- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

CFP: Digital Citizenship and Activism: Questions of Power and Participation Online
by Jakob Svensson 15 May '12

15 May '12

Call for Papers: Special Issue of JeDEM (eJournal of eDemocracy & Open Government): Vol. 4 (1) Digital Citizenship and Activism: Questions of Power and Participation Online GUEST EDITORS Dr. Maria Bakardjieva (University of Calgary, Canada) Dr. Jakob Svensson (Karlstad University, Sweden) Dr. Marko M. Skoric (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore) Nowadays, when citizens, activists and participants in social movements want to voice their opinions and negotiate their political identities they increasingly do so in hybrid media environments that are particularly suitable for mobilisation, organisation and discussion. With a massive increase in online social networking, digital infrastructures are lowering the threshold for political involvement. This, in turn, is considerably shifting the power dynamics of participation. Digital storytelling, for example, has become part of the strategies used by contemporary political activists. While strategies in the past revolved mainly around the attempts to influence the mass media and gatekeepers, today more and more citizens are becoming reporters and commentators themselves, often providing first-hand, real-time coverage of offline political activities. However, some have questioned the notion of social networking platforms as tools for social change and/or horizontal power structures, in particular in relation to issues of surveillance and data privacy. These sorts of critical views have been voiced in public debates on the implications of corporate ownership of social networks. Another question that has been raised is whether “clicktivism” is eroding the physical or embodied participation constituting traditional offline activism. It must be also taken into account that very few movements have succeed through mediated activism alone. Hence, on the one hand we are witnessing how increasing access to the internet has resulted in an array of new strategies and success stories for contemporary activism, in particular with regards to mobilisation. On the other hand, we are still groping in the dark when it comes to understanding the place of digital participatory activities in the shifting landscapes of power in late modernity. For this special issue of JeDEM, we invite scholarly research to shed light on the issues of power and participation online. TOPICS CAN INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: Digital divides, hierarchy and marginalisation in political collectives, citizen networks and social movements Identity negotiation in digital activism and online collective action The intersections of individual, collective and connective identities in political movements online Socio-psychological aspects of political communication online Slacktivism, clicktivism, micro-activism and socio-political change Empirical accounts of shifting power relations and citizen/community empowerment in contemporary political participatory initiatives Mappings of power relations in online political networks Online platforms for mediated sociability and social capital creation and their role in civic mobilization The politics of privacy and surveillance in a networked world New governmental policies and networks Examples of new media strategies, real-time coverage and networked organisation in social and ad-hoc movements Implications and criticism of corporate ownership of social networks Social media activism in emerging and transitional democracies Multimedia configuations and citizens’ involvement in the public sphere Relevant articles from different national and disciplinary perspectives are welcome. We also encourage authors to submit policy papers and case studies, as well as critical essays analyzing existing methods and approaches. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Articles submitted for consideration must be written in English. Length of paper: 7,500-12,000 words, including footnotes. Template and guidelines are available athttp://www.jedem.org/about/submissions#authorGuidelines IMPORTANT DATES Call for papers 01.03.2012 Submission deadline 11.06.2012 Editor decision 16.07.2012 Camera ready paper 06.08.2012 CONTACT Judith Schossböck, Managing Editor Centre for E-Government, Danube University Krems Email: judith.schossboeck(a)donau-uni.ac.at Phone: +43 (0)2732 893-2309 Jakob Svensson, Ph. D. Director HumanIT (www.kau.se/en/humanit) Ass. Prof. in Media and Communication Studies Karlstad University 65188 Karlstad - Sweden + 46 (0) 54 700 1893 jakob.svensson(a)kau.se

2 2

CFP: #Influence12: Symposium & Workshop on Measuring Influence on Social Media [2nd Call]
by Haythornthwaite, Caroline 15 May '12

