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IssuesinInformingScienceandInformationTechnologyVolume5,2008MobilePhonesandChildren:AnAustralianPerspectiveNiranjalaD.
WeerakkodySchoolofCommunication&CreativeArts,DeakinUniversity,Geelong,VIC,Australianinaw@deakin.
edu.
auAbstractMobilephonesinAustraliarecordoneoftheworld'shighestratesofownershipamongchildrenunder18.
ThispaperexaminesissuesofmobilephonesandAustralianchildrenandthevariousdiscourses(systematicframes)usedindiscussingtheireffects.
Thesearetheoptimistic(gains);pessimistic(losses,costsorharms);pluralistic(technologyperseisneutralbuthowitisusedmatters);historicaldevelopment(importanceandskillslearnt);futuristicpredictions(promisesanddangers);currentuses(connectivity,convergenceandinteractivity);andtechno-realistview(asamixedblessing).
TakingtheJustificationViewofTechnologythatseestechnologicaladop-tionasagambleandborrowingfromJoshuaMeyrowitz,itexamineshowmobilephoneshaveerodedparentalpoweroverhow,when,whereandwithwhomtheirchildrencommunicate,whileatthesametime,becominga'digitalleash'forparentstore-establishtheircontrolandan'um-bilicalcord'ofchildrentoremainconnectedwithparentsatalltimes.
Keywords:Mobilephones,technologyanddiscourses,technologyandframing,framing,dis-courses,childrenandmobilephones,parentalpowerandmobilephones,Australia,digitalleash,digitalumbilicalcord.
Introduction"Mum/Dad,Canyoupickmeup,please"ThisisacommontelephonecallmostAustralianpar-entsreceivefromtheirteenagechildrensometimelateatnightonweekends.
AustralianteenagersofbothsexesoftengooutwithfriendsonSaturdaynightsfromaroundtheageof15yearsandthearrangementsforgettingtogetherandtransporttoandfromtheirvenuesareoftenmadeviatheteens'mobilephones.
Thesemobilesalsogiveparentsathomealinktotheirchildrenwhileawayfromparentalsupervisionandasenseofsafetyandconnectivity.
Mostoftheseteensalsotakepartinpart-timecasualemployment,whichprovidesthemwithadiscretionaryincometopayforthemobilephonesandcreatinganeedtobecontactablebyemployersatshortnoticewhenworkshiftssuddenlybecomeavailable.
TherateformobilephonepenetrationinAustraliaisover92%or19millionsub-scribersreachedinlessthan20yearsofadoption.
Incomparison,thenumberoffixedlinephonesnumberonly11mil-lion(Chapman,2006).
Thenationalsorecordsoneoftheworld'shighestratesofmobilephoneownershipamongchil-drenundertheageof18.
In2005,mo-bilephoneswereownedbyaboutMaterialpublishedaspartofthispublication,eitheron-lineorinprint,iscopyrightedbytheInformingScienceInstitute.
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MobilePhonesandChildren46080,000fivetonineyear-olds,with50%ofallownersbeingthosebetween13and15,andathirdbetween10and13(O'Riordan,2005),inanationwithapopulationalittleover20million(ABS,2006).
Theyoungerchildrenhavetheirmobilespaidforbytheirparentsandtheaveragemonthlybillforamobilephoneforthoseunder18isestimatedtobeabout$50amonth(Allison,2004).
PurposeofStudyEventhoughthesocialadvantagesofmobilephonestochildrenandothersaremanyandobvious,therearemanydifferentandoftenvalidviewpointsordiscoursesexpressedastotheirdisadvan-tages,harmsandpotentialandactualabuses,circulatinginAustraliaandelsewhere.
Therefore,itisimportanttoexamineallissuesrelatedtomobilephonesandchildrenofthisrelativelynewtechnologysincelimitedstudieshavebeensofarcarriedoutastohowitimpacts,representsandintegrateswork,family,socialrelationshipsandleisureofAustraliansandtheirchildrenandtohelpsocietyandthetelecommunicationsindustrytoreadeachothercorrectly(AustralianMobileTelecommunicationsAssociation[AMTA],2004).
Itwillalsohelpusers,societyatlargeanditsinstitutionstoexaminemeasurestooptimisetheadvantagesandminimisethedisadvantagesofthisusefulandubiquitoustechnologywithitsknownaswellaspotentiallongtermadverseef-fects,inarangeofareassuchashealth,economics,culture,andthepoliticsorpowerrelationsbetweenchildrenandadults.
DataCollectionMethodsThispapertakestheinterpretiveandcriticaltheoryperspectives(Crotty,1998)inexaminingthemaindiscourses(Dicken-Garcia,1998)anddebatesaboutmobilephoneuseandchildreninAus-traliausingatextualanalysis(qualitativecontentanalysis)ofpublishedmaterialsonthedis-coursesofmobilephonesandchildreninAustralia.
ThesedatasourceswereidentifiedandtherelevantdatacollectedbysearchingtheMassMediaComplete(formerlytheMatlonIndex)forscholarlyliteratureonthesubject;theFactivadatabase(similartoLexisNexis)fornewspaperandtradearticles;GoogleandGoogleScholarsitesus8ngthekeywords,mobilephones,Australia,childrenetc.
WebsitesoftheAustralianBureauofStatistics(ABS),AustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority(ACMA),AustralianMobileTelecommunicationsAssociation(AMTA),andtheDepartmentofCommunications,InformationTechnologyandtheArts(DCITA)werealsosearchedonseveraloccasionsbetween2005and2006.
ThesesourcesofinformationweresupplementedwithdepthinterviewswithAndrewFunston,anAustralianacademicwidelycitedforhisworkonmobilephoneusebyyoungpeopleinAustralia(Funston&Hughes,2006;Funston&McNeill,1999)andRossMonaghan,alsoanAustralianacademic,formerexecutiveoftheOptustelecommunicationscompanyandtheformerChiefEx-ecutiveOfficer(CEO)ofAMTA-thegroupthatrepresentsmobilephoneoperators,manufactur-ers,dealersandcarriersinAustralia.
TheHistoryofMobilePhonesinAustraliaAnnMoyal(1984)providesacomprehensivehistoryoftelecommunicationsinAustraliabetween1854and1983coveringtheintroductionanddevelopmentofthetelegraphandtelephoneser-vices.
ThefirstcellularmobilephoneserviceinAustraliawasintroducedin1987(Goggin,2006),andbeganitslifeasan'exclusive'technology,generallyaffordableandavailabletotherich,powerfulandthe'important'insociety.
Duetothedevelopmentsinnewtechnologiessuchassatellites,andcompetitionbetweenserviceprovidersanddealersinaderegulatedmarketsince1996,themobilephonegraduallybecamemoreaffordabletoalargerproportionofthepopula-tioninAustralia.
Itthenchangedfrombeingan'elitist'technology,toanessential'tool'formany,includingyouth,teens,theunemployed,andchildrenintheireverydaywork,familyandWeerakkody461socialfunctionsbridginggender,class,age,ethnicityandeducationaldivisions.
Thisisbecauseonedoesnotneedtobehighlyliterate,speakaspecificlanguage,anadultorspeciallytrainedinordertouseone,unliketheInternetorcomputers(A.
Funston,personalcomm.
unication14No-vember,2006;Goggin,2006).
Australiaisamongtheleadersintheadoptionofmobilephoneswhichiswellsuitedtoitsculture,geographyanddemographicdistributionasalargeislandcontinentwitharelativelysmallpopu-lation.
