Call for Submissions to

i-com journal - Special Issue on “CSCW – Past, Present and Future”

 +++ Submission Deadline: December 15th 2023 +++

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) is an interdisciplinary research area from computer science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, business informatics, economics, media studies and various other disciplines that deals with (supporting) collaboration. CSCW research is united in a commitment to ground design efforts in studies of actual work practices.

When looking back at the pandemic years we can observe that CSCW is one of the exciting research fields that made a transition into a virtual and later also hybrid communication, interaction and collaboration possible. The way we work, the way we meet friends, the way we participate in society are increasingly entangled with digitalization and concepts core to the CSCW research community.

New topics currently are (supporting) hybrid cooperation but also providing CSCW concepts and tools to new collaboration scenarios and in general to social life. Since most applications today are not only single-user but involve communication and collaboration among people, CSCW is relevant in most new hype themes – very prominently in the Metaverse, but also in topics like “AI powered” conversational agents.

In this special issue, we invite contributions that investigate the current state of CSCW – and particularly novel and innovative uses of CSCW applications in various areas pertaining to peoples’ social lives. 

While we are open to a broad range of approaches, we particularly encourage studies employing a socio-technical perspective. As such, we are interested in use practices, (new) use contexts and design of CSCW technologies.

Contributions can provide a look into the past, the present and the future:

Past – origins and evolution of CSCW…. papers discussing the developmental milestones, significant changes, prominent theories, and methodologies that have defined this field.

Present – current state of CSCW. Submissions should ideally encompass recent advancements, current trends, challenges, and the real-world application of CSCW in various sectors such as education, business, healthcare, and more.

Future – Visionary papers that explore future trajectories, disruptive innovations, policy considerations, or potential societal impacts of CSCW – e.g. Howcreative and innovative uses of CSCW technologies can help to transfer and recreate social and cultural endavours in virtual environments. 

Possible topics include but are not limited to the application, implications, potentials, and challenges of CSCW technologies in the following areas:

- (Better) Supporting Hybrid Work

- Engaging in cultural or artistic activities (e.g. making music together online) and participating in cultural offerings and events (e.g. virtual museum visits or streaming concerts) 

- Engaging in sports (e.g. cyber training) or participating in sports events (e.g. digital fandom)

- Engaging in informal interactions in the context of work (e.g. virtual coffee breaks)

- Engaging in informal interaction in the context of education (e.g. networking events) 

- Coordination in non-profit associations

- Digitalization of everyday live / Digitalization that connects us

- Digital Technologies for social interaction

- …

We welcome a broad range of different types of contributions, e.g.,  qualitative and quantitative empirical research, conceptual research, design research.

Guest Editors:

Susanne Boll, Universität Oldenburg, OFFIS Institut für Informatik e.V.

Alexander Richter, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ

Michael Prilla, Universität Duisburg-Essen

About i-com: (Also see https://i-com-journal.org/)