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CfA Fellowships and Working Groups at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS)
by Esther Laufer 11 Aug '21

11 Aug '21

Are you studying the social, political, economic, media-related or cultural effects of digitalization? Do you want to concentrate exclusively on a project and are interested in interdisciplinary exchange? The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) in Bochum, Germany, supports innovative projects that deal with the social opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation. Experts from academia and practice can apply for fellowships and working groups. The funding program is open to experts of all career stages, to all disciplines and areas of investigation, as well as to pure research and to projects that are more applied in orientation. The funding program is continuous. Apply now for fellowships and working groups starting from April 2022. Please follow the two-step application process: 1. Send an abstract of your project (max. 300 words) with letterhead and information on the desired time of implementation as a PDF to application(a)cais.nrw by 31 August 2021. 2. Submit the full proposal by 30 September 2021 via the application form https://www.cais.nrw/en/callforapplications on our website. For more information go to:http://www.cais.nrw/en/callforapplications/ . If you have any questions, please contact me at esther.laufer(a)cais.nrw mailto:esther.laufer@cais.nrw . Best wishes, Esther

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Invitation for the First African Electronic Literature Conference
by Waliya, Yohanna Joseph 11 Aug '21

11 Aug '21

Dear all, You are all invited to participate in our first African Electronic Literature Alliance conference! 1st African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIW -2021) AELAIWC 2021: Call for Participation In recent times, increased attention is being paid to digital technologies, especially how they impact research and innovation in the fields of natural and human sciences, and more recently how these tools enhance affect the mechanics and dynamics of our day-to-day activities. Scholars across diverse fields have equally tapped into the potential of digital tools in their research as well as teaching and learning. In furtherance of this, human science researchers from the domain of literature have been engaging the available tools and have also been fashioning out diverse means whereby scholarship in electronic literature can be advanced. It is within this framework that the Centre for Digital Humanities University of Lagos (CEDHUL), Nigeria & University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Morocco, are organising the first of its kind academic gathering of like- minds and interested individuals or groups through the First African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIWC 2021). The African Electronic Literature Alliance (AELA) is an association of all African e-literary and interactive digital art enthusiasts, scholars, independent scholars/artists and postgraduate students across the globe who are projecting African worldviews in interactive digital arts and electronic literatures. Theme: Digital Tools & Hypertext Praxis in African Digital Literature Dates: 22nd –25th November, 2021 Venue: University of Lagos, Nigeria & University Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah, Morocco (Virtual/in person) Conference Languages: French, Arabic & English African Electronic Literature Alliance International Workshop Conference (AELAIWC 2021) is an online/in person workshop and lectures designed to train and form all interested African scholars, electronic literature artists, digital poets and students in the field of African Electronic Literature(AEL), African Diasporic Electronic literature (ADELI) by providing them with opportunities to learn digital creative writing, connect with peers around the world and established-electronic literature experts, through which participants will be able to explore computational creativity in literature. Conference Highkights: AELAIWC 2021 Workshop The workshop will be divided into four-day intensive classes. An hour lecture, 30 minutes break, self-practice for 1 hour. All lectures will be presented on the first and second days of the conference (22-23) except workshops anchor by Prof. Nick Monfort and Prof. Andrew Demirjian which will be held on the 22nd and 23rd respectively. The training workshop will be on the third and fourth days (i.e. 24th-25th Nov) Organising Committee Waliya Yohanna, University of Calabar/Centre for Digital Humanities, Lagos, Nigeria. Prof. Mourad El Fahli/Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco. Dr. Brahim Amri, Taza/Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University, Morocco. Dr. Fatima Gueddou, Ibn Tofail University, Morocco. Prof Tunde Ope-Davies, Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Dr. Richard Oko Ajah, University of Uyo/Centre for Digital Humanities, Lagos, Nigeria. Participation is free but membership is mandatory. To register, please visit: https://africanelit.org/membership.php Conference website: https://africanelit.org . MAELD & ADELD<https://africanelit.org/> African Electronic Literature Alliance & African Diasporic Electronic Literature (AELA & ADELI) was conceived on the 17th July, 2020 during the virtual ELO2020 Conference hosted by the University of Central Florida (USA). These two organisations’ projects seek to bring all African electronic literary works into a single Multilingual African Electronic Literature Database & African Diasporic ... africanelit.org Yohanna Joseph Waliya Enseignant et chercheur à l'université de Calabar. UNESCO Janusz Korczak Fellow, ELO Research Fellow, Winner of Janusz Korczak Prize for Global South 2020, Creator & Curator of MAELD & ADELD Executive Director of AELA & ADELI Web: https://africanelit.org/ Auteur de La récolte de vie, Climatophosis (Winner Best Use of DH for Fun 2020) etc. Mail: waliyayohannajoseph(a)unical.edu.ng Mobile:+2348038940016. Webs: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4456-7458<https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4456-7458> https://unical-ng.academia.edu/WALIYAYOHANNAJOSEPH https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yohanna_Waliya http://vispo.com/guests/waliya/

