It is a pleasure to serve as one of many who help lead this dynamic and productive section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). The Section on Communication and Information Technologies (CITASA) is home to some of the most renowned experts in the field. We are an interdisciplinary group that traces its origins to The Chicago School of sociology and early studies of mass communication, public opinion, and the telephone, that have more recently extended to include research on computing, the Internet, and mobile phones. The scope of our interests ranges from studies of identity, social networks, interpersonal interaction, the diffusion of information, and human-computer interaction, to studies of community, institutional and societal change. There is no better evidence of the growing interest in sociology of communications and IT than the growth of our section. Over the past five years membership in CITASA has more than doubled. At the 2007 annual meeting of the ASA in New York City, over 100 papers were presented that fit broadly into the study of communications and technology. In addition to our slate of sessions at the 2008 ASA meeting in Boston, MA, the section will host it's fourth annual pre-conference. These mini-conferences have served as a unique opportunity for members of the section to share their research and for students to meet and exchange ideas with senior scholars in the field. This year's pre-conference will examine the role of new information and communication technologies in 'Worlds of Work.' In addition, graduate students in any discipline studying any topic with a sociological focus on the study of communications or information technology can apply and receive one of 20 'Microsoft CITASA Port 25 Emerging Scholar Awards' for funding to attend the pre-conference and present their work to a panel of expert mentors. It is an honor to be a member of such an active and growing section.

Keith N. Hampton is an assistant professor in the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Toronto in sociology, and a B.A. in sociology from the University of Calgary. His research interests focus on the relationship between new information and communication technologies, social networks, and the urban environment.