ThecountryisalsouniquebecauseitspopulationisconcentratedmainlyaroundthefivestatecapitalsofSydney,Melbourne,Brisbane,AdelaideandPerth,whiletherestofthecontinentissparselypopulated.
Therefore,incomparisontolandlinephones,settinguptheinfrastructureformobilephoneservicesforalargernumberofsubscriberswasrelativelycheaper-especiallyinmetropolitanareas(Weerakkody,2007a).
Australiaisalsoadevelopednationwithaneducatedandaffluentpopulationwithapenchantfornewtechnologies,asshownwiththeirhighadoptionandfastdiffusionratesfortelevision,CDandDVDplayers,homecomputersandtheInternet(A.
Funston,personalcommunication14November2006;Weerakkody,2007a).
AustraliausingauniformGSM(GlobalSystemforMobiles)networknationwidealsohelpedthespeedydiffusionofdigitalmobilephones(R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication.
,29thNovember,2006).
MobilePhonesandChildreninAustraliaAccordingtoNielsen/NetRatings(2005),50%ofAustralianchildren(undertheageof18)ownamobilephone.
Cameraphoneuseamongthesamegrouphadrapidlyincreasedfrom2%in2003to52%in2005.
In2003,50%ofparentsinmetropolitanareashadpaidtheirchildren'smobilephonecosts,withthefigureincreasingto61%in2005.
InaNielsenPanoramasurveyin1999(citedinFunston&McNeill,1999)themostoftencitedreasonsforAustralianchildrengettingamobilephonewere,foreasiercontactwithfriends(50%),contactwithfamily(48%),forsecuritywhenoutalone(45%),parentswantingtokeepintouch(29%),givenasapresent(23%),callerprivacy(11%),easycontactwithemployer(ofparttimejobs)(10%),jobsearching(9%),gotitcheapfromafriend(9%),andtofeelgoodaboutthemselvesbyhavingone(5%).
Intermsofthemostimportantreasontogetone,themostcitedwassecurity(21%)andeasiercontactwithfriends(15%).
Accordingly,fiftyeightpercent(58%)feltmoresecurewithamobilebutitwashigherforfemaleswith75%andmaleswith38%.
However,FunstonandHughes(2006)foundthatyoungpeoplepreferredface-to-facecontactwithfamilyandfriendsfaraheadofcommunica-tionviathemobilephone(ortheinternet).
Childrenunder16arenotissuedwithaprepaidmobilephonehandsetorSIMcardbydealersintheirownnames.
Therefore,theyneedtodosounderaparent'snameforboth.
Theymaybuyausedhandsetfromafriend,orareceivehand-me-downfromanoldersiblingorparent,whomayhaveupgradedtheirs.
Childrenunder18yearsofageneedtogetaparenttosignfortheirhandsetormobilephonecontract,eveniftheymaypayforitincludingmonthlybills.
PayingMobilePhoneBillsParentsgenerallypaythemobilecostsofchildrenwhoarenotoldenoughtoordonothaveparttimejobs.
Themostproblematicareawithrespecttochildren(mainlyteenagers)andmobilephonesinAustraliaappearstobethatofunexpectedlyhighmobilephonebills(inextremecasesupto$5000inaccumulatedcharges)incurredbyabout10%ofusers,whichparentsenduppay-ing,ortheteensthemselvespaywithaloanfromaparentorotheradult,whichresultsinanxiety,depressionandotherproblems(Funston&McNeill,1999;A.
Funston,personalcommunication,14theNovember2006;R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication,29thNovember,2006).
Anecdo-talevidencesuggeststhatmostteensrackuphighermonthlybillsthanexpected,duetogetting'carriedaway'duringweekendswithtoomanycallssentunnecessarilyordownloadinggamesorringtonesonimpulse.
SendingMultimediaMessagingService(MMS)messagesusingmobileMobilePhonesandChildren462phoneswithcamerasforstillandvideophotography,alsoincurmuchhighercallchargesbutteenusersmaynotrealiseituntiltheyreceivetheirbills.
TheCommonPitfallsDuetoaggressivemarketingandconfusingadvertisingthatpromisesa'free'handsetor'low'monthlychargesandnotreadingthecontractornotunderstandingitsclausesaboutthespecificterms,conditions,andchargesforvariousservices(generallywritteninlegalorbusinessjargoninsteadofplainlanguage),manyyoungpeoplefindthemselvesfacedwithhighbillstheycannotaffordtopay.
Theavailabilityof'premiumservices'suchaswallpapers,ringtones,musicandgamesdownloads,sportsscores,andsportshighlightsmaybeenticing,buttheteenconsumersmaynotrealisethattheyareprovidedonsubscriptioninvolvingon-goingchargesandarediffi-culttodiscontinue(ACMASphere,2006).
Hopingtoalleviatethisproblem,theAustralianCom-municationsandMediaAuthority(ACMA)proposesaMobilePremiumServicesSelf-RegulatorySchemehopingtoprotectthosewhoaccessapremiumservicebyrequestingserviceproviderstomakeavailable"moreinformationaboutthenatureofservices,costs,termsandconditions"tosubscribersbeforetheirfirstuse(ACMASphere,2006,3).
Theteensand/ortheirparentsfacedwithexorbitantmobilebillsareoftenunawareofhowtore-solvethemorwhomtocontactincaseofadisputewithamobilephonecompanyordealer,suchastheofficeoftheTelecommunicationsIndustryOmbudsman(TIO)(A.
Funston,personalcom-munication,14thNovember,2006;R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication,29thNovember,2006).
Manyalsofindthattheircontracthaslockedthemfor18-24months,whichtheycannotdiscontinuewithoutacostlypenaltyevenifthesetwasbrokenandun-repairableorbettermodelsordealsbecomeavailablewiththesamecompany.
Thesesubscribershadnotrealisedthattheyhavetopayforaccessingandleavingvoicemailmessagesevenifthemailboxisprovidedfreeasadvertised;thatthe'freecalls'allowedeachmonthundertheplanmaybeusedupfastwhentimedas30secondsegmentswhichmeans,evenonesecondinexcesswillbilledasanadditional30-secondsegment;thatthecostofthehandsetisincludedinamobilephoneplaninacontractwhichsays'Freehandset';andthatpre-paidcallswithaphonecard(anoptiontocontrolcosts)chargemorethanthoseonaplanorcontractwiththecard'screditexpiringafter3monthsifun-used.
ACMA'sChairmanChrisChapman(2006)admitsthat"transparencyofthecostsandtermsandconditionsofpremiumserviceshascontinuedtobemajorsourceofcomplaintsfortheTIO"…"sloppy,evenunacceptable,practicesbysomeprovidersofcontenthaveledtofinancialharmtoconsumers"whichhethinksharmstheindustry'sreputationanddestroysconsumerconfidenceaboutmobileorm-commerce(p.
5).
TheMostAffectedFunstonandMcNeill(1999)foundthatthosefromnon-Englishspeakinghomesandthoseongovernmentpayments-receivedby13%ofAustralianhomeswhichareonlowincomes(Croucher,2006),weremorelikelytofaceproblemswithexcessivebillsthanothers,probablyduetotheirparents'inabilitytounderstandthecontractsandinexperiencewiththeprocedures.
