[Commlist] CFP New Media & Society Special Issue: The Future of Mobile Communication Research

Special Issue: The Future of Mobile Communication Research A Tribute to 
Rich Ling
Call for papers for a special issue of New Media & Society, Volume 24, 2022.
Guest editors (ordered alphabetically by last name) • Scott W. Campbell, 
Constance F. and Arnold C. Pohs Professor of Telecommunications, Dept. 
of Communication and Media, University of 		Michigan • Adriana de Souza 
e Silva, Professor, Dept. of Communication, North Carolina State 
University • Leopoldina Fortunati, Professor, Dept. of Mathematics, 
Computer Science, and Physics, University of Udine • Gerard Goggin, 
Professor, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang 
Technological University

Overview In recent decades mobile communication has become central to 
how people navigate and experience everyday social life. As mobile 
phones diffused globally in the 1990s, scholars began investigating 
changes in how people relate to distant and proximal others, as well as 
the physical surroundings. Among the first was Rich Ling, a sociologist 
with one foot in industry and the other in academia. Throughout his 
career as a researcher with Norway’s Telenor Group and a faculty member 
at universities around the world, Rich Ling has contributed to the 
foundation of the emerging field of Mobile Media and Communication.
In light of Ling’s approaching retirement as an endowed professor at 
Nanyang Technological University, this special issue pays tribute to his 
scholarly contributions as we look to the future of mobile communication 
research. It is no stretch to suggest that Rich Ling is one of the most 
prolific and influential scholars of mobile communication. He wrote the 
first single-authored book on the social consequences of mobile 
communication, The Mobile Connection (2004, Morgan Kaufmann), which 
remains one of the most heavily cited volumes on the subject. His second 
book, New Tech, New Ties (2008, MIT Press) reveals how the ritualistic 
use of mobile media facilitates cohesion in the intimate sphere of 
friends and family. He extended this analysis in his subsequent book, 
Taken for Grantedness (2012, MIT Press), which offers a broader 
theoretical framework explaining how mobile communication has become 
embedded in the social structure. Along with these and other books, Ling 
has also published hundreds of journal articles, book chapters, and 
industry/policy reports on the uses and consequences of mobile media and 
communication.
In addition to his own scholarship, Rich Ling’s influence in the field 
is evident through his leadership, serving as editor of many volumes, 
editor of Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, and founding 
co-editor of the journal Mobile Media and Communication. Ling is also 
recognized for being a generous mentor, providing opportunities for new 
generations of scholars to become active in the field. As such, Rich 
Ling’s contributions not only shape the past but also strongly influence 
the future of mobile communication scholarship.
This special issue seeks papers that envision the future of mobile 
communication scholarship in the light of Ling’s contributions to 
research and theory. While articles should primarily raise and address 
questions about future scholarship in the field, they should also be, at 
least to some extent, grounded in some aspect of Ling’s work. 
Submissions can focus on different types of topics and approaches. 
Articles may centrally address future directions in research questions 
pursued, theory, methods, or other aspects of mobile communication 
scholarship. We are also open to different types of manuscripts, ranging 
from theoretical essays, empirical investigations, critical/cultural 
analysis, and other forms of scholarship.

Submission Proposals of no more than 1,000 words should include a brief 
abstract and a clear explanation of the main argument and how the full 
submission would contribute to the aims of this special issue.
Please email your proposal to (Future.of.Mobile.NMS /at/ gmail.com) no later 
than December 30, 2020. Authors can expect feedback on their proposal by 
February 1, 2021 and invited paper submissions will be due May 1, 2021. 
Invited submissions will undergo peer review following the usual 
procedures of New Media & Society. Approximately 10-12 papers will be 
sent out for full review. Therefore, the invitation to submit a full 
article does not guarantee acceptance into the special issue. Full 
articles will need to follow the New Media & Society submission 
guidelines. The special issue is scheduled for publication in Volume 24 
of 2022.
References Ling, R. (2004). The mobile connection: The cell phone’s 
impact on society. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufman Publishers. Ling, 
R. (2008). New tech, new ties: How mobile communication is reshaping 
social cohesion. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Ling, R. (2012). Taken for 
grantedness: The embedding of mobile communication into society. 
Cambridge, MA; MIT Press.

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