Being Mobile

This book explores the relationship between the§mobile phone and §its user, viewing this relationship as crucial to§understanding the §shift in the role of the audience as active producers§of content - §Mobile Produsers. Focusing on anthropology, social§science and §media studies it explores the impact of mobile§contexts, content, §and use on identity. It shows that this approach§allows for a new §understanding of mobile practices as a form of§spectacle, referred to §as the spectacle of the self. Through analysis of§mobile content §within cinematic culture, social interaction, and§mixed media §environments it considers the ways in which the§mobile functions §not only as a tool for positioning the individual,§but also as §performing an integral part in a multi-user process§of mobile §content production. In this sense, mobile content can§be understood §as a map, and the mobile as a compass used by the§Mobile Produser §to navigate the mobile s diverse contexts. This study§demonstrates §that mobile content is collectively constructed while§being §individually absorbed, reflective of both the context§and its user and §open to constant interpretation, which is then shared§with others. This book explores the relationship between the mobile phone and its user, viewing this relationship as crucial to understanding the shift in the role of the audience as active producers of content - Mobile Produsers. Focusing on anthropology, social science and media studies it explores the impact of mobile contexts, content, and use on identity. It shows that this approach allows for a new understanding of mobile practices as a form of spectacle, referred to as the spectacle of the self. Through analysis of mobile content within cinematic culture, social interaction, and mixed media environments it considers the ways in which the mobile functions not only as a tool for positioning the individual, but also as performing an integral part in a multi-user process of mobile content production. In this sense, mobile content can be understood as a map, and the mobile as a compass used by the Mobile Produser to navigate the mobile's diverse contexts. This study demonstrates that mobile content is collectively constructed while being individually absorbed, reflective of both the context and its user and open to constant interpretation, which is then shared with others.