Blurring Livelihoods and Lives: The Social Uses of Mobile Phones and Socioeconomic Development

Abstract

Consider your own mobile phone use over the last 24 hours. Recall the family photos you might have set to appear as caller ID, the ringtone you have chosen, and the bookmarks or applets you may use to check everything from sports scores to movie times. But mainly, just think of the basic flow of incoming and outgoing calls; chances are, you may have used your handset to call a colleague one moment and your mother the next. Even if you haven't made any calls today, your phone is probably on, waiting patiently to connect you to the office, to students, to friends, or to family.