15 May '12

Begin forwarded message: From: Anatoliy Gruzd <agruzd(a)GMAIL.COM<mailto:agruzd@GMAIL.COM>> Date: May 14, 2012 12:29:32 PM CDT To: <SOCNET(a)LISTS.UFL.EDU<mailto:SOCNET@LISTS.UFL.EDU>> Subject: [SOCNET] CFP: #Influence12: Symposium & Workshop on Measuring Influence on Social Media [2nd Call] Reply-To: Anatoliy Gruzd <agruzd(a)GMAIL.COM<mailto:agruzd@GMAIL.COM>> ***** To join INSNA, visit http://www.insna.org ***** Apologies for cross-posting ******************************** CALL FOR POSITION PAPERS AND RESEARCH-IN-PROGRESS POSTERS What: #Influence12: Symposium & Workshop on Measuring Influence on Social Media Where: School of Information Management, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada When: September 28-29, 2012 Website: http://SocialMediaLab.ca/influence12 Twitter hashtag: #Influence12 ABOUT THE EVENT: This is a two-day symposium and workshop organized and hosted by the Social Media Lab (http://SocialMediaLab.ca<http://SocialMediaLab.ca/>) at Dalhousie University and supported by MITACS, SSHRC, NCE GRAND, Dalhousie’s Faculty of Computer Science and Faculty of Management. It is no secret that social media has become mainstream in recent years, and its adoption has skyrocketed. As a result of its growing popularity, users’ online contributions and membership in online social networks have exploded. With a multitude of voices all talking at once on social media, finding interesting and influential voices among the masses can be difficult. The objective of this 2-day workshop is to bring together experts in social media and online social networks from both the academic and business worlds, to share ideas on the best practices around how to study the impact of social media on our society, and specifically how to measure influence on social media. The workshop will provide researchers in this area an opportunity to present and debate their ideas, and provide graduate students with the opportunity to build academic and professional contacts, present their research, and learn about latest research in this area from a multidisciplinary perspective. SCHEDULE: During the first day, the participants will present and conduct discussions based on their work in this area. Over the second day, the participants will be tasked to brainstorm and develop new metrics for studying and measuring influence and engagement on social media. Industry Keynote Speaker: Gilad Lotan, VP of Research & Development, Socialflow.com<http://Socialflow.com> REGISTRATION FEE: None STUDENT TRAVEL SUBSIDIES: A limited number of competitive travel subsidies ($500 + 3-night shared accommodation with another student in a local hotel) will be available to PhD and Postdoctoral students from Canadian academic institutions. Please indicate on your submission whether you would like to be considered for a travel subsidy. TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS: 1) Position Papers: Proposals should be in the form of a position paper (up to 1,000 words excluding references) and formatted using the ACM Proceedings Format (a template is available at http://www.acm.org/sigs/publications/proceedings-templates) The position paper must be on a completed or well-developed project relating to the main theme of the workshop. If selected, the author(s) will be invited to give a 15-minute oral presentation followed by a 5 min Q&A period. 2) “Work-in-progress” Posters: Posters will display visual presentations of early-stage projects. Proposals should be in the form of a short abstract (up to 500 words excluding references). If selected, author(s) will have an opportunity to present their poster as part of a dedicated poster session during the workshop. *All submissions are due June 15, 2012, 23:59 (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time)* and must be submitted via the EasyChair website at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=influence12 TOPICS OF INTEREST INCLUDE: • Influential User Detection • Information Visualization in Social Media • Mobile Applications • Online and Offline Social Networks • Online Community Detection • Online Identity • Opinion Mining and Sentiment Analysis • Political Mobilization & Engagement on Social Media • Scalability Issues and Social Media Data • Social Media and Academia (Alternative Metrics. Learning Analytics, etc.) • Social Media Mining • Social Network Analysis All submissions will be peer-reviewed by the Program Committee and evaluated based on their relevance and potential contribution to the main theme of the workshop: How do we define and measure influence on social media? The goal is to select and invite up to 50 researchers to participate in the workshop. Accepted and finalized papers and posters will be published on the Social Media Lab website after the event and promoted through various media channels. The workshop presentations will also be streamed online. IMPORTANT DATES: • Submission Deadline: June 15, 2012, 23:59 (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time) • Notification Date: July 15, 2012 • Camera-Ready Deadline: August 30, 2012 • Workshop Dates: September 28-29, 2012 PROGRAM COMMITTEE: * danah boyd, Microsoft Research, USA * Jean Burgess, Queensland University of Technology, Australia * Amy Bruckman, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA * Alvin Chin, Nokia Research Center, Beijing * Greg Elmer, Ryerson University, Canada * Andrea Forte, Drexel University, USA * Keith N. Hampton, Rutgers University, USA * Carolyn Hank, McGill University, Canada * Caroline Haythornthwaite, University of British Columbia, Canada * Susan Herring, Indiana University, USA * Bernie Hogan, University of Oxford, UK * Karrie Karahalios, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA * Rhonda McEwen, University of Toronto, Canada * Catherine Middleton, Ryerson University, Canada * Anabel Quan-Haase, University of Western Ontario, Canada * Diane Rasmussen Neal, University of Western Ontario, Canada * Anthony Rotolo, Syracuse University, USA * Marc Smith, Social Media Research Foundation, USA * Louise Spiteri, Dalhousie University, Canada * Monica Whitty, University of Leicester, UK For further inquiries, please contact Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd at gruzd(a)dal.ca<mailto:gruzd@dal.ca> _____________________________________________________________________ SOCNET is a service of INSNA, the professional association for social network researchers (http://www.insna.org) To unsubscribe, send an email message to listserv(a)lists.ufl.edu<mailto:listserv@lists.ufl.edu> containing the line UNSUBSCRIBE SOCNET in the body of the message.

