Mobipedias and Moving Targets, or Why We Aren't There Yet
Mobile web adoption has lagged in North America for a number of reasons - some obvious (exorbitant data plans, disinterested carriers), and some not so obvious. The latter have been the subject of my field research over the past 12 months. Mobile blogging (microblogging, photoblogging, and co-presence application use) have figured prominently in this space as a sticking point in terms of widespread adoption. What's at stake is a transition from a communication ecology structured/dominated by fixed location, asynchronous media spaces into one of untethered copresence. Various social anxieties around sousveillance, aesthetics, and identity management express themselves prominently during this 'transitional phase'. This presentation discusses research findings in this area and implications for an urban communications ecology dominated by synchronous, untethered media consumption and production.