What is your mobile doing to you?

This week, Australia´s peak mobile phone association, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) and social scientists announced release of a Discussion Paper for a research framework to determine what impact the mobile phone has had on society.

"The paper, prepared by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, states in its introduction: "The mobile phone is far too much of a newborn creature to have a storied history, or even much of a reputation in social science research.

"The discussion paper outlines a back-breaking research agenda that may take upwards of five years to fulfil. This is without even touching on critical issues such as health and safety and government regulation. The proposed agenda asks such weighty questions as "does the mobile phone validate identity in terms of life-stage, age, ethnicity, sex, social class, status of employment, moral standing, cultural and aesthetic affiliations?" and "how has the mobile phone affected the interface between work and home?"

emily | 8:43 AM | SMS Studies & Research |
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