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The in luence o mobile phone in shaping he iden i y o u al eenage s. Case s udy in Galicia
Bole ín de la Asociación de Geóg a os Españoles N.º 60 - 2012
Bole ín de la Asociación de Geóg a os Españoles N.º 60 - 2012, págs. 493-496
I.S.S.N.: 0212-9426
THE INFLUENCE OF MOBILE PHONE IN SHAPING
THE IDENTITY OF RURAL TEENAGERS.
CASE STUDY IN GALICIA
Ca los Fe ás, Celia Pollán, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose
Ins i u o Uni e si a io de Es udos e Desen ol emen o de Galicia.
Uni e sidad de San iago de Compos ela
[email p o ec ed]
INTRODUCTION
The isola ion o u al communi ies has been a ecu ing opic h oughou ime (Copus
2001). Ru al adolescen s ha e ne e had he same eady access o means o communica ion
as u ban adolescen s because he a i al and sp ead o inno a ion and echnology o u al
and ou lying a eas has always lagged behind (Cai nc oss 1997). Likewise, because o pu e
physical dis ance and low popula ion densi y, ace- o- ace communica ion has also been
g ea ly limi ed. Tha is why he habi s o social ela ionships and communica ion ha e
always been di e en in u al and u ban a eas (Cai nc oss 1997; Kalan a idis 2006). Bu now
we a e cu en ly wi nessing an en i ely new social scene whe e u al adolescen s pa icipa e
ully in mobile communica ion and he possibili ies o u u e economic de elopmen ha
his migh mean will no longe depend on, no will be de e mined by, inaccessibili y and
isola ion (F iedman 2006). Con en ional elephones we e slow o a i e o Galician owns
and illages, bu ou indings show ha mobile elephone usage is quickly sp eading and
wi h i he possibili y o o e coming he geog aphical and social isola ion and inaccessibili y
inhe en in u al a eas.
In Go do López (2006), he In e ne is a channel o pa icipa ion and exp ession o
Spanish uni e si y s uden s, he Messenge cul u e seen as an ins an aneous cul u e eadily
accessible o young adul s and adolescen s. In he s udy he ein, we obse e ha mobile
elephones and ex messages also cons i u e i al elemen s in he socializa ion p ocess
o seconda y school s uden s om u al Galicia. In e es ing ques ions hus a ise as o he
ex en his echnology con ibu es o b idging he digi al di ide be ween u al and u ban
communi ies, how and o wha pu pose i is used, and i s ela ionship o con en ional o -
line means o communica ion.
494 Bole ín de la Asociación de Geóg a os Españoles N.º 60 - 2012
Ca los Fe ás, Celia Pollán, Yolanda Ga cía & Ma iña Pose
The p esen a icle o e s he indings o esea ch ca ied ou on a g oup o seconda y
school s uden s om he dis ic o San a Comba, an ag icul u al egion ound in he in e io
o A Co uña, Galicia. Ou esea ch me hods include quan i a i e and quali a i e echniques
as well as pa icipan obse a ion in g oup wo k sessions held in he s uden s’ school. Ou
indings show ha mobile communica ion is ully in place in his u al communi y, which
aises ques ions ega ding u al isola ion and he u u e o communica ion. Ou objec i e
is o examine mobile elephone usage among u al adolescen s and o de e mine i gende
accoun s o any signi ican di e ence in his usage, pa icula ly in ex messaging and he
communica i e pu poses o which ex messages a e p oduced.
METHODOLOGY AND FIELD WORK
Ou case s udy akes place in a seconda y school in San a Comba, a u al ag icul u al
dis ic in Galicia loca ed 35 kilome e s om San iago de Compos ela (see map 1). F om
a socioeconomic pe spec i e, he egional su oundings o San a Comba espond o u al
pa e ns o low demog aphic densi y. I has a o al popula ion o some 10,500 inhabi an s
dis ibu ed h oughou dozens o a ms and illages. In he las ou decades, i has
clea ly unde gone p onounced u al ligh and has become demog aphically ecessi e.
