In the decade that has passed since the seminal workshop Perpetual Contact was held at Rutgers University, the world of mobile communication has changed dramatically.  The number of mobile phone users has skyrocketed from a few hundred million to more than four billion, a growth rate easily surpassing any other technology.  All aspects of social life have been touched by mobile technology, and a host of tracking and immersive, health, gaming and commercial applications have become available.  For its part, the community of mobile communication scholars has blossomed from a handful of pioneers to a large, vibrant intellectual community that spans the globe.  Researchers have gained deep insight into the cultural, symbolic and social-interactional aspects of mobile communication as well as its relevance to commerce.  By contrast, far less is known about the social policy implications of mobile technology; this is the case despite their obvious importance to those who seek to understand human societies, not to mention those who live in them.

To address this situation, and with the support  of the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, a conference is being organized by the Center for Mobile Communication Studies at Rutgers University on the topic of how mobile communication influences social policy.  Broad in its conception, the conference aims to produce new insights into the topic. Subjects to be addressed will range from mobiles and social programs (initiation through evaluation) to how mobile technology is used in political campaigns and to influence the social policy environment.  There will be both an open call for papers and invited talks.  Presenters are being asked to combine empirical data (either qualitative or quantitative) with important theoretical issues to address the mobile communication-social policy nexus.

As with earlier conferences held by the Rutgers Center for Mobile Communication Studies, this event will be both interdisciplinary in charter and international in character. Conference proceedings will be available to attendees; selected papers will be published in book form and in special issues of academic journals.