ASIAN MEDIA INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION CENTRE (AMIC)

24th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Communicating in an e-Asia: values, technologies, and challenges

in partnership with the American University in Dubai (AUD) Dubai, United Arab Emirates

10^th-13^th June, 2015

CALL FOR PAPERS

Globally, the last decade has seen exponential growth in the use of mobile technologies and the Internet. From e-mail to e-governance, e-commerce to e-learning, Internet usage has changed the way the world communicates.

At the forefront of the electronic and digital revolution in Asia has been the mobile phone. Recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) statistics indicate that in the period from 2005 to 2013, mobile (cellular) phone subscriber numbers in the Asia-Pacific region have soared from 833 million to 3,547 million users. The era of an e-Asia has dawned.

The benefits of instant, intranational and trans-border communication have impacted upon almost every aspect of life, with mobile phones and the Internet providing new pathways for inter-personal communication, business and commercial enterprise, community development, educational opportunity, governance, and democratic reform. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are an enabling factor in supporting marginalized societies to more beneficially interact with a broader citizenry, while the convergence of computers, media, and telecommunications has created new platforms for entrepreneurship, education, and political inclusion.

However, in the Asia-Pacific region, where cultural traditions and family values are hugely respected and deeply ingrained, the influences of a new ‘e-Asia literacy’ are impacting on social conventions, etiquette, language and community structures. In a homogenized international ‘knowledge society’ where communication processes transcend national boundaries, the retention of traditional values and ways of life are increasingly challenged.  

Conference streams (including):

• communication and society
• cultural impact of ICTs
• social media and society
• youth and the Internet
• e-learning, trends and possibilities
• media and a free press
• communication and marginalized communities
• ICTs and development
• the ‘knowledge society’
• future of communication technologies
• remote/island societies and new technologies
• media and gender
• society and new media
• education and new technologies
• development communication and social change
• broadcasting, past and present
• freedom of expression in transition societies
• media history
• communication theory and ethics
• environment, climate and communication
• print media, past and present
• socio-political development and media
• cross-cultural influences and developments
• policy and communication
• media empowerment

CALL FOR PAPERS

Papers will be selected on a competitive basis and all submissions will be screened by an expert panel.

Abstracts due:                        05 January, 2015

Notification of acceptance   05 February 2015

Full papers due:                     16 March, 2015

Abstracts and papers should be submitted via e-mail (conference@amic.org.sg). Please do not send papers to the personal e-mail addresses of conference organizers.

Papers accepted for presentation at the cancelled 2014 AMIC Conference in Thailand still qualify for presentation. Authors should confirm their intent to present on or before 05 January 2015.

FORMAT FOR ABSTRACTS

Indicate your proposed “Conference Stream” in the subject line of your e-mail.

E-mail should include the following:

• paper title
• author name, position, institution
• short biography of author (100 words)
• paper abstract (500 words)

FORMAT FOR PAPERS

Indicate “Full Paper” and relevant conference stream in the subject line of your e-mail.

Papers:

• should be written in English.
• be of 5,000-8,000 words in length.
• have citation in APA style.
• should be Microsoft Word or RTF document. Font should be Times New Roman, 12 pts. Please use plain text and not formatting.

For more information, please contact Mr. Ramon Tuazon (rrtuazon722@yahoo.com or r.tuazon@amic.org.sg)

Note to all authors: By submitting your paper, you agree that if your paper is selected, you will register for the conference and present the paper. All co-authors attending and/or presenting at the conference must register too.

CRITERIA FOR REVIEW

Abstracts

Criteria to be used to evaluate abstracts include the following:

• Relevance of the topic to the conference theme
• Well-defined topics /issue(s) to be examined and discussed
• Originality and innovativeness of topic
• Adherence to solid research design and methodology (for research-based papers)
• Limitations identified (for research-based papers)
• Good language and writing quality and logical organization of paper
• Potential contributions to the advancement of communication theory, research and practice

Full Papers

Criteria to be used to evaluate abstracts full papers include the following:

• Extensive and appropriate literature review
• Good writing quality, e.g., style is clear and engaging
• Logical organization of paper
• In-depth and evidence-based analysis and conclusions
• Concrete recommendations for research, policy, and action projects
• Publication-ready 

CANCELLATION OF AMIC 23RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN BANGKOK

Dear AMIC members and friends,

It is with sincere regret that we must bring to you the news that AMIC’s 23^rd International Conference has been cancelled. This decision has been taken jointly by the AMIC Board of Directors, the AMIC Secretariat and the conference hosts.

As you will recall, AMIC planned its 2014 conference to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from the 9^th-12^th July. Our gracious host was to be the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University. Arrangements were fully in hand, with the ‘call for papers’ completed, sponsorship promotion underway and even a hotel venue organised. The AMIC Secretariat had received close to 300 abstracts which had been put out for peer-review. In the end, over 270 papers had been accepted for the conference.

The political climate in Thailand deteriorated to the extent that martial law was eventually declared. Although the prevailing situation in Bangkok was difficult, in close consultation with the conference hosts and other authorities on security and safety issues, AMIC proceeded with its plans. However, when the Thai military declared a coup late last month and various restrictions, including a curfew, were imposed, the situation became increasingly untenable.

AMIC’s ‘duty of care’ to conference delegates and staff members is such that we are unwilling to expose colleagues from the region and beyond to potential injury or harm in a situation which is impossible to predict. Also, we took note that, once the coup was announced, all major travel insurance companies advised their clients that coverage for Thailand was negated. In addition, Governments worldwide issued travel advisories warning their citizens about travel to Thailand.

The AMIC Board and Secretariat held urgent discussions and the Chairman issued a conference postponement notice. In the meantime, extensive negotiations continued with potential hosts for a possible relocation to another venue within the region. In the end, these proved inconclusive and it was decided, with time against us and increasing concern from conference delegates about their travel and leave arrangements, to cancel the conference this year.

AMIC is hugely aware that this decision has caused considerable inconvenience and disappointment and this is deeply regretted. All previously paid conference registration fees will be fully refunded. We also know that several delegates had booked air tickets which carry penalties for cancellation. The AMIC Secretariat is now issuing letters to those delegates which they can use to approach the airlines concerned to seek possible financial redress under force majeure provisions. Please contact us at conference@amic.org.sg for such a letter. We are also prepared to make direct approaches to airlines and travel agents upon request. In some cases, it may be possible to transfer funds expended on air fares to Bangkok to travel to next year’s AMIC conference instead. 

Thank you for your understanding in this unprecedented situation. On behalf of the AMIC Board, the Secretariat and our good friends at Chulalongkorn University, we apologise for the disappointment and inconvenience caused. We are now planning for the AMIC 2015 international conference and, once a host is chosen, we will announce a venue and dates. It is also possible that the 2014 conference theme and papers (with updating by the authors) may go forward to AMIC 2015. However, this matter will be discussed in the months ahead. We will keep you informed as soon and as frequently as possible on further developments.