Call for Editors or Book Proposals: Monograph or Edited Volume Proposals on Digital Knowledge, Platforms, and New Information Ecosystems

Vernon Press invites monograph or edited volume proposals for a new series dedicated to Digital Knowledge, Platforms, and New Information Ecosystems.

The ways in which knowledge is produced, stored, and accessed have undergone a profound transformation in the digital age. Whereas in the past knowledge was largely preserved and disseminated through books, academic institutions, and established reference works, today’s younger generations increasingly turn to digital platforms such as TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram as primary sources of information. These platforms have effectively become the “new encyclopedias” of the 21st century: dynamic, immediate, and highly accessible, yet often unregulated and uneven in terms of reliability and authority.

At the same time, these platforms function as vast repositories of both public and private information, controlled by a relatively small number of powerful corporations. This concentration of informational power raises critical questions about access, ownership, and the governance of knowledge. The shift away from traditional, vetted sources toward algorithm-driven content has significant implications for education, public discourse, and the formation of collective understanding. It also introduces new economic dynamics, as entire industries adapt, decline, or emerge in response to changing patterns of information consumption.

This phenomenon invites critical reflection on the risks and opportunities of platform-based knowledge systems. On the one hand, these new “encyclopedias” democratize access to information, foster participation, and enable new forms of learning and community-building. On the other, they pose challenges related to misinformation, data privacy, intellectual authority, and the monopolization of information infrastructures by private entities.

Scope of the Call

This call is open to proposals that address all aspects of digital knowledge production, circulation, and consumption from interdisciplinary perspectives.

The scope of the present call is broad. Possible topics include (non-comprehensive list):

• Social media as new knowledge infrastructures

• The decline or transformation of traditional reference sources

• Algorithmic curation and the politics of visibility

• Misinformation, disinformation, and epistemic trust

• Youth, education, and changing research practices

• Data ownership, privacy, and platform governance

• The concentration of informational power in large corporations

• Economic implications of platform-based knowledge systems

• Industries disrupted or created by new information habits

• Influencers, micro-experts, and informal authority

• Digital literacy and critical thinking in the platform age

• Knowledge production in participatory and networked environments

• Regulation, policy, and the future of digital knowledge

• Benefits, risks, and ethical challenges of new information ecosystems

How to submit your proposal

Please submit monograph proposals (approx. two pages) to submissions@vernonpress.com including a summary, a short biographical note and (if applicable) a list of similar titles using this form: Proposal form. More information on what we look for in a proposal is available on our website.

About the publisher

Vernon Press is an independent publisher of scholarly books in the social sciences and humanities. We work closely with authors, academic associations, distributors, and library information specialists to identify and develop high quality, high impact titles.