Social Resilience in Action

Author(s):  
Adriana Braga ◽  
Robert K. Logan

Recent statistics about the mobile phone market in Brazil state that for every 100 inhabitants there are 130 mobile phones. Despite the euphoria that those numbers bring to business, the social uses of mobile technology in Brazil tells a lot about Brazilian society and culture itself, and show a more complex picture than merely a marketing phenomenon. The authors examine subversive cell phone use in Brazil against the background of the cell phone use worldwide and the social implications of that cell phone use. As soon as a technology is implemented in a culture, it is possible to observe uses that were not intended by the inventors or producers of that technology. People create different strategies to take advantage of the new resource. Using social interaction theories and an ethnographic approach in the natural setting of cell phone use in Brazil, the authors observed how people use the mobile phone technology for interpersonal communication. This chapter addresses three subversive uses of mobile technology, namely, i.) strategies of mobile phone coding; ii) SIM card management; and iii) criminal uses of mobile phones.

Author(s):  
Renatus Mushi ◽  
Said Jafari

Voluntariness in technology adoption and use is vital in promoting technology diffusion and use in organisations. Various technology adoption models have been proposed to explain the adoption of technologies in different settings, such as organizational and individual, as well as in the voluntary and mandatory contexts. Recently, uptake of mobile phones in achieving organisational targets has been increased in developing countries and Tanzania in particular. This is due to the notable improvements in both hardware performance and sophistications. In organisation context, not all users are willing to use technology as required. In such circumstances, they are mandated to use it in order to fulfil their working duties. This leads to poor uptake of technology and results to unclear understanding regarding to their attitudes towards using it. While some studies have discussed the impact of voluntariness in using traditional desktop computer systems and thin client computing, mobile phone technology has not received the deserved attention. Discussing voluntariness in using mobile phone technology in organisations in relation to other technologies is essential especially due to its usage in both working and private purposes. This paper describes the voluntary aspects of using mobile phones in performing activities of the firms in Tanzania and compares it with desktop and thin client technologies. Also, it proposes possible ways of handling such situation in order to improve its use. Among others, the paper has analysed mandotoriness on usage of mobile technology. Further, it highlights key areas which should be addressed in order to improve the usage of mobiletechnology in organisations and eventually cover the gap caused by such mandatory situations.


Author(s):  
C. El Morr

The adoption of mobile phone technology on a large scale in today’s societies turned mobile phones into a universal tool. Phone companies are deploying 3G mobile technology and planning for 4G; nevertheless, the “killer” applications are yet to be developed. Meanwhile, mobile virtual communities (MVCs) are emerging, and their applications are diverse: they range from education, to entertainment and lifestyle. Our vision is that mobile virtual communities will be a major trend and could create a momentum for 3G and 4G mobile phone applications. In this article we analyze the different types of mobile virtual communities, and we draw some research perspectives and applications.


Author(s):  
Fateme Arbabi Kalati ◽  
Tahereh Nosratzehi

Abstract Mobile phones have been increasingly used in the past decade and have become a cultural instrument. There is a great concern over the harmful effects of electromagnetic and radiofrequency waves as well as microwaves generated by mobile phones and their telecommunication stations on health. The saliva plays an important role in preserving oral homeostasis as the first defensive line against the microbial invasion which protects oral mucosa mechanically and immunologically. A search was run in Pub med, Goggle Scholar, Medline, and Web of Science databases using the following keywords: cell phone, mobile phone, antioxidant profile, saliva, oxidative stress, interleukin, and inflammation. Sixty-five published articles were identified. Studies on the use of cell phones as educational aids, the use of immune histochemistry on salivary glands, or the evaluation of saliva in individuals with specific conditions, such as the use of orthodontic brackets, were excluded. In addition, duplicate articles are eliminated, and finally, 14 articles were included in the present study. Nowadays mobile phone is very popular, causing concern about the effect it has on people’s health. Parotid salivary glands are in close contact with a cell phone while talking with the phone and the possibility of being affected by them; so this study was designed to investigate the effect of cell phone use on salivary components.


