Ignite Talks

Are you ready to go beyond talking about your on-going work?
Are you ready to share the passion and excitement of Digital and Social Media research?

Click Here to submit your proposal

The Digital and Social Media Track will again host a special session of short talks that identify opportunities for the future. The “Ignite” presentation is a structured, high-energy, short talk in which you share your passion for and creative ideas about digital and social media research. If you are excited about a new perspective, issue or practice related to Digital and Social media, this session is a place to get others excited about it as well.

You can present a short talk if you already have a paper accepted to HICSS, or if you don’t. While the talk can be related to a later research presentation, it should not be a “preview” but should stand on its own.

The short talk will use the Ignite format, an approach that gets out of the traditional academic box. Ignite is formed around a formalism: you must create a “deck” of 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds (5 minutes total). This mode represents a radical departure from the traditional paper presentation, and is focused on telling an enlightening story, making an argument, and inciting an audience to come to your way of thinking and action. The presenters are encouraged to keep the logos, but add drama: pathos, humor, wit and rhetorical (and physical) stunts to the talk.

More information of the Ignite format can be found at
* http://www.ignitetalks.io/
* http://scottberkun.com/2009/how-to-give-a-great-ignite-talk/
* http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/ignite-presentations/

Proposals will be evaluated by the Chair of the Digital and Social Media Track on the basis of fit to the Track, topical balance, innovativeness and likelihood to sustain audience interest.

Application Instructions:
If you are interested, please submit the title of the talk and abstract.

Important Dates:
* Deadline for proposal – December 1, 2025 | 11:59PM HST
* Notification of acceptance/rejection – December 9, 2025 | 11:59PM HST
* Deadline for slides for your talk, if your proposal is accepted – December 30, 2025 | 11:59PM HST
* Ignite Talks – January 7, 2026| 8:00AM – 9:30AM HST

Inquiries:
Please direct your inquiries to Kevin Crowston <crowston@syr.edu>