Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement - Revision history

Caseorganic at 12:58, 25 August 2026

2026-08-25T12:58:18Z

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	===~~=Abstract=~~===		===Author===
			Amber Case. Written as an undergraduate thesis in sociology and anthropology at Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon, completed in 2007–2008. Case went on to found CyborgCamp, to write ''An Illustrated Dictionary of Cyborg Anthropology'' (2014) and ''Calm Technology'' (2015), and to establish this site.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Case Amber Case], biography. The thesis is also archived under the variant title "The Cell Phone and Its Technosocial Sites of Engagement."</ref>

	~~This paper provides examination~~ of the ~~effects of widespread [[~~mobile ~~technologies\|mobile telephony]] on the social and spatial relations of individuals~~ in the ~~postmodern state. This is the realm~~ of ~~[[Cyborg Anthropology\|cyborg anthropology]], which, according to co-developer [[Donna Haraway]], “explores~~ the ~~production of humanness through machines” ([[The Cyborg Handbook\|Gray]] 1993:342).~~		===Description===
	~~The widespread adoption of the cell phone has morphed five aspects~~ that ~~[[Zygmunt Bauman]] (2000) considered to be~~ the ~~basis of share human life: emancipation, individuality, [[Time and Space\|time/space]], community, and [[work]]~~.		The thesis is a study of the mobile phone as an anthropological object, written in the first year of the iPhone's existence — early enough that the device's social consequences were still being negotiated in public rather than assumed.

	~~Changes to individuality and community can be described through an analysis~~ of the ~~constructions of public~~ and ~~private space~~. ~~When~~ the ~~public sphere becomes completely private~~ the ~~social sphere will become public again~~, ~~but~~ the ~~field~~ of ~~interaction will~~ be ~~global instead of local~~.		Its organising concept is the '''technosocial site of engagement''': the observation that a mobile phone does not simply transmit communication between two places but creates a third place, constituted jointly by the physical situation the user is standing in and the mediated situation they are simultaneously attending to. The person on the phone at a bus stop is not absent from the bus stop and not fully present at it either; they are somewhere that did not exist before the device did, and the etiquette, boundaries and expectations of that somewhere have to be invented by its users as they go.

	The ~~conclusions gathered from an analysis~~ of ~~these spaces will be used to show how cell phones have changed the construction~~ [[~~Time and Space~~\|~~time/space~~]] and ~~emancipation~~ of the ~~human in~~ the ~~postmodern state~~.		The framing draws on the sociology of mobile communication established in ''[[Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk, Public Performance\|Perpetual Contact]]'' (2002) and on Mizuko Ito's work on "technosocial situations" in ''Personal, Portable, Pedestrian: Mobile Phones in Japanese Life'' (2005), and applies it to a moment of transition — the point at which the phone stopped being a device for calls and became a general-purpose portal.

	~~This paper discusses the effects~~ of ~~[[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on emancipation~~, ~~individuality~~, ~~time/space~~ and ~~community through~~ the ~~theoretical lenses~~ of ~~[[Erving Goffman]], [[Victor Turner]]~~, ~~[[Marc Augé]]~~, [[~~Donna Haraway~~]], and ~~[[Bruno Latour]]~~.		===Themes===
			* '''The phone as prosthesis.''' The device as an extension of memory, navigation, address book and social awareness, to the point where its absence is experienced as impairment rather than inconvenience.
			* '''The second self and the second place.''' The mediated identity a phone maintains continuously, and the negotiation required when it and the physical self are addressed at once.
			* '''Etiquette under construction.''' The rapid, unwritten development of rules about when a phone may be answered, looked at, or placed on a table — a live case of the [[Internalization of moral code\|internalization of a moral code]].
			* '''Compression of time and space.''' The phone's effect on planning, punctuality and the meaning of an appointment, closely related to the micro-coordination literature.

	===~~=Download=~~===		===Significance===
	~~[https~~:~~//calmtech~~.~~com/thesis/16256040-Cell-Phones-~~and-~~their~~-~~Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis~~.~~pdf Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]~~		The thesis is the origin point for much of the vocabulary developed subsequently on this site, and it is a useful primary document in its own right: a contemporaneous anthropological account of the smartphone written before its ubiquity made its effects invisible. Many of the behaviours it describes as novel and awkward — checking a device mid-conversation, the phone face-down on the table, the phantom vibration — have since become unremarkable, which is precisely what makes a record from the transitional moment valuable.

