[ecrea] CFP: Mobile Media beyond Mobile Phones

*Call for papers for a special section of /Mobile Media & Communication/ 
titled “Mobile Media Beyond Mobile Phones”, to be published in volume 
7:3, 2019 (http://mmc.sagepub.com)*


    Guest Editors

Jordan Frith, PhD, Associate Professor, University of North Texas, USA, 
(frithjh /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(frithjh /at/ gmail.com)>

Didem Özkul, PhD, Lecturer, UCL Knowledge Lab, Department of Culture, 
Communications and Media, University College London, UK. 
(d.ozkul /at/ ucl.ac.uk) <mailto:(d.ozkul /at/ ucl.ac.uk)>


    Overview

Smartphones have dominated the research in the field of Mobile 
Communication Studies (MCS), and for good reason. Smartphones have 
become possibly the dominant form of communication media, and have been 
widely adopted in many parts of the world. However, this special section 
of /Mobile Media & Communication /seeks to further broaden the field’s 
research to examine other types of mobile communication, whether 
historical, contemporary, or futuristic. Consequently, we are calling 
for articles examining the theme of this special section: Mobile Media 
beyond Mobile Phones. The goal of this special section is to expand the 
focus of the field through innovative research on non-smartphone forms 
of mobile technologies.

Obviously, some research on non-mobile phone forms of mobile 
technologies exist. For example, researchers have studied the spatial 
and social impacts of mobile auditory media such as the Walkman and the 
iPod (Bull, 2001, 2007). Researchers have also examined how 
infrastructures of mobile communication shape practices of mobility, 
with studies examining how cell phone towers are embedded in the 
environment (Horst, 2013). Other research has looked at historical forms 
of mobile media, including the codex book and the kaleidoscope (Farman, 
2015b). In addition, some researchers have examined how infrastructural 
technologies like RFID and Bluetooth Beacons have shaped mobile 
communication by bringing an increasing number of nonhuman actors into 
the equation (Frith, 2015; Rosol, 2010). However, despite the research 
that does exist, the field of MCS has the potential to incorporate far 
more actors—both human and nonhuman—into the broader scope of MCS.

The special section will ideally publish a fairly eclectic collection of 
articles united by the main theme: mobile communication involves more 
than mobile phones. Consequently, the submitted articles can come from 
various theoretical and methodological perspectives. In addition, the 
special section will accept submissions that focus on 
smartphone-adjacent topics as long as the focus is not specifically on 
people’s interactions with smartphones as mobile interfaces. For 
example, the infrastructure that enables mobile communication (cell 
towers, GPS, etc.), newer forms of smartphone infrastructure (Beacons, 
NFC), or the standards that shape smartphone development are all viable 
topics for this section.

Possible topics, including but not limited to

·The Internet of Things broadly defined

·Historical forms of mobile communication, including but not limited to

oBooks as mobile media

oAncient forms of mobile media

oMobile auditory media

oBarcodes

oEarlier mobile gaming technologies (Gameboy, etc.)

·Mobile phone infrastructure (GPS, cell tower, etc.)

·Wearable technologies such as the Apple Watch, Fitbit, etc.

·Broader mobile communication infrastructure, including but not limited to

oRFID

oNear-Field Communication

oBLE Beacons

oQR Codes

·Robotics as mobile communication

·“Generations” of mobile networks—shift to 5G

·Mobile phone standards as vibrant actors

·The role of mobile communication in artificial intelligence


    Journal Review Process and Submission Guidelines

For guidelines on preparation of manuscripts and criteria for 
acceptance, please follow Mobile Media & Communication Submission 
Guidelines 
(https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/journal/mobile-mediacommunication#submission-guidelines). 


Please submit an abstract of 700-800 words that clearly states the main 
argument and evidence of the paper and the primary literatures it is 
building upon. The abstract should also clearly articulate the 
submission’s contribution to mobile methods. For empirical studies still 
in progress, please outline the current state and the timeline. Also 
include the names, titles, and contact information for 2-3 suggested 
reviewers. Abstracts are due 15 March, 2018 to (frithjh /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(frithjh /at/ gmail.com)>(with “Mobile Methods MMC Special Issue” in 
the subject line), and should be accompanied by an abbreviated biography 
(approx. 200-300 words).

Positively reviewed abstracts (notification by 15 April, 2018) will be 
invited to submit full articles by 1 Oct, 2018, through 
http://mmc.sagepub.com. These full articles will be peer-reviewed by two 
to three reviewers and considered for acceptance. The special section 
will be published in Volume 7, Issue 3 of /Mobile Media & Communication. 
/Please note that manuscripts must conform to the guidelines for /Mobile 
Media & Communication./ Final papers should be no longer than 7,000 
words, including abstract, references, figures and tables. In case of 
further questions, please contact the guest editors.


    Timeline

CfP published: 8 Jan 2018
Extended abstracts due: 15 March, 2018
Notification: 15 April, 2018
Full submission: 1 Oct, 2018
Final version: 15 March 2019



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