The interdisciplinary conference « Child and Teen Consumption » aims to facilitate in-depth dialogue between researchers from various disciplines: management, psychology, sociology, information and communication, anthropology, history, educational sciences, law, etc. Whilst the 8^th conference will aim to continue interdisciplinary research and dialogue on broad themes related to children and young people as consumers, the theme of the 2018 conference will be « Cultural and Creative Industries of Childhood and Youth » in order to reflect its location in Angoulême and the growing research and public policy interest in this topic. The conference aims to highlight research in this domaine and invites producers of cultural material to bring their views to the debate.

Presentation

The interdisciplinary conference « Child and Teen Consumption » aims to facilitate in-depth dialogue between researchers from various disciplines: management, psychology, sociology, information and communication, anthropology, history, educational sciences, law, etc.  An active interdisciplinary community has organised the seven previous conferences: the University of Poitiers (Poitiers University Business School) in 2004; the Copenhagen Business School in 2006; the Norwegian Child Research Centre (NOSEB) in 2008; Linköping University (Sweden) in 2010; the Universita Libera of Milan (Italy) in 2012; the Edinburgh University Business School in 2014; Aalborg University (Denmark) in 201­6.

The 8^th CTC conference returns to its origins, to the University of Poitiers and Angoulême, home to a wealth of creative organisations and initiatives.   In 1998 Greater Angoulême set up the MAGELIS Image Centre which now comprises 90 companies from key sectors of the image industry (audio-visual production studios, post-production studios, video game producers, serious game producers, mobile game producers, advertising agencies, design agencies, etc.).  Furthermore, Greater Angoulême is currently in the process of establishing a technoloqy park where the Cultural and Creative Industries are one of the main themes.  Second to Paris, MAGELIS in Angoulême is now the largest centre in France recording the greatest number of cartoons produced each year.

Whilst the 8^th conference will aim to continue interdisciplinary research and dialogue on broad themes related to children and young people as consumers, the theme of the 2018 conference will be « Cultural and Creative Industries of Childhood and Youth » in order to reflect its location in Angoulême and the growing research and public policy interest in this topic.   The conference aims to highlight research in this domaine and invites producers of cultural material to bring their views to the debate. 

Argument

Because of their interdisciplinary focus, the Child and Teen Consumption conferences tackle a wide variety of topics relating to the links between childhood and adolescence and consumer environments in different social and institutional contexts.  The CTC conferences promote and enhance original research that explores and highlights what children understand about the market experiences in which they participate, and how they use the resources available to them to assert their child status vis-a-vis adults or their peer groups.  The conference also welcomes work that analyses marketing techniques used towards young people as well as the socio-economic mechanisms that shape and control childhood cultures.

Scope of the recurring topics addressed by the CTC conferences

• Historical perspectives on consumption by children and adolescents
• Social contexts of consumption practices by children and adolescents
• Parent-child relationships with regard to consumption: education, negotiation
• The educational projects of parents with regard to learning about consumption
• Empowering the child with regard to consumption: comptence, dependence and vulnerability
• Children and adolescents as co-producers of consumer cultures
• The relationship of children with money: pocket money, saving and spending
• Brand strategies and communicaton within youth industries
• Inequality and discrimination between children / families provoked by commercial activities
• Socialisation of children in consumer practices: tensions between ideology, politics and resistance
• Consumer education: responsibility, ethics, environmental and social issues
• Social risks: obesity, excessive consumption, excessive debt
• Market mediators relating to children: design, publicity, packaging, merchandising
• New methodology for « listening to » the voice of the apprentice-consumer
• Responsibility of the researcher working with children
• Images of the material culture of childhood advocated by commercial activities
• Controversy over child well-being and corporate social responsibility
• Ethics and responsibility vis-a-vis children: companies, researchers, educators, practitioners, etc.
• Children’s rights and the globalisation of commercial activities

Topics suggested by the theme « Cultural and Creative Industries of Childhood and Youth »

• Cultural products for children and youth
• Tensions and mix between entertainment and education
• Economic socialisation in child and youth media practices
• Virtual worlds: arbitration between avatars, games, virtual currency and real purchases
• Children and new forms of interactive advertising : risk relating to the collection of personal data and the targeting of advertising towards minors
• Convergence culture : the fluidity of media content and consumer practices
• Digital marketing and capturing children’s attention
• Techno-cultural affordances of childhood and youth
• Cultural industries, licensing and the ‘glocalisation’ of child cultures
• Cultural consumer travelling
• Transmedia design and circulation of children’s products
• Convergence culture : the fluidity of media content and consumer practices
• Design of cultural, museum and touristic experiences destined for children
• Cultural content and child practices within the regulations of cultural industries and the internet
• Children’s rights in the media and consumer world.

Keynotes and Partnership

Minna Ruckenstein – Principal investigator - Consumer Society Research Centre - University of Helsinki – Finland

Marc Steinberg - Associate Professor, Film Studies - Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema - Concordia University – Canada

A partnership with the scientific review Young Consumers (ISSN 1747-3616 – Professor Brian Young) distinguishes the work of a young researcher for a prize which is presented at each CTC conference.

Submission guidelines

The working language of the conference is English. 

9th october 2017 : Submission of proposed papers (to include the title, a 1500 word paper + bibliography, indicating the affiliation of the author).

18th November 2017 : Notification to authors: rejection, modification, acceptance.

31st January 2018 : Submission of final version of extended abstracts (this format includes the title, a 4000 word paper and a 100 word resumé). This extended abstract should present original research, specifying the theoretical foundations and methodological aspects and explaining the contribution it brings to the disciplinary field of reference.

18th February 2018 : Deadline for ‘early bird’ registration.

3-6 avril : Conference

Paper's evaluation

Papers will be subject to an interdisciplinary double blind evaluation, the objective being that the conference is a place for scientific dialogue and learning so that the researchers whose papers are accepted are able to progress in their thinking and reinforce the strength of their scientific approach.  

International Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee includes: