NML Spring Lecture Series (2024)

The Networked Mobilities Lab Lecture Series (2024) and CRDM Research Symposium will be held on March 22nd from 2:00  - 5:00 p.m. at Caldwell Lounge. REGISTER HERE!

This year, we are hosting two external speakers: 

• Dr. Scott W.Campbell, Constance F. and Arnold C. Pohs Professor of Telecommunications at the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan.
• Dr. Jeffrey Boase, Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at the University of Toronto.

After the invited seminar, Dr. Steve Wiley (CRDM / COMM), Dr. Steve McDonald (Sociology), Khawar Latif Khan (CRDM), Emma Stanley (CRDM), and Manushri Pandya (CRDM) will join the speakers for a lively roundtable discussion around the topic of Mobile Media, Self, and Society.

Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Faculty and Instructors:

• We are aiming for a sizable audience, so please invite your undergraduate students.
• This event will be held in conjunction with the CRDM prospective students recruitment visit. We hope to have a strong presence of both CRDM faculty and students. 

Abstracts: 

• Dr. Scott W. Campbell: "Technological, Social, and Spatial Configurations in the Changing Media Environment." 
  • Humans have always been adapting to changes in their environment. Although environmental change is nothing new, a fundamental shift is underway toward anytime-anywhere access to each other, information, and content. Prior to the uptake of mobile and ubiquitous communication systems, connecting with and through media was heavily structured by locational space. In the new environment, people are connected between and beyond locations, which has meaningful implications for social life. This talk addresses recent changes in the media environment and their implications for self and society. Drawing from scholarship across multiple fields and disciplines, it advances the concepts of Media Awareness and Media Intelligence as vital resources for adapting to the new environment and discusses next steps for theoretical development and practical implementation.
• Dr. Jeffrey Boase: "Social Reflexivity in the Context of Constant Connectivity."
  • The possibility of constant connectivity enabled by mobile devices is quickly becoming part of the human condition. What does this mean for social life? I argue that the potential for constant connectivity alone has not produced any monolithic or necessary social outcomes. However, it has facilitated the emergence of new communication practices within the context of complex social and technological arrangements. These practices involve the reflexive use of mobile media as a means of maintaining relationships and co-ordinating activities. Drawing on a unique multi-method study, I explore and describe these reflexive practices of connection in the context of family, work, and friendship.

Registration is free, but required to attend.