Individual as My Ringtone Communicating On the Go

Animating Questions What are some effects of mobile communication technology on social relations? What are some cultural impacts? What are some environmental impacts?

Telephony as Dialogical Tech Enables two-way communication Involves reception and production Facilitates inter-personal communication Privatized (often) Connects individuals to networks (individuals as nodes)

Mobile Telephony Eliminates ties to “location” Individual becomes the carrier Blurs private/public distinctions Facilitates alienation from primary social space The virtual becomes primary, the real becomes secondary

Absent Presence Physically absent, virtually present Physically present, virtually absent Denotes fragmentation and interconnection

Cultural Associations of Mobile Telephony Connectivity Accessibility Convenience Safety Independence (autonomy) In-ness (?)

(Re)New(ed) Cultural Practices Txting (SMS, e.g. Japanese Galmoji) Moblogging Picturephoning Mobile gaming Cell phone art Any others?

Proposition 1 Gergen: Monological technologies (a.k.a. one-to-many, e.g. tv, radio) undermine community, in-depth relations, the sense of self, moral character and connection between language and action. Mobile telephony (cell phone) impedes this process. Do you agree? Why? Can you think of supporting and counter examples?

Proposition 2 Nafus and Tracey: Mobile telephony has been integrated in the moral economy of interpersonal, familial and social relations and, at times, has effected redefinitions of these relations and thus redefinition of notions of individuality and autonomy. Q: Do you agree? Why? What are some examples from our cultural context?

Beyond Social Relations Health: risk of cancer and injury due to explosion Environmental: highly toxic manufacturing and disposal processes, increase in toxic waste Political economy: concentrated private ownership of the industry, colonial relations, resource wars (e.g. for the control of coltan in Congo)

Further Readings Rosen, Christine. “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves.” TheNewAtlantis.Com “Making Talk Less Toxic” WorldWatch.Org Ware, Natalie. “Congo War and the Role of Coltan.”

Cell Phone Art Links Liulia, Marita. “Tarot” Levin, Golan, S. Gibbons and G. Shakar. “Dialtones, a Telesymphony “ An Informal Catalogue of Mobile Phone Artworks” Thomson and Craighead. “Telephony”