Author(s):  
Emma Bond

This study explores children's perceptions of risk and mobile phones in their everyday lives. Technological developments associated with capitalist society are entwined with the risk discourse, but little account has previously been taken of children's views in social analyses of risk. Based on the accounts of thirty young people in the UK aged between 11 – 17 this study adopts a social constructivist perspective to offer a theoretical framework which explores how children themselves actually use mobile phone technologies and understand and manage risk in their everyday lives.Implications of risk and mobile phones are reflected in current media discourse and contemporary public discussions. This research explores the relationship between young people's use of mobile phone technology and the wider theoretical debates about risk, technology and subjectivity. It provides insight into the social aspects of risk and mobile phones in contemporary childhoods.The children in the research were reflexive in their understanding of risk and mobile phones and actively managed risk through their mobile phone use. Their accounts highlight the complex, multifarious relationships of the heterogeneous networks of the technical, the social and the natural that constitute children's everyday lives.


2008 ◽  
pp. 1539-1543
Author(s):  
Christo El Morr

The adoption of mobile phone technology on a large scale in today’s societies turned mobile phones into a universal tool. Phone companies are deploying 3G mobile technology and planning for 4G; nevertheless, the “killer” applications are yet to be developed. Meanwhile, mobile virtual communities (MVCs) are emerging, and their applications are diverse: they range from education, to entertainment and lifestyle. Our vision is that mobile virtual communities will be a major trend and could create a momentum for 3G and 4G mobile phone applications. In this article we analyze the different types of mobile virtual communities, and we draw some research perspectives and applications.


Author(s):  
Renatus Mushi ◽  
Said Jafari ◽  
Almar Ennis

Mobile technology has experienced a huge acceptance by many users in the current generation. This is due to the benefits offered through its use by individuals and organisations. Similarly, technology adoption studies have widely been used to uncover factors which determine their adoption in different contexts. Some of the scenarios in technology adoption differ due to the specific technology which is under study. For instance, mobile phone technology differs from other computing technologies in several aspects due to its nature i.e. mobility. These differences come along with some different insights concerning the adoption of mobile phones in a particular context. Highlighting important issues on studying the adoption of mobile technology is necessary, especially in developing countries where SMEs are engaging in the usage of mobile phones to accomplish business processes. Thus, this paper provides set of metrics for measuring adoption of mobile phone technology in SMEs. This qualitative study uses a combination of critical literature reviews and interviews conducted by involving key stakeholders of SMEs in Tanzania. This paper shows that among the existing metrics which are used in measuring adoption of other computing technologies, only value creation metric has more realistic grounds to explain the extent of mobile phones adoption in the context of SMEs.


Author(s):  
Renatus Mushi ◽  
Said Jafari ◽  
Almar Ennis

Mobile technology has experienced a huge acceptance by many users in the current generation. This is due to the benefits offered through its use by individuals and organisations. Similarly, technology adoption studies have widely been used to uncover factors which determine their adoption in different contexts. Some of the scenarios in technology adoption differ due to the specific technology which is under study. For instance, mobile phone technology differs from other computing technologies in several aspects due to its nature i.e. mobility. These differences come along with some different insights concerning the adoption of mobile phones in a particular context. Highlighting important issues on studying the adoption of mobile technology is necessary, especially in developing countries where SMEs are engaging in the usage of mobile phones to accomplish business processes. Thus, this paper provides set of metrics for measuring adoption of mobile phone technology in SMEs. This qualitative study uses a combination of critical literature reviews and interviews conducted by involving key stakeholders of SMEs in Tanzania. This paper shows that among the existing metrics which are used in measuring adoption of other computing technologies, only value creation metric has more realistic grounds to explain the extent of mobile phones adoption in the context of SMEs.


