mobile identity: youth, identity, and mobile communication media
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Mobile Identity: Youth, Identity, and Mobile Communication Media. Chrissy Commons, Lindsey Alfano , Leigh Maxwell-Smith. The Mobile Phone and Mobility. Technology is transforming Phones have become an extension of the body Devices have multiple functions More useful to everyday life. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Mobile Identity: Youth, Identity, and
Mobile Communication
MediaChrissy Commons, Lindsey Alfano, Leigh Maxwell-Smith
The Mobile Phone and Mobility
Technology is transforming Phones have become an extension of the body Devices have multiple functions More useful to everyday life
Mobility and Young People
We are mobile Our phones are mobile with
us Information is mobile
We are always ready to receive a message
“Moveable, agile, able to be moved or transported easily and fast; ready to march, ready for battle”
The Mobile Phone in Contemporary Youth
Culture Find it difficult to be with out their phones Cannot imagine not being able to get in touch with
friends/family at any moment Makes everyday life easier
The Importance of The Mobile
Cannot leave home with out it Essential
Rated 8-10 in importance on a 1-10 scale
Some do not have landlines “You need to have your mobile
with you, just like you need to wear pants”
Use and Adaption
Young Danes use the mobile mainly for communication—it is primarily still a telephone with text messaging and additional services.
The choice of the mobile and use of services also indicate the mobility and fleeting inconsistency of trends in youth cultures.
The long-term impact of these possibilities is not easily predicted, as the same technology seems to be adapted and integrated in different ways and with different meanings.
However, several sets of conditions affect the adaptation rate and the common as well as unexpected uses in different national and cultural contexts: These include cultural factors, social aspects, and practical constraints.
Availability
With the mobile you don’t miss much. You have your friends right at your hand
and you do more spontaneous things. You’re always “on”—never turn your
phone off Several of our informants said that they
would keep the mobile on at night and even have it next to their heads on the pillow—act as alarm and didn’t want to miss any calls or messages.
Phatic Communication
To be in contact means being “tuned in”
Learning the codes, the unwritten rules for meaning, language, and normative behavior is essential in order to make the communication meaningful.
“No free moments” “No time off” Turning your phone off completely for a
few hours a day can prevent stress built up through always being “on”.
The Perception of Presence in a Shared
Space: There is a difference between physical and social presence.
Physical: Where you are. Social: A variable state that depends on the context and way in which you are
communicating with the other person
Youth are able to create intimate spaces by shutting out their physical surroundings, ignoring the physical state they are in.
The intimacy of communication is not dependent on the medium, but the context and the relationship the two people share.
Meaningful communication is possible through mobile phones, but youth in the study agreed that serious issues must be dealt with face-to-face. Body language and facial cues are vital to fully understanding what the other person is really saying.
Being Simultaneously Present in Several
Spaces: We are able to divide our attention to simultaneously engage in side
activities that do not distract us from out main activity. Youth do not agree with this, attempting to be present in 2 different
conversations always results in getting distracted from one conversation. Creates a situation in which a person is physically present with one
person, but mentally in another place, whomever they are talking to through their phone. Therefore, causing the person being ignored to feel excluded from the conversation their friend is having without them.
Mobile can also help in this way, transporting people to other mental spaces when the physical space they are in is not enjoyable or awkward. Phone becomes a “symbolic bodyguard.”
The Mobile as Personal Log
Mobile holds the story of our lives.
Captures out interactions and memories, what is important to us too.
Allows us to share ourselves with others, include them in our “private spheres.”
The Mobile as the Data Double:
Mobile can be seen as an extension of ourselves. It is always with us ready to capture moments of our lives.
Social Learning
2 ways: Learning through social interaction Learning through social norms
Norms and rules constantly change, and vary depending on social groups. What we find rude/inconsiderate.
Mobiles are often seen as distraction from life, how it affects our interactions with those around us.
How we feel about people on their phones and what it says about them. Ex: Many people see it as rude when their friend texts during a meal, it is considered
showing a lack of respect.
Youth learn the rules of phone use, also influenced by their identity as a person.
Conclusion
How mobile phones affect youth’s identities as people. Learn to “manage and develop
personal identity and the importance of social networks in this process are strongly facilitated by mobiles.”
Youth are able to develop and keep relationships, form connections easier now. Need to know how to navigate all these relationships through technology.
Quiz
The cell phone has altered the lives of the youth from today’s generation. Has technology changed writing as well?