12 April 2023 netnoconorg

Conference Program

DAY 0 – Tuesday, June 16, 2026

We have community tracks to explore the city’s culture, followed by a lively Happy Hour – the perfect chance for mingling, networking, and setting the tone for an exciting week!

Community Track Activities

June 16, 2026 | 2:00–5:00 PM (Please note: activity times may be subject to slight adjustments.)

Community Track activities offer participants a unique opportunity to explore İzmir’s rich culture, history, and creativity through guided, small-group experiences. Attendance is limited, and each track will close once capacity is reached. Community Tracks are offered as optional add-ons and are not included in the conference registration fee.  Community Tracks can only be added during the conference registration process and cannot be selected later as add-ons. All registration closes on May 13, 2026. You can add guests.

You will be able to choose one of the following tracks during registration:

1. Flavor Crossroads @ İzmir University of Economics – Department of Culinary Arts
Step into Turkish culinary culture by preparing a traditional dish under the guidance of professional chefs. Participants will cook, taste, and learn the cultural stories behind the cuisine in a fully equipped teaching kitchen.

2. Artisan Crossroads @ Kızlarağası Hanı, Coppersmiths’ Bazaar & Antique Market
Explore İzmir’s historic artisan districts and meet local craftspeople. This guided walking experience introduces traditional copperwork, antiques, and handmade goods while revealing the living heritage of the old bazaar, accompanied by professional guide.  SOLD OUT!

3. Faith Crossroads @ Sacred Sites & Shared Spaces
Experience İzmir’s religious diversity by visiting a synagogue, a mosque, and a cathedral. This guided tour highlights how different faith communities have coexisted in the city for centuries.

4. Historic Crossroads @ İzmir’s Landmark Sites
Discover İzmir’s layered history through visits to iconic sites such as the Saat Kulesi (Clock Tower), the Agora, and the historic Asansör (Elevator), accompanied by professional guide.

Opening Happy Hour

June 16, 2026 | 07:00 PM | SCAPPI RESTAURANT AT SWISSÔTEL BUYUK EFES, İZMİR (NOT included in the conference registration fee)

Join fellow conference participants for an informal opening gathering designed to encourage networking and conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Please note that participation, including transportation to the venue, is at your own expense. You can bring guests. See social program for details.

DAY 1 – Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The conference officially launches! Expect dynamic sessions, inspiring speakers, and buzzing energy all around.

Room and session chair assignments will be announced at a later date. This is a preliminary program and is subject to minor changes.

8 AM – Shuttle leaves from Swissôtel Büyük Efes İzmir

8h30 – 9h00 – Registration

9h00 – 9h30 – Plenary Session: Welcome Address and Conference Overview

   Special issue announcement

9h30 – 10h00 – Plenary Session: Keynote Prof. Robert Kozinets 

10h00 – 10h30 – Scholarship Recipients Introduction

 

10h30 – 11h00 – Coffee break

 

11h00-12h30 – Parallel Session: 1

Advancing netnographic research practice

  1. Belk, R., Hajirasouliha, M., Predicting vs. Understanding the Future with Netnography.
  2. Cavusoglu, L., Kozinets, R., Gretzel, U., Journaling with AI: Implications for Netnographic Immersion.
  3. Ağlargöz, F., Ağlargöz, O., Thick Description in Netnography During the Times of Increasing Human–AI Interaction.
  4. Aduhene, E., Data Crossroads in Netnography.

11h00-12h30 – Parallel Session: 2

Activism, backlash & civic engagement

  1. Başaran, D. “Transform Your Consumption Power into Resistance”: A Netnographic Study of Political Boycott Call in Türkiye.
  2. Campbell, V., Navigating Informality: Digital Inclusion and Social Media Engagement Practices of Western Sydney Not-for-Profits.
  3. Serwański, T., De-iconizing Bud Light: A netnographic analysis of conservative backlash and the limits of brand activism.
  4. Benmecheddal, A., Nguyen, A., From Incels to Influencers: How Masculinist Activism Challenges Markets?

