Keynote Speakers
 

Abstract

This talk will provide a bird’s eye view of Mobile Virtual Communities (MVC). Mobility here refers to the property that members are practicing their community roles while on the move, likely via a mobile, wireless device. We will look at accomplished research in the area of MVC and classify it into seven domains (El Morr & Kawash, 2007): Technology, Workplace, Education, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Health, and Security. Research can be also categorized into three interest-driven areas: Technology-centered, business-centered, and user-centered research. We will briefly try to categorize MVCs based on their degrees of virtualization, mobility, and cooperation.

We have been witnessing a constant proliferation of mobile devices and wireless technologies. This proliferation is also complemented by constant advancements in processing capabilities of these devices and supportive software environments. However, this advancement in technology did not translate into a wide adoption of MVCs by the public. There are many challenges that may be hindering such an adoption. The talk will discuss such challenges and based on which shed some light on future research in MVCs.

Christo El-Morr, and Jalal Kawash (2007): Mobile virtual communities research: a synthesis of current trends and a look at future perspectives. IJWBC 3(4): 386-403
 

Bio

Jalal Kawash received his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary, Canada in 2000, after which he worked for the IT industry. He then joined the American University of Sharjah from 2002 until 2008. Dr. Kawash has also been an adjunct professor with the University of Calgary since 2002. He recently joined DeVry Institute of Technology where is designing and delivering blended-learning courses. Dr. Kawash’s research interests are in distributed systems and algorithms, mobile virtual communities, and blended learning.

"SOUNDS FROM UTOPIA Critical Issues of the Web 2.0 perspective for Web-based Communities" by Professor Jan van Dijk, University of Twente, Dep. of Media, Communication and Organization, Netherlands

Abstract

Every decade sounds from utopia return to the discussion about the social consequences of the Internet. This medium would be substantially more (inter)active, creative, participatory, direct and equal as compared to traditional media. Moreover, on the Internet things would be created in a network of cooperation and in communities, and not primarily by individuals and market or government organizations. Finally, the Internet is supposed to compensate for lost community and sociability. With the Web 2.0 these utopian sounds reappear in a new shape. However, this time the Internet has substantially changed, isn’t it?  There are not only many more participants but they also seem to be more active and social on the web than ever before.  With an open mind to the new opportunities Professor van Dijk will discuss the remaining critical issues of the Web 2.0 perspective. Such are:

• Who actually controls the Internet? The business world, governments or the users and their organizations?

• The inequality of participation: the digital divide

• Do really new forms of sociability appear?

• The assault on quality media.

• The quality of web content that seems to dissolve all differences between experts and lay persons.

• Does the Internet produce wise crowds or stupid mobs?

The speaker will consistently apply these issues to their significance for developing web-based communities.  
 

Bio

Jan A.G.M. van Dijk is professor of communication science at the University of Twente, the Netherlands and head of the Department of Media, Communication and Organization. His teaching chair is called The Sociology of the Information Society.
Van Dijk is investigating the social aspects of information and communication technology since 1984. His research specializes in social, cultural and political/policy issues. At the end of the 1980s he coined the term network society and made an inventory of the anticipated social consequences of ICTs and the Internet. His key publication in this respect is the continually updated book The Network Society (1999, 2006, Dutch editions: 1991, 1994, 1997, 2001), translated in several languages. Other, more recent books in English are Digital Democracy (2000), Information and Communication Technology in Organizations (2005) and The Deepening Divide, Inequality in the Information Society (2005), all Sage Publications.
Van Dijk is considered to be an expert on the field of the social consequences of the new media, in particular information inequality (the so-called ‘digital divide’), privacy and security, (digital) democracy and social cohesion.
Van Dijk leads a research program about E-government and is strongly engaged in policy discussions. He is an advisory of the European Commission and several Dutch ministries, government organizations and municipalities.

Personal website: http://www.gw.utwente.nl/vandijk

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