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OPEN POSITIONS: Max Planck Research Group Leaders
by MPIDR - Career 11 Aug '21

11 Aug '21

+++ apologies for cross-postings +++ Max Planck Research Group Leaders The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) seeks to appoint up to two outstanding early-career researchers to lead independent Max Planck Research Groups in areas of demography that strengthen or complement the research portfolio of the Institute. The MPIDR is one of the leading demographic research centers in the world. The Institute's scientists advance fundamental research in areas related to fertility, mortality and migration, as well as study issues of policy relevance, such as demographic change, aging, health, the redistribution of work and transfers over the life course, as well as the digitization of life and the use of novel data sources for understanding demographic dynamics. The MPIDR is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of 86 institutes that form Germany's premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, social sciences and the humanities. They offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory. The successful candidates (m/f/d) will be appointed as independent research group leaders at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. The position comes with a competitive salary package, as well as generous funds to support a research team and associated research costs. This is a five-year position with the possibility of a two-year extension following a positive evaluation. A starting date is negotiable but it is expected that the successful candidate joins the Institute during the year 2022. The successful candidates are expected to conduct the work locally at the MPIDR. What we offer Max Planck Research Group Leaders will receive a five-year contract with remuneration on the basis of remuneration group W2 (broadly equivalent to Associate Professor) of the Federal Civil Service Remuneration Act [Bundesbesoldungsgesetz] and a generous annual budget for personnel and consumables (which can be used towards, e.g., a postdoctoral position, up to two doctoral students, material costs and operational expenses). Research group leaders are free to supplement their budget with the acquisition of external research funding. It is expected that the candidates will develop and direct an innovative independent research program. Together with their Research Group, group leaders can make use of the excellent infrastructure and research support of the Institute. The MPIDR is an equal opportunities employer. Our work atmosphere includes respectful treatment of each other, with gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, cultural origin, and sexual identity playing no role. We aim to have an institutional culture that enables everyone to develop their individual skills and competencies. The Max Planck Society offers a broad range of measures to support the reconciliation of work and family. These are complemented by the MPIDR's own initiatives. The Society has been awarded the certificate "Work and Family" which is granted to institutions committed to establishing a family-friendly corporate culture by binding target agreements. The MPIDR collaborates with a network of local day-care centers that provides childcare places for the children of Institute staff. The Max Planck Society has contracts with a private family service company that offers services such as arranging child care on short notice in various cities in Germany for parents who attend conferences, care services for children of school age up to 14 years, and support for those caring for family members and relatives. The MPIDR also practices flexible working-time models, which include at least one home office day per week, and scheduling meetings only within core working hours. To help accompanying spouses and partners find appropriate work at their new location, the MPIDR works in close cooperation with Dual-Career Partners in regional networks. Application criteria Successful applicants should have * a doctoral degree in Demography or a related field received no more than 7 years ago (extensions apply, e.g. for parental leave); * an outstanding track record of publications, commensurate with their level of experience. Ideally, they show * exceptional promise for advancing demographic research; * experience in mentoring and training students as well as a track record in securing external funding. Applications have to be submitted online via https://www.demogr.mpg.de/go/JobAd119341 and include the following documents: 1. Curriculum Vitae 2. Letter of interest (Max 1 page) Briefly state why you are interested in joining the MPIDR, how the MPIDR could foster your professional development, and in which ways your interests fit the research strengths of the MPIDR. 3. Research Statement (Max 3 pages) Briefly describe your research accomplishments, as well as ongoing and future research plans, including a 5-year plan for a research group. Please also describe your technical skills, areas of expertise, as well as offer evidence of leadership in the field. 4. Statement of mentorship/supervision experience (Max 1 page) Briefly describe any experience you have in regard to supervising and/or mentoring younger scholars (e.g. doctoral students, early career postdoctoral researchers), and also any research-administrative experience you may have acquired. 5. Names and contact information for 3 academic references 6. 3 recent publications In order to receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by September 23, 2021. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for October 11 and 12, 2021. Answers to FAQs about the position of Max Planck Research Group Leaders can be found at https://www.mpg.de/mprg/faqs. For further inquiries about the position, please contact michaelis(a)demogr.mpg.de<mailto:michaelis@demogr.mpg.de>. Our Institute values diversity and is keen to employ individuals from minorities. The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. Furthermore, the Max Planck Society seeks to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. -- This mail has been sent through the MPI for Demographic Research. Should you receive a mail that is apparently from a MPI user without this text displayed, then the address has most likely been faked. If you are uncertain about the validity of this message, please check the mail header or ask your system administrator for assistance.

