[a mobile mobile]

Experience Mobile Mobile from James Théophane Jnr on Vimeo.

[journal issue: IT and politics]

The Journal of Information Technology & Politics Volume 6, Issue 3 & 4
(2009)
Special Issue: “Politics: Web 2.0” Visit: http://shrinkify.com/144k


Guest Editor's Introduction
“The Internet and Politics in Flux”
Andrew Chadwick

Research Papers
“Realizing the Social Internet? Online Social Networking Meets Offline Civic
Engagement”
- Josh Pasek;  eian more; Daniel Romer

“Typing Together? Clustering of Ideological Types in Online Social Networks”
- Brian J. Gaines; Jeffery J. Mondak

“Building an Architecture of Participation? Political Parties and Web 2.0 in
Britain”
- Nigel A. Jackson; Darren G. Lilleker

“Norwegian Parties and Web 2.0”
- Øyvind Kalnes

“The Labors of Internet-Assisted Activism: Overcommunication,
Miscommunication, and Communicative Overload”
- Rasmus Kleis Nielsen

“Developing the “Good Citizen”: Digital Artifacts, Peer Networks, and Formal
Organization During the 2003–2004 Howard Dean Campaign”
- Daniel Kreiss

“Lost in Technology? Political Parties and the Online Campaigns of
Constituency Candidates in Germany's Mixed Member Electoral System”
- Thomas Zittel

“Internet Election 2.0? Culture, Institutions, and Technology in the Korean
Presidential Elections of 2002 and 2007”
- Yeon-Ok Lee

“The Internet and Mobile Technologies in Election Campaigns: The GABRIELA
Women's Party During the 2007 Philippine Elections”
- Kavita Karan;  Jacques D. M. Gimeno; Edson Tandoc Jr.

[digital citizenship: the internet, society & participation]

Today I attended a presentation given by Karen Mossberger (Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago) on Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society and Participation. Overall the presentation was interesting however I don't think the data told us anything really new...but it certainly backs up what we already surmise. Poor people and African-Americans and Latinas/Latinos has less access to computers and the internet and this filters through to less participation in public life (voting was one of the examples). The definition of citizenship put forth was that by T. H. Marshall, basically you need to participate to be a full member of a community. Citizenship is also a "developing institution" according to Marshall. So how to develop citizenship through digital means...well, Mossberger didn't really talk much about this. She concentrated on providing statistics which empirically show the digital divide. It was pretty apalling. In this day and age (here I am, using a computer, on the 'net, blogging) there are people who are too poor, or without sufficient education which in the States seems to mean you're not white...the statistics were incredible. Of course there are poor white people but apparently they are not on the 'net because they're not interested in it. From Mossberger's research, African-Americans connected internet/computer literacy with better jobs etc....and the statistics back this up. The issue of broadband access also came up. Sure people can use computers (for a bit) at a local library etc...but interestingly enough there are certain neighbourhoods where there is no DSL access (i.e. no affordable access) to the internet...only cable. That's another deterrent. I would have been interested to know what the statistics *really* meant in terms of "going online." Was it for checking bus times? What about banking online and using SNS? Mossberger at the end suggested it was more for *entertainment* purposes....but I guess what we're looking at here is not just issues of access (of course) but issues of literacy. *How* to properly navigate that content/information. Mossberger's latest project, results to be publishes as we speak, looks at Chicago neighbourhoods and notes the use of internet. I wonder what that will show. Two things aside from the presentation that I would like to share here.

1. There were 18 people at the presentation today. 16 in the audience (then the speaker and the introducer). Out of the 18 people 7 were women. All were white.
2. Mossberger made this comment at the end re: twitter: "I don't care what movie you saw lastnight. I don't have time for this." Actually, I think twitter (like mobile 'phones, especially if we're talking about financial cost) has it's uses. Just look at how the knowledge of swine flu is spreading/trending via twitter....