Asaresult,inrecenttimes,theAustralianCommunicationsandMediaAuthority(ACMA,2006)hasprovidedatoolkitonitswebsite,forteenageuserstounderstandthesystemandlistsasetofquestionstoaskwhenpurchasingamobilephone(ACMASphere,2006).
ConsumerAffairsVic-toria,astategovernmententityhasarticlesinfreeyouth-orientedmagazinessuchastheStuffMagazinewithadviceforyoungpeople("TotallyMobile,"2006).
However,itisnotclearastohowmanyparentsandteensknowaboutorusetheseresourcesbeforepurchasingamobilephone.
Atthesametime,researchhasshownthatmanyyoungpeopleandteensusethemobileinanexerciseofresponsibleandessentialusage;developingfinancialandtimemanagementskills;Weerakkody463andlearntousemobilestobettercoordinatetheireverydaysocialandotheractivities(Funston&MacNeill,1999).
PublicDebatesonMobilePhonesandChildrenHowever,mostlegal,administrative,publicandpoliticaldebatesinitiatedorcontributedtobypoliticians,lobbyists,interestgroupsandeventhemediaaboutmobilephonesinAustraliaappeartobenotaboutthesemobilephone-relatedfinancialproblemsbutaboutthepotential'harms'or'losses'tochildrenfrominappropriatemobilephonecontentoranti-socialbehavioursuchasbul-lying,cheatingatexamsorpedophilia.
Theyalsoarguefortheneedtocensororcontrolthesebehavioursviacriminallegislationtopunishordeteroffendersandforinstallingparentalcontrolsystemsonthemobilephonesto'protect'childrenfromthese'villains'(Ace*Comm,2005;"AustralianGovernmenttoCensor,"2006;Handsley,Frost&Biggins,2004;Miletic,2006;Os-bourne,2006;Richardson,2006;Spiked-Debate,2006).
Norealeffortsappeartobemadebythesesamepoliticians,lobbyists,interestgroupsorthemediaaboutaddressingtherealissueofexcessiveandexorbitantmobilephonebillsaffectingthemostlyteenageusersviaregulationoftheTelcosandtheirdealers.
Thefactorsresponsibleforthesemobilecostblowoutsareoftenlinkedtoinflexiblemobilephonecontracts,confusingandaggressivemarketingstrategiesspecificallyaimedattheteenagemarket,inadequateinformationprovidedtoprospectivesubscribers,hardtounderstandcontracts,andthelackofeducationfordealers,thepublicandyoungpeopleaboutpotential'pitfalls'andthere-sponsiblemanagementoftheirmobilephoneuseandexpenditure(A.
Funston,personalcom-mumication,14thNovember,2006;R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication,29thNovember,2006).
TheoreticalFrameworksThepapertakestheJustificationModelofTechnology(Hamelink,1988)thatseestheadoptionofanewtechnologyanditspolicymakingandregulationasaformof'socialgambling'.
Thisisbecause,wedonotknoweverythingaboutanewtechnologyanditscapabilitiesuntilithasbeeninexistenceandusedinsocietyformanyyearsorifthetechnologywillbeusedatallbytheendusersonceadopted.
Theirusesandapplicationsmayalsochangefromtimetotimewithoutwarn-ingorthetechnologycanbeusedinunexpectedwaysonceadopted,suchastheuseoftheInter-netbyunderagechildrentodownloadpornography.
Inotherwords,adoptinganynewtechnologybydefinitioninvolvesriskora'gamble'.
TheMainViewsofNewTechnologiesHirschheim(1985)presentsthreemainviewsonthesocialimpactofnewtechnologies.
Theyaretheoptimisticview,whichtakestheutopianapproachoftechnologybeingallpositiveandisthemedas'leadingtoprogress'whileproviding'gains'tohumankind.
ItistheviewtakenbytheoristssuchasMarshallMcLuhan(1969).
Incontrast,thepessimisticviewtakenbythosesuchasBeniger(1986)seestechnologiesascreatingharmsandincreasingthepowerandcontrolofthosewithpowerandauthority.
Foucault(1977)tootakesthesameviewandlinkstechnologiestothepanopticcontrolorsurveillanceofthoseonthe'periphery'(thelesspowerfulorpower-less)bythoseatthe'centre'(thoseholdingpower).
Suchcontrolisseenasleadingtoabuses,misusesandoppression.
Thepluralistviewoftechnologyontheotherhandseesatechnologyasneutralinthemselvessuchasabuildingblockorbrick,butasastructure,howitisuseddependsonthewishesanddesiresofthedesignersandcontrollersofthetechnology,whichleadstoposi-tive,negativeorneutraloutcomesdependingonhowtheyareused(Burns,1981).
Theaboveviewsarethethreemaindiscoursesoftechnologyandthemostcommonlyusedonesinsocietytoday.
MobilePhonesandChildren464DiscoursesofTechnologiesAdiscoursereferstohowasubjectortopicgets'talkedabout'insocietyatagiventimeandlo-cationineverydayconversationsorinthemedia.
Theyareshapedbythecultureandinturnshapeculture(Dicken-Garcia,1998).
Anygivensubjectortopiccanbediscussedusingseveraldifferentdiscoursesorindifferentways,allofwhichcanbevalid.
Butthediscoursesusedinadiscussionordebateareshapedanddominatedbytheagendas,interests,viewpoints,ideologies,subjectivityandsubjectposition(ofbeingdominant/privileged/powerfulorop-pressed/marginalised/powerlessinsociety)ofeachoftheindividualsorgroupsparticipatinginit.
Thisexplainswhyanytopicorsubjectcanbedebatedordiscussedusingseveraldifferentdis-coursesandwhysomediscoursesdominatewhilemoreorequallyvalid,urgentorlegitimateoth-ersgetsidelinedorignored.
Forexample,theperceived'harms'ofmobilephonecontentofap-parentconcerntomiddleandupperclassparentsinAustralia,dominateovertheissueofhighmobilecosts,whichFunstonandMcNeill(1999)foundtonegativelyaffectthelessaffluentandminorityteenagersmorethanothers.
TheadditionaldiscoursesappliedbyDicken-Garcia(1998)totheinternetandadaptedhereforthemobiletelephoneincludehistoricaldevelopmentofmobilephones,emphasisingtheskillslearntandtheirimportancesuchastobridgethe'digitaldivide'betweentherichandpoorindi-viduals,groups,andnations;andthediscoursesoffuturisticpredictionsrelatingtopromisesanddangersforthefuture.
Currentusesasadiscourse,discussestheimportanceofmobilephonestodaysuchasconnectivity,convergence,interactivityandtherealisationoftheglobalvillage(McLuhan,1969).
Thetechno-realistviewtakesthemiddlegroundandseesmobilephonesasamixedblessing.
DiscoursesandtheirFramingFramingortheframeworksusedinadiscourseinvolveselection(ofcertainaspects)andsalience(importance)oftheaspectsincludedinthediscourse.
Framesdiagnose(identifythesourcescaus-ingtheproblem),evaluate(makemoraljudgementsaboutcausalagentsandtheireffects),pre-scribe(suggestremedies,offerandjustifytreatments)andpredict(theirlikelyeffects)foranis-sueorsubjectunderdiscussion(Entman,1993;Solomon,1992).
Insimpleterms,onecan'frame'aglassthatcontainswateras'halffull'or'halfempty'.
Eachdiscourseisshapedbytheoutlookofthepersonusingtheframeandinturnshapeshowothersareinfluencedtolookatthesituation(Dicken-Garcia,1998).
