Begin forwarded message: > > > Call for papers: Mobile Communication: Bringing Us Together or > Tearing Us Apart? > > International Communications Association Pre-conference Workshop #4 > > There has been much attention paid to the state of social cohesion > during the past decade. Robert Putnam has helped us to focus on > social capital and its status. Analysis in Europe and in Asia has > looked into the interaction between ICTs (usually the Internet) and > the state of socialization, and now McPherson has delivered an > analysis on social isolation in the US. While it is possible to > comment on the studies, the general message seems to be that we are > growing apart rather than closer together. > Or are we? > It is interesting to note that several studies focusing on mobile > communication point at a different phenomena. Taking a clue from > Licoppe's "connected presence" and Katz & Aakhus' perpetual > contact, there is the sense that the threshold for interaction in > the group - or the clique or the gang or the family - has never > been lower. Among others, recent studies by Ishii and by Miyata in > Japan, Lee in Korea, Reid and Reid in the UK, Banjo et al in the US > and Ling et al in the broader European scene indicate that the > groups who use mobile communication may indeed be more cohesive. > So what is it? Is it more, or less cohesion? Is the general trend > towards individualization while the peer group is becoming more > tightly intertwined? This is the theme that we wish to examine. > While a portion of the program h as been arranged in advance, we > are also seeking proposals from both qualitative and quantitative > research projects that examine this question. Proposal abstracts > are due by January 29, 2007 to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and the final > program will be assembled by February 23, 2007. Final papers are > due by May 1. The program will accommodate up to 10 panel > sessions, with discussants, depending upon the number and quality > of proposals submitted. > The pre-conference is a joint effort by the University of Michigan > Department of Communication Studies, Temple University, Microsoft > Research and Telenor Research. It will be held at the San > Francisco Hilton, the conference hotel, starting with a plenary > session on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 23. There will be > panels on Wednesday afternoon, followed by a reception. And there > will be parallel sessions on Thursday, May 24, before and after a > luncheon. > > Cost: ICA Members: $40.00 USD > ICA Student members: $20.00 USD > Non-member price: $75.00 > (Includes refreshments, lunch and reception) > > > Organized by > Prof. Michael Traugott, University of Michigan [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Prof. Concetta M. Stewart, Temple University [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Dr. Jonathan Donner, Microsoft [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Dr. Rich Ling, Telenor Research [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sponsored by > The University of Michigan Department of Communication Studies and > the Pohs Endowment > Microsoft Research > The Communication and Technology (CAT) division --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ TELECOM-CITIES Current searchable archives (Feb. 1, 2006 to present) at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Old searchble archives at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
