Call for Submissions: Smartphones and Society
Smartphones and Identity (2018) Ollie McAinsh.
About
Cognitive Sensations is a project exploring the impact of the digital age on human behaviour, culture and society. We are interested in raising pertinent questions around our relationship with technology, reflecting upon its rising embodiment in everyday experience.
Cognitive Sensations explores this societal shift, through the intersection between art, science and digital culture. We publish texts and organise events and exhibitions that question the scale in which technology affects us: psychologically, neurologically, physiologically, geographically, economically and politically.
Brief
We are looking for proposals (essays, reviews, online artworks or other experimental interventions that could work well on our website) that engage with the impact of smartphones upon daily life.
In 1985, Joshua Meyrowitz predicted that electronic media would change the ‘situational geography of life’. At the time, to imagine a world where physical location did not matter, would seem to most a sci-fi fantasy. But the mobile phone soon changed this. Gradually, as the years went by, 24/7 communication, connectivity, work and social activity became incorporated through this single hand-sized object, allowing its activity to take place anytime, anywhere.
As a result, smartphone usage has soared, shaping the practices and behaviour of users on a daily basis. The average person checks their phone every twelve minutes, and over the past ten years, UK smartphone ownership has risen from 17% to 78% (Ofcom, 2018). As our reliance on these devices increases, we would like to dedicate this season to exploring our relationship with this profoundly influential tool.
Smartphones have evolved through a process of integration between humans, machines and their environment. As a mass media technology, how have smartphones developed in comparison to earlier technological developments? Smartphones were designed to make us more productive, but some feel that they’re distracting instead. What aspects of modern life have been shaped by these devices, and what sort of future do we expect as they continue to develop?
These ideas are just a few starting points, but we would like to hear from you, about your critical thoughts and responses. We are particularly interested in online artworks, video essays, interactive experiences and animation. Get in touch, and good luck!
Proposals and timeline
We welcome submissions from a wide variety of international practitioners at any stage in their career, working in art, science, philosophy, digital culture and multi-disciplinary approaches.
Commissions will be confirmed by Friday 7th February 2020 and work will be published online until Spring 2020. Final publication must take place by April.
Fee
Cognitive Sensations is funded by Arts Council England. The following commissions are available:
2 x Experimental/Art Fee at £150
1 x 700 word article at £90
1 x 700 word article at £175
1 x 1200 word article at £300
How to apply
Please email the following to Cognitive Sensations founder, Gabriella Warren-Smith, at
gwarren-smith@hotmail.co.uk:
- a short description (100-200 words) of your proposal and in what form (essay, review, online artwork or other experimental intervention that could work well on our website)
- a short bio (no longer than 100 words please)
- and 1-3 examples of previous work (jpgs/pdfs).
Deadline
All submissions must be received by midnight, Friday 31st January 2020. Many thanks.