Of interest to those working with participation policies, internet access, excluded groups or web 2.0 in general, check out Mez's great article at Futherfield: The Sound of Reality Lag: Versionals are the New Black. See also Mark Pesce's post on Digital Citizenship (scroll down for a comment by Mez).

[libraries and mobile technologies]

Very interesting report by Ellyssa Kroski on mobile technology and it's shaping/changing of libraries and information access. See page 27 for a detailed analysis of social networks as a mobile subgenre. From chapter 1:

"Imagine walking by a movie poster for the upcoming Harry Potter film and scanning it with a click of your camera-phone in order to download associated ringtones, get showtimes, or even buy tickets. How about snapping a photo while browsing through a magazine to get a free sample of a new perfume? This may sound like science-fiction right now, but in Japan, this type of mobile search technology is widespread, and already similar services in the U.S. are developing which promise just this type of virtual engagement with the world around us. Think about the convenience of scanning the logo on someone’s Yankees cap to instantly receiving the latest score from the game. This is what's coming.
Today, most of us are primarily using our cell phones to download ringtones and check our email, but there is an abundance of truly amazing services we can access through the mobile Web right now. Armed with a smartphone, PDA, or other Internet-ready mobile mechanism, users can retrieve local traffic information, bus, train, and airline schedules, and look up weather reports. But more impressively, they can also access mobile social networks which will alert them when their friends are nearby, text in a pizza order to Dominos, borrow e-books from their library, take a guided audio tour of a museum, and watch CNN. Through the mobile Web, people can download audiobooks, upload camera-phone photos to Flickr, receive turn-by-turn driving directions, and have in-store coupons delivered to them.
The computer, media player, and cell phone are all converging into a single device as manufacturers aim to provide a complete experience for the consumer. This evolution of handheld devices combined with new high-speed wireless data networks make browsing the mobile Internet a more compelling experience. Much like the transition the Web experienced when broadband access became widely attainable, the mobile Web is turning a corner and becoming useful to the everyday user. While mass adoption is still in its infancy in this country, the landscape is developing quickly. Now is the time to get on-board and on-the-move with the mobile Web."

About libraries:

"Libraries are mastering the mobile Web to bring patrons a new set of services – services that their users are coming to expect from their communities and content providers. They are leveraging the technology that their patrons are currently using, such as cell phones and iPods, to deliver robust new services without making users leave their comfort zones. And these portable offerings are serving to integrate library services with patrons' daily lives.
Mobile Library Websites and MOPACs (Mobile OPACs) A growing number of libraries are creating mobile versions of their websites for their patrons to access on-the-go. They are offering information about library services and collections, providing access to library catalog search, portable exhibit information, subject guides, e-journals, and library hours, all formatted for the small screen."

Read more here: http://eprints.rclis.org/15024/1/mobile_web_ltr.pdf

[rim competes with apple's app store]

Copied from Larry Dignan's article on zdnet:

"Research in Motion launched its BlackBerry application store—dubbed App World—and the pricing model will immediately draw comparison’s to Apple’s App Store set-up. That comparison, however, only goes so far.

For starters, RIM’s App World pricing model has raised a bit of a ruckus since it veers a bit from Apple’s scheme (Techmeme). But a business audience isn’t going to sweat a $2.99 application compared to a 99 cent minimum priced app. And RIM’s audience is likely to even pay higher prices if the App World can actually deliver software with a real business use. And there are so many tiers to the App World model that RIM could have said “charge what you want.”

But the biggest takeaway from the App World pricing model is that higher prices mean more for developers (see FAQ). RIM needs more developers on its bandwagon since the iPhone is the shiny object in the mobile world. Simply put, money talks and RIM plans to use it. Matthew Miller notes that RIM’s pricing model shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

Sure RIM does offer free apps, but developers aren’t likely to offer them. Given developers pay an upfront fee why would you pay RIM to distribute a free app? RIM’s message with App World appears to be: Frivolous and fun apps need not apply.