11h00-12h30 – Parallel Session: 3 

Platformed participation through affordances, narratives, and public engagement 

  1. Almaghrabi, T., Marchowska Raza, M., Privacy by Design? A Systematic Evaluation of Affordances Across 14 Social Media Platforms.
  2. Gombault, A., Co-creating Fiction of the Louvre Jewellery Heist: A Netnographic Approach.
  3. Mulvey, M., Whisper to a Scream: Meta-Netnographic Insights on Consumer Pricing Sentiments.
  4. Omoruyi, T., Gvero, P., Uhunamure, E., Netnography for Citizen Engagement in European Union Energy Initiatives: Evidence from ENPOWER.

 

12h30 -14h00 – LUNCH BREAK

 

14h00 – 15h30 – Parallel Session: 4

Gendered lives online and the struggle for visibility and value

  1. Costa do Nascimento, T., Scussel, F., Consuming Motherhood Podcasts as a Tool for Reducing Vulnerability.
  2. Gioia, P., Gambetti, R., Netnography at the Margins: Digital Social Reproduction and Feminist Resistance in Southern Italy.
  3. Yang, S., Feng, S., From Platforms to Queer Mycelial Network: A Netnographic Study of Chinese Queer Feminist Community.
  4. Asena-Salman, B., From Invisibility to Digital Presence: A Netnographic Analysis of Traditional Anatolian Craftswomen on Instagram.

14h00 – 15h30 – Parallel Session: 5

Negotiating identities across geographies

  1. Oke, G., Sibomena, O., Durojaiye, S., Fadele, P., Femi-Lawal, V., Digital Conversations on Gender, Sexuality, and Feminism in Nigerian Social Media.
  2. Han, L-R., Wengel, Y., Waves, Feeds and Tangping: Chinese female surfers negotiating gender, work and algorithms.
  3. Wright, J., Kaskaya, S., Digital Dis/Connection in Migrant Networks: A Netnography of Expat Online Communities in Türkiye.
  4. Sanguiné, L., “Pure Germans” in Southern Brazil: A Netnographic Study of Digital Identity.

14h00 – 15h30 – Parallel Session: 6

Posthuman and More-than-human realities

  1. El-Bialy, R., Shamayleh, G., Kerekes, M., More-Than-Human Gifting: Meaning and Reciprocity in Human-Corvid Relations.
  2. Copland, S., Mulvey, M., The Assembled Consumer: A Netnography of the Technogenetically Extended Subject.
  3. Zangari, N., At the threshold of the digital sacred: Posthuman rituality and algorithmic re-enchantment.
  4. Mecit, A., Ertimur, B., Matters of Care in Non-Domesticated Spaces: An Investigation of Istanbul’s Street Cats.

 

15h30 – 16h00 – Coffee break

 

16h00 -17h:00 – Plenary session: Performing identity and culture

Session chair: Robert Kozinets

  1. Sengun, D.U., Ertekin, Z.O., Performing Youth in Consumer Culture: A Netnography of Anti-Aging Discourses.
  2. Ater, S., Badurdeen, F., Understanding Marine Recreational Fisheries in Kenya: A netnographic approach to describe the fishers’ culture.
  3. Güngör, S.A., Alkaya, U., At the Cultural Crossroads of Youth Mobility: An Impact Study within the European Lead by Nature Network (ELNN).

 

17h:30 – Shuttle leaves campus to Swiss hotel

19:30 – Dine Around Izmir (Delegates’ Own Expense) – see Discover Izmir Page for recommendations.

DAY 2 – Thursday, June 18, 2026

We’re just getting started – it’s Day 2 of the conference, topped off with a fabulous Gala Dinner in the evening!

 

8 AM – Shuttle leaves from Swissôtel Büyük Efes İzmir

8h30 – 9h00 – Registration

 

9h00 – 10h30 – Parallel session: 7

Influencer netnography

  1. Kumar, A., Sustainable fashion as a ethical-discursive field: A Netnographic Study of Instagram Influencers.
  2. Gewinner, I., Intensity is not a question of reach: A model of parasocial trust in tourism influencer culture.
  3. Wong, C., Social Media Cultures: A typology for fashion and sustainable fashion influencers on Instagram.
  4. Mertens, E., Bueckels, E., Hudders, L, Van de Sompel, D., When support is being sold: A netnographic exploration of momfluencers and the commodification of breastfeeding.

