3 Mobile Identities by Stald.docx

1、3 Mobile Identities by Stald Mobile Identity: Youth, Identity, and Mobile Communication MediaBy Gitte Stald (IT University of Copenhagen, Department of Innovative Communication )Parents usually dont know how important a tool the mobile has become in young peoples lives. They only think about the com

2、municative function, not the social meaning. (sixteen-year-old girl)articulated: 表达出来的contextual: 前后关系的mundane: 日常的， 平凡的mediate: 调停, 作为.的媒介ubiquitous: 无处不在的reflexive：反射(性)的 1 The girl who is quoted above expresses an immediate understanding of the mobile phones dual, but interdependent qualities for

3、 young people. One quality is the communicative function, which is facilitated by the technological device: it is about the mobile as a tool and a channel for the exchange of information. The other quality is the social meaning, which develops from the communication. Rich Ling describes the mobile p

4、hone as being doubly articulated, that is, it is a physical device but it is also a medium through which we communicate and through which we maintain social contact. In short, the meaning of the mobile goes beyond its practical function. The quote also indicates the young girls perception of the mob

5、ile as holding a specific meaning for young people as compared to adults: that is, the value of the mobile depends on contextual uses and experiences. 2 The focus of this article is on the meaning of the mobile in young peoples lives, specifically in relation to questions of identity. In the crossov

6、er between this volumes three key themesyouth, learning, and identityother issues might well have been included, for example the use of mobile platforms in education and formal learning, or organized projects on how to explore and exploit mobile digital platforms for creative and innovative purposes

7、. My aim, however, is to take a closer look at the mundane and everyday uses of this medium by young people in relation to identity and learning. Because of the always there, always on status of the mobile and the pace of exchange of information, and because the mobile is the key personal communicat

8、ion device for so many young people, it becomes important in establishing social norms and rules and in testing ones own position in relation to the peer group. 3 My title, “Mobile Identity,” has a double meaning. On the one hand, supported by the subtitle, it includes the idea that young peoples id

9、entity is influenced by their use of media, in particular personal communication media such as the mobile phone. On the other hand, it also implies a view of adolescent identity as mobile, changing and developing moment by moment and over time, as very sensitive to changes in the relations between f

10、riends and families, and to the emotional and intellectual challenges experienced and mediated through the use of the mobile phone (among other factors). The notion of mobile identity suggests that identity is fluid and that adolescents are constantly negotiating who they are, how they are that iden

11、tity, and with whom they are that identity. The mobile phone facilitates this mobility of identity, as it is ubiquitous in youth cultural contexts as a medium for constant updating, coordination, information access, and documentation. At the same time, the mobile is an important medium for social ne

12、tworking, the enhancing of groups and group identity, and for the exchange between friends which is needed in the reflexive process of identity construction. The mobile has become the ideal tool to deal with the pace of information exchange, the management of countless loose, close or intimate relat

13、ions, the coordination of ever-changing daily activities, and the insecurity of everyday life. Hence the mobile becomes a learning tool for dealing with living conditions in modern society for young people, while at the same time it adds to the conditions they are trying to deal with. 4log: 日志 empir

14、ical: 以观察或实验为依据的 spontaneous: 内在冲动的informant: 被调查的人display: 显示屏collusion: 密谋，串通 This chapter addresses four broad themes. The first theme is availabilitythe fact that the mobile is always on, which makes the users always available with no or few communication and information-free moments. The second

15、 theme is the experience of presence during mobile communication, that is, the experience of social presence in public space being invaded by ongoing mobile communication. The third theme is the importance of the mobile as a personal log for activities, networks, and the documentation of experiences

16、, a role that has implications both for relations between the individual and the group and for emotional experience. These discussions lead to analysis of the mobile as a tool for learning social norms. Before I proceed with the discussion of these themes, however, I offer a short discussion of the

17、concept of mobile media and a broader account of the role of the mobile phone in the context of contemporary youth culture.5 The main empirical basis for my analysis is quantitative and qualitative findings from a series of studies of fifteen- to twenty-four-year-old Danes and their mobile phone use

