ABSTRACT
The empirical background of this text draws on research investigating mobile telephony uses by heterosexual couples in Madrid,1 as well as my previous research about mobile phone uses and users in Madrid, London, and Paris (Lasén, 2005). The research about mobile telephony and heterosexual couples consists of two pilot studies carried out in Madrid in 2006 and in 2008.2 The 2006 study involved indepth interviews and mobile use diaries carried out with the members of four couples, with differences regarding age (young adults/late twenties and middle age/late forties), the duration of the relationship, cohabitation, and offspring, as well as the precariousness or stability of their working situation. Two interviews were conducted with each of the participants. After the first interview, the interview transcript was sent to each interviewee, who was then asked for feedback in a second interview a few weeks later when both members of the couple were interviewed together. One was a case where circumstances called for a couple to be interviewed separately. The reflexive dynamic facilitated by the repeated interviews and by sharing the transcripts was particularly well suited for the objectives of this research. However, we were careful not to push this dynamic to the point where it could create relational problems for the participants. In the interviews, participants were asked about their mobile use and their relationship. Examples of the content of their devices (SMS, pictures, and sounds) were also recorded during the interviews.
