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Communication and distance: A special issue

Relating at a distance is becoming a part of everyday American and global life, and communication scholars are taking notice. Fifteen years ago, Rohlfing (1995) characterized long-distance relationships (LDRs) as an understudied area of research within personal relationships and communication. Since that time, scholars have published numerous articles and book chapters that address distance and communication, and in 2005, Stafford produced the first book on the subject within the field. Given the increased interest in and attention given to the topic, we decided it was time to compile a special issue that could showcase the current research within the field. The articles provide a look into some of the different populations affected by American involvement in international conflict (Merolla), difficulties in sustaining long-distance romantic ties (Maguire & Kinney), maintaining two households (Bergen), and advances in technology (Aakhus & Rumsey; Leonardi, Treem & Jackson). In the call for this special issue almost two years ago, we asked for work that would address the communication of populations separated for a variety of reasons such as educational choices, military deployment, incarceration, or employment preferences or demands. Authors could focus on the issues a particular group faces, community support (or lack thereof), and social and/or cultural norms. We welcomed a range of theories, contexts, and methodologies. We received articles on more topics than could be included in the issue, but the work presented here does reflect diversity of population (i.e., military marriages, long-distance dating relationships, commuter marriages, online support forums, and teleworkers), methods (i.e., interviewing, survey design, focus groups, and discourse analysis), and metatheoretical approaches (i.e., post-positivist as well as interpretive). All of the authors provide useful insight into communication issues for relating at a distance.