APPLICATION GUIDELINES for The 2nd Society of Socio-Informatics (SSI) International Workshop for Young Researchers

APPLICATION GUIDELINES
              for
The 2nd Society of Socio-Informatics (SSI) International Workshop for Young Researchers

Information and Communication Technology and Urban Space

The purpose of the Society of Socio-Informatics International Workshop for Young Researchers is to provide early career scholars who do not have fulltime teaching positions with an opportunity to give presentations in English and to exchange opinions with peers from various parts of the world. The Organizing Committee of the SSI International Workshop for Young Researchers plan to hold a similar workshop during every Annual Congress of the Society of Socio-Informatics.

This year, we will focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and urban space. It is evident that we can observe that people in different locations live at least partially similar style daily lives supported by advancements in ICT. For example, a lot of people use smartphones or tablet personal computers that have similar interfaces to search for information or to communicate with each other. In addition, contemporary urban spaces enable us to lead a life based on ICT. Recently, especially in so-called ‘global cities,’ it is not rare for the local government to provide free public Wi-Fi for citizens. In addition, many cafes and fast food restaurants not only offer free Wi-Fi but also equip their seats with electric power sockets for charging mobile devices. These phenomena can be considered an aspect of general globalization.

However, as many scholars have pointed out, globalization is inevitably intertwined with localization. That is to say, when we consider globalizing cultures, economies and politics, we implicitly refer to localized ones. Furthermore, in connection with this we try to understand the relationship between globalization and localization, and the relationships between local cultures (and their different economies, and political contexts) in the globalizing world.

If globalization is inevitably intertwined with localization, what kinds of locality can we find in contemporary urban spaces which support our daily lives with ICT? And, in the globalizing world, what kind of relationships between local cultures (and their different economies, and political contexts) can we confirm in contemporary urban spaces? These questions are probably some of the most fundamental issues in the field of Socio-Informatics. We are looking forward to hearing from many applicants who are examining this challenging theme through various methods.

More information is here.

Application form is here.