With usership crossing the 4 billion mark, mobile communication increasingly incorporates broad aspects of contemporary human life, potentially impacting not just the work and play of advanced users in developed markets, but also the daily lives of those in the developing world.

The ICA 2010 Mobiles Preconference, which will be held at the National Library of Singapore, from 21-22 June 2010, examines innovations in a variety of societal contexts highlighting different phenomena of mobile phone uses. Juxtaposed with the engagement of social media, the extent and effects of mobile communications are amplified, for instance through the use of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in U.S. and Iran elections, as well as in the demonstration for religious freedom by Uighur Muslims in China.

Organised, and partially supported, by the Singapore Internet Research Center (SiRC), the workshop essentially aims to foster discussions around how developments in emerging markets reflect the trends in mature markets, and assess potential for the cross-pollination of information and communications technologies for development and/or empowerment.

Under the banner of the SIRCA program (Strengthening ICTD Research Capacity in Asia: www.sirca.org.sg) which aims to facilitate emerging ICTD (Information and Communications Technology for Development) researchers in Asia, SiRC will organise short poster sessions, in addition to paper sessions. These poster sessions will provide an opportunity for Asian SIRCA scholars to discuss work-in-progress studies with international mobile communication scholars.

A Call for Papers was issued in October 2009, to researchers in various universities, research centres, NGOs, associations and groups relating to the field of ICT and mobile communications. Researchers were invited to submit abstracts focusing on the social scientific understanding of mobile communication, including the following themes:

• Social impacts of mobile phones use
• Mobile communication for development
• Trends in mobile media systems and social contexts
• Public sphere, social networks, and mobile communication
• Mobile communication policy and regulation
• Mobile broadband
• Theoretical and methodological perspectives on mobile communication research

A total of 53 submissions were received; the genres ranged from mobiles intersecting with gender, learning, the public sphere, and development. Patterns of use and social impacts of mobiles were also analysed, against a converging media landscape.

Of these, 25 papers were selected for presentation through a blind review process. The review panel comprised seven senior scholars and practitioners: Dr. Arul Chib (Nanyang Technological U); Dr. James Katz (Rutgers); Dr. Jonathon Donner (Microsoft Research); Mr. Laurent Elder (IDRC); Dr. Richard Ling (Telenor Research and Innovation); Dr. Rohan Samarajiva (LIRNEasia); and Dr. Trisha Lin (Nanyang Technological U).

"Innovations in Mobile Use" Preconference Programme
21-22 June 2010

Day 1 (21st June 2010)
0900-0930 Registration (Tea and snacks will be provided).

0930-0940 Welcome address by Arul Chib (Assistant Director, SiRC).

0940-1010 Keynote address by Alex Siow (Head, IS & Business Excellence, Starhub).

1010-1140 Mobile & Social Groups in Asia: Richard Ling, Professor at the IT U of Copenhagen, Denmark & Sociologist, Telenor Research and Innovation

1. Bottom of the Pyramid Expenditure Patterns on Mobile Phone Services in Selected Emerging Asian Countries. Aileen Agüero, Harsha de Silva, LIRNEasia
2. 'Mobile Phones Are Just Like Our Hands and Legs': The Use of Mobile Phones by Disabled Persons in China. Lin Jin, National U of Singapore
3. Mobile Phone and Impact on Status of Women in Rural India, Balwant Singh Mehta, SIRCA Grant Awardee.
4. Connection vs. Control: Mobile Phone Usage of Foreign Domestic Workers in Singapore, Trisha Lin, Shirley Sun, Nanyang Technological U, Singapore.

1140-1300 Lunch / Browse SIRCA Poster Display
Introduction to SIRCA by Arul Chib (Assistant Director, SiRC).