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Teaching in an Age of COVID: One Year Later
by Paul Levinson 10 Aug '21

10 Aug '21

My brief essay in "Teaching an Age of COVID: One Year Later" https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42438-021-00243-7 scroll down for my essay "Even Better Than I Expected" -Paul *Welcome Up: Songs of Space and Time * - digital <https://open.spotify.com/album/4S1oaV75qF6tRFfdDwDczE>, CD <http://paullev.com/product/welcome-up-songs-of-space-and-time-cd/>, vinyl <https://lightintheattic.net/releases/6371-welcome-up-songs-of-space-and-time> "Eight slices of interstellar delight" -- Jon Pruett, *Ugly Things Magazine*, September 2020 -- more press <https://www.reverbnation.com/paullevinson/press> <https://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/join_mailing_list/artist_86705>

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Talk on Click Farming and Disinformation-For-Hire
by Rafael Grohmann 10 Aug '21

10 Aug '21

Hello, August 18, 1:30PM EST, Jonathan Corpus and I will talk about click farm platforms and disinformation-for-hire on DigiLabour's Youtube Channel. Link: [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrAvWs6k7Lc Please join us! Launch of the call for papers, special issue, Social Media + Society [2]https://journals.sagepub.com/page/sms/collections/cfp Rafael Grohmann Assistant Professor, Communication, Unisinos University, Brazil Director, DigiLabour Research Lab Principal Investigator, Fairwork in Brazil Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2), UCLA Board Member, Labor Tech Research Network References 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrAvWs6k7Lc 2. https://journals.sagepub.com/page/sms/collections/cfp

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New book - Fragmented Narrative: Telling and interpreting stories in the Twitter age
by Neil Sadler 10 Aug '21

10 Aug '21

Hello all, I'm happy to announce that my new book Fragmented Narrative: Telling and interpreting stories in the Twitter age is now available from Routledge - https://www.routledge.com/Fragmented-Narrative-Telling-and-Interpreting-Sto…. It starts from the premise that a key change in communication over the last couple of decades been a shift to very small units, exemplified by Twitter and its 280-character limit on individual posts. Consequently, highly fragmented communication has become the norm in many contexts. Fragmented Narrative sets out to explore the production and reception of fragmentary stories, analysing the Twitter-based narrative practices of Donald Trump, the Spanish political movement Podemos, and Egyptian activists writing in the context of the 2013 military intervention in Egypt. Drawing on narrative theory and hermeneutics, it's central argument is that narrative remains a vital means for understanding, allowing fragmentary content to be grasped together as part of significant wholes. Using Heideggerian ontology, it proposes that our capacity to do this is grounded in the centrality of narrative to human existence itself. The book strives to provide a new way of thinking about the interpretation of fragmentary information, applicable both to social media and beyond. If you're interested, I've also written a thread breaking things down chapter by chapter - https://twitter.com/Neil_Sadler/status/1420769556797304833. Best wishes, Neil Dr Neil Sadler Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting Centre for Translation and Interpreting School of Arts, English and Languages, Room 104, 9 University Square, Queen's University Belfast +44 (0) 289097 5138 @Neil_Sadler<https://twitter.com/Neil_Sadler>

