word

• Language and cognition

• Phenomenology and speech

• Education and the Word

Submission Deadline: October 1, 2025
What to Submit:

• Abstract (250–350 words)

• Brief bio (100 words max)
  Where to Submit: Email to ijes@ellul.org

MEA 2026 Convention – Call for Proposals

Conference Dates: June 25–28, 2026
Location: University of Winnipeg

The Media Ecology Association invites proposals for papers and sessions (max 250 words) for its 2026 convention. Submissions may address any aspect of media ecology.

Submission Deadline: November 1, 2025
Submission Email: MEA2026@uwinnipeg.ca

Postdigital Media Ecology:  Call for Book Chapters

Editor: Dr. Tiffany Petricini (Penn State Erie – The Behrend College)

This edited volume explores the intersection of postdigital theory and media ecology. As the digital becomes embedded and infrastructural, this collection asks: how can media ecology’s environmental insights enrich critiques of postdigital life—and vice versa?

Submissions are welcome from across disciplines that explore the historical, perceptual, sociotechnical, and philosophical entanglements of media. Possible themes include:

• Lineages and Concepts

• Infrastructures and Ecologies

• Mind, Sense, and Culture

• Learning and Praxis

• Case Studies and Methods

Abstracts (300 words) due: December 15, 2025
Submission & Inquiries: tzr106@psu.edu

More Info:  Postdigital Media Ecology Full Call for Papers

Institute of General Semantics & NY Society for General Semantics – Upcoming Events

Film Screening: Digital Tsunami
Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Time: 6:00–9:00 PM ET
Location: The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South, NYC
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and participants including Sherry Turkle, Douglas Rushkoff, Zephyr Teachout, Ronald Deibert, Andrew McLuhan, and Lance Strate. A cash bar will be available.
Registration required on the IGS website.  

Register Now: General Semantics Seminar 1937 Reading Group

Tuesdays in October | Online via Zoom | Free and Open to the Public

Join IGS Vice-President Dr. Corey Anton for a four-week reading group on the newly released 4th Edition of General Semantics Seminar 1937: Olivet College Lectures by Alfred Korzybski. This series offers an accessible introduction to Korzybski’s foundational ideas, including:

• The relationship between language and thought

• Non-Aristotelian logic and extensional devices

• Practical techniques for clearer communication

• Korzybski’s extensional theory of happiness

Schedule:

• Oct 7: Front matter & Lectures 1–3

• Oct 14: Lectures 4–7

• Oct 21: Lectures 8–12

• Oct 28: Lectures 13–end + reflections
  Each session runs 6:00–7:30 PM EDT.

Zoom links will be sent to registrants. Sessions will be recorded and made available to IGS members. You do not need to be a member to join, but membership is encouraged.

Register: Institute of General Semantics Event Page

MEA Book Club:  October and November

Important Note:  **Please note that the dates for both the October and November Book Club will be pushed back by one week.**

MEA Book Club – November Update

November's reading will be:Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964) by Marshall McLuhan.  

Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media introduces the provocative idea that “the medium is the message,” urging readers to focus not just on content, but on the transformative power of media forms themselves. This foundational text in media ecology challenges us to see how technologies reshape perception, thought and culture.  

Meeting Date and Time:
November 10, 2025 | 7:00–8:00 p.m. ET
Please RSVP using the Registration Link to receive the Zoom link.  

The book can be purchased on Amazon.   

MEA Book Club – October Reminder

There’s still time to join us for the October MEA Book Club meeting. 

Date: Monday, October 13, 2025
Time: 7:00–8:00 p.m. ET 
Location: Zoom (link provided upon registration)

RSVP: Registration Link

Again, we will be reading Echoes and Reflections: On Media Ecology as a Field of Study by Lance Strate (2006)

The book can be purchased on Amazon.

Questions or title suggestions may be sent to Tiffany Petricini at:
tzr106@psu.edu

We look forward to reading with you.

More Ways to Get Involved with MEA

Are you looking for opportunities to engage with the Media Ecology Association beyond the convention? Here are some exciting ways to participate:

• Virtual Coffee Meetings
  Do you have questions about media ecology, need advice on a study, or want to invite an expert to speak in your class? Schedule a virtual coffee meeting with an MEA scholar! To arrange a meeting, visit our website

If you’re an experienced media ecologist interested in volunteering for these meetings, we’d love to hear from you!

• Book Reviewers Wanted
  Have you read a great book related to media ecology? Consider writing a review for Explorations in Media Ecology!  For more details and a format template, contact jbogaczyk@gmail.com.

• Join the Listserv
  Stay connected with the MEA community by joining the discussion group. The discussion group is open to all for sharing views, exchanging information, and learning about events related to media ecology.

• Follow MEA on Social Media
  Connect with us on social media to stay updated on news, events, and discussions. Follow us on Facebook and X to join the conversation!

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