Framingisthebasisofadvertising,marketingandpoliticalaswellaspublicrelationsmessagesandcampaigns.
Mediamessagesareframed–eitherconsciouslyoroth-erwise,byjournalistsandothercreatorsofmessages,inparticularwaysandcarryingparticulardiscourses.
Theytellus"whattothinkaboutandhowtothinkaboutthem".
Injournalism,fram-ingislinkedtothe'angle'usedinanewsstoryandchoosinga'lead'forit.
Theleadcontrolshowonetellstherestofthestoryandwhatheadlinesmaybeused(Dicken-Garcia,1998).
TheMobilePhoneas'Villain'Forexample,themobilephoneisframedasthe'villain',incyber-bullyinginanewspaperarticlebyMiletic(2006;p.
6),headlined"Technologicaltrauma:Cyberbulliesmorepowerfulthanschoolyardthugs",takingthe'angle'ordiscourseof'harms'.
Thediagnosisofthisframeisthat:sincebulliesgettousetextmessagesandmobilephonephotosandvideosthatcanbeuploadedtosocialnetworkssuchasYouTubeandMySpace,anonymouslyandvirtuallyforanyone,any-wheretosee,bullyinghasbecomea24-hour7-daypossibilitythatgoesfarbeyondschoolboundaries.
Theevaluationisthatthiscausestrauma,increasesthehumiliationandvictimisationofthosetargetedthanreallifebullying,leadingtoanxiety,depression,truancy,self-harm,eatingdisordersorevensuicide,asthehumiliationcanreachawideraudienceandgoonforalongerperiodoftimethanwhencarriedoutface-to-faceinthe'real'world.
Itprescribesharshpunish-Weerakkody465mentstoperpetratorssuchasexpulsioncitingtheKing'sSchoolinSydney,andincludingcyberbullyingtoschoolanti-bullyingpoliciesdraftedinconsultationwithstudents,citingMelbourne'sMethodistLadiesCollegeasanexample.
Itpredictsthatsincecyberbullyingleavesrecordsoncomputerharddiscs,culpritsmaybecaughtandallstudentswillunderstandtheinappropriate-nessofcyberbullingandthatredressandrepercussionscanbeexpectedinfuturesituations.
FramesasRhetoricalWeaponsFramingofdiscoursesiscentraltopoliticaldebateswherediscoursesserveasrhetoricalweaponscreatedandusedbypoliticalandeconomicelitestoadvancetheirinterestsandideologies.
Butalternativeframescantipthebalanceofpolicydebatesandpublicopinion(Kinder&Sanders,1996).
Byframingadiscourseinaparticularmannerordirection,asenderofamessagecanplace'blinkers'or'blinders'onthereceiverguidingtheirvieworattentioninaparticulardirec-tionandawayfromanyalternativeviewpoints.
Thisguidesthereceivertothinkonlyaboutthesender-highlightedaspectsofanissueunderconsideration(Weerakkody,1999).
Inotherwords,differentdiscoursesandframescancontributetowardscreatingspecificconnotations(impliedmeanings)forthereceiversofsuchmessagesand/ormaketheirmindsunconsciouslysticktoaparticularparadigm(apatternorthewayoflookingatsomething).
Forexample,SenatorHelenCoonan–thethenFederalMinisterforCommunications,InformationTechnologyandtheArtsinAustraliaannouncedplanstointroducelegislationto"restrict(chil-dren's)accesstoinappropriateorharmfulcontent"on"emergentcontentservices"thatincluded3GmobilephoneswhichareabletoreceiveTVandPayTVbroadcasts("AustralianGovernmentcensors,"2006).
Herannouncementfollowedthecontroversyrelatedtotheairingofthe"Turkeyslappingincident"ontheBigBrother6realityTVshowin2006,wheretwomalecontestantssexuallyharassedafemalecontestant,whichwasstreamedliveonChannel10TV's24hourwebcasts-asubscription-onlyservice,duringtheearlyhoursofthemorningonJuly1,2006("BigBrotherAustralia,"2006;p.
18).
Thisannouncementcanbeinterpretedasanattemptatpoliticalpoint-scoringbythegovernmentandtheMinister.
Thisalsocarriesoutanagendasettingfunction(McCombs&Shaw,1972)byhighlightingthepotentialforchildrenaccessingpornonmobilesandmakingitanissueforparents.
Accordingtothesamenewsitem,areportsubmittedtotheministerhadsuggestedthatinternetaccessviamobilephonesberestrictedtocustomersover18unlessminorshavepermissionfromparentsorguardians("AustralianGovernmentcensors,"2006).
Interestingly,undercurrentAus-tralianlaw,aminorcannotsignupforanaccountwithanInternetServiceProvider(ISP)butisabletoaccessWAP(WirelessAccessProtocol)internetserviceswithoutrestriction.
However,wirelessinternetservicesonmobilesareunlikelytobesubscribedtobytheaverageminorduetoitscurrentcostbutthiswasnotpointedoutinthenewsitem,whichisanexclusionofalternativediscoursesandframesfromthediscussion.
PluralistDiscourseonMobilePhonesOnthesubjectofadultmaterialonmobilephonesbeingaccessibletochildren,AndrewFunstonthinksthat"pornisamajordriverofsellingtheinternettotheworld.
Ican'tseewhyitcan'tbethecasewithmobilephones…andchildrencanfindthem(inappropriatecontent)solicited(bycontentcreators)orfoundthemselves.
(Thegovernment)regulationisnotlookingintoitmuchastheyaremoreconcernedaboutbuildingtelecommunicationsmarketsbecausethe(telecommuni-cations)companieshavealotofclout.
Thegovernmentdoesalottocensorwhatgoesoninafilmfestivalbutnotabout(other)mediacontent…"However,hethinksthat"mobilephoneswillbeawayyoungpeoplewillbeenticedintoanti-socialbehaviour"asseenwiththe'WerribeeKings'incidentofJune2006,wheretwoschoolboyscontacteda17year-oldgirl(withamilddevelopmentdelay)ontheinternet,arrangedtomeetherusingmobilephonesandagangof12MobilePhonesandChildren466boysthensexuallyandphysicallyassaultedherwhiletakingvideosusingmobilephonecameras.
ThefootagewasmadeintoaDVDandsoldfor$5andalsouploadedonYouTube("MelbourneteenageDVDcontroversy,"2006).
Andrewsawsuchteensas"callousandhatefulyoungmenwhohadnotbeenwellparentedorsupervised"andwho"hadthetechnologyinhandtomakewhattheydidevenworse"(A,Funston,personalcommunication,14thNovember,2006),evokingthepluralistview.
Presentinganalternativeframe,AndrewFunstonarguesthat"Thebiggerissueisnotwhetherthetechnologyisdangerous…butabouthowweeducateourselvesasacommunityonwaysofnotpatrollinginformationbutempoweringthemtogettheinformationtheywantandnotsufferin-formationtheydon'twant.
Sotheideaofhome-basedscreeningisimportantforfamiliestolearnhowtotalkamongthemselvesaboutwhatissuitableandthedamagedonetopeopleinthemak-ingofit(adultcontent).
Self-servingtechnology,educationsystemsandpublicinformationshouldbeavailable"(A,Funston,personalcommunication,14thNovember,2006).
Unfortunately,suchviewsandalternativeframesanddiscoursesdonotgetthemediaexposureenjoyedbypoli-ticians,lobbyists,Telcos,advertisersandjournalists.
