January 7, 2004
On Magazine: Phonecam anthropology, mobile photoblog roundup
Xeni Jardin for Ericsson's consumer magazine ON (PDF), interviews Mizuko Ito, an anthropologist researching phonecams and culture in Japan and the US (and, incidentally, Joi Ito's sister). In the following excerpts, Mizuko Ito explains what led her to focus on mobile technology and gives some new examples of camera phone usage:
Excerpts page 22 - PDF
XJ: What are some of the findings that have come from your studies of cameraphones in Japan?
MI: We asked people to record what they were doing with their cameraphones and asked them to share their photos. We found that there are clearly defined levels of intimacy. We don't tend to share images as freely with others as we do with text.
We also found that over time, people developed a heightened awareness of their visual environments. [...] We found people using images in ways they wouldn't have thought to before. One of my students phonecammed our lab director, who was leaving for the US. She wanted a picture of him on her mobile, to carry around like an amulet or good-luck charm.
Or, you have a meeting, and send an assistant out to buy sandwiches. She snaps a photo of the selelction at the deliy, and texts back - "Which one do you want?".
A student msises class, says' he sick, and the professor sends our another student to phonecam hi. The "sick" student appears in a phonecam image on the floor, completely out of it. The "proof" is faked, but does the job".
And on page 45, Xeni Jardin has picked out some of the hottest phonecam Web sites.
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