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Call for Book Chapters: Springer book on Digital Literacy and Meaningful Connectivity
by Danica Radovanović 10 Aug '21

10 Aug '21

*** Does your work involve digital literacy and/or digital inclusion? Please consider contributing to the forthcoming multidisciplinary book *Digital Literacy – A Human-Centric Approach to Meaningful Connectivity* edited by Danica Radovanović, and published by Springer. Please see the details below. What we have learned in the past decade of our digital lives? In the past 5 years? In the past 15 months? Where we’re going? Where shall we begin? These are some of the questions I am asking myself, as an internet researcher and practitioner, lately, and this is an invitation to the researchers and experts from various stakeholder groups to contribute to various aspects and dynamics of digital literacy related to digital inclusion, both in the Global South and Global North. The digital divide, even more, prominent in the Global South, is also visible in the Global North. We have seen this in the past year and a half, how much and to what extend we lack in digital skills; that those without the access and skills got more left behind and disconnected, and us – on Global North, how we had to learn and relearn new pathways and skills to join the digital highway. Many of you, even though academics in social and internet technologies had to reach and ask your junior colleague or a child to help you to set up the technology, install zoom, other apps, how to record a video, how to create and share the content with a larger group of people, use the cloud, change the privacy settings, change the background or learn how to press unmute. Undoubtedly, digital literacy presents the relevant factor for digital inclusion and sustainable development. This book seeks to provide insight and analysis of sustainable digital literacy models for obtaining digital skills in the digital era. We’ll have a look into successful initiatives with various dynamics and structures of the models that enable the provisioning of digital literacy efficiently and sustainably. What constitutes digital literacy in this new digital landscape? What is needed to bridge the digital divide in skills in Global South, and what in Global North? What is dominant in the North? We seek to redefine digital literacy for the 21st century and analyze case studies targeted at under-connected people in the Global South and North that use digital literacy programs to build knowledge, improve education, health literacy, financial literacy, solve societal problems, and foster development. The book welcomes contributions that stem from different disciplines and methodologies, by established and new scholars in the field that critically examine the current state of digital literacy and digital skills related to the digital transformation and digital inclusion processes that we are experiencing. We welcome chapters from diverse fields, including social science, computer science, and engineering studies, communication, anthropology, journalism, political theory, critical theory, business, etc. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: - Digital Literacy in 21st century: Processes and practices in Global South and Global North - Practical implications and solutions to the digital divide related to digital literacy. - Digital Skills in Education and eLearning: the promise of online learning - Digital Literacy current frameworks. KPIs and solutions for scalability and sustainability - Digital skills and vulnerable groups: children, youth, elders, marginalized groups in the society - Digital literacy initiatives for reducing Gender inequality, best praxis - Digital health literacy, digital financial literacy, business models - Network privacy skills, algorithmic digital skills, data digital literacy, digital social security, IoT, AI – (re) learning new skills - Digital Literacy and sustainable futures: innovative cross-sector partnerships, recommendations for future digital literacy initiatives and programs Abstract submissions for the book chapter proposals are due *September 27* *th,** 2021, *and please send a title, abstract (250 words max), and a short bio to danica(a)basicinternet.org <danica(a)basicinternet.org>to help us streamline the peer review process. The answers to the most frequently asked questions: - The book is a monograph published by Springer - The target chapter length is 5000-6000 words, including references. - There is no limit to the number of authors in a chapter. Please do not hesitate to get in touch should you have any queries. With kind regards, Danica Dr. Danica Radovanović *Senior research lead, **University of Oslo, ITS* Digital Inclusion advisor, Basic Internet Foundation Web: danicar.info <https://www.danicar.info/>: t <http://www.twitter.com/danicar> @danicar <http://www.twitter.com/danicar> : linkedin <http://rs.linkedin.com/in/danicar>

