Sorry for cross-postings & please feel free to distribute wherever appropriate. Thanks! ------------------------------------------- ICA Preconference 2006 Communication and Technology Division Call for Papers After the Mobile Phone? Social Changes and the Development of Mobile Communication In a very short period of time the mobile phone has become a permanent feature in everyday communication. It changed existing communication practices and led to new social arrangements in terms of mobility and connectivity. It has become a ‘personal medium’ and a medium for the presentation of the self. It is also a medium that is used not only for individual, but collective communication and even for political mobiliza-tion. Furthermore, traditional boundaries to mass communication are blurred, as many contents are developed for cross-media applications – one-to-many content provision (Internet, news messages, games etc.) gets more and more popular as the technical devices become more and more powerful. Research worldwide has turned to the mobile phone and begun to look at uses and effects. Such in-ternational and interdisciplinary research has by now led to considerable achievements, based on both qualitative and quantitative studies. But it would be improper to claim that all questions have been answered, es-pecially since many new research areas and questions emerge all the time, based on media developments. For the title of the pre-conference we have thus intentionally chosen a provocative question: Have we indeed reached the end of the era of the mobile phone? Or is this true only for some contexts within some communi-ties? Which is the current status of mobile communication in different countries? The mobile phone will continue to exist as a medium for mobile communication. But it will also continue to develop as a hybrid medium – and will also continuously be ‘reinvented’ by its users. At the same time it is part of an overall development in mobile communication in which the use of the mobile phone is only a small part of overall media use. The aim of the pre-conference is not some future prediction (which has already not worked properly for the mobile phone in the past). Instead, we aim at a view on what is happening at the moment, but also a view on what will drive us in the future: What do we know and where are the most urgent research ques-tions? What has been the focus of research thus far and what has to become a focus? How far do existing realizations suffice to explain and explore further developments in the mobile communication field? Especially the multiple uses of a mobile hybrid medium need to be looked at more closely, including the embeddedness within other forms of media use. Processes of convergence such as the relationship of the mobile phone to other (mass) media will be considered. Our special interest is devoted to the development beyond the mobile phone, e.g. in terms of Blackberries, the mobile computer or the mobile Internet, where the diffu-sion of wireless LANs plays a crucial role. We particularly invite submissions from a media economy or technological perspective. Organizational Matters This ICA pre-conference is scheduled for June 18, 2006 at the University of Erfurt. Erfurt is the state capital of Thuringia and a regular stop on the speed train track from Frankfurt Airport to Dresden, the site of the main ICA conference. Erfurt is an ancient city with medieval architecture and many historical monuments. In early times, the University of Erfurt was home of Martin Luther who was enrolled here for several years. Currently, the Department for Media and Communication offers both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in communication. One main focus of research is digital media developments and their effects on individuals, groups and society. The conference will be co-hosted by the German Telekom and T-Mobile. It is a follow-up event to an earlier ICA pre-conference on Mobile Communication in South Korea, 2002 and the 2005 ICA pre-conference on “Mobile Communication: Current Research and Future Directions” organized by the Communication and Technology Division. The participants are invited to arrive on June 17. The following travel to the ICA site in Dresden (appr. two hours) will take place on June 19, arriving on time for the opening ceremony. Housing and food will be provided for all paper presenters; accommodation is available for reasonable prices. Travel to Dres-den is free for all participants. A registration fee of EUR 25 / $ 30 will be collected from non-presenters on site. The incoming extended abstracts will be evaluated in a peer-review procedure. A maximum of eight presentations will be accepted, additional keynote speakers may be invited. Abstract Submission Submissions of extended abstracts (max. 1.000 words) need to be delivered until Nov. 1st, 2005 to one of the following addresses (email or ordinary mail). All submitters will be informed by Jan. 1st, 2006 whether their paper was accepted or not. Local Conference Host: Prof. Dr. Joachim Hoeflich University of Erfurt Nordhaeuser Str. 63 D-99089 ERFURT joachim.hoeflich@uni-erfurt.de phone (+49) (361) 737-4170 fax (+49) (361) 737-4179 Contact Person for ICA: Prof. Dr. Patrick Roessler University of Erfurt Nordhaeuser Str. 63 D-99089 ERFURT Germany Germany patrick.roessler@uni-erfurt.de phone (+49) (361) 737-4170 fax (+49) (361) 737-4179 -- Dr. Maren Hartmann – Universitaet Erfurt Seminar fuer Medien und Kommunikation Postfach 900 221 – D-99105 Erfurt Phone/Fon: +49 361 737 4186 – Fax: +49 361 737 4179