[liberationtech] From SMS to Smartphones cfp special issue of JCMC (due 30 June 2012)

[Yosem Companys]

Call for papers: Special Issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated
Communication

 From SMS to Smartphones: Tracing the Impact of the Mobile Phone in Asia
Publication date: October 2013

 The mobile phone has had a discernible impact on Asia, given its
affordability, versatility and ubiquity as the key platform for
computer-mediated communication. It has been widely deployed in virtually
every aspect of everyday life, be it in commerce, politics, governance,
education, religion, entertainment or recreation. The diversity and
complexity of this fast-growing region has birthed innovative and
ground-breaking applications of the mobile phone. While basic feature
phones are already a mainstay in both rural and urban Asia, the smartphone
is now rapidly diffusing through the region at a rate exceeding the rest of
the world. Bringing the idea of the ubiquitous web to fruition, the
smartphone's heightened connectivity and thriving app market are enabling
yet more revolutionary uses of the mobile phone. While the rising adoption
of the smartphone burgeons with potential for civic action, commercial
enterprise, employment and educational opportunities and social service
provision, challenges are also emerging for consumers, industries and
governments alike.

 The early phase of mobile communication research was influenced by studies
and theorization from North America and Europe. Spurred on by the wide
diffusion of mobiles globally, research is now very much seeking to
understand the international underpinnings of this form of mediated
communication, especially as it increasingly blurs the lines between
computers, Internet, and phones. Over the past decade, Asian research has
been important in addressing the rapid diffusion, transformation, and shift
in mobiles. Such research is growing, but is still relatively incipient.
Against this backdrop, this special issue seeks to bring together the
latest research findings, regional understandings, conceptualizations, and
theories of the mobile in Asia. Article proposals are sought for topics
including but not limited to the following:

 *  does a digital divide exist in Asia with regard to mobile phone
penetration and usage trends and if so, how can and should they be remedied?
*  what are the implications of the development of mobiles - especially
smartphones and mobile Internet - for contemporary media in Asia?
*  how is the growing proliferation of the smartphone facilitating
unprecedented forms and scales of communication?
*  how do issues of broad infrastructure provisions and market pricing
influence the behaviour of mobile phone users?
*  how are the location based services offered by smartphones altering user
behaviour and lifestyles?
*  how does mobile Internet use complement and possibly complicate fixed
location Internet use?
*  what implications does the growth of smartphone apps have for the
cultural complexion of Asian countries?
*  how is the mobile phone serving the needs of marginalised communities in
Asia?
*  to what extent do smartphones and the behaviour which they enable test
the boundaries of existing regulatory frameworks?
*  how does the rising ubiquity of the smartphone and by implication, that
of always-on, always-available Internet access challenge prevailing
theoretical frameworks relating to inter alia, technology acceptance,
mobility, communication, social influence and identity?

 Please submit an 800 word abstract and a 100 word biographical note to
both special issue editors as an e-mail attachment no later than 30 June
2012.  Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 15 July 2012 and
invited to submit a full paper. Manuscripts should be no more than 8,000
words, including notes and references, conform to APA style, and submitted
by 30 October, 2012.  All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review
following submission.

 Important dates

 Deadline for abstracts             30 June 2012
Decisions to authors               15 July 2012
Full paper submission              30 October 2012
Decisions                          30 January 2013
Revised paper submission           30 April 2013
Final proofs                       30 June 2013
Issue publication                  October 2013

 Special issue editors:
Sun Sun LIM, National University of Singapore, sunlim at nus.edu.sg
Gerard Goggin, University of Sydney, gerard.goggin@<gerard.goggin at usyd.edu.au>
sydney.edu.au
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