1300-1400 Speed presentation of 12 projects (3 mins + 3 slides each)

1400-1530 Mobiles & Learning: Harsha de Silva, Lead Economist/ Project Director, LIRNEasia

1. Mobile People, Mobile Societies, Mobile Cultures - Not Just Mobile Learning. John Traxler, U of Wolverhampton/Learning Lab
2. An M-Learning Reflexivity: Learning About the Mobile and Using the Mobile for Learning. Fernando Paragas, Nanyang Technological U, Singapore
3. Texting Among Like Aged Persons. Richard Ling, Telenor Research and Innovation
4. The Media Convergence Lifestyle Profile in Thailand. Parichart Saithanoo, Thammasat U

1530-1550 Break

1550-1720 Mobile theory & culture: Alexander Flor, Professor and Dean, U of the Philippines

1. Redefining Mobile Society: Emerging Concepts and Theories of Wireless Communication. Deb Aikat, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
2. Mobile Phones Without Guarantees: The Promises of Technology and the Contingencies of Culture. Cara Wallis, Texas A&M U
3. The Skillful Management of Mobile Phones' Ring in Institutional Social Performances. Christian Licoppe, Telecom Paristech
4. Mobile Internet in France: Between Innovation and Social Contexts of Media Reception. Corrine Martin, U Paul Verlaine

1800-2100 CULTURAL ACTIVITY
End of day 1

Day 2 (22nd June 2010)
1000-1130 Mobile Emotions & Relationships: Roger Harris, Independent Consultant & Activist, ICT for Poverty Reduction in Asia

1. Out of Touch? On the Lack of Emotional Support Over the Mobile Phone. Orit Ben Harush, Queensland U of Technology
2. A World More Intimate: Exploring the Role of Mobile Phones in Maintaining and Extending Social Networks. Rhonda McEwen, U of Toronto
3. Does Mobile Phone Make Egalitarian Couples? The Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Perceived Behavioral Control in Romantic Relationships. Ban-ya Kim, Seoul National U
4. Constant Connections: Piloting a Mobile Phone-Based Peer Support Program for Nuer (Southern Sudanese) Women. Dennis Wollersheim, La Trobe U

1130-1300 Lunch/Browse SIRCA Poster Display

1300-1430 Mobile and Space: Vibodh Parthasarathi, Associate Professor at the Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

1. Mobile Communications and the Public Sphere in South Korea: Possibilities and Limitations, Hyun-Chin Lim, Seoul National U
2. Mobile Internet Uses in Everyday Life and a Sense of Place: A Korean Case Study. Dong-Hoo Lee, University of Incheon
3. "Simply Leaving My House Would Even Be Scarier": How Mobile Phones Alter Women's Perception of Safety and Experiences of Public Places. Kathleen M. Cunmiskey, College of Staten Island - City U of New York
4. United States' Rural Poor: Emerging Mobile Markets in Appalachia. Meghan Peirce, Ohio U

1430-1450 Break

1450-1620 Mobiles, Future & Youth: John Traxler, Professor of Mobile Learning at U of Wolverhampton & Director of Learning Lab

1. The Future of the Public Phone: Findings from a Six-Country Asian Study on Telecom Use at the BOP. Nirmali Sivapragasam, LIRNEasia
2. Movable Type: Findings From the Young, Mobile, Networked Study. Kate Crawford, University of New South Wales
3. Users' Perspectives on an Evolving Mobile Media Ecology: Uses and Conceptualizations of the Mobile Internet by American and German College Students. Lee Humphreys, Cornell U; Veronika Karnowski, LMU München; Thilo Von Pape, U Hohenheim
4. The Mobile Music Device Uses and Gratifications: The Interactions of the Mobile Music Device Uses and Motivations. Yi-Fan Chen, Old Dominion U

1620-1630 Closing Remarks by Richard Ling (Professor at the IT U of Copenhagen, Denmark & Sociologist, Telenor Research and Innovation)

1630-1700 Wrap-up session
End of day 2

Sponsored by the Singapore internet Research Centre (SiRC) and the National Library of Singapore.