How and Why People are Using Mobile Phones for Gossip

The Social Issues Research Centre in Oxford has come up with a report into mobile phones, gossiping and their role in society which suggests that cellphones provide the new garden fence and can be good for morale.

The report 'Evolution, Alienation and Gossip:
The role of mobile telecommunications in the 21st century' by Kate Fox, examines the use of mobile phones and debunks some prevalent myths.

'In the fast-paced modern world, we had become severely restricted in both the quantity and quality of communication with our social network,' says the report. 'Mobile gossip restores our sense of connection and community, and provides an antidote to the pressures and alienation of modern life.' It describes mobiles as a 'social lifeline' in a fragmented and isolating world, citing Robin Dunbar's work on the valuable role of gossip as an evolutionary stand-in for grooming as social networks grew too large to maintain by actual touch.

The study also suggests that, contrary to belief, men gossip quite as much as women, only to different groups of friends, with men more likely to gossip with work colleagues, partners and female friends, while women talk more frequently with same-sex friends and family.

The mobile is also used as a 'symbolic bodyguard' by women when feeling vulnerable in public places - in the way that they used to use a newspaper of magazine as a barrier signal.

The report also looks at texting, saying it 're-creates the brief, frequent, spontaneous connections with members of our social network that characterised the small communities of pre-industrial times' and is often used as a 'trailer' for a longer conversation around a subject.

Teenagers use of mobiles also gets a section.

Associated Link: Evolution, Alienation and Gossip

Why 'The 10 Commandments of Web Design' are Complete Baloney
Source: SitePoint, 5 July 2008
 
Further to our earlier discussion...

Local Council Websites: Good, but no Cigar
Source: Webcredible, 4 July 2008
 
The 'Local Council Websites: Good, But No Cigar' report evaluates the top 20 Socitm council websites against 20 best practice usability guidelines.

Why does the OK Button say OK?
Source: Gerry McGovern, 3 July 2008
 
Most times I come across the OK button, something not-OK has happened.

The 10 Commandments of Web Design
Source: Business Week, 2 July 2008
 
To try and make sense of it all, BusinessWeek.com canvassed a broad range of Internet luminaries to discover the design rules they live by right now.

Bill Gates' email rant at the Usability Team
Source: Crunch Gear, 1 July 2008
 
The Seattle P-I has tracked down an old e-mail from 2003 that Bill Gates sent out to members of the Windows Usability team.

Can a better User Experience also be a Greener Experience?
Source: Catalyst Resources, 30 June 2008
 
By improving the user experience of its web collaboration software, Catalyst made it easier for clients to work in productive teams without travelling the globe.

The Spread of Telepresence Technology
Source: Tech News World, 28 June 2008
 
Rising energy costs and green concerns are fuelling a huge increase in demand for videoconferencing, collaborative software and virtual telepresence technology.

UK Usability market worth more than £200 million by end of 2008
Source: eConsultancy, 27 June 2008
 
The UK Usability market will grow by an estimated 20% in 2008 to a value of £214 million, according to research published this week by e-consultancy.

Research suggests growing importance of Usability to UK Businesses
Source: Business Strata, 26 June 2008
 
Integrated software for lead generation and marketing is valuable, but only as long as it's usable.

Web 2.0: Too Smart by a Half?
Source: Computer Technology Review, 25 June 2008
 
Will the Web 2.0 generation’s epitaph be, “They died with their options open?”