1 0

CFP: Special issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking
by Scott Golder 14 May '12

14 May '12

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking CALL FOR PAPERS Special Issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking on social media as a research environment Guest Editors Michael Macy, PhD, Cornell University Scott A. Golder, Cornell University CFP: http://redlog.net/cyberpsych_cfp.pdf Deadline for manuscript submission: July 2, 2012 Guest editors Michael W. Macy, PhD and Scott A. Golder are organizing a special issue of the journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking on social media as a research environment. All accepted articles will be published online ahead of print. The print issue is scheduled for winter 2012. We are seeking high-quality review articles and original articles on the following topics: * The use of social media as a data source in social science research * Papers that address questions of longstanding social scientific interest using novel data from social media * Experimental methods online, including controlled experiments and natural experiments * Effects of the structure/design of online environments on users' social behavior Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is the essential, peer-reviewed journal for understanding the social and psychological impact of today’s social networking practices. Highly regarded as the go-to source in the field, the Journal is known for its rapid communication articles and in-depth studies surrounding the effects of interactive technologies on behavior and society. Advantages of submitting your research to Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking: Rapid peer review *** Fast track article publication *** Open access options *** Abstracting and indexing in all key services *** Readership in more than 140 countries *** Outstanding editorial board and reputation of journal *** Dedicated author support team CFP: http://redlog.net/cyberpsych_cfp.pdf

1 0

Postdoctoral Scholar in Community-Based Campaign Communications
by Seungahn Nah 14 May '12

