The mobile phone seems to have been universally embraced, and has grown almost exponentially in use over the past decade or so. The idea of convergence-focused mobile adoption is based on the mobile phone as a. However, these mobile phone penetration figures only reflect the dependence many people now place on mobile phones.
This dissertation will show how the mobile phone has become a mainstream technology because it is a converged medium.
Chapter Two
The mobile phone industry can be described as one of the most populous and far-reaching industries of the 21st century. As a result, the second largest mobile phone manufacturer by market share is Samsung with 20.51% market share. Marc Prensky's Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives highlight the fact that mobile phone users are not all the same in terms of the way they use mobile phones (and other modern ICTs).
While mobile phone users tend to use their phones for a variety of reasons, they can be grouped based on how they evolved into using mobile phones.
Chapter Three
Cell phone technology was first popular among business-minded people because of the expense involved in purchasing and maintaining cell phones. Cell phone users encrypt their phones due to the fact that they spend a large part of their lives on cell phones. These cell phones often represent a link between a cell phone user and their social network, as it is via
According to Richard Ling Today, the mobile phone is certainly the most widely used communicative device that people carry. Although this is not a defining feature of cell phone representation, some people are identifiably attached to the cell phones they own, in part because they are cultural artifacts. The identity process of the cultural circuit relates primarily to the way mobile phone users have coded and use their phones.
This decryption helps strengthen the user's mobile identity, which is a relevant aspect of mobile phone use. It is the sheer fact that the benefits of owning cell phones often overshadow the negative aspects that make people so reluctant to part with their cell phones. The vast majority of negative aspects mentioned by mobile phone users affect them socially.
That is to say, in general, most of the negative aspects of cell phones affect people socially, and most of the negative aspects of a cell phone might as well be offset by a similar but positive aspect. While equating a cell phone to a gun seems quite extreme, it only underlines the fact that cell phones are customized tools and how they are used ultimately depends on their owners.
Chapter Four
Technological convergence refers to the way in which mobile phone manufacturers have incorporated multiple technologies into single, all-in-one devices. However, in today's society it is not unusual for a calculator to be an additional feature on a mobile phone. For example; Cell phone users often mention that they have taken pictures on their cell phones.
Economic convergence primarily relates to the way the mobile phone has now become a multitude of different creations (all of which were at one point [individually] discrete) and the way they have since been fused into combined objects (in this case, cell phones). Economic convergence has led to the creation of a device that cannot be defined simply, yet has been accepted by the world as a mobile phone. E.g; older cell phone users can still use a phone that can appeal to younger users.
Cultural homogenization allows cell phone owners to identify with potential group members through the way they use and consume their cell phones. Cell phone users often identify with other cell phone users of similar applications or cell phone brands. It is suggested that if someone wants to participate in the information society, he or she must have a mobile phone.
In this case, it meant pressure on someone who had yet to use a mobile phone. Globalized Convergence identifies how contemporary mobile phone users adopt their mobile phones and identifies the pressures placed on them by modern society. While the degree of pressure varies, all cell phone users surveyed were under pressure to own a cell phone.
Globalized convergence dictates that due to hegemonic dominance and globalization, mobile phone users are forced to use mobile communication technologies to stay connected to global networks.
Chapter Five
The third characteristic refers to “the network logic of any system or set of relationships using these new information technologies” (Castells, 1996: 61). Moreover, “the morphology of the network appears to be well adapted to the increasing complexity of interaction and to unpredictable developmental patterns arising from the creative force. It follows that objectivity is defined as “the process of knowing 'reality' as perceived, rather than believing in 'reality', independently of the mind of the knower” (Baxter and Babbie, 2004:429 ).
Scientific research is a form of research in which the researcher uses observation in combination with his own logic, without delving into the domain of subjectivity. An active member role is a “type of qualitative fieldwork in which the researcher is involved in many, but not all, of the activities of the group being studied” (Baxter and Babbie, 2004: 419). The role of observer as participant is defined as “a form of qualitative fieldwork in which a researcher has minimal involvement with group members, and group members are aware of the role of the researcher” (Baxter and Babbie, 2004:426).
This role, as stated by Baxter and Babbie, is well used in connection with interviewing, which is “the main activity of the observer-. Participant-observer helped formalize the data collection process, as most subjects had previously established relationships with the researcher. If the researcher were to list only a few characteristics of mobile phone users, it might seem ordinary to the average reader.
Inductive reasoning is defined as “the process of making a generalization based on a limited number of observations or examples” (Sonnabend, 2009:05). This was done to understand whether there was a significant factor among both groups that led to the mass adoption of the mobile phone over the past twenty years.
Chapter Six
This difference is mainly due to the fact that the majority of digital immigrants (70%) were currently employed full-time. Among digital natives, 45% said they paid for their cell phones themselves, while 55% said their cell phones were financed by their parents or extended family (grandparents, aunts, or uncles). Among digital immigrants, 85% said they paid for their cell phones themselves, while the remaining 15% said their cell phones were financed by their employers.
On the other hand, the majority of digital immigrants surveyed either had full-time jobs or a spouse/partner who financed their mobile phone expenses. The fifth question asked the two groups how much time they spent using their mobile phone on a daily basis. On average, digital natives suggested they spend 5.8 hours a day using their mobile phones.
Of the digital immigrants, 57% felt that mobile phone habits were universal, while 43% felt that mobile phone habits were not universal. While 57% of digital immigrants think that mobile phone habits are universal, that translates to eleven out of twenty respondents who think that the way they use their mobile phone is the "normal/universal" way. The final question, question thirteen, asked respondents to identify whether or not they thought they used most of the features on their mobile phones.
The data collected from the digital natives differs from the data collected by the rest of the questionnaire. Yet by question thirteen it is suggested that they use only 60% of the features of the features on their mobile phones.
Chapter Seven
This study identified a number of key factors regarding mobile phone habits among digital natives and digital immigrants from the greater Durban area. Of these two respondents, one user is allowed to use their mobile phone for two hours a day, while the other user is only allowed to use it for two minutes a day. Primary data collected through this thesis has also shed light on current misconceptions about modern cell phone use.
Someone who uses their cell phone one hour a month may be just as addicted to their cell phone as someone who uses their phone one hour a day. It is the mere act of owning a mobile phone that all users primarily depend on, rather than for the content or subject matter that can pass through their mobile phones. While it would be speculative to discuss how cell phone habits are changing or have changed over the past few years, it is quite clear that changes have occurred from the data collected.
People who feel like they don't spend much time on their cell phones rely on them and are aware of the technological advancements in the cell phone market. The main reason why the mobile phone is becoming so popular around the world is because of the communication security it provides, mainly through converged applications, which makes it seen as a kind of all-in-one device. It can be deduced that the mobile phone has become an all-in-one through convergence.
10. What functions, apart from simple calling, do you regularly use on your mobile phone? For example, do you think you use your mobile phone the same way as someone who lives in Germany or Australia.
