Cell phone ringtones can pose major distraction, impair recall

A flurry of recent research has documented that talking on a cell phone poses a dangerous distraction for drivers and others whose attention should be focused elsewhere. Now, a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology finds that just the ring of a cell phone may be equally distracting, especially when it comes in a classroom setting or includes a familiar song as a ringtone. News & Information from Washington University reports.

In any setting where people are trying to acquire knowledge and trying to retain that information in some way, a distraction that may just seem like a common annoyance to people may have a really disruptive effect on their later retention of that information," said the study's lead author, Jill Shelton, a postdoctoral psychology fellow in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

... "Many of us consider a cell phone ringing in a public place to be an annoying disruption, but this study confirms that these nuisance noises also have real-life impacts," Shelton said. "These seemingly innocuous events are not only a distraction, but they have a real influence on learning."

Titled "The distracting effects of a ringing cell phone: An investigation of the laboratory and the classroom setting," the study was conducted at Louisiana State University, where Shelton received her doctoral degree. Her co-authors in the LSU psychology department include Emily Elliott, Sharon Eaves and Amanda Exner.

Read full article.

How the mobile phone became an 'instrument for life'

The apparent scourge of the 24/7 lifestyle, the mobile phone, keeps users "perpetually available" but does not make people any more rushed or pressured for time, according to a study of more than 1000 workers. The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Indeed, it may even relieve stress, as "dead time" — for example, waiting for the late morning train — can be revived by making a call to mum or scouting a work contact, the research suggests.

An analysis of more than 20,000 calls and texts logged by participants confirms the device originally marketed as a business tool has become an instrument for life.

Read full article.

Study: 'Sexting' about power, not sex

Psychologist Susan Lipkins of Port Washington, N.Y., says people who send sexually explicit electronic messages were more likely to have survey responses suggesting they wanted power and control than those who don't send explicit messages.

Lipkins will present her study Friday at the International Conference on the Use of the Internet in Mental Health at McGill University.

[via Blogs USA Today]

Is texting stunting kids' emotional growth?

MSNBC on children and text messaging. Excerpts:

... There could be a downside to this form of communication. "Texting, to me, could be stunting the growth of kids these days," child and family therapist Donna Wilburn cautions.

Wilburn worries that kids who are too dependent on texting miss out on an important part of social development. "Eighty percent of our communication is based on reading body language and reading visual cues. Texting eliminates eighty percent of what you're getting communication-wise. So it's not a substitute for communication and a lot of teens are using it as a substitute."

US Mobile Internet use doubles year-to-year

Research firm comScore this morning revealed that day-to-day Internet use on cellphones in the US has roughly doubled in the past year.

... Social networking and blogging have emerged as very popular daily uses of the mobile Web and these activities are growing at a torrid pace,” observed Mark Donovan, senior vice president, mobile, comScore.

... In January, 22.3 million people accessed news and information via a downloaded application. Maps are the most popular downloaded application with 8.2 million users, while search was the overwhelmingly favored use for SMS-based news and information access, with 14.1 million users. Overall, 32.4 million people used SMS to access news and information in January.

Young males are the most avid users of mobile news and information, with half of 18 to 34-year-old males engaging in the activity. The mobile Internet is also quite popular among females in the 18 to 24-year-old demographic, with 40 percent accessing it at least once in January.

[via electronica and comScore full press release.]

Texting can b gd 4 ur kids

Concerns have been raised that an explosion in the use of "textisms" like "CUL8R" and "wot u doin 2nite?" could be damaging children's reading and spelling ability. From New Scientist.

To investigate, Beverly Plester and her colleagues at Coventry University in the UK asked 88 children aged 10 to 12 to write text messages describing 10 different scenarios. When they compared the number of textisms used to a separate study of the children's reading ability, they found that those who used more textisms were better readers (British Journal of Developmental Psychology, DOI: 10.1348/026151008X320507).

But do textisms improve literacy, or do better readers use more textisms? The preliminary results of a follow-up study seem to suggest the former, Plester says. She believes that this is because textisms are phonetically based: "Phonological awareness has long been associated with good reading skills." Exposure to the written word in any form is also linked to improved literacy. "These kids are engaging with more written language and they're doing it for fun."

