Mobile Communication

Dimensions of Social Policy

James E. Katz

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781351505024
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Communication Studies
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

In the few short decades since their commercial deployment, 5 billion people—about three-quarters of all humanity, including children—have become mobile phone users. No technology has even approached the mobile phone's wildfire success. Effects of this success are apparent everywhere, ranging from accident scenes and earthquake rescue efforts to demeanor in the classroom and at dinner tables. No one interested in the next generation of issues provoked by the mobile communication revolution will want to miss this important new collection of essays.The mobile phone has given near-transcendent power to ordinary people. All aspects of social life have been touched by mobile technology. An ever-growing host of tracking, immersion, gaming, and commercial applications are becoming available. The community of mobile communication scholars has blossomed from a handful of pioneers a decade ago to a large and dynamic intellectual community that spans the globe. Area researchers have gained much insight into cultural, symbolic, and social interaction aspects of mobile communication as well as its relevance to commerce.To address the social policy dimension of the mobile communication revolution, this volume presents analyses by leading thinkers in the field. The volume offers novel and keen insights into the topic. Subjects include the role of mobiles in policy formation and evaluation in several areas including the mobile-digital divide and political campaigns. Also explored are processes and policy implications of mobiles in creating or alleviating social problems including social isolation and family dispersion. Other chapters analyze social policies for mobile devices, including attempts to regulate the use of the technology and to understand and moderate its potential harm to human health. The contributors' scope ranges across five continents and they address concerns at local, national, and international levels.

1

Editor’s Introduction

James E. Katz

The mobile device has changed daily life in so many ways that only its absence reminds us of how dependent we have become on it. When there is a mobile network outage, as happened to T-Mobile users in N ovember 2009, users experience an often painful and disturbing return to life before the mobile. Though some found Zen-like escape, angst and anger were more typical. For many, the economic losses were substantial. Nowadays, not having a mobile is a form of social death.

Yet on the other side, we are only at the dawn of a world of mobile applications. These are quickly becoming part of the way social policy is influenced and delivered. As well, policy for mobile communication is also a form of social policy.

A mere sampling of topics demonstrates the enormous breadth of the field, as may be seen from the following list of salient issues, which itself is quite incomplete:

• Identity and anonymity in location and communication, including advertisements and sharing of personal information in profiles
• Access to and delivery of social services via mobiles
• Mobile banking, mobile money and its commercial and economic development consequences
• Mobile communication and economic development, especially in peripheral or remote areas
• Communication with and responsiveness of political leaders to mobile-equipped citizens
• Role of mobile communication in political activism and organizing
• Policy-making for mobiles, including spectrum allocation, user safety and traceability of usage
• Policy for use of mobiles while driving, flying or engaging in other activities
• Regulation of mobile use in cultural institutions and other public places
• First responders/crisis management/emergency notification/disaster recovery
• Issues of national integration and diasporas related to use of mobile communication
• Mobile learning, both free choice and structured, as well as implications for the classroom
• Wellness, health and the role of the mobile in issues of health care provider responsiveness, liability and access; individual health monitoring
• Mobile communication in public health campaigns and other social engineering efforts
• Mobile device accessibility and integration/empowerment of handicapped people: equal opportunity and limitations of affordances of mobile devices
• Mobile communication and information overload, social relationships, “always on” mentality and psychological stress
• Mobile phone/device crimes and crime prevention: effect on deployment of police resources as well as monitoring of police units; summoning help and reporting crime
• Religious and spiritual activities: their implications for social practices, evangelism, and institutional control
• Interpersonal contact services and related commercial activities: their implications for stalking, privacy, anonymity, and the development of close personal relationships
• Use of mobile devices worn on the body (for house arrest or GPS criminal offender supervision)
• Health status monitoring, including insertion into the body of various locational reporting devices

Not all of these issues will be tackled in the present volume, far from it. Rather, a selection of topics will be examined in the book with the intention of signaling possibilities and exploring specific topics and situations in their incipiency. This chapter provides a brief overview of the contents of the book.