14 May '12

***Apologies for cross-posting ***Please forward this job opening to those who might be interested in. ------------------------------------- *Postdoctoral Scholar* *in Community-Based Campaign Communications* *Department of Community and Leadership Development* *University of Kentucky* The University of Kentucky is pleased to announce a postdoctoral scholar position in Community-Based Campaign Communications in the Department of Community and Leadership Development. The position seeks a candidate to work with Dr. Seungahn Nah and Dr. Kang Namkoong through the University of Kentucky’s Community Communication Research Group (UK-CCRG). This is a one-year, 12-month position with a possibility of a single year renewal contingent upon satisfactory performance and availability of funding. The position includes a competitive stipend plus benefits and is available July 1 with a negotiable starting date no later than August 24, 2012. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a research program with the research team focusing on the community-based campaign communications (e.g., health, science, environmental, risk communication and/or civic, political, and nonprofit communication). Qualifications: - An earned doctorate in communication, journalism, media studies, sociology, anthropology, public health, information studies, computer science or related discipline (the Ph.D. must be completed prior to appointment).** - Demonstrated research productivity.** - Ability to compete for external funding.** - Interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a variety of audiences and stakeholders. Review of applicants will begin on May 21 and continue until a suitable candidate is found. Interested candidates should send a letter of interest, a curriculum vita, a representative writing sample, and contact information of three references to: Dr. Seungahn Nah, Associate Professor of Community Communication, Department of Community and Leadership Development, 500 Garrigus Bldg., University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0215 (phone: 859-257-1509; e-mail: seungahn.nah(a)uky.edu) The University of Kentucky is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from minorities and females are encouraged. --------------------------------------- For more information, attached please find a full job description in PDF. Thank you. Seungahn ********************************************** Seungahn Nah, PhD Associate Professor, Community Communication Director, The Kentucky Citizen Media Project (KCMP): The Lexington Commons (kylexingtoncommons.org) Director, Community Communication Research Group (CCRG) Dept. of Community & Leadership Development University of Kentucky 514 Garrigus Building Lexington, KY 40546-0215

1 0

Preregistration - 13th Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association June 7–10, 2012
by Janet Sternberg 14 May '12

14 May '12

The Thirteenth Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association The Crossroads of the Word June 7–10, 2012   Manhattan College, Riverdale, New York Featured Speakers Sherry Turkle Douglas Rushkoff Terence P. Moran Jaron Lanier For Registration and Preliminary Program, go to http://www.media-ecology.org Deadline for Preregistration: May 15 Times Square, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue in New York City, has often been referred to as the “Crossroads of the World.” In fact, New York City itself can be considered a crossroads of the world. New York Harbor is home to Ellis Island, the main point of entry for the “huddled masses” who came to the United States in search of a better life, particularly as part of the “great immigration” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and who became part of America’s great “melting pot.” The city’s five boroughs are home to the most diverse population of any city on earth, with virtually every culture and language group represented. New York is also a crossroads of the media/mass media world: home to the U.S. corporate headquarters of almost all of our major multinational media conglomerates; home to Silicon Alley; and the indisputable news and information capital of the United States. It must be added, too, that the way we understand, analyze, and make sense of our world and all things in it is through our human language, in its spoken, written, and print forms. That is to say, our world is all about words. And at this juncture in the history of human civilization, in which people speak of a “post-literate culture,” after media ecologist Walter Ong, S. J., subtitled his book Orality and Literacy “The Technologizing of the Word,” and media ecologist Jacques Ellul wrote The Humiliation of the Word, we can perhaps say that we