	[[~~Category~~:~~Papers~~]]		===Related Reading===
	[[~~Category:Traditional~~ Anthropology]]		* [[Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk, Public Performance]]
	[[~~Category~~:~~Cultural Studies]~~]		* [[Mobile technologies]]
	[[Category:~~Ethnography~~]]		* [[Ambient Intimacy]]
	[[Category:~~Methods~~]]		* [[Cyborg Anthropology]]
			* [[Calm Technology]]

			===External Links===
			* [https://www.academia.edu/244475/The_Cell_Phone_and_Its_Technosocial_Sites_of_Engagement Full text on Academia.edu]

			===References===
			<references/>

			[[Category:Articles]]
			[[Category:Cyborg Anthropology]]
	[[Category:Mobile Computing]]		[[Category:Mobile Computing]]
	~~[[Category:Communication Studies]]~~
	~~[[Category:Time and Space]]~~
	~~[[Category:Digital Anthropology]]~~
	~~[[Category:Critical Studies]]~~
	~~[[Category:Interface Design]]~~
	~~[[Category:Cyberspace]]~~
	~~[[Category:Cyborg Studies]]~~
	~~[[Category:Philosophy]]~~
	~~[[Category:Postmodern Theory]]~~
	~~[[Category:Urban Studies]]~~
	~~[[Category:Architecture]]~~
	~~[[Category:Information Society]]~~
	~~[[Category:Future Culture]]~~
	~~[[Category:Phenomenology]]~~
	~~[[Category:Publications by Amber Case]]~~
	~~[[Category:Articles]]~~

Caseorganic: Fixed the link to the term cyborg anthropology

2024-01-26T02:07:45Z

Fixed the link to the term cyborg anthropology

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:07, 26 January 2024
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	====Abstract====		====Abstract====

	This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. This is the realm of [[cyborg anthropology]], which, according to co-developer [[Donna Haraway]], “explores the production of humanness through machines” ([[The Cyborg Handbook\|Gray]] 1993:342).		This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. This is the realm of [[Cyborg Anthropology\|cyborg anthropology]], which, according to co-developer [[Donna Haraway]], “explores the production of humanness through machines” ([[The Cyborg Handbook\|Gray]] 1993:342).
	The widespread adoption of the cell phone has morphed five aspects that [[Zygmunt Bauman]] (2000) considered to be the basis of share human life: emancipation, individuality, [[Time and Space\|time/space]], community, and [[work]].		The widespread adoption of the cell phone has morphed five aspects that [[Zygmunt Bauman]] (2000) considered to be the basis of share human life: emancipation, individuality, [[Time and Space\|time/space]], community, and [[work]].

Caseorganic: Changed Amber Case to Publications by Amber Case

2024-01-26T02:06:22Z

Changed Amber Case to Publications by Amber Case

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	[[Category:Future Culture]]		[[Category:Future Culture]]
	[[Category:Phenomenology]]		[[Category:Phenomenology]]
	[[Category:Amber Case]]		[[Category:Publications by Amber Case]]
	[[Category:Articles]]		[[Category:Articles]]

Caseorganic: /* Download */ Updated the link for the paper to a more permanent source not behind a paywall

2024-01-26T01:49:04Z

Download: Updated the link for the paper to a more permanent source not behind a paywall

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:49, 26 January 2024
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	====Download====		====Download====
	[~~http~~://~~www.scribd~~.com/~~doc~~/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]		[https://calmtech.com/thesis/16256040-Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis.pdf Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]

	[[Category:Papers]]		[[Category:Papers]]

Caseorganic at 17:39, 15 January 2011

2011-01-15T17:39:18Z

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	[[Category:Phenomenology]]		[[Category:Phenomenology]]
	[[Category:Amber Case]]		[[Category:Amber Case]]
			[[Category:Articles]]

Caseorganic at 17:38, 15 January 2011

2011-01-15T17:38:51Z

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	[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]		[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]

	[[Category:~~Article~~]]		[[Category:Papers]]
	[[Category:Traditional Anthropology]]		[[Category:Traditional Anthropology]]
	[[Category:Cultural Studies]]		[[Category:Cultural Studies]]

