Many receptions, workshops, specialty events, and plenary sessions will be hosted during the Child and Teen Consumption (CTC) conference.
PUBLIC LECTURES—OPEN TO ALL
Keynote Lecture: “Borderlands”: Youth Cultures of Creativity in Streaming and Online Gaming
Date and Time: 16 October 2024, 18:00 – 19:30
Location: Toronto Metropolitan University, Kerr Hall South Room 239
This year’s keynote lecturer is Dr. Kishonna L. Gray. Her keynote will explore the intersection of gaming and social media. From #NPC to #Skibidi, digital cultures have immersed themselves into gaming in dynamic ways. While most assume the cultures of youth are too cringe to be creative, gaming scholars are fascinated with the ways youth find expression in online spaces.
These cultural expressions provide an interesting case study to explore convergence inside the spaces that young folks occupy within the transmediated spaces of gaming. Drawing from ethnographic observations of gamers and games, this presentation will engage the realities of what gaming and streaming can look like.
Kishonna L. Gray is a Professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. She is also a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University. Dr. Gray is the author or co-editor of numerous books and articles including her foundational 2014 work Race, Gender, and Deviance in Xbox Live: Theoretical Perspectives from the Virtual Margins, 2018’s edited collections Woke Gaming and Feminism in Play, and most recently Intersectional Tech: Black Users in Digital Gaming. She also has a book currently under contract titled Black Game Studies. Dr. Gray is a highly sought-after speaker and regularly addresses both academic and industry audiences such as at the Game Developers Conference. She is the winner of a number of awards over the years, including The Evelyn Gilbert Unsung Hero Award and the Blacks in Gaming Educator Award.
This event is open to all conference delegates.
Industry Panel: AI and Kids Entertainment
Date and Time: 18 October 2024, 11:30 – 12:30
Location: York University, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building, Room DB 0001
Digital technology is increasingly shaping children’s experiences, so understanding the boundaries and borders of media motivated by artificial intelligence (AI) for youth is imperative. From interactive learning experiences to personalized content on social media applications, AI’s influence on youth consumption patterns is increasingly becoming more profound and multifaceted, particularly when considering branded content. This panel of Toronto-based experts explores how AI is reshaping the children’s entertainment industry. Speakers will discuss a web of intersecting issues relevant to AI and its role in children’s entertainment including branding and marketing, regulatory challenges, socio-behavioral dynamics and ethical considerations. This panel endeavors to equip various stakeholders, including policymakers, industry practitioners, scholars, and educators, with information to help navigate the ever-evolving landscape of children’s consumption of AI-influenced media. This session is an important step for forging valuable connections between industry and academic professionals in the fields of marketing, media studies, and children’s studies. This event is open to all conference attendees.
Community Roundtable: Youth Reflections on Consumption
Date and Time: 18 October 2024, 16:30 – 17:30
Location: York University, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building, Room DB 0001
This roundtable of 5 Black youth presenters from The Power to Be (PTB), a Black-led organization that collaborates with BIPOC youth to create spaces for community programs and activities, reflected on their own engagement with contemporary media, consumption practices, and popular culture. This is the final session of the conference and is open to all conference attendees.
CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES—FOR CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS ONLY
Welcome Reception
Date and Time: 16 October 2024, 15:00 – 17:45
Location: The Catalyst, Rogers Communication Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University
An informal cocktail reception for the 2024 Child and Teen Consumption Conference (CTC) delegates will be hosted at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Catalyst. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided for attendees. During this reception, the Conference Co-Chairs will say a few opening words before turning it over to the first roundtable of the conference. This roundtable, entitled “Reflecting on the Field of Child and Teen Consumption Studies,” welcomes global leaders in the field of child and teen consumption studies and organizers of past CTC conferences to discuss the state of the field, reflect on how it’s evolved in the past twenty years, and identify pressing issues scholars of child and teen consumption studies may be forced to confront in the coming years. 2024 marks twenty years since the first CTC conference took place in Angoulême, France. Since this time, the field of Child and Teen Consumption Studies has grown exponentially. New research related to this field is regularly published in academic journals such as The Journal of Consumer Culture, Consumption and Society, and the International Journal of Consumer Studies. Since 2004, an international conference has been hosted every two years at different universities worldwide to discuss the field of child and teen consumption studies from a particular theme or perspective. This event is open to all conference delegates.
Graduate Student Meetup
Date and Time: 16 October 2024, 19:45+
Location: Firkin on Yonge, second floor (accessible by elevator)
Graduate students and Early Career Researchers are invited to join a meet-up at a local venue near Toronto Metropolitan University. This event is an opportunity to connect with other early scholars who are also pursuing research related to child and teen consumption studies. Some snacks will be provided. This event is open to all graduate students and early-career scholars attending the conference.
Meet-a-Mentor Lunch
Date and Time: 17 October 2024, 11:45 – 13:00
Location: York University, Schulich Executive Dining Room
This session is an opportunity for graduate students and early-career scholars to connect and network with leaders in the fields of digital media, children’s media, and consumer culture. This event is by registration only; registration for this event has now closed.
Cocktail Reception
Date and Time: 17 October 2024, 18:00 – 20:00
Location: The House of Cool, 130 Queens Quay E, Suite 600, Toronto, ON
A cocktail reception for the conference delegates will be hosted at the House of Cool, an animation leader in downtown Toronto specializing in pre-production for series and film. This event is open to all conference delegates.
Workshop: Conference Paper to Publication
Date and Time: 18 October 2024, 12:30 – 13:30
Location: York University, Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building, Room DB 0007
This workshop will offer strategies for Graduate Students and Early Career Scholars to prepare their research for academic publication. A light pizza lunch will be provided. This event is open to all graduate students and early-career scholars attending the conference.