Links to postive studies on the effect of text messaging on student's writing skills:

-- Texts 'do not hinder literacy'

-- Texting teenagers are proving 'more literate than ever before'

-- E-Mail and Texting - Not at all bad

-- Texting 'is no bar to literacy'

-- Teacher finds novel way to use texting

Links to negative studies:

-- Text messages harm written language? (Oh-Hum)

-- Technology marches ahead, grammar gets worse

-- Y TEXTING MAYBE BAD 4 U

-- SMS Resulting in Poor English Grades?

-- SMS and Internet blamed for decline in English Examinations

-- SMS threatens Norwegian language say teachers

-- Teachers hung up on SMS

-- An essay written in text message shorthand

Excessive Text Messaging, a mental illness?

... Although it's too early for conclusive data on the effects of prolific texting -- on attention span, social life, writing ability, family connections -- questions abound, even as many experts point to clear benefits, reports The Washington Post.

Nationally, more than 75 billion text messages are sent a month, and the most avid texters are 13 to 17, say researchers. Teens with cellphones average 2,272 text messages a month, compared with 203 calls, according to the Nielsen Co.

The tap, tap, tap of connectivity can benefit teenagers at a time in life when they cannot always get together in an unscheduled way. Texters are "sharing a sense of co-presence," said Mimi Ito of the University of California at Irvine. "It can be a very socially affirming thing."

Some experts say there are downsides, starting with declines in spelling, word choice and writing complexity. Some suggest too much texting is related to an inability to focus.

The American Journal of Psychiatry published an editorial last year by psychiatrist Jerald J. Block, suggesting that addiction to the Internet and text messaging be included in the diagnostic manual for mental illnesses (compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder).

Picture above: Pam Zingeser relaxes with her daughter Julie, 15, and their dog, Tucker. Julie, who racked up more than 6,000 text messages in one month, sends a quick text. (By Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)

Indians prefer phone calls to SMS

For people in India, making a call has become the best option to connect, while other countries like to use the SMS to convey their message. 86 percent of Indians had either made or received a call in the past three months but Filipinos have not made or received a single phone call for the same period, instead they prefer the SMS. Silicon India reports.

The basic reason behind the preference of calls to SMS is the cost factor. The average tariff in India for local calls is Re 1, the same as the local SMS rate, while for STD calls, the average tariff is Rs.1.50 and the SMS rate is higher at Rs 2. Thus, SMS tariffs are either higher than voice rates or at best comparable, which makes the latter more lucrative.

"The phone patterns in countries like Thailand and the Philippines are also very different as compared to, say, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh," says Rohan Samarajiva, Chairman and CEO of Lirneasia and a former Srilankan telecom regulator told The Times of India. These findings are the result of a Sri Lankan study titled Teleuse@BOP 08-09 conducted by Asian ICT think-tank Lirneasia, which spanned across Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Philippines and Thailand. The study surveyed close to 10,000 people from the low-income or Bottom of Pyramid group (earning less than $38 a month). In India, it was around 10 cities which were surveyed.

Children get first mobile phone at average age of eight

Eight is the average age at which children are given their first mobile phone, according to a survey, reports UK's Telegraph.

More than a third of children (35 per cent) own a mobile by the time they are that age, the charity Personal Finance Education Group (pfeg) discovered.

Its survey also found that three-quarters of all children aged seven to 15 owned "at least" one mobile.

The charity's survey highlighted how early children now become financially aware – with peer pressure forcing them to get to grips with money to afford mobile phone ringtones, call costs and computer games.

It found that children as young as seven were offering to do chores in exchange for cash to buy ringtones.

Women More Expressive Than Men When Texting

Researchers at Indiana University studied 1,164 text messages posted on Italy's interactive television music channel Allmusic and found the texts sent from women were more expressive than those of their male counterparts. This came as a surprise, since research shows that, in social situations, men usually talk more and are more expressive in their language while women tend to be more polite and talk less.

[via Switched]

56% would rather hold their cell phone on Valentine's Day

A survey of Canadian cell phone users found 56 percent of them would rather hold their cell phone than a special person on Valentine's Day. Guess who ordered the survey? Virgin Mobile. So much for credibility. But the title was catchy from
UPI.

Last week, Angus Reid Strategies polled 1,000 mobile phone users over the age of 18 across Canada and asked about their attitudes towards the devices and special people in their lives in advance of Feb. 14.

The Virgin Mobile survey found 52 percent saying their phone is with them all day, every day, and if push came to shove, almost 40 percent would rather spend a week without their special partner than be without the phone for a week.

The deepest attachment to phones versus people was found among the 18-34 age bracket, the release said.

