Prof. James E. Katz is pleased to announce a conference

sponsored by the
Department of Communication, Rutgers University

and co-sponsored by

NEC USA C&C Research Laboratories

BLI.IO

AT&T Labs

Panasonic Information and Networking Technologies Laboratory

Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies

Vodaphone

Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc.

Office of the Dean of SCILS, Rutgers University

Match.com

Comune di Milano Assessorato Moda ed Eventi

The conference will explore how personal technologies, especially communication technologies, are assimilated into people's lives, bodies and homes, and with what the consequences of this assimilation have been for their self-image and social relationships. A special focus is the relationship between the "second skin," that is clothing and fashion, and technology. Here we wish to analyze the confluence of these elements as both a means to extend human communication capabilities (in both physical and symbolic terms), and as a subject itself of interpersonal communication. In this regard, attention will be devoted to the way individuals and groups use technology as a symbol or luxury, particularly in the context of fashion and style.

Communication technologies of interest range from mobile phones and watches to surgically implanted chips and pacemakers. Nanomachines and subcutaneous drug dispensing devices are also within our ambit. So too are the communication technology environments that are being created. These include "smart homes" as well as "information oases" and other distributed systems. Such capabilities, at their more mundane levels, might alert individuals when it is time to take a prescription drug or buy fresh milk, and may integrate diet, purchasing and entertainment functions. Since not only the technologies but also their images are becoming an important part of socially constructed and contested environments, we want to see how these images are presented to potential consumers. A related question is how their entry into the public sphere affects discourse and sub-cultural identities and norms. Here the focus includes the use of communication technology in public space and the elaboration of style and fashion canons.

The general topic of fashion, body and social interaction in relationship to communication technology is interesting from a theoretical viewpoint. This is because many scholars and researchers have speculated as to the relationship between the built environment, which is increasingly being built into us, and both our behavior and our social relationships. Yet because of the disciplinary nature of the organization of intellectual life, it is often difficult to engage in productive dialog across boundaries of intellectual specialization. Our purpose then is to bring together internationally recognized experts in the sub-areas of this theme and seek ways to create insight and new understandings. This cross-fertilization is not always easy to achieve, nor are the benefits readily palpable. But given both the intriguing nature of the new issues, and their pertinence to a variety of concerned audiences, we believe it is a goal well worth pursuing.

Issues that will be explored in presentations include the way fashion, communication technology, and social and sub-group behavior affect:

• The way people live, act, and relate in both public and private space 
• Social relationships in friendship circles, and family, work, and professional environments. 
• Those in the ambient social and physical environment of the user. 
• The use of technologies and their symbols in personal fashion and status displays.
• The phenomenology of personal communication technology that is attached to or implanted in the human body.

The Rutgers conference also represents a step in an intellectual journey. It is but one example of the multi-faceted response to recent major changes in global activities that have reverberations throughout most society. Through technological progress and market reorganization, social interaction across distance and among social networks has been increasing. This in turn has led to an enormous variety of new and exciting opportunities, modes of expression and social organizations. Yet the reverberations of these forces have also raised sharp concerns at a variety of levels. Probing questions have been raised about what these personal communication technologies are doing to people and societies. Their criticisms have ranged from the individual level (do they really increase happiness or does their use cause depression) to that of a society’s structure (do they reduce equality of access to important political and economic opportunities). As researchers and policy-makers alike have sought to grapple with these issues, both the empirical base of knowledge and the utility of social scientific theories have been called into question.

In response, scholars from around the world have over the past decade been working to gather data and pierce conceptual boundaries to gain a better understanding of the relationship between humans and their communication tools. Some of these efforts have been encouraged by scientific bodies, such as those sponsored by the European Union, and have been aimed at improving the well-being of the citizenry. In other cases, growing out of concern about the adequacy and relevance of recent theory building efforts, particularly macro-systems theory, individual scholars have taken it upon themselves to try to organize cross-disciplinary working groups to advance beyond current conceptual categories.

The conference will explore three major themes and a variety of sub-themes:

1. BODY AND DEVICE

• Technology as fashion: The presentation of self through gadgets.
• Fashion in relationship to the celebration or rejection of personal technology
• Embodying technology: Non-verbal communication in the display of technology
• Fashion and fabric as a platform for communication technology

2. COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN SOCIAL SPACES

• How is the Internet becoming integrated into people's lives and social relationships?
• Do personal communication technologies, such as the Internet, enhance or diminish social community and the quality of life?
• What is happening to public space as personal communication technologies proliferate?
• Prospects for smart homes: Do they require smart people? Will they isolate individuals or families?
• What trade-offs might exist in terms of freedom and privacy? Does Internet use make people happy or depressed? Does the Internet build or corrode social capital?
• What are the national differences in Internet usage and culture?

3. MICRO-DEVICES AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

• The micro-coordination of everyday life: personal communication devices and the structure/substance of interaction.
• Micro-control of manners & norms: Inventing the use of personal communication technology to manage technical limitations and social boundaries.
• Friends, strangers and colleagues: What is the relational meaning of personal communication technology use?
• How are personal technologies used in identity management? What is the relative importance of fashion and luxury versus function and cost?
• Are their special concerns in terms of privacy and personal information, or in medical or other sensitive settings?

Abstracts from presenters' papers may be found here.

Aspden, Philip, (National Academy of Sciences, USA)
Cohen, Akiba (Tel Aviv U, Israel)
Dutton, William (Annenberg, Univ. of Southern California, USA)
Fortunati, Leopoldina (U of Trieste, Italy)
Haddon, Leslie (London School of Economics, UK)
Kim, Shin Dong (Hallym U, Republic of Korea)
Licoppe, Christian (France Telecom Research, France)
Ling, Richard (Telenor, Norway)
Mante, Enid (KPN-Research, The Netherlands)
Meyrowitz, Joshua (U of New Hampshire, USA)
Townsend, Anthony (New York University, USA)
Weinstein, Stephen B. (NEC Research, USA)
Yates, Roy (Winlab-Rutgers U, USA)