Mobile Phone Culture: The Impacts of Mobile Phone Use

Introduction

The development and convergence of mobile technologies have led to the wide and rapid diffusion and use of mobile phones. From a simple communication technology to a key social tool, mobile phones have become a crucial part of people’s everyday lives. The mobile phone has altered the way people live, communicate, interact, and connect with others. It is also transforming how people access and use information and media. Mobile phones have become the most rapidly adopted technology throughout history. Given the rapid pervasiveness of mobile phones in society across the world, it is crucial to explore important aspects of mobile phone use and their impacts on users, cultures, communications, interactions, and society. This chapter aims to explore the social and cultural implications of mobile phone propagation, given the ubiquity, unprecedented connectivity, and advancement of mobile phones. The chapter also focuses on a discussion about people’s dependence upon, attachment and addiction to mobile phones, social issues generated by mobile phones, and how people value mobile phone use. The chapter begins with a brief overview of the historical and technological development of mobile phones before exploring the implications of the mobile revolution, followed by mobile phone use and mobile culture. The key concepts include mobile phone culture, which means the culture created by mobile phone use, and mobile phone addiction, which refers to heavy dependence on mobile phone use and constant check on mobile phones.