RossMonaghanpointsoutthat"InAustralia,sexsells…inadvertisements,onthe(web)pageofmobilephonecompanies.
.
.
theveryfirstthingyouseeis'downloadthehotbabe'andit'sgoingtocostyoutwodollars.
.
.
Withapre-paidmobile,they(contentorserviceproviders)don'tknowifitisa11yearoldor60yearold(downloading)…(However),thegovernmentmakessurethereisnohardcorepornoutthere.
.
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Thecommercialsideofmobilephonesmeanspornavailablefreewillbelimited.
.
.
Theyhaverelationshipserviceslike'textingahotbabe'(chatlinessimilartothe1-900phonecalls).
Ifyoureadthefineprintthosetextmessagesare…expensive…3,4,5dol-larstosendtexts.
Sometimesthesemessagesmaybesentdailyandsomecangetcaughtoutbytheseservices"(R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication,29thNovember,2006).
Inotherwords,theremaybeadultsaswellasteenswhomayenduprackingupmobilephonebillsandfacingeconomichardshipinthefutureduetotheseservices,justaswiththeregularmobilephonefunc-tionsor1-900numbersforsexchatsonlandlinephones.
However,RossMonaghanalsothinksgivingamobilephonetoachildearlyinlifecouldteachavaluablelessonaboutmoney.
"…Sothereisn'tsomuchofanoveltyfactor…whentheyeventu-allygetone(oftheirown)…theyarenotgoingtogoberserkwithit.
…Justdon'tgivethemaphone…Sitdownwiththemandexplainthecosts,thedangers,thereasonswhytheyhavethephone"(AAP.
2006).
StrategiesofFramingFramingusesvariousstrategies(Dicken–Garcia,1998)suchasadjectives(describingwordssuchas'empowering');metaphorsorunderstandingonethingintermsofanother(Lakoff&Johnson,1980,p.
5)(suchasthemobilephoneasa'digitalleash'oftyingteenstotheirparentsforcontroloran'umbilicalcord'tyingparentstotheirchildrenproviding'sustenance',withbothpartiescontactableatalltimes);analogies(drawingsimilaritiesbetweentwothingssuchascomparingthechangesbroughtbydrivingacarandmobilephonesforteenagers,toexpresstheirfreedomandindependencefromadultsupervision(Levinson,2004).
Framescanalsouseeuphemisms-astrategyofusinganeutralor'fancy'termtocoverupanun-pleasantreality(Planalp,1998,p.
69)-suchasusing'childprotection'tohidethefactthatthepolicyinvolvessurveillanceandcontrolofteenagersandtheirmovementsusingGPS(GlobalPositioningSystems)andother'spyingproducts'(Spiked-debate,2006)ortheuseoftheterm'premiumservices'todownplaythefactthattheyareexpensiveandprovidedbysubscription;anddisphemisms–theoppositeofeuphemismswhereexaggeratedtermsareusedtomakesome-thingsoundmoreunpleasantthanitreallyis(Planalp,1998,p.
69)-suchasthoseadvocatingsur-Weerakkody467veillanceofmobilephonesarguingaboutthe'risks'of'childabuse'anditsdetractorsreferringtotheseargumentsas'manufacturedhysteria'(Spiked-debate,2006).
Thoseseekingmorecontrolsonmobilephonesbyparentsonchildren,arguethat'pedophiles'mayusethetechnologytolurechildren.
Theyinturnareaccusedofcreating'moralpanics'arguingthatpedophilesareunlikelytousemobilephoneswhicharemoreeasilytracedthantheinternet,oftenusedbypedophiles.
TheMainDiscoursesofMobilePhonesThemaindiscoursesaboutmobilephonesandchildren,commonlyencounteredtodayinAustra-liarelatetotheiractualorpotential'harms';'losses';'mobilephonestoday'withrespecttocon-nectivity,convergence,andinteractivity;andusingmobilephonesforsurveillanceandcontrolofteens.
Thefollowingisacriticalexaminationofthesediscourses.
Discoursesof'Harms'andtheMobilePhoneLevinson(2004)pointsoutthateachnewtechnologybecomesa'villain'whenfirstadoptedandremainssotillthenextonecomesalong,makingtheoldonelegitimate.
Hecitestheexampleofmovieviewingseenin1910as"destroyingthemoralbackboneofthefutureaschildrenspendtheirafternoons(atthecinema)",makingtheearliervillainofthe'bawdy'theatrealegitimatemedium(pp.
86-87).
Spiked-debate(2006)describesthe'harms'posedbymobilephonestochildrenasthe3Cs-Con-tact(bypedophiles),Content(illegalorharmfulmaterials)andCommercialism(riskofspendingtoomuchmoneyorbuyingunsuitablegoods).
OtherlessdebatedfearsinvolvehealthrisksduetoElectroMagneticRadiationorEMRfromhandsets.
Alongitudinalstudyof300childrenoveraperiodofthreeyearsisunderwayinMelbournetostudytheeffectsofEMReventhoughseveralearlierstudiesworldwidehaveindicatednoharm-eithertochildrenoradults(Allison,2004).
However,AndrewFunstonarguesthattheeffectsofsuchhealthhazardswilltakeupto30orsoyearstobeobservableorresearchfindingstobeconclusiveasseenwiththepoisoningofworkersinanasbestosfactoryinAustralia.
"Spermmotilityaffectedbymobilephones(keptintrouserpockets)…(mobiles)maycauseaparticularformofbraintumour…orcreatetemporarylossofintellectualcapacity…HoldingadevicewithEMRclosetoyourheadandgeneratingheat,plasticetc.
.
Somethingthatmighthavenegativeeffectsin30yearsmaynotaffectusadultstodaybuta10yearoldchildtodaywillbe,in30years"(A.
Funston,personalcommunication,14thNovem-ber2006).
Forthisreason,Andrewhasnotpurchasedamobilephoneforhis10year-oldson.
Eventhoughmobilephonesarenolongeran'exclusive'technologyandaffordabletothemajor-ityofthepopulation,its'statussymbol'functionstillappearstobeinexistence.
Manysuccessfulmenareknowntoplacetheirlatestmodelmobilesonthetableatmeetings,restaurants,orinbarstoimpressonlookers.
Today,theBlackBerry–anexpensivemobilephonewithalmostcomputer-likefunctionsisastatussymbolforprofessionalmen.
SomeHollywoodcelebritieshavespentuptoUS$80,000tobuyonesembeddedwithpreciousstones.
Eventeenskeepupdatingtheirmo-bilesandbuyexpensiveandunnecessaryaccessoriessuchascovers,ringtonesandwallpapertostandoutfromthecrowd.
Mobilephonedesignerscarryoutanthropologicalresearchusingfieldstudies,participantobser-vationanddepthinterviewswithpeoplefromdifferentculturestogaugetheirtastesandhabitsandunderstandculture-specifictastes,uses,practicesorfunctionsandthebasichumanmotiva-tionstodoso,inordertoexploiteventhepoorestperson'sneedto"showtherestoftheworldtheyhavearrived"bybuyingthebestpossiblemodel(Barker,2006,p.
2).
AndrewFunstonreferstothisphenomenonas"Capitalistorproductfetishes"(A.
Funston,personalcommunication,14thNovember,2006).
MobilePhonesandChildren468Discoursesof'Loss'andMobilePhonesSomeAustralianeducatorsandpoliticianslamentthattextmessagingisdestroyingchildren'swriting,andresultsintheirlosingtheirspellingandgrammarskills.