In a chapter designed to highlight topics, Lora Appel, Amanda M cGarry and I present an analysis of some salient issues related to the topic of mobile communication social policy. We suggest a few issues that are of compelling interest to scholars and researchers and examine them. These include questions of parent-child social relations, the rise of mobile financial transactions, anonymity and confidentiality, and voting.

John L. King offers a socio-technical perspective on mobile communication as product of industrial policy. He emphasizes the importance of infrastructure, which tends to disappear when one is examining a particular technology. With this intriguing departure point, he examines the interplay between ideas, routines, and technological progress. By examining evolutionary communication technologies, he is able to formulate acute insights into the culture of expectations and policy and the way decisions affect the micro-structures of daily interaction, both historically for telephony generally and most especially in the case of mobile communication technology.

Gordon Gow and Nuwan Waidyanatha discuss the challenges of sustainable early warning systems. They explore how mobile phones can provide early warning systems, especially in terms of the so-called last-mile problem, that is, getting the warning information to the very people whose lives are at stake. To examine this issue, they look at Sri Lanka. Their research shows that the mobile phone can be more easily integrated into everyday life as opposed to more specialized warning technologies. They find out that, by itself, access is not sufficient to sustain an adequate level of emergency preparedness at the level of local communities. Their review of the literature shows that local risk knowledge is an important component to developing effective community-based strategies. They offer the intriguing idea that effectiveness could be fostered by engaging in a process of ritual interaction that establishes the value of local risk knowledge. They believe their prescription would be a cost-effective way to create sustainable disaster preparedness and early warning capabilities.

Rich Ling and Nisar Bashir look at the promise of mobile technology as part of the worldwide move towards environmentally protective (“green”) technology. They point out that mobile communication can help people use energy more efficiently and reduce their detrimental impact on the environment. Nonetheless, they point out that mobile communication itself has various environmental consequences that make the situation more complex than might first be appreciated. For instance, on the one hand, mobile communication can help traffic flow more efficiently and can reduce material waste, as for example moving pulp-based reading material like newspapers on to mobile devices. On the other hand, mobile phones themselves require careful thought when it comes to their ultimate disposal. Many of the substances in them are dangerous if not removed from the environment. In fact, it is estimated that several hundred million mobile phones are stored in drawers in homes around the world and at some point will have to be disposed of properly or else they could pose an environmental risk. These are but a few of the host of environmental issues in which the mobile phone plays an important role in both ameliorating and exacerbating the situation. They conclude that systemic policy responses are in order.

In his chapter, Yun Xia presents a perspective on the crisis response to the earthquake on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan province, China. He proposes specific patterns that are identifiable from the ethnographic fieldwork. First, the Chinese used their mobile phones to share information and reduce uncertainty. They sought out their friends and relatives at a time of crisis. (This parallels the work of Akiba Cohen and others.) He notes how the limits of ordinary terrestrial systems can be highlighted during crises such as an earthquake. This results in acceleration of programs to create satellite-based systems. At the same time, he shows how text-messaging enabled people to bypass official communication channels and learn for themselves what the real situation was. This of course poses a serious challenge to the official media. It also prompts either a crackdown on unofficial person-to-person communication (what Mao Tse-tung described as “small broadcasts”) or a more robust and responsive media at the official level.

Scott W. Campbell and Nojin Kwak explore the use of mobile communication, social networks and policy knowledge during the 2008 US presidential election. To do this, they explore the concept that Gergen proposed in 2008 of a “monadic cluster.” A monadic cluster is one in which small enclaves of like-minded individuals work closely together. Although such ties bind one group together, they could also impede public discussion as well as democratic participation. The authors seek to get an empirical grasp on this question by surveying individuals with strong network ties and seeing to what extent they have knowledge of the policy position of candidates. They find evidence that the increased use of technology in small networks and among those who are like-minded did lead to reduced policy knowledge. In contrast, those with extensive mobile-mediated discussion in a politically diverse network had greater knowledge. They conclude by discussing policy implications of this work.