18、. These studies, which were conducted in 2004 and 2006, included questionnaire surveys, individual interviews, observations, and (in one case) high school essays on “My Mobile and Me.” As even younger groups of children have their own mobiles, the fifteen- to twenty-four-year olds cannot necessarily

19、 be seen as representative of young Danish mobile phone users in general. However, other studies and surveys indicate that the general findings from these studies also reflect some of the main uses and meanings of younger childrens mobile phone use, as well as experiences in other national and cultu

20、ral settings.AvailabilityWith the mobile you dont miss much. You have your friends right at your hand and you do more spontaneous things. (Marie, twenty years) 1 One essential aspect of mobile phone use is the fact that the phone, and following this, the personal user, is always on. Our 2006 survey

21、showed that 80 percent of the informants never turned off their mobile phone and that 20 percent turned it off for between four and twelve hours. The qualitative data indicate that the mobile in these latter cases was turned off at night to allow undisturbed sleep, at work when required, and in cine

22、mas. Adolescents very seldom completely turn off their mobiles, even at school, in restaurants, silent compartments on trains, at the dinner table, and so forththey simply put the phone on “mute” and are able to check the display for incoming messages when the mobile vibrates.2 This means that users

23、in particular the adolescents who never turn their phone offare always available for communication, information, entertainment, or, in short, for other people. One nineteen-year-old girl says that even if she sometimes turns off her mobile when she really needs to relax, it isnt for long“I cant be w

24、ithout it for too long. What if I miss something? laughs.” “Missing something” refers to the constant updating of the social network, while the laugh indicates her self-conscious collusion with this practice. On the one hand, the girl openly tells about the reality of her life with the mobile and ho

25、w she depends on it. Yet on the other hand, she takes a more reflexive, distancedeven ironicstance toward such extensive uses, needs, and attitudes.3 Time off or mobile-free zones are a luxury, which only the few who are so secure in their position in their social network can dare to enjoy. Such use

26、rs like to demonstrate that they are in control by leaving the mobile at home or turning it off every now and then. However, the absence of the mobileeither by choice or as a result of lack of money or stolen or broken devicesis a threat to the important updating of the social network, and hence als

27、o to ones own position, ones ability to take part in social activities, and ultimately to ones self-perception or identity.around the clock: 日以继夜；整日整夜 (= round the clock)confirmation：确认inevitable：不可避免的 not least：尤其是 phatic: 交流感情的，交际应酬的tuned in: 调谐, 调入in phase: 同时协调的地amounts to：意味着void：空的，没有的 4 Sever

28、al of our informants said that they would keep the mobile on at night and even have it next to their head on the pillow, not only because the mobile functioned as an alarm clock, but also because they did not want to miss any messages or calls. Some stated that it may be important to your friends th

29、at you are available around the clock, if they need support, comfort, someone to talk to, or laugh with. In that case, sleep is less important. One example is twenty-year-old Marie who says: “It is next to the pillow so you can hear it if someone calls at night, because you wouldnt like to miss a ca

30、ll. . . . If someone is sad or drunk or has had some bad experiences and needs to talk to me I would feel terribly bad if they couldnt get hold of me.” In these cases the mobile is a line to instant friendly support and emotional presence. Nineteen-year-old Jacob says the same: “Your true friendstho

31、se with the label real good friends in the address booktheyre the ones you call or text at 2 a.m. and say: Hey, Im in trouble. Youve got to help me!” Being always on and available expresses confirmation of trust which is fundamental for true relationships. The unwanted calls of all kinds which are a

32、 consequence of this are the inevitable price to pay for constant availability in ones intimate social relationships. (These examples of the importance of the mobile have an equivalent in the case of the British immigrant girl, Walia, in Sandra Weber and Claudia Mitchells chapter in this volume. Just like the participants in the Danish study, Walia cannot imagine being without her mobile, not least because of its role as a mediator or link between social and personal identity.)Phatic Communication1 Many young users send messages to one another that ask “Hey, what a