ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Rich Ling examines the social structuring of mobile communication into the flux of everyday life. Mobile telephony is compared to other social mediation technologies, most specifically mechanical timekeeping, which has many of the same characteristics. He notes that there is a critical mass of users who have reciprocal expectations with regard to the use of the technology. The social role of mobile communication is also explored vis-à-vis power relations, its use in emergency situations, the negative dimensions of mobile telephony and its future developments. Ling starts with a brief history of the mobile phone. He explains how the
iPhone and the development of 3G networks shifted mobile communication and social interactions from one-to-one communication on feature phones, to quasibroadcasting, crowdsourcing and location-based activities on smartphones. He then describes how mobile phones are so engrained in daily life that they are now taken for granted. Ling concludes by explaining how the assimilation of the mobile phone into social structures and its use for social coordination is similar to that of mechanical timekeeping and the automobile. The question and answer portion of this chapter examines three topics: the
development of the field of mobile communication, the ways in which mobile phones mediate social interactions, and the future of mobile phone use. The discussions about the field of mobile communication reveal how it has been established through conferences and peer-reviewed journals, as well as data collection methods like big data, focus groups and surveys of mobile users. The discussions surrounding mobile phones and social mediation address what it means for mobiles to mediate relationships and how this mediation impacts power structures within society. Finally, the discussions on the future of mobiles include the mobile internet, wearable devices and implanted technologies.
