• The massive popularity of social networking sites, such as Facebook or MySpace;
• The rise of blogs, the Blogosphere, and the micro-blogging tool Twitter;
• The DIY movement, self-service technologies, branding, and market research;
• Wikipedia: The world largest encyclopedia, generated by users;
• YouTube and Flicker: home of millions of user video and image files;
• Other examples such as Ebay, Craigslist, Creative Commons, open-source software (Linux, Mozilla, etc.), Second Life, Amazon.com, and, likely, others of which most of us are yet unaware.

Articles might specify the structural conditions for the explosion of user-generated content on the Internet, attempt to explain aspects of the trend through the application of a particular theory or set of theories, employ empirical data to achieve new insights into the processes of prosumption, or explore the economic, political, cultural, or ethical implications of prosumption. Articles might also be critical of any such projects.

The issue aims to include both theoretical and empirical submissions from a number of fields. Relevant book reviews will also be considered.

The deadline for submission has been extended to JULY 1st, 2010. The deadline is June 1st, 2010. However, we encourage early submissions and papers will be reviewed as they are received. The issue is expected to contain 8-10 articles, but if more articles of exceptional quality are received, we have the go-ahead to expand to two volumes. Acceptance will be contingent upon peer-review.

Manuscript submission guidelines:

• Submitted manuscripts must be in MS Word (.doc) format, include a title page that includes the title of the paper, a 250 word abstract, full name and complete addresses of all authors that includes affiliation(s), telephone number(s), and e-mail address(es).
• Manuscript, including references, should follow APA style guidelines.
• Manuscripts should generally contain between 6,000 and 8,000 words.
• Manuscripts should contain original material and not be previously published, or currently submitted for consideration, elsewhere.
• Manuscripts should be submitted directly to Prosumer Studies Working Group at absspecialissue@gmail.com. Any questions should also be directed to this address. Additional information available at: http://www.bsos.umd.edu/socy/prosumer/abs_cfp.html
• The refereeing process is blind, so contributors should take care to remove any obvious indications of authorship.
• Where appropriate, please recommend to us researchers who might make a significant contribution to the special issue if solicited for submission.

We will make every effort to get you a decision within 4-6 weeks of submission.

Keywords: web 2.0, prosumption, digital culture, technology and society, information and communication technologies (ICTs), sociology of work, labor studies, mobile communication, networked technologies, virtual communities, social networking sites, computer mediated communication, globalization, leisure studies, new media, media studies, social media.

About the editor: George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. He has chaired the American Sociological Association’s Section on Theoretical Sociology, as well as the Section on Organizations and Occupations, and is the first Chair of the section-in-formation on Global and Transnational Sociology. His books include The McDonaldization of Society (5th ed., 2008), Enchanting a Disenchanted World (2nd ed. 2005), and The Globalization of Nothing (2nd ed., 2007). His most recent book is Globalization: A Basic Text (Blackwell, 2010). He is currently working on The Outsourcing of Everything (with Craig Lair, Oxford, forthcoming). He was founding editor of the Journal of Consumer Culture. His books have been translated into over twenty languages, with over a dozen translations of The McDonaldization of Society alone.