Call for Papers

BEA2013 Research Symposium: Media and Social Life: The Self, Relationships, and Society

Sunday, April 7, 2013
Las Vegas Hotel + Casino

Research Symposium Co-Chairs: 
Mary Beth Oliver, Pennsylvania State University
Arthur A. Raney, Florida State University

Media content, consumption, and use touch on virtually all aspects of our social lives – including how we think of ourselves and others, and how we understand, create, and maintain relationships. Almost all facets of our lives are affected by media, including our emotional and moral selves, and our lives pertaining to family, romance, friendship, and work. Likewise, changes in the media landscape imply that our social lives may be evolving as well. What do technologies such mobile communication, virtual worlds, and social networking imply about our social lives? This symposium will join leading scholars in efforts to explore the diversity of ways that media intersect with social life. Invited panels and addresses by senior scholars, as well as competitive papers, will set the course for future understanding of these connections. The three broad themes the symposium will address include 1) media and the self; 2) media and relationships; and 3) emerging media and social life.

Paper Competition Deadline: Received by December 1, 2012.

The BEA2013 Research Symposium is now accepting faculty and student submissions for its 2013 paper competition. All papers must adhere to the symposium theme and must be submitted in MS Word, follow APA guidelines, and must not exceed 25 pages including references, tables, and figures, etc. The cover sheet should be separate and the paper itself should be “blind.” On the cover sheet, please indicate which of the three themes the paper addresses most closely: 1) media and the self; 2) media and relationships; and 3) emerging media and social life.

For the student competition, the first place paper will receive $300; second place, $200; third place, $100.

Winners are expected to register for and attend BEA to present their paper; in the case of multiple authors, at least one must attend.

For more information and to submit papers, please visit http://www.beaweb.org/2013/rs.html