Inside Text (eBook)

Table of Contents 7
Contributors 13
Inside Text: an introduction 15
Richard Harper, Leysia Palen and Alex Taylor 15
References 19
Section One: Text versus Talk 22
1 Changing Cultures of Written Communication: Letter – E-mail – SMS 23
Introduction 23
Forms and functions of ‘letter-like’ communication – empirical findings 26
The changing of medial practices – some theoretical reflections 36
References 42
2 Language in SMS – a socio-linguistic view 47
Introduction 47
The communicative setting of mobile text messaging 48
Written or spoken language in mobile text messaging? 49
Previous studies of mobile text messaging 50
Data and Methods 52
Results 54
Conclusions 63
References 64
3 Please reply! The replying norm in adolescent SMS communication 67
Introduction 67
The reply obligation to the initiating SMS 68
The deviating sequence 71
The continuing sequence 78
Alternative replying options: when the SMS is responded to with a telephone call 79
SMS messages which do not require a response 82
Chain messages 82
Night time messages 83
Messages as a P.S. to a telephone call 83
Conclusion 85
References 86
4 Nascent Communication Genres within SMS and MMS 89
Introduction 89
SMS and MMS diffusion 91
What is a genre? 92
Typifications of SMS 98
The context of SMS 102
The MMS experience 104
MMS as a post card 105
MMS as documentation 107
MMS as quasi-technical documentation 108
Other MMS genres 109
Textual and pictorial interaction 110
References 113
Section Two: Texting and the Moral Order of Place 116
5 From Voice to Text: continuity and change in the use of mobile phones in France and Japan 117
Introduction 117
Using Email and SMS in France and Japan 119
Japan: switching from voice to mobile text 119
SMS in France 124
Motivations 127
Embarrassment and ordinary phone calls 130
Mobile messaging and the display of emotions 134
Conclusion: the dynamics of direct and indirect exchanges in mediated communication 137
References 140
6 Intimate Connections: Contextualizing Japanese youth and mobile messaging 141
Introduction 141
Method and conceptual framework 142
Japanese youth and the politics of place 147
Tele-cocooning in the full-time intimate community 151
Cultural politics of youth mobile media 153
Conclusions 156
Acknowledgements 157
References 157
7 The Breakthrough of Text Messaging in Finland 161
Introduction 161
Continuous use 162
Playful text messaging? 165
Group messages 167
Problems and luck in interpretation 168
Sharing the same rhythm – synchronous living 170
Conclusions 171
Acknowledgements 172
References 172
8 SMS Use Among Deaf Teens and Young Adults in Norway 175
Introduction 175
The deaf and their technologies 176
The deaf in Norway 176
Technology for the deaf 177
The study 178
Methods 178
Theoretical grounding 178
Findings 180
Conclusion 187
Acknowledgements 187
References 187
9 Mobile Communications vis-à-vis Teen Emancipation, Peer Group Integration and Deviance 189
Introduction 189
Method 192
Mobile communications access and use 193
The social context of teens 195
Results 196
Voice mobile telephony 196
SMS 198
Discussion 199
Integration into the group 199
Boundary-testing 200
Serious criminality 200
Mobile communication and teen deviance 201
Appendix: Regression results 204
Regression results from the analysis of SMS use 205
References 206
10 Desire and Loathing in the Cyber Philippines 209
Introduction 209
Ping-Ping & Albert part 1
Lexical moonshine 212
The Philippines – the text capital of the World 213
Txt 2 txt 216
Part II: Albert & Raquel
Albert & Raquel
Shunning notions of perpetual contact 225
Fidelity, adultery and something in between 228
Raquel’s dilemma 229
Breaking up in cyberspace: rituals to forget 230
Conclusion 231
Acknowledgments 232
References 232
Section Three: Designers’ Text 235
11 Usability Issues of Sending Text Messages 237
An introduction to text input technique 237
How to write text messages 238
Usability measurements for text input 242
Usability issues for text input systems 242
Usability issues of touch screen solutions 245
The future of message input 248
References 250
12 Design for Richer Reachability: Mobile inspection in building maintenance 251
Introduction 251
Related research and background 252
Findings from the field 254
Examples from the field 256
The Control and Surveillance Centre 254
Building maintenance in the municipality 255
Designing for richer reachability in building maintenance work 258
What do we know? 258
Scenario 261
How to get there 263
Conclusions 264
Acknowledgements 265
References 266
13 Working Text: Texting Work 267
Introduction 267
Technologies for texting: Hermes and SPAM 268
Hermes overview and requirements 269
Hermes functionality 270
SPAM overview and requirements 272
SPAM functionality 274
Issues: User experience with Hermes and SPAM 276
‘Working Text’: Usage and sharing context 277
Concluding remarks 280
Acknowledgements 282
References 282
14 Gift of the Gab 285
Introduction 285
Field study 286
Social exchange 287
Embodied meaning 287
Obligations of exchange 287
Demonstration of social networks 288
From the field to design 289
Informing design 289
Design concept 291
Conclusions 297
Acknowledgements 298
References 298
15 Swarm: Text messaging designed to enhance social coordination 301
Introduction 301
Background 302
Smart Mobs and text messaging in social groups 304
SWARM 305
Hyper awareness 305
Hyper coordination and smart convergence 305
The Swarm command language 305
Managing groups 306
Broadcasting 306
Polling 306
Swarm notifications 307
Swarm website 307
User studies 307
Scavenger Hunt Card Game study 308
Participants 308
Procedures 308
Results 309
Preliminary questionnaire 309
Game results 310
Post games Swarm feedback 312
Lessons learned from Scavenger Hunt study 313
Focus group and design evolution of Swarm groups 313
Informal observation of Swarm in a real social setting 314
Design lessons learned from informal observations 316
Conclusion and future work 317
Acknowledgments 317
References 318
16 Default Thinking: Why consumer products fail 319
Introduction 319
Default Thinking 320
Legacy Vision 321
Implied Consumer 322
Design Syntax and Semantics 324
Summary of existing work 328
MMS summary 330
Creating future product concepts 331
Approach 331
How do we start? 331
Technology and business issues 333
Four product concepts 334
Existing handsets: gift storage 334
SMS with new software: Tap 334
MMS with new software: VoiceSMS 335
No technical grounding: GroupSMS 336
Concerns 337
Discussion 337
Conclusion 339
References 339
Index 341

