ABSTRACT

This chapter is interested in understanding not only how day laborers in Denver use their mobile phone, but also what they keep on it and how it forms a unique form of sociality and memory. The chapter examines the collection of images, videos, and conversations that are part of their everyday lives and that they keep on their mobile phone. With the rise of social media, mobile phone scholarship has focused on understanding the production and circulation of images and videos as always already online (Reading 2009). But what about those that don’t or can’t? Day laborers in Denver are among this population, suffering from economic hardship, social isolation, and homelessness. While they have faced difficulties accessing information in the past, recent work on mobile phones and day laborers finds that mobile phones have become a necessary lifeline for many immigrant day laborers (Baron et al., 2014). It not only serves as a source of connection to friends, family, and the world, but also to employers and a steady income. This study shifts the focus inward to learn what day laborers keep on their mobile phone. Data shows that many day laborers document their work at job sites with before and after photos, helping to create a digital portfolio. They also take pictures of their surrounding environment, a fleeting memory, item, or space. The images they capture express wonder, pride, and connection, which serve as a coping mechanism to rearticulate their identity and self.