Back to Home Page
Mobile phones are no longer used purely for phone calls. They have now taken on a convergent form, where the user can access the Internet, listen to the radio, download polyphonic ringtones, text message other mobile phones using SMS, take photos and send emails all from their mobile handset. One group in particular that has heavily adopted this technology is youth. This new media technology has spread rapidly and has created a whole new youth culture, particularly in urban centres (Webb, 2004 pg 1).
Mobile phones have taken off quickly. In 2004 The Economist reported that 600million mobile units are sold each year. Young people in particular are a lucrative market for the mobile-telecommunications industry and account for a large percentage of their profits. In the U.S alone more than half of all teenagers own or use a mobile phone. It has been estimated that 76 percent of teenagers in the U.S will own one by 2006 (Vol. 372, no 8394 pg 15).
This new media technology is an important tool for social interaction among youths. Mobile phones have become more than a technology, they have become a trend, and a means for youth to form and express to other youth’s their identity. Young people can now change the cover of their phone, customise the screens colour and picture, and can choose their own ringtone. Consequently when bringing out one’s mobile phone, their social status is also on display (Vol. 371, no 8373 pg 13).
The quick adoption of the mobile phone has presented several concerns, particularly for parents, who are usually responsible for the monthly bill. Furthermore with the introduction of camera phones, privacy and intellectual property issues have arisen (Webb, 2004 pg 1). Another primary concerned raised by parents and academics is that mobile phones are encouraging youths to communicate through technology rather than face-to-face. While some argue that this is now the ways of communication, as we are no longer restricted by distance, others believe this is restricting youth’s opportunity to learn accepted social norms and practices.
Because young people have adopted mobile phones so quickly marketers worry that the market will soon reach a point of saturation. Consequently youths are the subject of heavy marketing in order to keep them consuming the product. To do this however, mobile phone companies have to keep up with the technology as a normal mobile phone is no longer desired by adolescents. To keep them interested they must have the latest interactive features. Telecommunications industries are currently looking into fixed mobile phone convergence, which involves using a fixed line to make phone calls from home on your mobile for the same cost. It is hoped that this along with extending mobile coverage will result in the youth market continuing to provide the industry with a large profit (Vol. 372, no 8394 pg 15).
Click here for full reference list
Adele Graves 09:19, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