Will RIM’s App World work?

My hunch is that RIM’s App World will do well, but isn’t going to a success as measured by Apple’s store. RIM’s store is likely to be more BlackBerry-ish—the applications will be more business focused, tool oriented and won’t feature hot games.

RIM also has an app management issue on its hands. Apple’s App Store has to support just the iPhone and iPod touch. RIM’s applications will work on these models:

• BlackBerry Bold 9000 smartphone
• BlackBerry Storm smartphone
• BlackBerry Pearl Flip Series
• BlackBerry Curve 8300 Series
• Black Berry Curve 8900 smartphone
• BlackBerry 8800 Series
• BlackBerry Pearl Series

The experience on all of those models will vary. For instance, a game on the Storm will be different than the Bold and Curve. How will RIM navigate that conundrum? As a developer those models mean more complications.

Other takeaways from the RIM App World effort:

• A PayPal account is required with App World for customers and developers;
• Developers from around the world can contribute except for those from Belarus, Myanmar/Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.
• To submit an application there’s a $200 fee, which will be refunded if the software is rejected."

[texting = mental "brownout"]

My initial reaction when reading claims such as "Life's issues are not always settled in sound bites" and "if a teenager is reading Shakespeare when a text message comes, 'Hamlet's going to fade in and out in a ghostly fog'" is...but seriously? Though, the ghostly fog might well signify Hamlet's own state of mind and his visions... (and yes, I have talked about this before). The first quote is from a "worried parent" the second from a psychology prof. at an American University. Follow these quotes with the suggestion that "addiction to the Internet and text messaging be included in the diagnostic manual for mental illnesses."

Reading the American Journal of Psychiatry article which suggests that too much texting is appears as a compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder, I wonder if these kinds of reactions (seemingly research-backed or not) are similar to those which emerged alongside other technologies such as the book (remember Socrates' worry that writing destroys memory and weakens the mind) , tv, computer games or rap music - the latter now seen as actually "a forum that addresses the political and economic disfranchisement." It seems that these kind of (visceral) reactions to young (because it's usually the teenagers isn't it?) people's use of new modes of technology reduce hci (human computer interaction) from a complicated interaction with (surely) many different levels at work to something *flat.*

There are some "experts" who suggest that sms-ing is synonymous with "declines in spelling, word choice and writing complexity. Some indicate that too much texting is linked to an inability to focus." But, there are also studies which show that students learn when actively involved. Having students txt answers to the teacher would be just one example of how sms-ing can be used in the classroom to promote reflection and synthesis. I've used twitter as a (free) way of checking student progress during lectures and as a way of encouraging reflection and interaction.



I see these kinds of technologies as having positive uses, as Carla Meskill notes, they can be a "spring-board and catalyst for active hands-on...learning."


If we sway too much in the direction of worry and anxiety, we'll lose our chance of harnessing the positive, pedagogical and empowering opportunities that come with technological developments. Especially when other research points to increases in learning, language aquisition, maths and other development. Additionally, studies have shown gender differences in txt messaging including one that shows "Females are more skillful in writing complex, long and lexically dense messages than males."

Here are some gender examples from a Norwegian study:

"Where men offer comments such as:

I think that there is something with SMS [= text messaging] . . . I can’t really do it. It is such short things (Bjørn, aged 40)

Buy a hard disk (Male, aged 23) kjøp en hardisk

The pub doesn’t open today (Male, aged 32) Pubben åpner ikke idag

[Women write:]

super! Now we have landed at Steilende and the hot dogs are on the grill. The first landing from our own boat. M&MandT greetings. We are looking forward to saturday. :) (Female, aged 29) supert! Nå ha vi lagt til på og pølsene ligger på grillen. Første ilandstigning fra egen båt. M&MogT hilser. Gleder oss til lørdag. :)

Hi! Are we still going to meet today? I don’t have more $ on my mobile after this msg. Just say when and where we should meet! (Female 19 years) Hey! Skal vi fortsatt møtes i dag? Har ik mer $ på mob etr denne mld! Bare si fra når og hvor når u vil møtes!"