In their chapter on South Africa’s 2009 elections, Marion Walton and Jonathan Donner discuss four kinds of mobile media and political participation. They find SMS “wars” in the time leading up to the election, and see that these are part of open contention over political issues. They also find “.mobi” websites, which are hosted by political parties, offer a great deal of mobile-generated online content. They discover that the content thus generated, and its uses, failed to ignite the hoped-for engagement of the public. This highlight of how the mainstream political parties sought to energize their campaigns with the use of mobiles and other technology is similar to that which characterized Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign in the United States. These initiatives were not successful. By contrast, the African National Congress’ arm, The Youth League, was able to adopt effective mobile social network campaigns. The authors highlight the fact that mobile communication can actually raise barriers and obstacles to participation, despite the well-advertised claims that they enhanced political participation. Thus their comments are another cautionary tale to the temptation to overly romanticize the possibility of new technology to engage public participation.

Rhonda McEwen and Melissa Fritz investigate mobile phone practices and social policy related to electromagnetic frequencies (EMF). They conducted numerous interviews with Canadian policy makers. They examined the explanations offered by these policymakers as to why no directives have been developed concerning EMF. This is a particular concern because of the ever-growing exposure of children and youth to such energy sources. This is all the more remarkable because other G8 countries have been investigating the problem rather aggressively. The authors pose a novel explanation, namely that policymakers do not understand youth mobile phone practices. When combined with a lack of understanding of inadequate policy framework with which to deal with the problem, this has led to little or no progress in the policy domain. The chapter is relevant not only for its empirical exploration through interviews, but also its use of discourse analysis to highlight the problem space.

Craig R. Scott, Hyunsook Youn, and Gillian Bonanno begin their contribution by noting that mobiles are increasingly ubiquitous in the work-place and, consequently, organizational policies governing them have proliferated. Despite their pervasiveness in the work environment, and the importance of rules governing their use, they note that little scholarly attention has been given to the analysis of such policies. To address this gap, the authors analyze policies towards mobile communication from state governments in the United States. They identify 15 themes related to some aspect of mobile communication and reduce these themes to four categories: supplemental/background, monitoring/tracking, eligibility, and user/use. Perhaps not surprisingly, they find wide variation in specific policies. They find that there can be a great deal of ambiguity and policy language that both can help and impede rational use. They also note that language often seems to be directed towards several different, and often contending, stakeholders. This analysis turns up many intriguing implications for both the formal analysis of communication strategies in organizations as well as the development of public policies that are responsive to both the personal works in the organization and the qualities that are incumbent upon a publicly funded institution.

Mina Thomas and Sun Sun Lim explore ICT use by female migrant workers in Singapore. They did this in order to better understand the received benefits and costs to ICUs among transnational migrant workers. They note that these live-in maids, most of whom are migrant workers, revolve around the lives of their employers. This isolates them physically, so ICTs become even more crucial to maintaining their social networks. Their rather expansive vision of what should be done to address this includes a training program for migrants so that they can avail themselves of ICTs. They also advocate a “Bill of Rights” between employers and workers specifying what their rights to communication technology might be, including, and especially, mobile technology.

Loudres M. Portus explores the mobile phone’s contribution to, or sometimes more slyly, interference with, education. She does this by examining the use of mobile communication technology in the Philippines. She identifies many positive attributes of the technology and places it within an interesting cultural context. She highlights the fact that true learning is not merely assimilation of information, but creative application of that knowledge, as well as creative enrichment to it when appropriate.

Matteo Tarantino examines how meaning of communication is interpreted through the lens of the national media by the case study of the so-called Genchi Archive scandal. The scandal revolved around a professional interpreter who apparently amassed an archive of information on millions of Italians. In juxtaposition and contradiction of expected positions, Tarantino finds that Leftist voices defended the interceptions while all voices from the conservative perspective criticize them. He uses these findings to suggest how mobile phone technology has created a world far-different from the traditional one. That is, it is a new way to penetrate individual life-worlds and break traditional boundaries and understandings. In this way, he shows that the mobile device and its associated policies belongs not to one political party or ideology, but is reinterpreted as necessary in the service of prevailing in contested discourse.

