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Doing Mobile Media and Communication scholarship in different keys: Sounding out structure and integration in the field
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Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mobile Media & Communication
Abstract
This special issue marks an important milestone in the maturation of the growing field of
Mobile Media and Communication (MMC). When this journal was launched a decade
ago, some were still trying to make sense of what this field entails, what to call it, and
whether it even exists (Campbell, 2013). Although there was no question as to the
growth in this new area of scholarship, the field’s coherence was highly questionable.
When this journal was launched, the editors echoed concerns that:
although mobile media scholarship has begun to grow, it is by no means a coherent
field of scholarship, and there are still many areas in need of elaboration and differentiation
[…] mobile media in an age of smart-phones requires that we not only attempt to
articulate the field but also to more systematically understand its various dimensions.
(Hjorth et al., 2012, p. 1, cited in Jones et al., 2013).
If the last decade has provided us with anything, it is perspective on where MMC
scholarship has come from and how it is growing. A short article is no place to fully
map out paradigmatic structure and change in a young and dynamic field. However, it is a
good place to start the conversation. Toward that end, we take up the metaphor of musical
structure to help identify structure in MMC scholarship and opportunities to integrate in
harmonizing ways. This article focuses on two overarching traditions that have helped
structure the field, “everyday life” and “development,” which have been foundational
and remain highly active areas of scholarship. By examining where these research traditions
intersect, we gain improved understanding of the uses and consequences of MMC
around the world, while also helping to articulate aspects of the field’s structure and how
they fit together in ways that foster intellectual bridging and integration.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Development, Everyday Life, Field Integration, Field structure, Research Traditions, Global South, Mobiles for Development
Citation
Campbell, S. W. & Komen, Leah J. (2023). Doing Mobile Media and Communication scholarship in different keys: Sounding out structure and integration in the field. Mobile Media & Communication. 11(1). pp 40-46. 10.1177/20501579221131422