With staggering swiftness, the mobile phone has become a fixture ofdaily life in almost every society on earth. In 2007, the world hadover 3 billion mobile subscriptions. Prosperous nations boast ofhaving more subscriptions than people. In the developing world,hundreds of millions of people who could never afford a landlinetelephone now have a mobile number of their own. With a mobile inour hand many of us feel safer, more productive, and more connectedto loved ones, but perhaps also more distracted and less involvedwith things happening immediately around us.
Written by two leading researchers in the field, this volumepresents an overview of the mobile telephone as a social andcultural phenomenon. Research is summarized and made accessiblethough detailed descriptions of ten mobile users from around theworld. These illustrate popular debates, as well as deeper socialforces at work. The book concludes by considering three themes: 1)the tighter interlacing of daily activities 2) a revolution ofcontrol in the social sphere, and 3) the arrival of a world wherethe majority of its inhabitants are reachable, anytime,anywhere.