stand at a “Crossroads of the Word.” Convention Coordinator: Thom Gencarelli (thom.gencarelli{at}manhattan.edu) Featured Speakers Sherry Turkle, Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of The Second Self, Life on the Screen, and her latest book Alone Together (Thursday evening, June 7) Douglas Rushkoff (http://www.rushkoff.com/) winner of the MEA's first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, author of ten books including the recent Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age, and producer of three Frontline documentaries including “Merchants of Cool”, “The Persuaders”, and “Digital Nation”  (Friday, June 8) Terence P. Moran, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, one of the three founding members of NYU’s media ecology doctoral program, and author of Selling War to America: From the Spanish American War to the Global War on Terror and Introduction to The History of Communication: Evolutions and Revolutions (Saturday, June 9) Jaron Lanier (http://www.jaronlanier.com/) computer scientist, composer, visual artist, author of You are Not a Gadget, and one of Time magazine’s “100 People” for 2010  (Saturday evening, June 9) The program will also include plenary sessions in celebration of the centenary of the birth of Walter J. Ong and Jacques Ellul. Campus Housing Campus housing at Manhattan College will be available from Wednesday night, June 6 through Sunday night, June 10 (with checkout on Monday morning, June 11). This housing is situated just a two-minute walk from the buildings in which the convention will be held. Pricing is as follows: • $60 US per person per night for a private bedroom in a two-bedroom suite with a shared bath • $100 US per person per night for a private bedroom with a private bath To reserve campus housing please check the following two-step process: 1) Call Fiona Delaney, the Office Manager at the College's Business Office, at 1-718-862-7456, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Monday through Friday. Tell Fiona you wish to reserve campus housing during the Media Ecology Association Convention, and tell her which housing option you prefer. The College accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. 2) E-mail Brian Korney at bkorney.student{at}manhattan.edu with (a) your name (b) your housing option (c) the dates you will be staying. This will guarantee your reservation and ensure that we have an accurate housing list. Hotels For those of you who prefer to stay at a hotel, you have two options: You can stay at a hotel in midtown Manhattan. Or you can stay at a hotel In Yonkers, New York - a few miles north of campus. If you choose to stay at a hotel in midtown Manhattan, please note the following: (1) New York City has a great many hotels from which to choose. If you are not happy with the ones we recommend below, you are of course free to search for your own. (2) The hotels we recommend are all located on the west side of Manhattan, and are convenient to the No. 1 subway train, which will take you right down the hill - a two-minute walk - from the Manhattan College campus. If you choose an alternative hotel, we recommend that you also choose one on the West Side. (Subway directions can be found below.) (3) The recommended hotels do not offer a special convention rate, as we are not using their services otherwise. (4) A subway ride from midtown to the campus takes about a half hour. If you choose to stay at one of the recommended hotels in Yonkers, New York - both of which are located about seven miles (11.25 Km) from campus - you will need to either rent a car or take a taxi to campus and back. A taxi costs approximately $16.50 US each way. Hotels in Manhattan The following two hotels in Manhattan are presently pricing at about $250 per person per night: • The Milburn Hotel - 242 West 76th Street  Manhattan College uses this hotel to house guests who wish to stay in midtown • Holiday Inn - 440 West 57th Street In addition, the MEA has used the following hotel in the past. However, it is presently pricing at $379 per person per night: • Hudson Hotel - 356 West 58th Street Hotels in Yonkers, New York • Hampton Inn and Suites - 160 Corporate Boulevard Manhattan College also uses this hotel to house guests Presently pricing at $179 per person per night (or $152 non-refundable) • Ramada Inn - 125 Tuckahoe Road Presently pricing at $129 per person per night Directions to Campus from the No. 1 Subway Line • Take the No. 1 subway north to the end of the line - the Van Cortlandt Park/242nd Street stop. • Walk up the hill on West 242nd Street to College's main gate on the right. • Signs will be posted to direct you to the buildings in which the convention is being held http://www.media-ecology.org

