Summary: Castells et. al., ch. 6
Castells, Manuel, Fernandez-Ardevol, Mireia, Qiu, Jack Linchuan, and Sey, Arba (2007). The language of wireless communication. In Mobile communication and society: a global perspective (pp. 179-184). Cambridge: MIT Press.
This brief chapter explores some of the effects wireless communication technologies have on language practice. The authors call these new language practices “the language of the mobile hypertext” (179), a term that emphasizes its space-shifting, relentlessly linked qualities.
In the realm of texting, the authors explain that the space and ease-of-use limitations of texting have pushed people to create new forms of communication that value brevity, creativity, symbols, abbreviations, and phonetics. (Well, duh. But moving on . . .) Intriguingly, this creativity allows adolescents to enjoy writing in ways they might not otherwise. We also see creative meldings of language in different countries, where English is often mixed with the native language(s) for texting purposes. Other interesting points include the observation that with texting, “direct contact is not necessary,” which results in “a more ‘relaxed’ way of communicating (or explaining) feelings or sensitive subjects” (181), and the reminder that this creative use of shorthand is at least as old as shorthand writing in class.
The authors then briefly discuss multimedia message systems (MMS) (think a text message with video or image content). Their most insightful point here is the theory that this use of technology will be used by a broader spectrum of society than the typical texting teen, because “taking a photo, or making a short video, requires different skills from writing an SMS” (182).
Lastly, a page is devoted to mobile orality, and the way language use changes with cell phone use (as opposed to face-to-face or landline-to-landline voice communication). In one sense, speakers can get down to the business of their call more quickly, as cell phone users can assume that the person they call is the person who will pick up. But in another sense, fewer things are known at the outset of the call: where the speakers are located, for instance, what they’re doing, and what their availability is.
-Kyle