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WEBCAST TODAY: NARALO ‘Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on Internationalized Domain Names (IDN)’ w/ Satish Babu
by Joly MacFie 09 Aug '21

09 Aug '21

This will in fact start about 10 mins after the hour, after housekeeping is done. ISOC Live posted: "On Monday August 9 2021 at 3pm EDT (19:00 UTC) the North America Regional At-Large Organization (NARALO) presents 'Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on Internationalized Domain Names (IDN)'. APRALO Chair Satish Babu will consider the following a" [image: isoc pr] <https://www.facebook.com/isocpr>On *Monday August 9 2021* at *3pm EDT* (19:00 UTC) the *North America Regional At-Large Organization <https://naralo.org>* (NARALO) presents '*Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) on Internationalized Domain Names (IDN) <https://go.icann.org/3CxZvEP>*'. APRALO Chair *Satish Babu <https://www.internetsociety.org/author/babu/>* will consider the following and more: What are IDN, IDN Variants, PDP, EPDP, and Universal Acceptance (UA)? Why is EPDP in IDN important to the end user? The ICANN community has been working on IDN since 2011, why did it take 10 years to work on an IDN policy? Why an EPDP and not a regular PDP? How are IDNs incorporated (delegated) in the Domain Name System (DNS)? What are IDN variants? Why are they important? Will UA be considered in the EPDP? What else will be considered in the EPDP? The session will be simulcast by the *Internet Society Puerto Rico Chapter <https://www.isocpr.org/>*. *PARTICIPATE VIA ZOOM: email staff(a)atlarge.icann.org <staff(a)atlarge.icann.org>* *TWITTER #idn #edpd #naralo #apralo @isocpr @icann @satish_babu #dns #internetforeveryone* *SIMULCASTS* *http://facebook.com/groups/naralo <http://facebook.com/groups/naralo>* *http://facebook.com/groups/isocpr <http://facebook.com/groups/isocpr>* *https://www.facebook.com/isocpr <https://www.facebook.com/isocpr>* *https://twitter.com/isocpr <https://twitter.com/isocpr>* *https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEO1eO7Cjm0qRAu2aOReyGA* <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEO1eO7Cjm0qRAu2aOReyGA> (ISOC PR) *https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChzuz_mvdpYOw5slFEryUDg* <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChzuz_mvdpYOw5slFEryUDg> (NARALO) *Permalink* https://isoc.live/14451/ -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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[Call for Papers] ACM WSDM 2022 --Due August 13
by Ugur Kursuncu 09 Aug '21

