This special issue will be coedited by Brian G. Southwell and Marco C. Yzer, both of the U of Minnesota's School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Half a century ago, Katz and Lazarsfeld presaged the trajectory of late-20th-century mass communication research and its move away from an assumption that media exposure dictates people's behavior directly. They noted that information often does not flow from media outlets directly to atomized individuals but instead travels via intermediary processes that are conversational in nature. Despite recent interest in interpersonal networks, however, the roles of conversational networks in media effects have lain surprisingly underappreciated in theoretical work in the past 50 years. Communication Theory will dedicate a special issue on "Conversation and Campaigns" to restart the relatively dormant discussion in this area.
Discussions of a wide range of dimensions relevant to this topic are invited, with a special emphasis on explicitly theoretical work that discerns the various roles that interpersonal conversation can play with regard to mass-media campaigns relevant to politics, health, or any other domain, or clarifies the conditions under which we can expect those roles. For example, we need to know more about various possible roles for talk, for example as mediator or moderator, and about important caveats, such as the importance of group composition and conversation content. We actively encourage submissions from a range of subareas, as scholars studying interpersonal communication, language and social interaction researchers, and those who primarily investigate mass communication, for example, have much to learn from one another. This special issue offers a way to connect different groups of researchers in a way that is long overdue.
Manuscripts can be submitted electronically via Communication Theory's web site on Manuscript Central at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/comth. If you are a new user, you may create an account by clicking on "Create Account" in the top right-hand corner of the screen and following the step-by-step instructions. Returning users may log in by clicking on "Log In" in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Manuscripts are submitted through the Author Center. Manuscripts will be considered for this issue if they are received no later than September 1, 2007. Manuscripts should not exceed 30 pages, including text, references, notes, tables, and figures, and must conform to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition). The cover letter should indicate that the manuscript is for consideration for the "Conversation and Campaigns" special issue.