Caseorganic at 19:14, 3 January 2011

2011-01-03T19:14:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:14, 3 January 2011
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			====Abstract====

	This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. This is the realm of [[cyborg anthropology]], which, according to co-developer [[Donna Haraway]], “explores the production of humanness through machines” ([[The Cyborg Handbook\|Gray]] 1993:342).		This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. This is the realm of [[cyborg anthropology]], which, according to co-developer [[Donna Haraway]], “explores the production of humanness through machines” ([[The Cyborg Handbook\|Gray]] 1993:342).
	The widespread adoption of the cell phone has morphed five aspects that [[Zygmunt Bauman]] (2000) considered to be the basis of share human life: emancipation, individuality, [[Time and Space\|time/space]], community, and [[work]].		The widespread adoption of the cell phone has morphed five aspects that [[Zygmunt Bauman]] (2000) considered to be the basis of share human life: emancipation, individuality, [[Time and Space\|time/space]], community, and [[work]].
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	This paper discusses the effects of [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on emancipation, individuality, time/space and community through the theoretical lenses of [[Erving Goffman]], [[Victor Turner]], [[Marc Augé]], [[Donna Haraway]], and [[Bruno Latour]].		This paper discusses the effects of [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on emancipation, individuality, time/space and community through the theoretical lenses of [[Erving Goffman]], [[Victor Turner]], [[Marc Augé]], [[Donna Haraway]], and [[Bruno Latour]].

			====Download====
	[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]		[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]

Caseorganic at 23:14, 14 May 2010

2010-05-14T23:14:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:14, 14 May 2010
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	This paper discusses the effects of [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on emancipation, individuality, time/space and community through the theoretical lenses of [[Erving Goffman]], [[Victor Turner]], [[Marc Augé]], [[Donna Haraway]], and [[Bruno Latour]].		This paper discusses the effects of [[mobile technologies\|mobile telephony]] on emancipation, individuality, time/space and community through the theoretical lenses of [[Erving Goffman]], [[Victor Turner]], [[Marc Augé]], [[Donna Haraway]], and [[Bruno Latour]].

	[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]]		[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]

	[[Category:Article]]		[[Category:Article]]

Caseorganic: Created page with 'This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread mobile telephony on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. …'

2010-05-14T22:49:06Z

Created page with 'This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread mobile telephony on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. …'

New page

This paper provides examination of the effects of widespread [[mobile technologies|mobile telephony]] on the social and spatial relations of individuals in the postmodern state. This is the realm of [[cyborg anthropology]], which, according to co-developer [[Donna Haraway]], “explores the production of humanness through machines” ([[The Cyborg Handbook|Gray]] 1993:342).
The widespread adoption of the cell phone has morphed five aspects that [[Zygmunt Bauman]] (2000) considered to be the basis of share human life: emancipation, individuality, [[Time and Space|time/space]], community, and [[work]].

Changes to individuality and community can be described through an analysis of the constructions of public and private space. When the public sphere becomes completely private the social sphere will become public again, but the field of interaction will be global instead of local.

The conclusions gathered from an analysis of these spaces will be used to show how cell phones have changed the construction [[Time and Space|time/space]] and emancipation of the human in the postmodern state.

This paper discusses the effects of [[mobile technologies|mobile telephony]] on emancipation, individuality, time/space and community through the theoretical lenses of [[Erving Goffman]], [[Victor Turner]], [[Marc Augé]], [[Donna Haraway]], and [[Bruno Latour]].

[http://www.scribd.com/doc/16256040/Cell-Phones-and-their-Technosocial-Sites-of-Engagement-Amber-Case-Thesis Full Paper Download of Cell Phones and Their Technosocial Sites of Engagement]]

[[Category:Article]]
[[Category:Traditional Anthropology]]
[[Category:Cultural Studies]]
[[Category:Ethnography]]
[[Category:Methods]]
[[Category:Mobile Computing]]
[[Category:Communication Studies]]
[[Category:Time and Space]]
[[Category:Digital Anthropology]]
[[Category:Critical Studies]]
[[Category:Interface Design]]
[[Category:Cyberspace]]
[[Category:Cyborg Studies]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Postmodern Theory]]
[[Category:Urban Studies]]
[[Category:Architecture]]
[[Category:Information Society]]
[[Category:Future Culture]]
[[Category:Phenomenology]]
[[Category:Amber Case]]