09 Aug '21

Call for Papers: WSDM 2022 - International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining New Deadline: August 13, 2021 Notifications: October 11, 2021 Website: http://www.wsdm-conference.org/2022/ The 15th ACM International WSDM Conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, between February 21 and 25, 2022. WSDM is a highly selective conference that includes refereed, original and high-quality papers related to search and data mining on the Web and the Social Web, with an emphasis on practical yet principled approaches. Original papers emphasizing novel algorithmic approaches are particularly encouraged. Application-oriented papers that make innovative technical contributions to research are welcome. Visionary papers on new and emerging topics are particularly encouraged. Topics: (WSDM proceedings are published in the ACM Digital Library) - Web Search: - Algorithms for web-scale search; Adversarial search; Search user interfaces and interaction; Distributed search, metasearch, peer-to-peer search; Local and mobile search; Multimedia web search; Query analysis and query processing; Search benchmarking and evaluation; Search user behavior and log analysis. - Web Mining and Content Analysis: - Crawling and indexing web content; Web recommender systems and algorithms; Clustering, classification, and summarization of web data; Data, entity, event, and relationship extraction; Knowledge acquisition and automatic construction of knowledge bases; Large-scale graph analysis; Semantic search, faceted search, and knowledge graphs; Multimodal data mining; Scalable algorithms for mining web data; Opinion mining and sentiment analysis; Web traffic and log analysis; Web measurements, web evolution, and web models. - Web of Things, Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing: - Geo and location data analysis, mobility and behavior data mining; Location-based social networks; User activity modeling and exploitation. - Privacy, Fairness, Interpretability: - Fairness and accountability in ranking, recommendation and advertising; Explainability in web systems; Model and algorithm transparency; Interpretable models of individual and social behavior; Web search and data mining under privacy constraints. - Social Networks: - Link prediction and community detection; Social network analysis and graph algorithms; Computational social science; Influence and viral marketing in social networks; Social sensing; Searching social and real-time content; Social network dynamics; Sampling, experiments, and evaluation in social networks; Social media analysis: blogs and friendship networks; Social network analysis, theories, models and applications; Social reputation and trust. - Intelligent Assistants: - Voice search, conversational search, and dialog systems; Personal assistants, dialogue models, and conversational interaction; Task-driven search; Zero-query and implicit search. - Crowdsourcing and Human Computation: - Collaborative search and question answering; Human-in-the-Loop and Collaborative Human-AI systems. - Web-Based Health Applications: - Public health techniques on the Web; Healthcare delivery on the Web; Personal health on the Web; Web-based mental health and well-being support. For more information, please visit http://www.wsdm-conference.org/2022/

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CFP special issue of Mobile Media & Communication on COVID-19
by Adriana de Souza e Silva 09 Aug '21