The conclusions noted from this study seem to parallel those reached in studies of written and CMC and gender:

"Young adult women seem to be to the chattiest. Females under the age of 34 have the highest median number of words per text message. Women over age 35 use about 10 fewer letters per message than their younger counterparts. By contrast, males of all ages – aside from those over age 55 – are relatively stable at about 15 – 20 letters per message."

There are also case studies which illustrate how "group-based text messaging enables continuous social awareness, group coordination and smart convergence on social events." In fact, mobile 'phones, rather than encourage disassociation or lack of "presentness, " can engender "intimacy and a feeling of being permanently tethered." There are lots of levels/areas to take into account.

Sure, doing something "too" much might have negative implications but there just isn't enough research to justify sweeping claims. We could also ask questions about why certain teenagers might put more energy into texting rather than, say, family game night (because there might not be family or game night etc...). It's a complicated matter and I vote for focusing on the potential.





Top image is a cartoon by Chris Madden, the bottom image is by scion_cho on flickr.

[blackberry bold: i want it!]

It has a camera, gps (with turn-by-turn directions), music, video, wifi (!!), high-speed HSDPA and and and...I want one! annoyed that we're only getting it in November while in Canada they get it today!



competition for the iphone? i think so.

from the telegraph:

"iPhone 3g: If the iPhone had the ability to edit documents on the go, it would be the perfect business device. As it stands, it is probably better suited to consumers, but its ease of use, superb multimedia capabilities and the ability to add software make it one of the best all-round handsets on the market.

BlackBerry Bold:The BlackBerry Bold, quite simply, does more than the iPhone. It looks better than any of its predecessors, too, but email and professional uses are always going to be the priorities for this device. If they're your priority as well, then it's a superb machine - carrying it says you mean business."

[android: google goes robotic]

From Google:

"The Open Handset Alliance, a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies, is developing Android: the first complete, open, and free mobile platform."

Cool apps that surprise and delight mobile users, built by developers like you, will be a huge part of the Android vision. To support you in your efforts, Google has launched the Android Developer Challenge, which will provide $10 million in awards -- no strings attached -- for great mobile apps built on the Android platform.

How It Works
The award money will be distributed equally between two Android Developer Challenges:

Android Developer Challenge I: We will accept submissions from January 2 through March 3, 2008
Android Developer Challenge II: This part will launch after the first handsets built on the platform become available in the second half of 2008

In the Android Developer Challenge I, the 50 most promising entries received by March 3 will each receive a $25,000 award to fund further development. Those selected will then be eligible for even greater recognition via ten $275,000 awards and ten $100,000 awards.

Build Your Favorite Mobile Application
We welcome all types of applications but are looking to reward innovative, useful apps that make use of Android's capabilities to deliver a better mobile experience. Here are some suggested areas of focus to get you started:

Social networking
Media consumption, management, editing, or sharing, e.g., photos
Productivity and collaboration such as email, IM, calendar, etc.
Gaming
News and information
Rethinking of traditional user interfaces
Use of mash-up functionality
Use of location-based services
Humanitarian benefits
Applications in service of global economic development
Whatever you're excited about!

How cool is this idea?

Christeene Micona wonders: "the big question is - is the so-called Google Phone still to come, or will Android just assimilate existing hardware manufacturers?

Read about Dick Wall's first "useful" application created for Android.

Read wizardbt's view that "Android gives more power developers to create new services as it provides an extensive API to manage different aspects of the mobile's capabilities. This is a serious limitation in today's J2ME-enabled phones, and as a consequence you have to deal with different and sometimes erratic implementations of the same API. J2ME was built as a restricted subset of the main J2SE classes with "portability" in mind, however we cannot say that this was accomplished flawlessly."