No wi hs anding, San a Comba boas s highly e ile land o ca le anching and specializes
in dai y ca le and milk p oduc ion. This ansla es in o a highe - han-a e age pe capi a
income o o he Galician dis ic s and an equal, o e en highe , income han some p incipal
Galician ci ies (see IGE 2008).
We ca ied ou ou esea ch in a public seconda y school called Te a do Xallas. Ou s udy
was only possible hanks o he ull coope a ion o he adminis a i e and eaching s a along
wi h ha o he adolescen pa icipan s hemsel es, whose ages anged om 12 o 15. Gi en
ha all he pa icipan s we e mino s, we ob ained hei pa en s’ consen ( h ough he school’s
adminis a ion) p io o ini ia ing ou esea ch. Pa icipan obse a ion and da a collec ion ook
place in he class oom du ing ou in ense wo k sessions. Ou quali a i e esea ch me hod
was based on pa icipan obse a ion echniques ypical o an h opog aphy, wi h ex emely
close indi idual and g oup in e ac ion among esea che s and s uden s alike. Communica ing
wi h young adolescen s is no easy ask o adul s ou side hei social ci cle. In he ligh o
his, we se ou o es ablish an in o mal and hough -p o oking wo king ela ionship. We
communica ed he de ails and objec i es o ou esea ch openly and clea ly, hus c ea ing
an a mosphe e o mu ual us . Resea ch and da a collec ion ook place in wo consecu i e
and complemen a y phases. We di ided he pa icipan s in o wo g oups: olde adolescen s
(aged 14 o15) wi h g ea e expe ience using mobile elephones bu mo e app ehensi e abou
publicly showing hei ex messages, and younge adolescen s (unde age 14) wi h less
expe ience using mobile elephones bu mo e willing o sha e hei ex messages.
In he i s phase o da a collec ion we ealized ocus g oups o ga he he opinions o
19 en h-g ade s uden s (7 boys and 12 gi ls) all be ween he ages o 14 and 15. The opics
deba ed included owne ship o digi al echnologies, abili y and expe ience using digi al
echnologies, pa e ns o in e ac ion and communica ion, exp ession o iden i y, in asion o
p i acy and con ol in mobile elephone usage, physical and emo ional sa e y, and addic i e
beha io in he use o digi al echnologies.
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The in luence o mobile phone in shaping he iden i y o u al eenage s. Case s udy in Galicia
Bole ín de la Asociación de Geóg a os Españoles N.º 60 - 2012
Du ing he deba e, we sys ema ically in oduced gene al in o ma ion abou he opics
o be discussed. F om he e, s uden s ga e hei opinion on and subjec i e e alua ion o
ha in o ma ion. These opinions and e alua ions would hen se e o open g oup dialogs
and o de ly discussions. So as no o in luence he pa icipan s’ opinions, we limi ed ou
pa icipa ion in hese discussions o s ic obse a ion. Howe e , we a e unce ain o wha
ex en ou me e p esence as esea che s migh ha e condi ioned he esul s.
In he second phase o esea ch, we collec ed, obse ed and analyzed he mobile ex
messages o 16 se en h-g ade s uden s: eigh boys and eigh gi ls aged 12 o 14. To do so,
s uden s we e asked o comple e an open su ey in which hey ep oduced he ex messages
hey had sen p io o comple ing he su ey and ha we e sa ed in «sen messages» on hei
mobiles. The s uden s hemsel es chose which messages o include and ep oduced he ex
exac ly as i had been sen . In addi ion, hey also ew o e he ex as i would appea in ull
o m using o mal ules o w i ing. We also collec ed da a ega ding hei age (all we e bo n
be ween 1996 and 1997), sex, language o choice, and app oxima e ime hey spend sending
ex messages daily.