09 Aug '21

Hi all, This is a reminder that the deadline for the COVID-19 special issue CFP is coming up on August 30th. We look forward to your contributions. Best, Adriana de Souza e Silva Mai Nou Xiong-Gum <https://www.facebook.com/mn.xiong.98?__cft__[0]=AZUX9tb6zL-mFmSOdGlx4jRvXxF…> https://journals.sagepub.com/home/mmc <https://journals.sagepub.com/home/mmc> _________________________________ Adriana de Souza e Silva, Ph.D. University Faculty Scholar | Professor Department of Communication | North Carolina State University www.souzaesilva.com <http://www.souzaesilva.com/> ***apologies for cross-postings*** Call for papers for a special issue of Mobile Media & Communication, vol. 11, no. 2 (May 2023) COVID-19 Now and Then: Reflections on Mobile Communication and the Pandemic Editors: Adriana de Souza e Silva (aasilva(a)ncsu.edu <mailto:aasilva@ncsu.edu>) Professor of Communication, North Carolina State University Mai Nou Xiong-Gum (mnxiong.gum(a)furman.edu <mailto:mnxiong.gum@furman.edu>) Assistant Professor of Communication, Furman University Although our history with pandemics is long, our collective memory of pandemics is short. The 1918 influenza pandemic, for example, infected almost a third of the world’s population and claimed more than 100 million lives, and yet it has been scarcely mentioned afterwards (Crosby, 2003). This tendency to forget lessons learned from pandemics is problematic because it leads to the lack of proper public funds allocation for scientific research, public health, and pandemic preparedness. In addition, with the urge to go back to “normal,” we might forget important lessons that a large-scale public health crisis might have taught us about the way we communicate and experience spaces. Understanding these lessons is especially important to mobile communication scholars since mobile communication can distribute and diffract our ability to move in the world. Mobile communication can make our movements legible, as in the examples of contact-tracing apps or of aggregating location data to visualize mobility patterns at the individual and the community level (Ekong et al., 2020). Our experience of spaces, mediated by mobile communication devices, has also drastically changed with the pandemic. While the traditionally mobile global elites (Castells, 2000) are privileged enough to become immobile and work remotely, many low-income populations with limited access to technology or the infrastructure that supports mobile communication are forced to keep moving in order to work or to find access to these infrastructures. Noticeably, refugees and migrants, as well as low-income communities in rural or “less developed” areas in the Global North and South, developed creative forms of mobility to deal with the required immobility imposed by the pandemic (de Souza e Silva & Xiong-Gum, 2020). For example, for many people with no computer or internet connection at home, their mobile phone became the most important instrument for mobile work, connecting from home, reaching out to clients, taking orders, and paying bills. Mobile phones became systematically used as interfaces for tele-medicine, locate testing sites, and contact-tracing. For those who shelter in place, mobile applications that support delivery services for food or grocery items play a critical role in the continued circulation of goods in the growing of a mobile-guided gig economy. In locations without access to mobile communication such as signal “dead zones,” people have to travel to engage in mobile communication and in locations where others cannot travel, mobilities are outsourced. As a result, a network of mobilities emerge as our mobile capabilities inform our mobile communication capabilities and vice versa. The COVID-19 pandemic may soon be over, but we know it won’t be the last one. Preparing for the next pandemic includes understanding the past and planning for the future. It also includes rethinking “normal” ways of interacting with others and the spaces in which we live. What else have we learned during this time of forced immobility that might challenge the traditional roles of mobile communication in our everyday lives? Will the way we experience public and domestic spaces via mobile technologies change? What are some of the more sustainable futures of urban networked mobility? How can we rethink the meanings of social interaction while immobile and at distance? And, will some of these shifts permanently stay with us and change how we communicate, play, and socialize? These are just some questions that emerge when we consider the future of mobile communication and networked urban mobility after COVID-19. In this special issue, we are looking for future oriented pieces that analyze how the pandemic has shaped and changed our mobile communication, sociability and networked urban mobility practices around the world. We welcome papers that might take the lessons learned during this pandemic and consider how these lessons can help us in the future. We particularly welcome contributions that analyze the impacts of the pandemic in the practices of minoritized populations, especially in the Global South. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: The future of urban networked mobility in both Global North and South The shift to more sustainable forms of micromobiity, particularly focusing on the integration between transportation and mobile apps New forms of experiencing urban and public spaces via mobile technologies that take into account active mobility and walking The mobile-guided gig economy for delivery of services The development of location-based apps that can help us prepare for the next pandemic The future of contact-tracing apps, and their relationship with privacy and surveillance The shift in the nature of hybrid spaces from urban to domestic spaces The role of mobile augmented-reality and mobile videoconferencing for remote work The role of mobile communication in helping low-income and minoritized communities Submitted articles can come from various theoretical and methodological perspectives, as long as they engage with mobile communication scholarship and focus on the future and lessons learned from the pandemic from a mobile media and communication perspective. Important dates: Extended abstracts submission (1,000 words): 30 August, 2021 Full papers submission (8,000 words): 1 March, 2022 Final acceptance: 15 January, 2023 Guidelines: Please submit an extended abstract of no more than 1,000 words (including references) that states the paper’s main argument, contribution, and takeaway. The abstract should clearly explain how the full submission will contribute to the aims of this special issue. Please email extended abstracts to covid19nowandthen(a)gmail.com <mailto:covid19nowandthen@gmail.com> by 30 August 2021. Abstracts should be accompanied by a short biography for each author (approx. 200 words). Also, include the names, titles, and contact information for 2-3 suggested reviewers. Positively reviewed abstracts (notification by 15 October 2021) will be invited to submit full articles by 1 March 2022, through http://mmc.sagepub.com <http://mmc.sagepub.com/>. Invited submissions will undergo a blind peer-review process following the usual procedures of Mobile Media & Communication. The special section will be published in Volume 11, no. 2 of Mobile Media & Communication in May 2023. Please note that manuscripts must conform to the guidelines for Mobile Media & Communication. In case of further questions, please contact the guest editors. References: Castells, M. (2000). The Rise of the Network Society. Blackwell. Crosby, A. W. (2003). America's forgotten pandemic: the influenza of 1918. Cambridge University Press. de Souza e Silva, A., & Xiong-Gum, M. N. (2020). Mobile Networked Creativity: Developing a theoretical framework for understanding creativity as survival. Communication Theory. Ekong, I., Chukwu, E., & Chukwu, M. (2020). COVID-19 Mobile Positioning Data Contact Tracing and Patient Privacy Regulations. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 8(4), e19139. https://doi.org/10.2196/19139 <https://doi.org/10.2196/19139>

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