The sociology of the mobile phone

The sociology of the mobile phone

Date:	August 30, 2004 / year-entry #322
Tags:	non-computer
Orig Link:	https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20040830-00/?p=38023
Comments:	9
Summary:	It has become obvious by now that the mobile phone has changed the way people interact. These two papers were forwaded to me by a colleague, whose summary I am shamelessly lifting from heavily. First is a short paper titled Exploring the implications for social identity of the new sociology of the mobile phone. The...

It has become obvious by now that the mobile phone has changed the way people interact. These two papers were forwaded to me by a colleague, whose summary I am shamelessly lifting from heavily.

First is a short paper titled Exploring the implications for social identity of the new sociology of the mobile phone.

The much more fascinating (and much longer) one is The Effects of Mobile Telephones on Social and Individual Life [PDF]. Read about Flight, Suspension and Persistence—the three ways people deal with incoming calls. Learn how to tell an Innie from an Outie. Set up an Approximeeting. Are you a swift, an owl, a dove, a sparrow, a starling, or a peacock? Pick up some UK mobile phone lingo:

"Gooseberry call": calling someone during their date to get a progress report.
"Shagbile": the mobile phone your partner doesn't know about, used for affairs.
"Sad": derogatory term for people who show off their phones. Enormous ritualization surrounds this.

"Shagbile" is the best. So Austin Powers.

Comments (9)

SubMan says:

August 30, 2004 at 8:03 am

I think it was probably "Shag Pile", but was misheard by the interviewer.

Shag Pile carpet is thick soft woolly carpet, nice to lay down in :D

So this is of course where the word ‘shag’ in the British/Austin Powers sense comes from.
Hydruh says:

August 30, 2004 at 10:22 am

Nah, shag-bile like mo-bile, get it?
Fosbert says:

August 30, 2004 at 11:01 am

I think the author is just a little too intent on coining a word or two here…
JamesNT says:

August 30, 2004 at 2:27 pm

I just wish people would be more conisderate with the damn things.

Just about every day in one of my college classes a cell phone goes off with one of those annoying-as-all-get-out ring tones that is the derivative of some once famous song.

And don’t get me started regarding the movie theatre.

Here’s a hint: TURN OFF THE RINGER.

JamesNT
a fish says:

August 30, 2004 at 2:47 pm

"’I’d like to turn off my mobile when I’m in bed with someone,’ said one businessman, many miles from home, ‘but my wife suspects I’m being unfaithful if she can’t reach me.’"

How silly of her…
Mack says:

August 30, 2004 at 2:38 pm

I’ve actually seen people in the movie theatre *answering* the phone and chatting five minutes while the movie was running. Which finally convinced me that humanity is doomed after all.
soxos says:

August 31, 2004 at 1:54 pm

My favorite moment this year. Watching someone try to smoke a cigarette, talk on a cell phone, and ride a bike. Then they ran into a tree.
Thierry says:

August 31, 2004 at 4:29 pm

It’s a well known fact that smoking can kill.
SONNERIE says:

September 4, 2004 at 10:54 am

good content’s …

before The age of mobile and after..

<a href="http://www.sonnerie-fun.com">sonnerie</a>

Comments are closed.

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