Young People Abandon Email in favor or Text Messaging

Studies conducted by The Pew Internet and American Life Project have found that only 65% of teens use social websites nowadays, as opposed to 78% who play online games. AccuraCast reports.

Not too long ago, social networks were the hot favorite among this age group, along with email, which was used by 89% of teennagers at that time.

The latest trend, however, is to use text messaging and instant messaging instead of email, which is now used by only 73% of teenagers.

Significantly, young adults between the ages of 18 and 32 seem to be following the reverse trend, with only 50% of them playing games online while 67% access social networks.

Surprisingly though, it was found that only 10% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 years spend time in virtual worlds, which is almost the same percentage as was found a few years ago, and hardly 2-3% of the older generation do so.

Related:

-- Kids say e-mail is, like, soooo dead - According to teenagers, e-mail is for business dealings. (2007)

-- E-mail is last millennium, SMS is now. - Young people see it as a good way to reach an elder — a parent, teacher or a boss — or to receive an attached file. (2006)

-- Teens turn away from e-mail - favor MySpace, IM and SMS - Statistics show that, for the first time, teen e-mail use is dropping in the -- apparently in favor of more "instant'' alternatives. (2006)

The decline of e-mail was reported in South Korea as early as 2004:

-- New Forms of Online Communication Spell End of Email Era in Korea - The perception that "email is an old and formal communication means" is rapidly spreading among them. "I use email when I send messages to elders," said a college student by the name of Park. For 22-year-old office worker Kim, "I use email only for receiving cellphone and credit card invoices." (2004)

Text Messaging Still King of Mobile Data Revenues Worldwide

Far from reaching a peak and tailing off, Worldwide Messaging Revenues are set to almost double by 2013 according to a new report from Portio Research focused on mobile messaging that suggests that SMS will continue to be the cash cow of mobile data revenues for some time to come. 160characters reports.

More than fifteen years have passed since the world witnessed its first SMS and in spite of many predictions to the contrary, traffic volumes and revenues continue to confound predictions and are expected to keep growing throughout the global economic downturn.

Indeed the whole mobile messaging industry worth USD 130 billion in 2008 is predicted to be worth USD 224 billion by 2013, 60 percent of non-voice service revenues.

The report, ‘Mobile Messaging Futures 2008 – 2013’ ventures that there is nothing likely to stop continued growth of mobile messaging in the short term, driven by a cocktail of ubiquitous SMS, media rich MMS, enterprise based mobile email and youth conscious mobile IM.

SMS remains ‘King’ because there is no cheap, easy to use alternative that will work with all phones and across all networks, it is loved the world over. Indeed in the US market, where SMS was a comparative slow starter, use per subscriber per month is now almost double the European average. However in China average users send over 100 messages each month whereas the Filipinos continue to be the leading exponents with 755 messages each month. Compared to Asia Pacific’s 40 percent, Latin America and Africa and Middle East contributed a mere 3.9 percent and 4.3 percent respectively to worldwide mobile messaging revenues in 2007.

Text Message May Save Endangered Languages

Can a language stay relevant if it isn't used to send text messages on a cellphone? Language advocates worry that the answer is no, and they are pushing to make more written languages available on cellphones. The WSJ reports.

Texting is the cheapest and most popular mode of cellphone communication in most of the world, and last year text messages topped voice calls even in the U.S.

But companies that develop predictive text say they have created cellphone software for fewer than 80 of the world's 6,912 languages cataloged by SIL International, a Dallas organization that works to preserve languages.

"The idea of having your cultural identity represented in this technology is increasingly important," says Laura Welcher, director of the Rosetta Project of San Francisco's Long Now Foundation. Ms. Welcher, who says linguists fear half the world's languages will disappear in the near future, thinks at least 200 languages have enough speakers to justify development of cellphone text systems. "Technology empowers the poorest people," she adds.

[via Switched]

Gmail Preferred By Students, But Nothing Beats Texting

Today's high-school and college students got their first email account at an average age of 13. Most students have had one of their email addresses for 8 years and have an average of about 2.4 addresses each. But if you really want to reach these students, you should forget email. Send a text message instead, according to a new survey from a survey from eROI.

[via The New York Times and Neteco ]

Swollen Thumbs, Big Bills and “Sexting”: The Downside of Text Messaging

Text-messaging, it seems, has become the communication mode of choice among teenagers. That has opened the door to growing abuses. The WSJ reports.