1 0

CFP reminder: Special issue of iCS on the Internet, Social Networks and Civic Engagement in Chinese Societies abstract due May 15
by wenhong chen 14 May '12

14 May '12

Dear colleagues, Sorry for crossposting. A reminder that the deadline for submitting an abstract for Information, Communication & Society (iCS) special issue on social networks and civic engagement in Chinese societies is tomorrow, May 15. Please see details below and attached. Cheers, Wenhong ********************* CALL FOR PAPERS ********************* The Internet, Social Networks and Civic Engagement in Chinese Societies A Special Issue for Information, Communication & Society (iCS) Guest editor: Wenhong Chen Aim and Scope The Internet and digital media have become conduits and locales where millions of Chinese share information and engage in creative expression and social participation. The Arab Spring and the relative lack of response in China highlight the importance of understanding the Internet implications in specific social context. Yet, compared to their growing prevalence and significance, research on the contingent, non-linear, and sometimes paradoxical impacts of digital media and technologies in Chinese societies remains theoretically underdeveloped and empirically understudied. Taking an eclectic approach, this special issue aims to advance a balanced and context-rich understanding of how digital media and technologies afford the construction of social networks and participation in civic engagement in Chinese societies including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and the global Chinese Diaspora. It aims to reveal both the transformative power and the limitations of the Internet and other new communication technologies. It welcomes work with diverse theoretical and empirical approaches. Contributors are encouraged to examine the implications of the Internet and other new communication technologies for social networks and civic engagement, including but not limited to: . How do digital technologies and media allow actors to form and maintain social networks on- and offline? . What are the patterns and structure of Chinese social networks straddling boundaries of geography, identities, and issues in the Internet age? . How do access to and memberships in such networks vary by class, gender, generation, urban-rural gaps as well as differential digital media skills and literacy? . How does digital mediated communication contribute to an informed, connected, and engaged public in Chinese societies? . To what extent do digital media and technologies facilitate transparency and enhance the visibility of oppressed groups, in particular in comparison with print and broadcast media under tighter government control? . To what extent do glocalized, transnational networks affect access and mobilization of resources for social development and change? Logistics and Timeline . A 300-500 word abstract should be sent via email to the special issue editor by May 15, 2012. . Initial screening decisions will be made by May 30, 2012. . Authors of accepted abstracts should submit a full paper to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rics by August 15, 2012. . Authors must specify that the submission is for the special issue on The Internet, Social Networks and Civic Engagement in Chinese Societies. All submission will be subject to the journal's standard peer review process. Authors should follow the Information for Contributors of Manuscripts as published in iCS website. Information about the journal can be found at www.informaworld.com/ics . The special issue will be published in September 2013. . For inquiries or submission of full papers, please contact Wenhong Chen Assistant Professor Department of Radio-TV-Film, College of Communication University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station A0800 Austin, TX 78712 T: 512-471-4952 F: 512-471-4077 wenhong_chen(a)mail.utexas.edu

1 0

(clarification) Job vacancy: Professor of Media and Communications in a Global and Digital Age
by Kate O'Riordan 14 May '12

14 May '12

Clarification - in US terms this is the equivalent of full professor. ________________________________ From: Kate O'Riordan Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 2:44 PM To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Subject: Job vacancy: Professor of Media and Communications in a Global and Digital Age Professor of Media and Communications in a Global and Digital Age Media, Film and Music / Media and Communications University of Sussex Permanent, full time Salary range: From £54,283 per annum (Professorial Scale) Expected start date 01/09/12 The School of Media, Film and Music at the University of Sussex is seeking a Professor in the area of media and communications, with a focus on global media, media transformations (historical and contemporary), political economy, news and publics, or the sociology of the media. Media and Film at Sussex has an increasingly high reputation nationally and internationally. We are fifth in key league tables, have a strong team of internationally recognized researchers, and are extending and building new programmes. The person appointed will be internationally recognized for their research, able to obtain and lead funded research projects, to assist colleagues in developing their research activities, and to contribute to developing new programmes. They will also be willing to teach and inspire students at all levels and to take a full part in the School. Closing date for applications: 01 June 2012 Interviews likely to be held on 03 July 2012 For full details and how to apply see www.sussex.ac.uk/jobs<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/jobs> The University of Sussex is committed to equality of opportunity

1 0

Summer Social WebShop 2012 @UMCP
by Alan Neustadtl 14 May '12

14 May '12

Summer Social WebShop 2012 @UMCP I am happy to announce that the faculty at the University of Maryland in sociology, computer science and the iSchool along with the Social Media Research Foundation are hosting an NSF sponsored workshop on technology mediated social participation (TMSP) with an emphasis on social networks and social media. The workshop is open to US doctoral students in a variety of disciplines (social sciences, computer science, information science, etc.) and includes a stipend to support participation. The Summer Social Webshop (@Webshop_UMD) is 4-day interdisciplinary workshop for US graduate students (August 21-24, 2012) at the University of Maryland, College Park organized by leading researchers for graduate students at US universities studying social-networking tools, blogs and microblogs, user-generated content sites, discussion groups, problem reporting, recommendation systems, and other social media. For more information and application go to: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/webshop2012 Application deadline for best consideration: June 8, 2012 Please pass this following announcement along to your students and other groups that may be interested. This short listserv length announcement describes our workshop, and the link in that announcement leads to more details: We are also using twitter to spread this announcement. You can see the original tweet (for retweeting) at http://bit.ly/Mc2PZk and the original text is: US Grad student applications wanted for #Webshop2012 #UMD #HCIL #NSF #SMRF #TMSP #SNA #Socialmedia Aug 21-24 .http://bit.ly/KXmiYd If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Alan Neustadtl

