Workshop “Mobile Media, Mobility, and Identity”

With Tim Cresswell and Malcolm McCullough

moderator: Michiel de Lange

location: NAi (Museumpark 25, Rotterdam), 15:30 uur-18:00 uur, coffee and registration 15:00 uur

Admission is free, pre-registration required  (now closed)

In this workshop we want to discuss and try to tie together several themes: mobile media, mobility, place making, and (urban) identities. Can we apply concepts from mobility studies in research about new media? In turn, can media studies contribute to understanding of mobility and place making? And what is the influence of mobile media and mobilities on the construction and experience of (urban) place and identity?

We will discuss existing analyses about mobility, e.g. as proposed by Urry (2000), who proposes 4 kinds of travel: travel of objects, travel of people, virtual travel, and imaginary travel. We will discuss the ‘new mobilities paradigm’ in relation to the ‘sedentarist and nomadic metaphysics’ (Cresswell 2006) from a media perspective. What happens to place making and (urban) identities under the influence of mobile and pervasive computing? Can technologically mediated mobilities be seen as a “fourth place” (McCullough 2004)?

The full briefing can be downloaded here.