Today, while I was reading about emotional attachment to cell phones in a chapter written by Jane Vincent in the book Thumb Culture, I was reminded of an interesting incident I witnessed last year in my apartment. I was living with new apartment mates who had just come from India. One night, when I went to their room to ask for something, I was amazed to see one of the girls sleeping with her head on the keyboard section of her laptop. It was both hilarious and touching. I gently tried to remove her laptop, but she woke up startled and wanted her laptop to remain open through the night. I couldn’t have asked her about what was going on in her mind, but I could sense how deeply connected she felt to everyone back home, through her laptop.

In her chapter, Vincent examined the various ways in which social practices of mobile phone users and their relationship to mobile phones leads to emotional attachment to cell phones. She found that people were emotional about the information stored in and delivered via their mobile phones. I quite agree with this statement, the fact that people exchange emotionally charged text messages with their loved ones, and then store them for reading later, could make them emotional about their mobile phones.

Further, she also found that people are more emotionally attached to person-to-person communication than person-to-WWW connection. I think it would be interesting to examine young people’s emotional involvement to text messages sent to reality TV programs such as the “American Idol” or “Indian Idol”. It is my assumption that the level of emotional attachment, to the information exchanged between people, with internet and with TV, would be very different and of a different nature.

She also identified several emotional responses associated with the use of mobile phones – panic, strangeness, ‘being cool’, irrational behavior, thrill, anxiety. I think this would be definitely true in the case of young people who feel “very cool” to own a certain mobile device and be a part of mobile culture associated with it.

Her findings that people look at mobile phones as an icon of “me, my mobile and my identity” show that people share an emotionally charged relationship with mobile phones. What I found most interesting was her explanation that the use of mobile phone involves the engagement with more senses than any other computational device and therefore, leads to greater emotional attachment. For example, when you use mobile phones, you get sensory experiences such as touch (by carrying, holding or fondling the cell phone), hearing (because of listening to others), sight (by looking at messages sent and received), and smell and taste (you get by association only).

And this statement brings me back to the incident I described earlier, I think the laptop exuded the warmth, for my roommate, which she had left behind…and despite the pinging from her friends back home through the night, she had a restful sleep. That’s what she told me in the morning, when I jokingly reminded her of sleeping with her laptop…

Although these articles were published in June 2002, I think they provide some interesting insights into mobile phone usage among youth in different countries. In this post, I present some key points:

What does mobile phone mean for young people?

1. Adoption of mobile phones among youth generally takes places as a gift from parents. When gifting a teenager, it could also be considered as a transition from childhood to adolescence. Richard Ling calls this as “initiation rites”.

2. The shrinking size of present day families explain why the youth today feel the need to communicate with virtual brothers and sisters (Fortunati, 2002).

3. It is privacy and not mobility that matters. Most youth have cell phone conversations in their bedroom.

4. Mobile phones fulfill two important needs among youngsters – identity and communication. Youngsters use mobile phones to create their own identity – they move away from “hopelessly old-fashioned” parents (Richard Ling). Also they “personalize” the mobile device through covers, ringtones, colors, and various decorations to express their identity. Hence mobile device becomes an extension of the body rather than a prosthesis. Secondly, communication through mobile phone fulfills their need to build their social structure made of values, norms and behavior.

5. Mobile phones help fulfill the need for buidling “social and emotional ties” which are missing in a non-communicated society. (Hoffler and Rossler, Germany)

6. Mobile phone communication mostly takes place with those who live around the corner and it prepares further face-to-face contacts.

Parental behavior towards mobile phone

1. Richard Ling calls mobile phone as a “digital leash” or a “magic helper”.

2. Leslie Haddon talk of “bedroom culture” where parents prefer the children call from their bedroom rather than outdoors.

3. Leopoldina Fortunati and Anna Maria Manganelli point to an interesting paradox – parents think they are in control of their children, whereas children think they are free from parents.

These points indicate how the mobile phones are fulfilling age-related needs and redefining parent-child relationships.

Last year, I had gone to American University for a guest lecture on how to design a research project on mobile phones. I involved the students in a discussion on how do we view mobile phones other than just as a communication tool. As a result of our discussions, we identified several ways in which mobile phones are viewed:

1. Symbol of independence – The students said that with mobile phones you can personally choose whom you will communicate with and your calls are not screened by your parents, friends, or spouse.

2. Symbol of dependence – Because anyone can call you 24X7 and especially your parents can check on you anytime.

3. Status Symbol – It is a way to non-verbally brag about yourself. Depending on the style, color, cost and features of your cell phone, you can be seen as cool, geeky, wealthy, important, etc.

4. Fashion statement (accessories) – Most people wear their phone and the style, color, cost and features of a cell phone can enhance your look or, at least, contribute in some way to your appearance.

5. Safety features – People who carry cell phones have the added assurance that they can call police or anyone else when danger comes, if you’re lost or stranded. Children now give this reason for carrying cell phones to school.

6. Symbol of freedom – Some parents see the phones as a teethering device so they eliminate curfews.

7. Symbol of “trust” for some parents who shell out the funds to purchase phones and pay monthly fees for their children.

8. Gizmos that promote particular identities - “smart phone”, “razor”, “slider”, “envy”, “trio”, and “chocolate.”

All these above descriptions of mobile phones by the students suggest that the role of mobile phones in the life of young people is much more than it being a communication tool.