1 0

REMINDER: Deadline Approaching Convergence SPECIAL ISSUE Mobility and mobile media in Brazil
by Isabel Froes 14 May '12

14 May '12

**** Apologies for multiple copies due to cross-posting **** **** Please forward to anyone who might be interested **** Convergence: The international journal of research into new media technologies SPECIAL ISSUE *Mobility and mobile media in Brazil* * * *Edited by:* Adriana de Souza e Silva (North Carolina State University) Isabel Froes (IT University of Copenhagen) * * *REMINDER:* One month left until the full paper deadline! Full papers:* June 15th, 2012.* Kind regards, Isabel Fróes and Adriana de Souza e Silva *Important dates:* Full papers:* June 15th, 2012* (8000/9000 words, including references) *in English.* - Full papers will undergo a double blind-review process; - Submissions may be in the form of empirical research studies or theory-building papers; - For formatting guidelines, please see: * http://www.uk.sagepub.com/msg/conv.htm#HOWTOSUBMITYOURMANUSCRIPT* ** - Papers must also include: - a brief biography of the author(s), - 250-word abstract, and - 6 keywords. *Proposals and inquiries should be sent electronically to Isabel Froes (** icgf(a)itu.dk* <icgf(a)itu.dk>*).* *Early submissions are greatly appreciated!* By the second decade of the 21st century, mobile phones have reached saturation levels in many countries in the world, surpassing the number of landlines and personal computers. Although initial scholarly interest on the social use of mobile phones focused on Europe, Asia, and the United States, the impact of mobile phone on the developing world (or Global South) is increasingly evident and perhaps much more profound. For many, the mobile device is the first phone, the first internet connection, the first TV set, and the first global positioning system. Among developing nations, Brazil is a key site for studying the social dimension of mobile technologies. The country is part of the so-called BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China), an acronym that refers to fast-growing developing economies. Brazil is the fastest growing economy in Latin America, and has over 217 million mobile phones, which represents an average of 111 working devices per 100 inhabitants. The country has also experienced one of the fastest mobile phone growth rates in the world since 2005 (averaging 16.6% annually); is the largest mobile phone market in Latin America; and is the fifth-largest mobile market in the world in absolute numbers, with roughly 217 million subscriptions as of September 2011. However, numbers alone reveal little if not analyzed within a broader social, cultural, and economic framework. The focus on a homogeneous large-scale market leads to overly sanguine perspectives that often obscure how socioeconomic diversity causes and reflects mobile phone use. As in many developing countries, Brazil has astounding income gaps among different sectors of the population, which influence and are influenced by technology development and use. For example, the use of high-end services such as mobile banking, and location-based services like * Foursquare *and *Yelp *is an intrinsic part of the daily mobile practices of the high-income population in the country. Conversely, the lower-income population in Rio de Janeiro is familiar with the *diretão*—a mobile phone that allows users to make clandestine calls to anywhere in the world with the use of an illegal sim card. However, Brazil has also been at the forefront of an experimental and innovative approach towards new technologies, forecasted in cultural events that focus on art, music and film festivals dedicated to new and creative uses of mobile technologies, such as the Mobilefest and Arte.mov. Despite this cultural and socio-economic diversity, and the relevance of its marketing, the social use and development of mobile phones in Brazil is largely under theorized and poorly studied. With the goal of contributing to bridge this gap, this special edition invites essays that critically investigate the inter-relations among mobile technologies, culture, and social development within the Brazilian society. *Submitted manuscripts are encouraged (but not limited) to focus on:* (1) History of mobile phones in Brazil. Essays are encouraged to explore the development of mobile phones in Brazil, comparing them to the landline infrastructure and internet growth within the Latin America socio-economic and political framework. Authors may explore the development and use of new mobile services, such as the mobile internet, text messaging, mobile apps, etc. (2) Social uses and appropriation of mobile phones. We welcome essays as empirical or theoretical studies dealing with the use and appropriation of technology by low-income communities. Of special interest are essays that explore how mobile and wireless technologies reconfigure the life of community dwellers and how people find new and unexpected uses for existing technologies. (3) Mobile art and games. We invite essays that investigate mobile phones as artistic and gaming interfaces, including essays that explore uses of hybrid reality, location-aware and pervasive activities in educational contexts, media arts, and gaming. (4) Location-based services. Submitted essays should investigate the uses and development of location-based services in Brazil, such as mobile annotation, location-based social networks, and mobile mapping. * * *About the editors:* Adriana de Souza e Silva is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University (NCSU), affiliated faculty at the Digital Games Research Center, and Interim Associate Director of the Communication, Rhetoric and Digital Media (CRDM) program at NCSU.Dr. de Souza e Silva's research focuses on how mobile and locative interfaces shape people's interactions with public spaces and create new forms of sociability. She teaches classes on mobile technologies, location-based games and internet studies. Dr. de Souza e Silva is the co-editor (with Daniel M. Sutko) of Digital Cityscapes—Merging digital and urban playspaces (Peter Lang, 2009), the co-author (with Eric Gordon) of the book Net-Locality: Why location matters in a networked world (Blackwell, 2011), and the co-author (with Jordan Frith) of Mobile interfaces in public spaces: Control, privacy, and urban sociability (Routledge, 2012). Isabel Fróes has received her Masters degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Programme at New York University (NYU) and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro, PUC-RJ in Brazil. She is a lecturer at the IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark), where she works both as a practitioner and scholar in the fields of communication, mobility, art and design. With a focus towards valuable interactions between people and technology, her research analyzes the future implications and current uses of digital media. In her courses she taps into the value of interactive elements in every arena and explores how they could affect the ways new concepts and activities are developed in distinct fields. She has presented some of these thoughts at various events such as the AAM conference (2009), and the IXDA South America (2010,2011). She has taught various courses at Danish institutions such as IT University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen and Kolding School of Design as well as Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Querétaro in Mexico. *Proposals and inquiries should be sent electronically to Isabel Froes (** icgf(a)itu.dk* <icgf(a)itu.dk>*).* -- Isabel Froes Adjunkt Professor/Ekstern Lektor Masters i Interaktionsdesign (MIND) IT University of Copenhagen Rued Langgaards Vej 7 DK-2300 Copenhagen S Denmark http://www.itu.dk/

