CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS Proposal Submission Deadline: July 15, 2010 “Networked Sociability and Individualism: Technology for Personal and Professional Relationships,” A book edited by Francesca Comunello Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy To be published by IGI Global: http://www.igi-global.com Introduction The rise of individualism has been recently described in terms of “networked individualism” or “individualized networking” (following Wellman and Castells). Instead of being organized in groups, our lives are articulated around multiple networks, while our forms of sociability are getting growingly increasingly privatized. The new patterns of sociability seem to be built on multiple me-centred networks: each person «becomes a communication and information switchboard, between persons, networks, and institutions» (Wellman, 2004). Far from proposing an atomized vision of individuals, these Authors underline the growing degree of responsibility people experience in their everyday activity of relationship management. The concept that better describes the forms of sociability we are experiencing is, in my opinion, Castells’ networked sociability. Digital technology is not determining this process: it is rather enabling each person to build and manage their own social networks, both on- and offline. The recent popularity of Social Network Sites (SNS) such as My Space, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. shows that there is a growing interest in articulating, making visible, and managing personal or professional relationships through technology-enabled environments. The phenomenon addressed is wider than Social Network Sites, and includes the wide variety of ways in which people are linked to each other. Objective of the Book In the proposed publication we will on a variety of Social Media and Computer-Mediated Communication environments, in order to underline the ways in which people articulate their social relations and the related individualized identity performances. In this book's analysis, Social Network Sites will play a major but not exclusive role. For a better understanding of the identity performances and of the ties’ strength, this book will not only focus on SNS, but rather consider the wider context, includingthe variety of ways in which people are linked to each other (a context where old and new media collide, and where mediated and face to face social relations are growingly integrated). Nevertheless, SNS are powerful playgrounds, both for the user and for the researcher. a sociological point of view, one of the main point of interest of Social Network Sites, let alone their constantly growing popularity among internet users worldwide, is that they represent powerful environments to observe publicly articulated self presentation and identity performances: SNS make such processes visible, trackable, and, therefore, easy to study. Far from constituting an alternative or “virtual” world, social media are embedded in everyday life: using Social Network Sites, people connect to each other in ways they perceive seamless to face-to-face relations. Nevertheless, the above mentioned “trackability” enables people’s awareness (we are now more consciously engaged in our personal network management). This book will analyze this increased consciousness, fully exploring the technology and impact of our social networks in the current social atmosphere. Target Audience Academics: Scholars, Researchers, Students (Media Studies, Internet Studies, Education, Sociology, Psychology, etc.) Educators (Primary and Secondary School) Policy makers Consulting firms, marketing and communication experts Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following: Networked individualism and networked sociability: theoretical perspectives; Social Network Sites: data on adoption and use (worldwide); Personal profiles and identity performances in digital networked media (including comparative and cross-platform approaches); New forms of sociability, on- and offline (including comparative and cross-platform approaches); Social Network Sites and New Media Literacy; Social Media and privacy concerns; People's different usage patterns (varying according to sex, age, individual attitudes, platforms, etc.); People's attitude towards specialized platforms; (business and recruiting platforms, social media sharing sites, UGC environments, etc.); Emerging trends. Submission Procedure Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before July 15, 2010, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by July 30, 2010 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by October 30, 2010. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project. Publisher This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference” and “IGI Publishing” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com . This publication is anticipated to be released in 2011. Important Dates Proposal Submission Deadline: July 15, 2010 Proposal Acceptance Notifications: July 30, 2010 Full chapter Submission: October 30, 2010 Review Results to Authors: December 15, 2010 Revised Chapter Submission: January 30, 2011 Final Acceptance Notifications: February 15, 2011 Submission of Final Chapters: February 28, 2011 Final Deadline: March 30, 2011 Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to: Dr. Francesca Comunello Department of Communication and Social Sciences University of Rome, La Sapienza Tel. +39 06 49918374 Mobile +39 333 9567857 email: francesca.comunello@uniroma1.it