9h00 – 10h30 – Parallel session: 8

Rejection, inequality & resistance

  1. Zanette, M.C., Hoeger, L., Prado J., Don’t You Know That You’re Toxic: Toxicity and Surveillance in the Britney Spears Brandscape.
  2. Turktarhan, G., Fenton, A., Gretzel, U., R/unpopularopinion Drone shows suck  – A netnography of festival technology rejection.
  3. Soares, A.L., Biraghi, S., Beccanulli, A., Gambetti, R., Between Screens and Streets: How Digital Narratives Shape Inequalities in Food Delivery Work.
  4. Aksoy, Z., Erel, Z., Turkel, S., Misci, S.K., Uzunoglu, E., Negotiating the cultural challenges of nonviolent communication: A multi-method netnographic study.

9h00 – 10h30 – Parallel session: 9

Exploring food & leisure experiences

  1. Taştan, I., Uzunoğlu, E., Phygital Labour in Gastro-Experiences: A Netnographic Journey from Farm to Chef’s Table.
  2. Malekpur, M., Nikzadask, M., Unpacking Customer Dissatisfaction in Online Grocery Services: A Netnographic Study of the UK and Italy.
  3. Yaman, B.A., Çal, B., Curating Special Moments through Food Sharing.
  4. Sharma, A., Seeking Solace! Decoding homestay tourism experiences through digital spaces.

 

10h30 – 11h00 – Coffee break

 

11h00 – 12h30 – Parallel sessions: 10

Social media and personal branding netnographies

  1. Ulker-Demirel, E., Sarica, G.I., The Digital Visibility Paradox: A Multi-Phase Netnography of Hyperreal Nature, Production of Travel Desire, and Environmental Fragility.
  2. Cruz, A., Mpoyan, E., Ethical personal branding and trust: A Netnography of Armenian Instagram Nutritionists.
  3. Ribeiro, M.A., “Cats don’t have owners, they have staff”: Feline performances and the construction of digital identity on Brazilian Instagram.
  4. Soria-Martinez, O., Sánchez-Fernández, R., Jiménez-Castillo, D., Audrezet, A., Navigating the hatescape: How LGBTQ+ influencers repurpose online opposition for visibility.

11h00 – 12h30 – Parallel sessions: 11

Digital intimacies and vulnerabilities across health, ideology, and relationships

  1. Vasilica, C., Ormandy, P., Munelly, S., Digital Spaces and Netnography in Healthcare Research.
  2. Beccanulli, A., Umayun, M., Bar-Gil, O., Happily Ever After?: Netnographic Exploration of the Post-Wedding Afterlife.
  3. Eder, M., Help-Seeking and Expertise in Online Substance-Use Communities: Findings from a Scoping Review.
  4. Addeo, F., Esposito, V., Lenzi, F.R., Guastini, G., Incel Identity in Italy: A Netnography of a Forum and a Discursive Typology Across “Pill Theories”.

 11h00 – 12h30 – Parallel sessions: 12

Consumer collectives and cultural objects

  1. Bridges, N., Parenting, Resourcing, and Inclusion in Social Media (PRISM): Mapping LGBTQ+ Parenting Communities at the Cultural Crossroads.
  2. Nguyen Nalewski, D., Constructing cultural object biographies through symbolic nethnography: A study of NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti and Intel Core i5-2500K computer components within the PC-building subculture.
  3. Lambert, S., Reeck, C., Crafting Connection: A Netnographic Exploration of Consumer Culture and Consumer Behavior in Online Needlepoint Communities.
  4. Amirak, B., Akan, A., Understanding “Sultans of Dubai” through Netnography.