This months’ Consumer Reports magazine says carriers are charging way too much for text-messaging service. Consumers Union, which publishes the monthly magazine, has asked federal officials to investigate text-messaging rates, the article says.

There are other problems, too. Medical professionals have long warned about the dangers of swollen thumbs and repetitive strain injuries among teens who text too much. Too much texting is one of the main reasons schools are restricting cellphone use.

Also, many teens are using text-messaging to send inappropriate images of themselves or others, such as nude photos or videos

Related: - 'Sexting' From Your Cell Phone Is Hot New Flirting Trend, Study Finds (Switched)

Mobile messaging services set for growth despite tough economic times

Despite the fact that the global economy is slowing down, mobile messaging growth will continue. According to data from ABI Research’s recent report, mobile messaging services revenues will grow from $151 billion in 2008 to greater than $212 billion globally by 2013.

[via Intomobile]

Teens text themselves thin

A new study has shown that sending and receiving text messages can help obese children lose weight. TechRadar reports.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that teens using mobile phones to monitor their diet and physical activity levels were more likely to stick with weight-management programmes than those using paper diaries or nothing at all.

emily | 8:15 AM | permalink

(Nokia) Open Studios

Check out Jan Chipchase's slide show of the Nokia Open Studios on future perfect.

The slides from the Nokia Open Studio design research method for engaging communities in shanty towns.

Despite what you might assume for a studio, the most valuable output of the Open Studio is not the designs, but in providing an alternative way for people to articulate their wants and needs - within the context of their community. The nuances of this are detailed in the accompanying paper as with these slides - co-authored with design studio colleague Younghee Jung.

Is surfing the Internet and text messaging altering your brain?

The Internet is not just changing the way people live but altering the way our brains work with a neuroscientist arguing this is an evolutionary change which will put the tech-savvy at the top of the new social order. The Washington Post reports.

Gary Small, a neuroscientist at UCLA in California who specializes in brain function, has found through studies that Internet searching and text messaging has made brains more adept at filtering information and making snap decisions.

But while technology can accelerate learning and boost creativity it can have drawbacks as it can create Internet addicts whose only friends are virtual and has sparked a dramatic rise in Attention Deficit Disorder diagnoses.

Small, however, argues that the people who will come out on top in the next generation will be those with a mixture of technological and social skills.

In his newly released fourth book "iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind," Small looks at how technology has altered the way young minds develop, function and interpret information.

For a Quick Response, Text Message Instead of Voice Mail

No surprise. According to a Sprint study, text messaging gets a far quicker response than voice mail.

In a study by Sprint, those under the age of 30 are four times more likely to respond within minutes to an SMS than a voicemail, with roughly 91 percent responding within the hour. Adults 30 and older were twice as likely to text a reply within minutes rather than call.

[via Gizmodo]

Hi-tech brings families together

Technology is helping families stay in touch like never before, says a report.

Instead of driving people apart, mobile phones and the net are helping them maintain social ties, says the Pew Internet report.

... Many people use their mobile phone to keep in touch and maintain social ties with parents, siblings and children. Seventy percent of couples who both own a mobile use it every day to chat or say hello. In addition, it found, 42% of parents contact their children via their mobile every day.

[via the BBC]

Software in Cellphones Measures Customers' Exposure to Marketing

A small media research company called Integrated Media Measurement (im<>mi) is offering new technology that measures consumers' exposure to the audio in ads on television, radio, computers, mobile phones, DVDs and inside a movie theatre -- using a consumer's cellphone. The WSJ reports.

...im<>mi embeds its software into the cellphones of the company's 4,900 panelists. The software picks up audio from an ad or a TV show and converts it into its own digital code that is then uploaded into an im<>mi database, which includes codes for media content such as TV shows, commercials, movies and songs.

im<>mi's database then figures out what the cellphone was exposed to by matching the code. Cellphone conversations and background noise are filtered out by the software, im<>mi says, since there is no "match" in the im<>midatabase.

Read full article.

National Study Reveals How Teens Are Shaping & Reshaping Their Wireless World

A national study, “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged" (pdf), released Friday by CTIA in conjunction with Harris Interactive is an in-depth survey of more than 2,000 teenagers around the nation, shedding new light on how today’s teens feel about wireless products and services, how they are using them today and most importantly, how they would like to use them in the future.

Of special interest:

-- Only one in five (18 percent) teens care to pinpoint the location of their family and friends via their cell phone, 36 percent hate the idea of a cell phone feature allowing others to know their exact location.