Thelimitednumberofchar-actersallowedinatextmessageandtheconvenienceandpracticalityofstickingtofewercharac-tersandwordshasgivenrisetoanewtextmessaging'shorthand'suchas'Satdy'(Saturday),'WOTEvrNXT'(whatevernext),'GTSY'(goodtoseeyou)andtheuseof'4'(for),ru(areyou)etc.
(Topsfield,2006).
Someteachershavewarnedstudentsnottousesuchspellingatexamina-tions.
Theycomplainthatmanystudentshavelosttheartofcursivewriting(runningscript)duetowordprocessingandmanyonlywriteinblocklettersandfailtolearnspelling,grammarandpunctuationscorrectlyduetotheavailabilityofspellchecksandgrammatik.
Theyfearthiscouldleadtofuturegenerationsfailingtowriteorreadhandwrittenscriptswrittenincursiveinhistori-caldocuments(Pressler,2006).
However,discoursesofchildrenlosingtheirwritingskillsduetoanewtechnologyarenotnew.
Whenthepencilwithaneraserattachedtoitwasintroduced,somearguedthatitwouldmakechildrenbecomecarelesswhenwriting(Marvin,1988)astheyknewtheycaneraseamistakeandre-writeit.
Whenballpointpenswereintroduced,childrenwerediscouragedandevenforbiddeninschoolstousethemontheargumentthattheymakeaperson'shandwriting'ugly'.
ThethenFederalMinisterofEducationinAustralia–JulieBishopalsocriticisedschoolcurriculathatin-cludedEnglishunitson'Textmessaging'wherestudentswereaskedtodiscussissuesassociatedwithtextmessagingandlearntotranslateandwriteSMStexts,asdistractingthemfromlearningcommunicationskillsrelatedtothejobmarketandfurthereducation(Topsfield,2006).
Iwouldarguethatlanguages,writingstylesandrulesaredynamic,cultureandtime-based,andadapttochangesinsocietyandthetechnologicalenvironmentandthereforeneedtobediscussedwithinthatcontext.
Mostoftenfillingformsbyhandrequiresusingblocklettersinsteadofcur-sive.
Sincethisgenerationisfarmoretechno-savvythanearlierones,theywilldevelopandneeddifferentskillsandliteraciestothoseoftheirparents.
Therefore,Iwouldarguethatadultstodayappeartobeattemptingtoprivilegeandimposetheirparadigmofliteracy,bysettingitupasthe'norm'orthe'ideal'forthenextgeneration.
Theyalsotendtoforgetthatourgenerationisalsodifferenttothatofourparentsandfacedthesamecriticisms,fearsanddiscoursesof'loss'duringourformativeyears,suchaswithballpointpens.
Asforhandwriting,oneshouldrememberthatourfirstformofwritingwashieroglyphicsandforexample,lettersoftheearlySinhalesescript(ofSriLanka)weresquareinshapeduetobeingwrittenonstonetablets.
Withtheintroductionof'Ola'ordriedpalmleavesasthemedium,theletterschangedtheirshapetoround,toavoidtearingtheOlaleafwhendrawingstraightlineswithasharpinstrumentwhichthesquareletterstendedtodo(Wickremage&Weerakkody,1986).
Asforfailingtoreadhistoricaldocuments,Iwouldarguethattheaffectedgenerationwouldprobablydevelopcomputersoftwareorothersystemtodecipherthem,ifitbecomesnec-essaryorcommerciallylucrativeoraswithreadinghistoricaldocumentssuchastheDeadSeaScrollsorthosewrittenindeadlanguagessuchasSanskritorLatin,thefieldwillbecometherealmofspecialists.
AndrewFunstonthinksthat"textmessagingisnotaboutcrunchingtheEnglishlanguagebutcreativelyaddingtothelanguage…Imaginationswillbetickledbytheenormouscreativeworkgainedintomaking(themessages)attractive.
Wewillbeconstantlyaskedtoshiftparadigmsinourthinking…Buttextmessagesaresoelliptical,sparseandopentomisunderstanding(duetotheabsenceofnon-verbalaspectsofcommunicationsuchaspitchandtoneandphaticcommuni-cationsuchassmalltalk)…Eventhoughitgivespowertoyoungpeopleandastrongspeakingposition…itcouldlosethemtheopportunitytotalkexpansively….
Theyneedthefullrangeof(language)ability,abalanceandarangeofskills"(A.
Funston,personalcommunication,14thWeerakkody469November2006).
Pressler(2006)seesthelossofhandwritingasacognitiveopportunitymissedastheneurologicalprocessthatdirectsthoughtthroughfingers,intowrittensymbolsishighlysophisticated(p.
18).
Iwouldarguethattypingandtextingalsoinvolvesuchaneurologicalproc-ess,eventhoughdifferenttohandwriting.
Atthesametime,todaymostifnotallsuccessfulcrea-tivewriterssuchasnovelists,wordprocesstheirmanuscriptsinsteadofhandwritingthem,ap-parentlywithno'loss'totheworldanddefinitelymoreconveniently.
Atthesametime,weshouldrememberthatthenewtechnologyofthetelegraphgaverisetothenew'writingstyle'oftheMorseCodewhilethetypewritegaveriseto'shorthand'.
Howeverthese'languages'weredevelopedbyadultprofessionalswhiletextmessagestylesweredevel-opedbythemainlyyoungerusersthemselvesanddiffusedthroughwidespreaduseandadoptionofitsownconventionsandfollowedbyallusers.
DiscoursesofParentalControlandChangesinPowerRelationsInthepastwhenusinglandlinephonesathome,itsusewasasiteofconflictandcontrolforpar-entsasgatekeepers(White,1950)overitsusebytheteenagechildrenastowhotheycommuni-catewith,forhowlongandwhen.
However,withmobiles,teensareabletocallanyone,anytime,anywheresincemobilephoneuse–especiallywithtexts,canbeveryprivate,whichtheyoftenpayfor.
Funston&Hughes(2006)foundthatmanychildrenundertheageof18fromsepa-ratedordivorcedfamiliesfounditusefulwhencontactingorstayingintouchwiththeirnon-residentparentswhentheparentsareinconflictortheyhavetoworryaboutthefeelingsoftheirresidentparentwhencontactingtheother.
Theseteenswillalsofindthattheycancircumventthegatekeepingofthelandlinephonebyoneparentortheirnewpartners,whencontactingtheother,andcandosoinprivatewithmobiles.
ThecurrentdivorcerateofAustraliaisat48%,similartootherwesternindustrialisedcountriesand1.
1millionchildrenunder18areestimatedtolivewithjustoneparentinseparatedfamilies,with85%ofthemlivingwiththeirmothers.
Mobilephoneshelpthesechildrentomaintaincontactwithfatherslivingtoofarawayorinconflictwiththemother(Funston&Hughes,2006).
ThephenomenonofmobilephoneserodingparentalpowerfitsinwithJoshuaMeyrowitz(1985),whotheorisedfortelevisionbutwhichcouldbeextendedtotheinternetandthemobilephone.
Hearguedthatelectronicmediahaveallowedchildren(aswellaswomenandfollowerswhoarelesspowerfulthanadults,menandleadersrespectively)toaccesshithertorestrictedinformation.
Forexample,kidscannowaccessadultinformationwithoutparental(orpowerholders')supervi-sion,interventionorknowledgeviathemediasuchastheInternet.