 

12h30 – 14h00 – LUNCH BREAK AND GROUP PHOTO 

 

14h00 – 15h00 – Parallel session: 13

Decoding contemporary aesthetics

  1. Chakraborty, A., Scott, R., Pera, R., Belk, R., The Broken Self: Exploring How Social Media Narrative Influences Body Image.
  2. Biraghi, S., Beccanulli, A.A., Beautiful risks: A netnography of skincare routines.
  3. Remond, F., Dematerialized taste? About aesthetics of practice in multiplayer video games.

14h00 – 15h00 – Parallel session: 14

Netnography for a better academia

  1. Odoi, L., Kerekes, M., Netnography as a community practice: How online writing and data collection retreats reconfigure academic solitude.
  2. Cusumano, R., Smeets, K., Constructive Demoralization: How Newcomers Cultivate a Sense of Security in Loss-Ridden Fields.
  3. Omoruyi, T., Fenton, A., Ogunmokun, O., Turtles All the Way Down: Making Sense of international students and recruitment agents through netnography.

14h00 – 15h00 – Parallel session: 15

Auto-netnographic journeys & transformations

  1. Naghdi, A., Spectral Consumption: A Photographic Auto-netnography into the Ghosts of Consumer Culture.
  2. Andruszko, J., From Plastic Perfection to Algorithmic Empathy: A Reflexive Auto-Netnographic Account of the Process of Creating a “Real Life Action Figure” Image Series.
  3. Redman, B., Epistemic trespassing: An account.

 

15h00 – 15h30 – Coffee break

15h30 – 15h40 – Netnocon27 and Netnocon28 announcements

 

15h40 – 16:30h – Plenary Session: Teaching Netnography

Panel members: Lucina Odoi, Ross Gambetti, Magda Marchowska-Raza, Lena Cavusoglu, Alyssa Abonitalla

 

17h:00 – Shuttle leaves campus to Swiss hotel

18h:30 – Shuttle leaves Swiss Hotel for Gala Venue

19h:30 Cultural workshops and gala dinner – See Social Program.

23h:30 – Shuttle leaves gala venue to Swiss Hotel


DAY 3 – Friday, June 19, 2026

Full steam ahead with Day 3 of the conference – more insights, more connections, more momentum!

 

08h:00 – Shuttle leaves from Swissôtel Büyük Efes İzmir

 

9h00 – 10h30 – Parallel session: 16

Worlds of fandom

  1. Abonitalla, A., Clemo, J., Martinez, Y., Unboxing Blind Boxes: A Netnographic Study of Labubu Fandom and the Culture of Chance.
  2. Kozinets, R.V., Gambetti, R., Reverse Course: From Migratory Audiences to Platform-Native Fandoms in Netnographic Research.
  3. Treviño-Benavides, T., Gretzel, U., Valdes Loyola, A., Gutierrez, L.A., Cultural Entanglements in a Consumption Web: A Netnography of the Labubu Phenomenon.
  4. Denizer, B., Uzunoglu, E., Yamal, P., UmuL, P., How Fans Reframe a Crisis: A Netnographic Study of VTuber Communities.

9h00 – 10h30 – Parallel session: 17

Netnographies of brands: Under pressure and as community facilitators

  1. Özkal, C., Çal, B., Unwrapping Real Magic AI: How a Holiday Campaign Turned into a Brand Hijack.
  2. Costa do Nascimento, T., Morais, I., Brands as Facilitators of Communities of Practice: Amazon and #BookTokBrazil.
  3. Ulu, S., Cicek, M., Uslay, C., Uzunoglu, E., Memes as Cultural Infrastructure: A Netnographic Study of Jaguar Rebrand Backlash.
  4. Rimbart, M., Consumer and Brand Responses at the Cultural Crossroads of Celebrity Scandals: An AI-Assisted Netnography of the Dior–Johnny Depp Case.

