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Mobiles everywhere

Youth, the mobile phone, and changes in everyday practice

Eva Thulin, PhD, is a post-doctoral researcher in Human Geography at Göteborg University, Sweden. Her research interests primarily concern the role of virtual mobility (use of computers, the Internet, mobile phones) in young people's daily lives, especially focusing on aspects of time and place, patterns of social communication, travel and media use. Address: Box 630, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. [email: Eva.Thulin{at}geography.gu.se]

Bertil Vilhelmson

Bertil Vilhelmson is Professor in Human Geography at Göteborg University, Sweden. His research interests are in the fields of personal mobility (virtual communication and physical transportation), human activity patterns in time and space, and environmental geography. He is the director of the Spatial Mobility Research Group at the department. Address: Box 630, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden. [email: Bertil.Vilhelmson{at}geography.gu.se]

This article explores how young people's everyday patterns of social communication are affected by the increased use of mobile phones. We discuss three areas in which there are potential implications: (i) contact patterns and face-to-face interaction; (ii) other forms of spatial mobility; and (iii) individual planning and use of time. Empirically, we focus on change and rely on a two-wave panel study of 40 young persons living in Göteborg, Sweden. Data were collected through time-use diaries and in-depth interviews. The results show that young people's total interactions with their social environment increase as the mobile promotes a flexible lifestyle of instant exchange and constant updates. Thresholds — regarding space, time and content — for communicative action are reduced. A more impulsive practice of decision-making evolves and people become more careless about time-keeping. With the reduction in the constraints of time and space, the instant access of the mobile becomes difficult to refuse, and perceived dependency on mobiles increases.

Key Words: everyday life • mobile phone • young people • social communication • use of time • contacts • information communication technologies • Sweden

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