Thisisincontrasttothetimesbeforetheadventofmediatechnologies,whenparentsdecidedwhentomakeadultinformationavailabletochildren.
Assumingthatinformation(andtheabilitytocommunicate)ispower,hearguesthatthissituationreducesthepowerimbalancebetweenchildrenandadults(justasbe-tweenwomenandmenandleadersandfollowers)(Meyrowitz,1985).
However,aswithanypowerstruggle,thissituationisa'tug-o-war'forthepartiesconcerned-inthiscase,parentsandteens.
TheTug-o-WarforControlOneoftheissuesrelatedtomobilephoneuseinAustraliaisitspotentialuseinthesurveillanceofusers.
GlobalPositioningSystems(GPS)installedinmobilephonesarepromisingparentstoknowthelocationsoftheirkidsatalltimes(Handsleyetal.
,2004).
However,thesameauthorsarguethatitprovidespedophilesandbulliesthelocationofthekid,outweighingitsbenefits.
Theyalsodiscusstheuseoffilteringcontrolsfor'inappropriate'mobilephonecontentsimilartothoseusedontheInternet.
However,theefficacyofsuchsoftwareisdoubtfulconsideringthefailureofspamcontrolsoftwareusedforemailsorfiltersforinternetcontent.
MobilePhonesandChildren470AccordinglyJohnCarr–ChairmanofUK'sChildren'sCharitiesCoalition,"Inthesocalled'childprotection'market,manyspyingproductsarebeingheavilypromoted"(citedinSpiked-debate,2006).
AndrewFunstonseessurveillancetechnologiesasunnecessaryandaruseforcompaniestosellanotherproduct(A.
Funston,personalcommunication,14thNovember2006).
FrankFuredi,authorofParanoidparentingdescribesthedilemmafacedwithmobilephonesas"youngpeople'saspirationstoindependenceruncountertoparents'strategiesofsafetyandcon-trol"(citedinSpiked-debate,2006).
Levinson(2004)describesthetelephoneandtheteenagerasa'technologicalfable'whereadevicelongsoughtafter,whichoncepossessedhadquitethere-verseofthebenefitsexpected(p.
85).
Eventhoughteenstodaycanowntheirmobilesandpayforthemandbe'free'ofparentalcontroltouseit,theyareexpectedtohavethemobilephone'switchedon'atalltimestobecontactablebyparentsandcannolonger'walkaway'(frompar-ents).
Havingthephoneswitchedoffornotansweringthephone(whentheycanseewhoiscall-ing)hasnowbecomeapointofconflictforparentsandteens.
Inotherwords,themobilephonehasreversedthetrendofnewmediaempoweringandemancipatingteenagersbyextendingthe'sinewsoffamily'creatinga'mobilehearth'(andhome)withcontinuousfamilialinformation-sharingmakingteensmoreaccountabletoparentsabouttheirwhereabouts(p.
89).
Levinson(2004)seesthemobilephoneas"anexcellentassistantonbothsidesofthetransformationalprocess-thelittlechildbeforeandtheadultafter-justnotthemiddle,atthepointoftransforma-tion,theteenageturningpoint"(p.
90).
Telstra'sTicTalkplanisofferinga2Gmobilephoneaimedatkidsbetweentheagesof6and13yearsofage,whichcanbeprogrammedbyparentsbygoingonitswebsitetoallowthechildtoreceivefromanddialonlycertainnumbers,haveitonlysetupforcertaintextmessages,games,orringtonesandhasanorganiserfortheiractivities,givingparentsasenseofcontrolandchildsafetyfrom"inappropriatecontentandcontact"(Stratel,2006).
IseethissituationasamarketingploybyTelstratoselloffequipmentfromanoutdated(2G)rangeas3Ghasalreadybeenestab-lishedinthemarket.
RossMonaghanpointsoutthatthesecontrolscanbesetuponanymobilephonebyparentsofyoungerchildreniftheywishtoandtheprocedureisdetailedintheusermanuals(R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication,November29th2006).
Inotherwords,manydiscoursesappeartobepresentedbythemobileandancillaryindustriestowidenandcreatetheirmarkets.
However,Optus,thesecondlargesttelecommunicationcompanyinAustralia"doesnothaveanymobileproductsspecificallytotargetchildrenyoungerthan16years"(AAP,2006).
DiscoursesofConvergence,InteractivityandConnectivityMobilephonesareexcellentexamplesofconvergence,interactivityandconnectivityprovidedbynewcommunicationmediathatcanbindtimeandspace.
Convergencerefersto'comingtogether'ofpreviouslyseparatetechnologies,industriesandfunctionsinthesameequipment.
Interactivityistheabilityofcustomersorendusersofmobilephonestochoosethetimingandlocationtosendorreceivemessagesaswellastocreateandchoosethecontenttheysendandreceive(Weerakkody,2007b).
Thesmallscreenofthemobilephoneconnectedtoastillandvideocamerahasthecapacitytosendandreceivemessagescom-biningvoice,textandmultimedia,emails,faxes;surftheinternet,receiveaudioandvideocontentfromserviceproviderssuchasmusic,PayTV,andfree-toairTV;useitasanalarm/clock,per-sonaltelephonedirectory,notepad,answeringmachine,videogameconsole,voteforarealityTVcontestants;donatemoneytoacharity(asseenduringtheTsunamiAppealafterDec.
2004)orbuyitemssuchassoftdrinksfromavendingmachine,usingtheirmobilephonecredits/ac-countetc.
InthecaseoftheBlackBerry,thefunctionsofacomputerarealsoincludedwithaQwertykeyboardandanoperatingsystemtorunbusinessapplications.
TheseindicateexamplesofconvergenceandinteractivityWeerakkody471Thisconvergenceandespeciallytheirinteractivitymakemobilephonesdifferenttoothercon-temporarytechnologiessuchasTV,PayTVandtheInternetandmoreproblematicorofconcerntoparents,astheothersaremoreone-wayandnon-interactivetechnologies(Levinson,2004;88).
Themobilephone'smultimediafunctions(orconvergence)suchascamerasleadtoprivacyabuse,criminalandanti-socialactivitywiththeyoungmorelikelytobethevictimsaswellasperpetrators(Funston&Hughes,2006,p.
78).
Duetothisconvergenceandinteractivity,Thomas(2006;p.
1)callsmobilephonesaseverydaymobile'devices'ratherthan'phones'andseesthemasculturalartefacts,adoptedaswellasadaptedbytheirusers.
TheDigital'Leash/UmbilicalCord'Connectivityofthemobilephonehasproducedinterestingeffectsonbothteensandtheirpar-ents,withitbecomingadoubleedgedsword.
Itservesasan'electronicordigitalleash'forteens,expectedtobecontactablebytheirparentsatalltimeswhowanttoknowwheretheyareandiftheyaresafe.
Atthesametime,mobileshavebecomean'umbilicalcord'linkingkidstoparents,whichparentsseemunableto'castoff',eveniftheywishedto.
Recently,aseniorprofessionalwomanchairinganimportantmeetingexcusedherselftoanswerhermobilearoundmid-daysay-ing"Sorry,Ihavetotakethiscall.
Itismy13year-olddaughterandthisisherumbilicalcord".
Inotherwords,amotherorfathercannotexpecttobeleftaloneatwork,astheirchildrencannowcallthemanytimetoaskforlifts,"Whatisfordinner",orsay"Iforgottotakethehousekey(andcan'tgetin),socanyoucomehomeplease"whenaparentisworkinglate,restrictingtheirfreedom.
