Around the world, more than one and half a billion people carry powerful computers on them. Cell phones have become an extension of one’s self and identity, signifying the unique and interconnected nature of our lives. Mobile phones are unique portals to carry, transmit, create and archive various aspects of our selves, and are conduits to understand, project, explore and validate the self. The cell phone is a simulacra of a reality and signification of symbols, signs and meanings of culture and media. It is also a window to external world where our perceptions of self, other, and realities collide; offering new possibilities and challenges to how we conduct research in the social sciences!
Talks by several of the speakers are in the ICTD space, these include Gaetano Borriello, Tapan Parikh,Jonathan Donner, Revi Sterling, Kathi Kitner, Bilal Butt, Joyojeet Pal, Sirpa Teheunen among others.
The Cell and Self conference is being organized on April 26th and 27th at the University of Michigan. For more details, click here