9 Mobile Communications vis-à-vis Teen Emancipation, Peer Group Integration and Deviance (S.177)

Rich Ling

Introduction The mobile telephone – often in the form of SMS – provides teens with a rich social life. It is used to coordinate activities and hold peer groups together. It is used as a symbolic umbilical cord to connect teens with their parents and it is a device through which teen’s emancipation is mediated. Indeed, teens’ adoption of the mobile telephone – and their intense use of SMS – is one of the surprises surrounding the technology. Reports from Japan (Hashimoto 2002), Finland (Kasesniemi and Rautiainen 2002), the general European scene (Mante-Meijer and al. 2001), the UK (Harper 2003) the Philippines (Ellwood-Clayton 2003) and of course Norway (Ling 2000; Ling 2001b; Ling and Helmersen 2000; Ling and Yttri 2003) all point in this direction. This point is also made in the chapters in this collection.

Emancipation, peer acceptance and the testing of various behaviors are a complex of activities that characterize adolescence. During adolescence, there is a strong motivation for teens to establish themselves as independent social actors who are outside the sphere of their parents. Indeed, emancipation from one’s parents is one of the central issues for teens. The dynamic nature of modern society means that teens will emerge into a society that is at least somewhat different than that of their parents. Thus, the approach one takes to emancipation will be different from that of previous generations. This is simply because – unlike the situation in traditional societies – the situation changes from generation to generation. The skills needed, the technologies used and the educational background upon which one relies change and develop across generations. Because of this, the teen is an active agent in shaping his or her own socialization (Glaser and Strauss 1971, 57 – 88). During this period, the peer group plays a central role in this transition. It provides the teen with a group in which he or she can help to decide on activities and where he or she can take part in establishing the fashion and mode of the group.

The peer group also helps one to work out a relationship to the various facets of adult life. This includes issues such as sexuality, forms of consumption, relationship to authority and degrees of social/normative deviance. Where the parents can provide the teen with an ordered sense of life, the peer group provides the teen with a sphere in which he or she can assert control and participate more fully in decision making (Giordano 1995; Harter 1990; see also Savin-Williams and Berndt 1990; Youniss 1980; Youniss and Smollar 1985).

The peer group provides teens with a sphere of life wherein they can experience reciprocal self-disclosure and emotional support outside family units. According to Fine, the peer group is protective of its members and it is active in the development of an ideoculture, that is, a whole system of nicknames, jokes, styles of clothing, songs, artifacts etc. (1987, 126).