 

10h30 – 11h00 – Coffee break

 

11h00 – 12h30 – Parallel session: 18

Consumption & citizenship ideologies

  1. Zayer, L., Exploring Ideologies of Manhood Across the Social Media Ecosystem.
  2. Gambetti, R., Biraghi, S., Beccanulli, A., #Delulu worlds: a netnography of digital utopianism and belief-driven consumption ideologies.
  3. Coskuner-Balli, G., Epp, A., Tracing Moral Worlds: A Multi-Site Netnography of Citizen-Consumers in Book-Ban Debates.
  4. Scussel, F., Priori, E., Missionary Masculinity: The role of digital platforms on manhood restoration.

11h00 – 12h30 – Parallel session: 19

Digital reconfigurations of tradition, crisis, and collective memory

  1. Anderson, M., Heller, M., Beyond the Archives: Reimagining History through Netnography.
  2. Ribeiro, M.A., From Altar to Algorithm: A Netnography of Brazilian Catholic Technospirituality on Instagram.
  3. Heinze, A., Sensemaking online: A netnographic analysis of Wirecard scandal repercussions in German Facebook Communities (2020-2025).
  4. De Dominicis, E., Passeri, R., Reverse Netnography of the Cimbrian Folklore of the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni, a Cultural and Social Crossroad.

11h00 – 12h30 – Parallel session: 20

Netnographies of online word-of-mouth phenomena

  1. Regmi, S., Omoruyi, T., The Wisdom of Crowds: eWOM as the Modern Herd Mentality, A Netnographic Approach.
  2. Ghezzi, A., Piacentini, L., From Silence to Speculation: The Role of Streamers, Leakers and Fan Communities in Pre-Release Buzz Construction.
  3. Casais, B., Carvalho, B., Consumer reactions to negative e-WOM disseminated by content creators.
  4. Oke, G., Sibomena, O., Femi-Lawal, V., Durojaiye, S., Fadele, P., Viral Narratives in Nigerian Digital Spaces: Exploring Conversations on Civic Issues.

 

12h30 – 14h00 – LUNCH BREAK

 

14h00 – 15h30 – Parallel session: 21

Evolving Generative AI culture

  1. Meghirbi, I., Abbes, I., Özçaglar-Toulouse, N., From Brushes to Pixels: Understanding the Meanings of Virtual Artistic Experience through AI-augmented Netnography.
  2. Kulla, M., Katzinski, A., Mapping Programmer Cultures in the Age of Generative AI.
  3. Scussel, F., Limongi, R., Chimenti, P., Fonseca, A., Cultural Nuances of AI Adoption: Hybrid Intelligence, Netnography, and Epistemic Asymmetries in the Global South.
  4. Katzinski, A., Kulla, M., Jacobi, J., More Than Code: How Software Developers Culturally Process the Generative AI Disruption.

14h00 – 15h30 – Parallel session: 22

Enhancing management & entrepreneurial cultures

  1. Ashman, R., Advancing Netnography for Management Research.
  2. Junaid, S., At the Cultural Crossroads: A Netnographic Study of How SMEs Blend Local Culture with Global Instagram Trends.
  3. Jones, J., The Evolving Role of Middle Managers in the Digital Shift.
  4. Zaresaryazdi, M., Turkel, S., Silence At Digital Crossroad: A Netnographic Study of Internal Communication Patterns in a Remote Content Agency.

 

15h30 – 16h00 – Coffee break

 

16h00 – 17:00h – Plenary Session: TBA

 

17h00 – 18h30 – Closing Reception with finger food at the Izmir University of Economics (included in the conference registration) 

 

19h:00 – Shuttle leaves campus to Swiss hotel


DAY 4 (Optional) – Saturday, June 20, 2026

Join us for optional cultural tour to Ephesus City.

Exploring Ephesus is a unique opportunity to walk through one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world, offering deep insight into the cultural, religious, and intellectual life of the Roman and early Christian eras. This unforgettable journey allows you to experience history where it happened, guided by experts who bring the past vividly to life.

Ephesus city tour is offered as optional add-on and are not included in the conference registration fee. It can only be added during the conference registration process and cannot be selected later as add-ons. All registration closes on May 13, 2026. You can add guests.

 

For questions check FAQs page.