(VeryfewAustralianhomeshavehouseholdhelpersandmanyfamilieshavetwoworkingparentsoraresingle-parenthouseholds,withnootheradultssuchasgrandparentslivingwiththem.
)'Luke',afatheroftwosonsaged18and20livingathome,summeduphissituationasbeingun-abletogooutonweekendsbecausehehastobe'oncall'incaseoneofthemneededalifthomeafteraneveningoutinthetown.
Lukeoftendropsoffhissonsandtheirfriendsintownfortheiroutingsaswell.
Duetotheabsenceofpublictransportduringlatehoursandthehighcostoftaxistocomehomeinthesuburbsfromthecitycentre,thesonsneedtransportastheycannotdriveafterconsumingalcoholeveniftheyhavetheirownvehicles.
Australiancultureisalsosuchthatyoungpeoplegoingoutontheirownonweekendsandconsumingalcoholinsocialsettingsisquitecommonandacceptable.
Lukedescribeshimselfas"workingforthefirebrigade"waitingto'run'whenthecallcomes.
Australianteensandyouthtodaylabelled'EchoBoomers','GenerationY'orthe'MillenniumGeneration'(bornbetween1982and1995)(Reikert,2006;6)remainhomemuchlongerthanearliergenerationsduetogoingforhighereducation,thereafterrepayingstudentloans,andtherisingcostofhomeownershipinthelastdecadelimitingtheirabilitytobuytheirownhomes.
Someremainhomewiththeirdoting'BabyBoomer'parentstosavethedownpaymentonahouse.
SoLukeandotherslikehimcanexpecttolivewiththis'umbilicalcord'intactforafewmoreyears.
Inotherwords,themobilethatwassupposedtokeepchildrenandteens'freer'and'safer'whenoutofthehome,hadtransferredpartofthatresponsibilityontotheparentsformuchlongerthanbeforeinacontradictionofthemobilephone.
Atthesametime,thisisnotasurpriseascontradictionsarethehallmarkofthepostmodernsocietyweliveintoday.
ConclusionThemobilephoneinegalitarianAustraliansocietyhaswellestablisheditselfasatechnologywhichhasbridgedthesocialdivideintermsofage,gender,education,andsocio-economicclass,justaselsewhere(Geser,2004).
However,mobilephoneaccessintermsoftheinfrastructurecanstillbeunequalbetweenmetropolitanandruralareasandamongtheverypoorandothers,thelatteronlyabletouseitforessentialtelephonefunctions(A.
Funston,personalcommunication,MobilePhonesandChildren47214November,2006).
Thehigherendmodelsofmobilephonesandtheirexpensiveandspecial-isedfunctionssuchastheBlackBerry,alsofavourthosewhoaremoreaffluentandstillserveasastatussymbol.
Thefuturemobilephonescanbeexpectedtobecomefurtherminiaturised,convergedandinterac-tivewitheachnewdevelopmentandmodel.
Forexample,theiPhonefromAppleannouncedinJanuary2007willfurtherincreaseconvergenceasitcombinestheiPod,themobilephoneandtheInternet.
ItwasintroducedtotheUSmarketinJune2007andwillbereleasedinAustraliaandAsiain2008(Miller,2007).
RossMonaghanseesmobilephonesbeingusedbyyoungpeopletoaccessyouthsocialnetworkssuchasMySpaceintheforeseeablefuture.
Hedoesnotseethesmallscreenassuitableforview-ingfulllengthmovies(R.
Monaghan,personalcommunication,29thNovember,2006;Weerak-kody,2007b).
Mobilephoneshavealreadyovertakenlandlinephonesinnumbersandmaymakethelatterobsoletejustasmobilesaregraduallymakingpublicphoneslittleusedandcostineffec-tivetomaintain.
Hybridphonesthatcanservebothmobileandlandlinefunctionshavebeeninthemarketforawhile.
Mobilephonesarealsoincreasinglyusedbyeducationalinstitutionstosendmessagessuchasexaminationresultstostudents,acknowledgingtheirpopularitywithyoungpeople.
Barker(2006)seesthefuturemobilesdevelopingculture-specificfunctionstosuitvariouslocalconditionsandintroductionofflexiblecomponentssuchas'electronicpaper'.
Atthesametime,asHamelink(1988)explained,wehaveyettoseeallwhatthemobilephonecandoandwhatpeoplewilldowithit.
FutureDirectionsforResearchJustasGoggin(2006),whotracedthehistoryofmobilephonesinAustralia,theauthortoofounditdifficulttolocateup-to-dateofficialdataandstatisticsforthetechnology,partlybecausetheychangesorapidly.
Scholarlyresearchonmobilephoneswerealsofew.
ThesubjectofAustraliantelecommunications,appeartobemostoftenresearchedintermsofpolicy(Goggin&Newell,2000;Langtry,1998)andmobilephonesandrelationships(Funston&Hughes,2006;Horstman-shof&Power,2005).
Theauthoralsofoundthattelecommunicationscompaniescarryoutre-searchonissuesofinteresttothemandorganisationssuchasACMAwerecommissioningre-searchthatexaminemediause("Mediaandsocietyresearchprojectinitiated,"2006)andothersubjectswithintheframesofreferenceoftheirorganisations,ratherthanthoseofsociologicalandeconomicimpacttotheAustralianpopulace.
TheauthorseestheneedtoexaminetheissueofmobilephonebillsofteensandrelatedmattersasafollowuptoFunston&McNeill(1999),tocomparethesituationbetweenthenandnowandtocarryoutacomprehensivequantitativeandqualitative(textual)contentanalysisofmediacoverageofissuesrelatedtomobilephonesandchildreninAustraliafromthecriticaltheoryperspective(Crotty,1998),withrespecttotheirdis-coursesandframingtoexaminewhichdiscoursesdominateandwhoseinterestsmaybeservedintheprocess.
TheauthoralsoseestheneedtoexaminethepotentialandactualacademicorformaleducationalusesofmobilephonesandchildreninAustraliausingcasestudies–especiallyfordistanceeduca-tioncurrentlycarriedoutwithInternetrelatedtechnologiessuchasWebCTorBlackboard,whichlinkgeographicallydispersedindividualandgroupsofstudentstoworkincollaborationwitheachother.
Anotherpossibleareaforfuturestudywouldbetheindepthexaminationofactualandpossibleparentalcontrolwithregardtomobilephonecommunicationinvolvingchildrenandteens.
Weerakkody473Acknowledgements:TheauthorwishestothankRossMonaghan(DeakinUniversity)andAndrewFunston(VictoriaUniversity)fortheircooperationandusefulinsightsprovidedwhenresearchingthistopicandMsJoGullioftheCorporateCitizenshipResearchUnit(CCRU)atDeakinUniversityforthevalu-ableresearchassistanceprovided.
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BiographyNiranjalaWeerakkody(PhD,RutgersU,NJ)isaSeniorLecturerinMediaandCommunicationatDeakinUniversity.
Herotherresearchinterestsontheadoptionanddiffusionofnewcommunicationtech-nologiesincludedigitalTV(Australia&USA),biometricdevices(Australia,MalaysiaandtheUSA),andwebcasting(Australia).
Shecurrentlyteachesqualitativeandquantitativeresearchmethods,mediaeffectsandorganisationalcommunicationatbothundergraduateandpostgraduatelevels.