1 0

Ways of Virtual World-making: Actors and Avatars
by Sisse Siggaard Jensen 13 May '12

13 May '12

My doctoral disputats: Ways of Virtual-World-making: Actors and Avatars, Roskilde Universitetsforlag (Roskilde University Press), e-books (worlds.ruc.dk/archives/4111<http://worlds.ruc.dk/archives/4111>) has been accepted for a public defense for the doctoral degree Dr. Phil. The defense will take place: Friday June 1, 1- 5 pm (GMT+1) in Biografen, Roskilde University. www.ruc.dk/om-universitetet/ankomst-til-ruc<http://www.ruc.dk/om-universitetet/ankomst-til-ruc>. It is streamed on the University's website and you can find a link to the stream on the Virtual Worlds Research Project's blog: worlds.ruc.dk<http://worlds.ruc.dk/>. Opponents are: Professor Jay D. Bolter, Georgia Institute of Technology, Professor Andrew Burn, London University, Professor Kim C. Schrøder, Roskilde University (chair). Sisse ;-) ----- Sisse Siggaard Jensen, Ph.D., Professor of Digital Communication, forskning.ruc.dk/site/person/sisse<http://forskning.ruc.dk/site/person/sisse> Dept. for Communication, Business and Information Technologies, Roskilde University, sisse(a)ruc.dk<mailto:sisse@ruc.dk>, +45 4674 3771, +45 2092 6094, worlds.ruc.dk<http://worlds.ruc.dk>

1 0