Gerard Goggin analyzes disability and how it articulates with mobile technology. He emphasizes the fact that disability has both a physical and sociological component and then examines the role of mobile technology in facilitating the social and interactional activities of people with disabilities. He explores the potential innovative qualities of mobile communication, as well as areas in which the affordances of mobile communication have been poorly developed for people with disabilities.

Leopoldina Fortunati surveys research extending over a dozen years to show how there has been increasing social participation in five of the European countries that she studied. Nonetheless, she notes that even though social participation has increased, it is still a minority that is socially involved. She identifies mobile technology as an important pathway to effectuate greater social participation. At the same time, she is by no means a technological enthusiast. She points out that mobiles can also be used to reduce social participation. Although she comes to no firm conclusion about the long-term impact of mobile technology, she does provide an important reminder that those who look to a technological quick fix to encourage social participation will not find it any time soon in the arena of mobile technology.

Irving Louis Horowitz rounds out the volume by looking at what he calls technological rabbits and communication turtles. The title is adopted from a child’s morality tale about a rabbit and a turtle that begin race. The rabbit initially runs far ahead of the turtle, but tiring and becoming distracted, ultimately loses the race to the assiduous turtle. In his e ssay, Horowitz compares the rapidly evolving technology to the slowly evolving moral order. However, in contrast to most analysts, he rejects the false oppositional framework of technology versus ethics. Rather he urges “public policy is best when it navigates between technology and morality.” Horowitz also juxtaposes the technical analyst and the social scientist generally and the sociologist especially. He finds that many in the social science professions have overblown estimations of their expertise and importance, especially in terms of their relevance to the policy realm. Yet Horowitz also points out that the work of both these groups is necessary to steer society away from oppressive extremes of both moral relativism and technological absolutism. But before we celebrate the role of the social scientist as philosopher-mandarins, Horowitz reminds us, that hubris ends in tragedy. Hence, though we may with our professional tools aspire to do much and quickly, as did the rabbit, if we plan to win the metaphorical race it is better to remain modest in our claims.

The book concludes with my highlight of some themes that have emerged from the chapters. I also add a few of observations about future directions of mobile communication in social policy. Yet, taking a page from Horowitz’s chapter, as well as a phrase used by another one of my former professors, Peter L. Berger, rather than a comprehensive examination of such a huge subject, in the closing chapter I can only offer an invitation for further reflection and study of the topic of mobile communication and social policy.

2

Overview: Surveying the Terrain

James E. Katz, Lora Appel and Amanda McGarry

The purpose of this chapter is to sketch out some of the major questions concerning how mobile communic...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contnt Page
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• 1. Editor’s Introduction
• 2. Overview: Surveying the Terrain
• 3. Mobile Communication and Socio-Technical Change
• 4. Sustainable Early Warning Systems: HazInfo Sri Lanka
• 5. Mobile Communication and the Environment
• 6. Mobile Phones’ Role following China’s 2008 Earthquake
• 7. Social Networks and Policy Knowledge during the 2008 US Presidential Election
• 8. Mobile-mediated Publics in South Africa’s 2009 Elections
• 9. EMF Social Policy and Youth Mobile Phone Practices in Canada
• 10. Mobile Communication Policies in the Workplace: The Case of U.S. State Governments
• 11. ICT Use and Female Migrant Workers in Singapore
• 12. Can You Take It with You? Mobility, ICTs and Work-Life Balance
• 13. M-enabled Learning: The Mobile Phone’s Contribution to Education
• 14. Lifeworld Keys and Intractable Objects: Privacy, Politics, and Mobile Symbolic Meanings in Italy
• 15. Mobile Political Campaigns: The Nexus of Mass Content and Private Consumption
• 16. Disability, Mobiles, and Social Policy: New Modes of Communication and Governance
• 17. Social Participation and Mobile Communication
• 18. Technological Rabbits and Communication Turtles
• 19. Conclusion
• About the Editor and Authors
• Index