CONCLUSION AND FINAL REMARKS
Fo he u al adolescen s in ou sample, mobile phones ha e become an in eg al pa o
hei daily li e, which hey use p ima ily o exchange ex messages. They eel ha ha ing
a mobile phone gi es hem g ea e independence om hei pa en s and allows hem o
become socially in eg a ed in hei pee g oups. Gi ls a e mo e dependen on hei mobiles
han boys, and hey alue he in imacy his echnology allows hem o ha e in hei social
ela ionships mo e as well. They also place g ea e alue on knowing hei ela i es can
loca e hem a any ime and he sense o secu i y his gi es hem. Al hough bo h boys and
gi ls exp ess eeling a ce ain amoun o anxie y i hey a e dep i ed o hei mobiles, gi ls
expe ience his anxie y o a g ea e deg ee.
When complex communica i e exchanges a e wha adolescen s seek, ex messages
se e o se up a ime and place o mee o o edi ec in e ac ion o ano he channel o
communica ion. Bu e en hough adolescen s p e e o he sys ems o communica ion (such
as oice calls o In e ne cha ooms), hey a e mo e inclined o use mobile ex messaging
because i is quick and a o dable. And i is p ecisely hese wo ea u es which adolescen s
ake ad an age o o be pe manen ly connec ed o hei pee s. Wha is impo an o
adolescen s is o es ablish a mu ual «being he e» wi h hei pee s— o e i y ha hei
iends a e « he e» while con i ming hei own p esence. This hus explains why hei ex
messages ha e a p edominan ly appella i e, pha ic, o pha ic-appella i e unc ion: o solici
in e ac ion o o open o main ain a communica i e exchange. As Ca men Galán (2004)
a i ms, «being in o med in hese new imes is no hing mo e han cons an ly being online,
ha is, a ailable o and loca able by e e yone and o he mos i olous hings. […] [W]e no
longe ha e o ‘ ell hings,’ we ha e ‘ o be loca able,’ which is he same as saying iden i ied.»
Ob aining da a om emale pa icipan s was much easie han om male pa icipan s;
gi ls seem o be mo e inclined han boys o use mobile ex messaging, o a leas a e mo e
willing and en husias ic o sha e hei expe ience. The easons o his a e unclea o us.
One possibili y con empla ed and con i med in his s udy is ha boys and gi ls use ex
496 Bole ín de la Asociación de Geóg a os Españoles N.º 60 - 2012
Ca los Fe ás, Celia Pollán, Yolanda Ga cía & Ma iña Pose
messaging o di e en easons; he e o e, i is mo e in e es ing and e ec i e o one g oup
han o he o he . Wha ou da a e eal is ha gi ls ake pa icula ad an age o his o m o
communica ion o exp essi e and pha ic unc ions.
Wo king wi h a co pus o ex messages ins ead o wi h comple e sequences o dialogs
g ea ly limi s ou unde s anding o he messages and hei ue in en ions. Only by ha ing
he sequence o u n- akings ha comp ise he comple e communica i e exchange can we
begin o unde s and hose messages whose in en ions a e ambiguous, analyze he p esence o
g ee ings and lea e- akings, de ec code-swi ching caused by ex e nal ac o s, and unde s and
why so much punc ua ion has become supe luous in eal communica i e si ua ions h ough
w i en channels.
I is in e es ing o obse e whe e he p io i ies o adolescen s ha e aken language i sel .
The desi e o mone a y sa ings has lead o linguis ic economy as well in he educ ion
o cha ac e s. Thei ul ima e objec i e is o send a message whose in en ion is pe ec ly
clea a he lowes mone a y and linguis ic cos possible. Pe haps we a e hus wi nessing
he con o ma ion o an au hen ic ja gon linked o language economy in which he p agma ic
ac o s ha su ound a communica i e ac a e c ucial o he message o make sense.
In sho , we can a gue ha adi ional u al isola ion can be o e come hanks o he
mobile elephone. Ou case s udy in Galicia has demons a ed ha he u al adolescen s in
ou sample ully emb ace his echnology o be pe manen ly connec ed, hus ge ing a ound
bo h he physical and social isola ion inhe en in u al communi ies. In he ligh o all hese
indings, and looking owa d he u u e, we a e le wi h in e es ing compa a i e esea ch on
u ban adolescen s.