ICA Communications and Technology Division Mobile Communications 10th Anniversary Pre-Conference Workshop
16th and 17th June 2013
London School of Economics and Political Science
Media and Communications Department
Lead Organisers:
Leslie Haddon (Senior Researcher LSE)
Jane Vincent (Visiting Fellow University of Surrey Digital World Research)
We are pleased to invite papers for the Mobile Communications ICA Pre-Conference Workshop. In celebration of its 10th Anniversary Year we also announce the introduction of an Award for the Best Paper. We look forward to receiving your submissions and to welcoming you in London in June 2013!
Abstracts 250 500 words to be sent to Jane Vincent by 16 November 2012. Please include a 50 word max biography. Confirmation of acceptance will be sent by 4 January 2012. Only Full Papers (max 8000 words) submitted by 31 March 2013 will be considered for the Best Paper Award.
Aims of the Pre-Conference Workshop
This Workshop aims to understand more about the implications of the fast moving mobile world both on the social practices of the users of mobile ICTs as well as, and following the main ICA conference theme, on the ability of researchers to deliver reliable and effective research material. This 10th Mobile Communications ICA pre-conference provides a chance to take stock, reflect on and look forward to developments in research in this field over the forthcoming years. This will include discussing the general expectations and aspirations of an invited panel of experts and exploring the future research implications of contemporary studies to be reported at the conference.
Workshop Topics
Mobile communications are by no means new when we think in terms of walkie-talkies or car telephones but the hand held digital voice and data mobile communications that now populate our always on connected lives have only become omnipresent in the last five years. Ten years ago, when the first ICA Mobile Communications Pre-Conference Workshop was held, Twitter was unheard of, wifi virtually non-existent and mobile phone subscriptions a fifth of their present day numbers. Nowadays mobile ICTs are no longer merely mobile phones nor do they just involve communication between people. Instead mobile devices like smartphones, tablets or laptops use many convergent technologies (3G, 4G, Wifi, Television etc). How can this experience of, and exponential global growth in, mobile ICTs inform our ideas about the future?
We anticipate many diverse topics which will be linked through the common thread of looking forwards in mobile communications perhaps also providing material that may help set a future research agenda. We welcome abstracts that relate to the following broad areas of mobile ICT research:
* Cultural differences
* Gender
* Children
* Elderly
* Mobile media
* Migration
* Social Media
This range is in part designed to produce a broad overview, but other more specific areas will be considered. For example, contemporary studies are already identifying challenges in achieving consistency, reliability and quality of results in a fast moving world of Big Data, petabytes and change. New research has already highlighted the effects of people on the move around the globe migration within and between nations; as well as emotions, affect and sentiment with regard to using mobile devices.
Best Paper Award
An Award for the best paper will be given at this event; only full papers submitted by the entry date can be included for consideration for this award.
Programme Outline
Commencing 9am Sunday morning 16 June 2013 and concluding at 1pm 17th June, this one and a half day event will consist of expert panel presentations and reflections, and strands for the presentation of papers. There is an upper limit of 46 papers, and a limit of 70 delegates. Poster sessions may be an option if there is high demand. More details of programme and social events will be released as they are confirmed.
Venue and Cost
The event is hosted by The London School of Economics and Political Science Media and Communications Department. The LSE is the world¹s leading social science institution for teaching and research, with an academic profile spanning a wide range of disciplines, from Economics, International Relations, Government and Law, to Sociology, Geography and the Environment and Accounting and Finance. Teaching and research are conducted through 18 departments and 26 research centres and institutes, with students drawn from more than 130 countries worldwide.
Map link. The cost will be £70 per person inclusive of lunch Sunday and coffee/tea Sunday and Monday morning.
Paper Submission Process
Contributions are invited from scholars from multiple disciplines studying mobile ICTs and at all stages of their career. In keeping with the pre-conference theme, those submitting abstracts should write something about the broader implications, issues, trends, future research, etc. that can be derived from the particular empirical study or the topic they focused upon. This will also help to seek further publication of any papers. Although the papers may well cover diverse topics this will ensure they have a common thread of implications for communications research.
2012-11-11