-- Texting is indeed replacing talking among teens. Teens admitted spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month.

In the future: Topping their wireless wish list are phones that:

-- Guarantee secured data access to the user only (80 percent)
-- Provide accessibility to personal health records (66 percent)
-- Present opportunities to be educated anywhere in the world (66 percent)
-- Bring users closer to global issues impacting teens’ world (63 percent)

Teens’ ideal future mobile device Would feature five applications – phone, MP3 player, GPS, laptop computer and video player – and the following desired features:

-- Shock and water proof (81 percent)
-- Endless power (80 percent)
-- Privacy screen (58 percent)
-- Flexible material and folds into different shapes and sizes (39 percent)
-- Artificial intelligence – ask it questions and it gives answers (38 percent)

[via TelephonyWorld]

Call Centres Receive Cost Cutting Message

By using SMS the best call centres are increasing customer satisfaction and reducing costs according to a white paper from Clickatell.

[via 160characters.org]

Canadians not reliant on mobile phones

One-third of Canadians between 16 and 60 do not use cellphones on a regular basis, nor have any desire to do so, according to a new survey, reports National Post.

"This level of penetration puts Canada significantly below the global average," the survey, conducted by market research group TNS Global, said.

To compare, 90% of Americans and an incredible 97% of Britons between the ages of 16-60 are wireless users. The average penetration across 30 countries is 80%, the study said."

Anthropologists are a vital tool in developing mobile phones for the third world

In recent years, anthropology has witnessed something of a mini-renaissance. As our lives become exposed to more and more technology, and companies become more and more interested in how technology affects us and how we interface with it, anthropologists have found themselves in increasing demand. An interesting report from PCWorld.

"... Development anthropology is seen as an increasingly important element in determining positive and negative impacts on target communities. In the ICT sector – particularly within emerging market divisions – it is now not uncommon to find anthropologists working within the corridors of high-tech companies.

Intel and Nokia are two such examples. Just as large development projects can fail if agencies fail to understand their target communities, commercial products can fail if companies fail to understand the very same people. In this case, these people go by a different name – customers."

Two anthropologists often linked to in this blog are Jan Chipchase (Nokia) and Ken Banks (kiwanja.net).

Read full article

French Women Take Baths with their Cell Phones

File under another fun survey. According to 160characters.org, 14% of French women take their mobile phones into the bathroom with them, compared to just 4% of men.

The survey goes on to reveal 18 to 24 year olds as the most likely to interrupt a bath or shower for an unexpected mobile phone call (34% compared to an average of 14% across all age groups), while 8% of this age group would do likewise to consider an incoming SMS message (compared to just 2% on average).

The survey published by mBlox was conducted amongst 221 members of the public between the ages of 18 and 70 in Paris between 31 May and 1 June 2008."

Cell phone is mom-avoidance device for teens

Tweens and teens are pushing parents to adopt text messaging so they don't have to talk "live" over the cell phone, according to mobile phone executives. News.com reports.

"A typical teenager carrying a cell phone might let mom's call roll over to voicemail and then immediately text her back, "What going on?," according to Stephen Saiz, manager of consumer insight and strategy of the Walt Disney Internet Group's North American mobile division.

"Teens are pushing their parents to go on mobile because they don't really want to communicate with them directly," Saiz said here on a panel of mobile executives at the YPulse 2008 National Mashup, a two-day conference on teens and technology.

... Most tweens and teens prefer to text message and instant chat with parents and friends rather than talk directly so that they can continue doing other things like play video games with friends, he said.

The average teen, according to C&R Research, generates between 50 and 70 text messages a day, or as many as 18,000 a year."

Spain’s National Obsession with Mobiles, Texting

An insightful and thorough article on the Spanish cell phone culture from PBS.

"... To say that Spain is crazy for cell phones is an understatement. Approximately 44 million people live in Spain, but in January of this year the number of cell phones in the country reached 50 million. There are more phones than people here.

"While Americans might also be addicted to the cell, the Spanish relationship with the cell phone has evolved differently from ours for reasons that are clear and others that remain a mystery."

... Because Spain seemed so much ahead of the U.S. in using mobile for something more than just calls, one would think that media consumption on phones would be the next logical step, but that hasn’t been the case. In 2002, Americans didn’t know what SMS was but in 2008 we are texting, watching videos, reading RSS feeds and even using VOIP on our cell phones. In Spain, most people are doing none of that — but you will see a grandmother shoot off text messages like a teenager."