Society for the Social Study of Mobile Communications


The Society for the Social Study of Mobile Communication (SSSMC) is intended to facilitate the international advancement of cross-disciplinary mobile communication studies. It is intended to serve as a resource and to support a network of scholarly research as to the social consequences of mobile communication.




Tuesday, March 15, 2016

CFP: Connected Life 2016

CFP: Connected Life 2016

University of Oxford, UK
June 20-21, 2016
http://connectedlife.oii.ox.ac.uk/2016conference/call-for-papers/

Connected Life 2016: Collective Action and the Internet is a two day-long conference, held at the University of Oxford on 20th and 21st June 2016, dedicated to igniting multidisciplinary exchanges and showcasing exciting Internet research. Building on the two successful previous conferences, Connected Life 2016 will foster collaborations within and beyond Oxford in pursuit of an enhanced understanding of the Internet and its multifaceted effects upon society.

We are grateful for the generous support of the Oxford Internet Institute, the Balliol Interdisciplinary Institute and the ESRC.

Which topics do you cover?
The special theme for this year is Collective Action and the Internet. The Conference explores how the Internet affects different types of collective action; both in big social movements, such as the Arab Spring and the Hong Kong Protests, and in more everyday forms of collaboration. We take a broad view of this theme, understanding ‘collective action’ to mean collaboration, action and participation in any form or context – and are also interested in cases where it doesn’t come together. 

Within and beyond this, we welcome submissions on a wide range of topics (including but not limited to):
  • Politics and Public Policy – how do politicians make use of or thwart collective action?
  • International Relations – how does the internet enable people to collaborate across time and/or space?
  • Gender and Identity – how the internet affects self-actualisation (whether individual or collective).
  • Digital Humanities – how speeches can be analysed using computational methods.
  • Cybersecurity, Surveillance, and Censorship – how can individuals act collectively to challenge government monitoring.
  • Virtual Markets and Economies – how online platforms are enabling people to come together, thereby transforming economic practices/modes.
  • Social Networking – do social networks help like-minded people to find each other?
  • Mobile Technologies – do mobile technologies, as a specific platform, enable new forms of collaboration?
  • Communications, Media and Journalism – how social media and online interconnectivity is change reporting.
  • Big Data Methods – analysing and interpreting large quantities of rich online data.
  • Online Research Methods – such as agent-based modelling online communities.
  • Ethics around online activism – how should we understand responsibility in “leaderless” movements?

We welcome students and faculty from all disciplines, including but not limited to: business, computer science, history, international relations, literature, media and communications, politics and sociology.

What can I submit?
We are accepting submissions for two types of presentations:
1. Conference presentations
These are expected to last fifteen to twenty minutes each, with a further ten minutes for questions. Presentations will be organised into thematic sessions. Presenters are encouraged to use visual aids, and projectors will be available. Submissions should be in the form of either an abstract or blog post of 200-600 words. We encourage blog posts that can generate discussion before and after the conference; however, the choice of a blog post or traditional abstract will not affect acceptance. Talks that are suitable for shorter presentations may be selected as five minute Thunder Talks. Applicants will be notified of this upon acceptance. Prizes will be awarded for the best talks.
2. Poster and Visualisation Fair
This will run all day, with a dedicated session for questions held during and after lunch. Submissions should be in the form of either an abstract or blog post of 200-300 words. Time and space permitting, any sort of visual presentation is welcome (e.g. posters, videos, software, data visualizations). We will do our best to accommodate interesting work that fits with the conference theme.

Deadline
The deadline for submissions is April 3rd 2016.

What’s next?
Please submit here. All submissions will be double blind reviewed by a committee of students and faculty from the Oxford Internet Institute. Applicants will be informed of whether they have been successful in mid-late April. Registration to attend the conference will open in April. There will be a small registration fee, contributing to the refreshments and lunch on both days, and the drinks reception at the end of the first day.

We look forward to receiving and reviewing your submissions! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to email us at connectedlife@oii.ox.ac.uk.