Mobile media have already become an essential aspect of everyday life. They alter existing communication patterns, enable new kinds of contacts between people, and yet remain embedded in prevailing social relations and practices. Mobile communication has said to have created “timeless time” and freedom from place. This new social and communicative development has been characterized revolutionary. Still, the usages of mobile technologies are solidly anchored on local circumstances and prevailing forms of life. Also not all mobile technologies have proven successful. The adoption of mobile media has been in many respects much slower than anticipated. Is there a contradiction between revolutionary technological potential of mobile media and embodied, habitual human experiences? This special issue addresses the potentially tense relationship between the development of mobile technologies and mundane experience. Possible topics include: Reinvention of mobile media. Many times the usages of new applications differ radically from foreseen possibilities. New and creative usages of mobile technologies are a key aspect of the relationship between people and technology Limits of mobile technologies. Much of the public discussion concerns only new, “revolutionary” aspects of mobile media. Still much of the potential of technologies is actively resisted. Many promises have failed. Analytic emphasis should also be put on failures and limits of mobile media. What can we learn about failures? Mobile technologies and local realities. Mobile technologies are largely global, universal in principle. In practice, patterns of usage of mobile technologies are clearly embedded in local contexts. Mobile technologies are adopted as a part of local life worlds. How is the adoption of mobile technologies related to local circumstances and cultural aspirations? Mobile technologies and new forms of social interaction. As mobile technologies have become an indistinguishable part of everyday communication, they have also led to - sometimes small, sometimes larger - subtle changes in the patterns of communication. What are the actual changes in communication patterns? What is the meaning of these changes? Are these alternations part of a broader social change? Mobile technologies and social networks. As mobile technologies have enabled new forms of communication, have they had an impact on social networks? Have the networks changed themselves or have the communication patterns inside the networks changed? GUEST EDITOR Ilkka Arminen, PhD, is professor in Sociology and Social Psychology at the University of Tampere, Finland. His research has focused on communication and social interaction. His special interest is on the uses of mobile media and communication technologies both at everyday contexts and workspaces. His current work concerns mobile telephony and social changes in social networking. He is the leader of media, technology and interaction team that addresses interaction design in various contexts. His work has been done in collaboration with number of industrial partners, such as Elisa, Finnair, the Finnish Aviation Ministry, Nokia MP and Radiolinja. He has published in numerous journals, including Acta Sociologica, Discourse & Society, Journal of Pragmatics and The Sociological Quarterly. His books include “Institutional Interaction - Studies of Talk at Work” (Ashgate). -------------------------------------- Submissions are accepted of any length, discipline and format provided their scientific relevance and accuracy. They should be sent in electronic form to both: articles(at)psychnology.org, and Ilkka.Arminen(at)uta.fi no later than October, 30 2006. Inclusion of color pictures, videos and sound files is welcome. For complete guidelines, please refer to: http://www.psychnology.org/contribute.htm. For information on the Journal, please visit the web site (http://www.psychnology.org). Do not hesitate to contact us for further information Ilkka.Arminen(at)uta.fi. | 