Author(s):  
Renatus Mushi ◽  
Said Jafari

Voluntariness in technology adoption and use is vital in promoting technology diffusion and use in organisations. Various technology adoption models have been proposed to explain the adoption of technologies in different settings, such as organizational and individual, as well as in the voluntary and mandatory contexts. Recently, uptake of mobile phones in achieving organisational targets has been increased in developing countries and Tanzania in particular. This is due to the notable improvements in both hardware performance and sophistications. In organisation context, not all users are willing to use technology as required. In such circumstances, they are mandated to use it in order to fulfil their working duties. This leads to poor uptake of technology and results to unclear understanding regarding to their attitudes towards using it. While some studies have discussed the impact of voluntariness in using traditional desktop computer systems and thin client computing, mobile phone technology has not received the deserved attention. Discussing voluntariness in using mobile phone technology in organisations in relation to other technologies is essential especially due to its usage in both working and private purposes. This paper describes the voluntary aspects of using mobile phones in performing activities of the firms in Tanzania and compares it with desktop and thin client technologies. Also, it proposes possible ways of handling such situation in order to improve its use. Among others, the paper has analysed mandotoriness on usage of mobile technology. Further, it highlights key areas which should be addressed in order to improve the usage of mobiletechnology in organisations and eventually cover the gap caused by such mandatory situations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 248
Author(s):  
Elida Usni ◽  
Harmona Daulay ◽  
Ria Manurung ◽  
Rizabuana Ismail ◽  
Henry Sitorus

Mobile phones for teenagers turn out to be used more than just a means of ordinary communication, cell phone use in teenagers' daily lives related to lifestyle. The purpose of this study is to find out cell phone use for teenagers. This method was chosen because the issue that was explored was a matter of meaning. Data collection techniques used included observation and interviews. Mobile phones are used as an image of the lifestyle of teenagers buying a mobile phone that is trending with the main reason to look slang, have confidence in front of their friends, and show who they are to others. Mobile phones are very important items in the lives of teenagers. Innovations that are presented in the features available on mobile phones make teenagers increasingly unable to escape from this one object. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that cell phone phones are important in teenager’s life; mobile phones are a side of modern life, cell phones as a lifestyle obtained in cell phones when used.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose De-Sola ◽  
Gabriel Rubio ◽  
Hernan Talledo ◽  
Carmen Jaudenes ◽  
Andrea DÁgostino ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Problem phone use is a growing concern in most societies, being associated to social and health problems in a similar way to other behavioral addictions. However, both, its prevalence and its nature as a behavioral disorder are not well described nor understood. More over it is not universally recognized yet as a clinical entity that deserves health-oriented interventions. OBJECTIVE In this study, both, an evaluation of cell phone craving and problematic cell phone use among the Spanish population was carried out. Our initial hypothesis is that both problematic cell phone use and cravings have increased in the last 5 years. METHODS Methods We used our adaptation of the original Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS) as well as the Mobile Phone Addiction Craving Scale (MPACS) A total of 1,612 online interviews were conducted in 17 autonomous communities in the Spanish territory, with a global and specific analysis by gender, age, profession, education level and population center size. RESULTS The results indicate that the prevalence of problematic cell phone use in Spain is currently 4.8%, with 14.8% of users who abuse and are at risk of dependence and lack of control. In total, 19.6% of the population currently has mobile device use issues. These results do not differ significantly from those obtained in our previous investigation; in contrast, the level of craving increased significant. Both in the prevalence of problematic cell phone use and in craving, the highest incidence is observed for people between 16 and 35 years old, students, and users without education or basic education and in urban centers. There are no differences between genders. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, the present study confirms that prevalence of problem phone use remained high in the Spanish Population, despite the rising concerns around its unhealthy consequences. In addition, we confirmed an increase in cell phone craving scores, indicating that technological dependence and need is increasing every day. CLINICALTRIAL The present study is not an intervention study so no Trial Registration was requested


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