Onlife Wellbeing in a Connected Society
DETAILS
CALL FOR PAPERS
Onlife Wellbeing in a Connected Society
Journal: Wellbeing, Space and Society
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission Deadline: 10 September 2026
Introduction
Pervasive digitalization is creating an "onlife" reality — a condition in which the boundaries between digital and physical existence have become increasingly blurred and inseparable. This Special Issue addresses an urgent need to understand how this transformation reshapes the interconnections between individual and collective wellbeing, the nature and experience of space — broadly defined to include digital, physical, and hybrid environments — and evolving societal structures and practices.
This Special Issue will advance knowledge by bringing together diverse perspectives to conceptualize "onlife wellbeing" — exploring lived experiences through an intersectional lens, scrutinizing the role of institutions (particularly educational ones as key societal actors), and investigating the ethical and policy dimensions of our increasingly mediated lives.
Scope & Significance
The topic directly engages with the journal's core aims — exploring the dynamic and mutually constitutive relationships between wellbeing, space, and society. While many illustrative cases and empirical studies may draw from educational contexts, the conceptual framings and societal implications extend broadly — touching upon how digital transformation impacts community, citizenship, health, equity, and spatial justice across various life domains.
The Special Issue explicitly invites contributions from diverse geographical regions to ensure a global and comparative perspective. The editors welcome original contributions including empirical research, theoretical analyses, case studies, and critical reviews from a range of disciplines — including geography, sociology, education, public health, media studies, and urban planning.
Five Core Thematic Areas
Theme 1 — Conceptualizing Digital Well-being in "Onlife" Education Post-digital theories of well-being in educational settings; moving beyond dichotomies of digital/physical, values/knowledge, and care/learning; the role of health literacy and critical digital literacy; student and educator perspectives on digital well-being.
Theme 2 — Lived Experiences, Intersectionality, and Equity in Digital School Spaces Gendered experiences of digital well-being and online risks including gender-based violence and cyberbullying; intersectional analyses across socio-economic status, disability, ethnicity, and power dynamics; impacts of remote and distance learning; case studies of specific student populations.
Theme 3 — The School as a Societal and Spatial Actor in Promoting Digital Well-being The school's responsibility in preparing students for a datafied society; how schools mediate societal pressures on students' digital well-being; the interplay of physical school design and digital infrastructure in onlife learning environments; fostering critical digital citizenship.
Theme 4 — Pedagogical Practices, Teacher Education, and Collaborative Strategies Effective pedagogical strategies for digital well-being; the role of teacher education and professional development; knowledge, competencies, and collaboration among school staff, students, families, and community actors; leadership for digital well-being.
Theme 5 — Policy, Governance, and Ethical Considerations Analysis of national and international policies related to digital well-being in schools; ethical dilemmas in EdTech, datafication, and surveillance; political regulations and governance; violence against children and staff in digital contexts and policy responses.
List of Topic Areas
Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:
Onlife wellbeing — conceptual frameworks and theoretical advances
Digital and physical space intersections — hybrid environments and lived experience
Individual and collective wellbeing in digitalized societies
Critical digital literacy and health literacy in educational settings
Gendered and intersectional experiences of digital wellbeing
Cyberbullying, online risks, and gender-based digital violence
Remote and distance learning — impacts on wellbeing and spatial participation
School as a societal actor in promoting digital wellbeing
Physical school design and digital infrastructure interactions
Critical digital citizenship and datafied society preparation
Teacher education and professional development for digital wellbeing
Community-based and collaborative strategies for digital wellbeing
EdTech governance, datafication, and surveillance ethics
National and international policy frameworks for digital wellbeing in schools
Spatial justice, equity, and access in digitalized learning environments
Global and comparative perspectives on onlife wellbeing across regions
Guest Editors
Dr. Davoud Masoumi University of Gävle, Sweden Email: Davoud.masoumi@hig.se
Dr. Guadalupe Francia University of Gävle, Sweden Email: guadalupe.francia@hig.se
Prof. J Ola Lindberg Department of Education, Umeå University, Sweden Email: Ola.j.lindberg@umu.se
Prof. Silvia Edling University of Gävle, Sweden Email: silvia.edling@hig.se
Dr. Fanny Pettersson Department of Education, Umeå University, Sweden Email: Fanny.pettersson@umu.se
Key Deadlines
Manuscript Submission Deadline: 10 September 2026
Submission Guidelines
Submit your manuscript via the official Elsevier submission system for Wellbeing, Space and Society. For any queries regarding the appropriateness of topics, please contact the Guest Editors directly.
All articles will be reviewed by no fewer than two independent experts. All submissions must be original and must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.
For author guidelines, visit the official Wellbeing, Space and Society journal page on the Elsevier ScienceDirect website.
Why Publish in This Special Issue?
Special Issue articles are downloaded twice as often within the first 24 months compared to regular issue articles
Special Issue articles attract 20% more citations in the first 24 months
Articles are published together on ScienceDirect — easy for researchers to discover your work
All articles reviewed by no fewer than two independent experts
About the Journal
Wellbeing, Space and Society, published by Elsevier, is a fully open access peer-reviewed journal with a CiteScore of 4.5 and Impact Factor of 2.2. It is dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary research on the dynamic relationships between wellbeing, space, and society — providing an international platform for scholars exploring how spatial, social, and environmental conditions shape human flourishing across diverse contexts and communities worldwide.
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