In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013), 2586-2608 1932–8036/20130005
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A ibu ion Non-comme cial No De i a i es (by-nc-nd). A ailable a h p://ijoc.o g.
Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion?
Adolescen s and Mobile Telephones in Ru al A eas:
A Case S udy o Galicia
CARLOS FERRÁS
1
YOLANDA GARCÍA
MARIÑA POSE
Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela
This a icle p esen s he indings o esea ch examining a g oup o seconda y school
s uden s om an ag icul u al dis ic in u al Galicia, Spain. Resea ch me hods used
include quan i a i e and quali a i e echniques such as pa icipan obse a ion. The
au ho s analyze o wha deg ee and o wha pu pose u al adolescen s communica e ia
mobile elephones and i gende accoun s o any signi ican di e ences in his usage.
Ou indings show ha u al adolescen s a e indeed a id use s o mobile elephones and
sugges ha because o his hey a e ge ing a ound he physical inaccessibili y and
inhe en isola ion o u al communi ies.
Keywo ds: mobile elephone, ex message, adolescen s, digi al di ide, u al isola ion
In oduc ion
In Spain, 53% o households we e connec ed o he In e ne in 2011, a a e below he EU
a e age o 56%. Acco ding o Méndez and Rod íguez (2011), in Spain he e a e s ill la ge di e ences
be ween u al and u ban egions in he use o communica ion echnologies. This was pa icula ly ue in
Galicia, a his o ical egion wi h s ong u al adi ions loca ed in he no hwes o he Ibe ian Peninsula, in
which only 40% o amilies we e connec ed o he In e ne . Acco ding o he Ins i u o Nacional de
Es adís ica (INE) o he Spanish Go e nmen o 2011, mobile elephone usage is s ongly es ablished
he e, wi h an a e age o 1.1 mobile elephones pe capi a. In Spain, access o he In e ne ia mobile
elephones is widesp ead, and i is hi d in Eu opean usage a es a e No way and Sweden (O ange
Founda ion, 2012). Howe e , in Spain, access o high-speed ne wo ks h ough mobile elephone is no
possible in u al a eas loca ed away om he main communica ions ne wo ks ha un nea mo o ways
1
This a icle is based on esea ch inanced by he Depa men o Inno a ion o he Spanish go e nmen
(CSO2009-10894).
Ca los Fe ás: ca los. e [email protected]
Yolanda Ga cía: yolanda.ga cia. [email protected]
Ma iña Pose: ma [email protected]
Da e submi ed: 2011–10–17
In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2587
and ailway lines. In he case o Galicia, INE da a o 2011 show lowe a es o mobile In e ne access and
lowe a es o household In e ne access han he na ional a e age. In his con ex , we ask how Galician
u al eenage s use mobile elephones o o e come hei geog aphical isola ion and wha gende
di e ences may exis in his ega d.
The isola ion o u al communi ies has been a ecu ing opic (Copus, 2001). Ru al adolescen s
ha e ne e had he same eady access o means o communica ions as ha e hei u ban coun e pa s
because he a i al and sp ead o inno a ions and echnology o u al a eas has always lagged behind
ci ies (Cai nc oss, 1997; Wa , 2012). Likewise, because o he physical dis ances and low popula ion
densi ies in ol ed, ace- o- ace communica ion has also been limi ed. Ru al isola ion plays a la ge ole in
explaining why 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 a new p ocess in which
u al adolescen s pa icipa e subs an ially in mobile communica ions, and i is possible ha u u e u al
economic de elopmen migh be shaped less by low a es o accessibili y and isola ion (F iedman, 2006).
Con en ional landline elephones we e slow o a i e in Galician owns and illages, bu ou indings show
ha mobile elephone usage is sp eading quickly and wi h i comes a g ea e possibili y o o e coming he
geog aphical and social isola ion and inaccessibili y inhe en in u al a eas.
In a s udy o Spanish uni e si y s uden s by Go do López (2006), he In e ne is seen as a
channel o pa icipa ion and exp ession, a cul u e o easy and ins an aneous communica ion eadily
accessible o young adul s and adolescen s. In his s udy, 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 in u al
Galicia. In e es ing ques ions 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.
This a icle p esen 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. The
ieldwo k was conduc ed du ing wo weeks in Ma ch 2011. Ou objec i e was o examine mobile elephone
usage among u al adolescen s and de e mine i and o wha ex en gende accoun ed o any signi ican
di e ences in usage, pa icula ly in ex messaging. 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 ions echnology is ully deployed in his u al
communi y.
How Do Today’s Adolescen s Communica e?
Mobile elephone echnology is he mos widesp ead echnology used by adolescen s oday and
he one wi h he g ea es unc ional impac (Ma ínez, Miguel, & To ajada, 2009). In a gende
compa ison, 73% o adolescen Spanish gi ls ha e a mobile elephone compa ed o 64% o adolescen
2588 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
boys.
2
Mobile elephones ha e been he ocus o bo h quan i a i e and quali a i e s udies on he use o
echnology by adolescen s and he implica ions his has on he shaping o gende iden i y. In his s udy,
we analyze he in luence o mobile elephones on he shaping o gende iden i y among adolescen s in a
u al communi y and gende di e ences in he linguis ic unc ions ha ex messages se e o boys and
gi ls.
The li e a u e on in o ma ion and communica ions echnology (ICT) poin s o a pe sis en digi al
di ide in e ms o gende (Cas año, 2008; Ka z, 2003; Ochai a, Espinosa, & Gu ié ez, 2011; Wajcman,
2006). Mobile elephones possess a special se o a ibu es ha make hem pa icula ly appealing o
emales, especially adolescen s (Ling, 2008). Ling (2004) and Chen and Ka z (2009) alk abou he mobile
elephone and i s pe sonal na u e as an ex ension o social li e, i s ole in he o ma ion o iden i y, i s
in luence in eshaping he empo al and spa ial hy hms o social in e ac ions, and i s powe ul abili y o
se e as a socializing agen and acili a o o amilial and social ies. In addi ion, he e a e impo an
ac o s ela ed o in imacy, p i acy, and sa e y (Cas ells, Fe nández-A de ol, Qiu, & Sey, 2007; Chen &
Ka z, 2009; Inkinen, 2008; Ka z, 2003; Ka z, 2006; Ling, 2008; Ma ínez e al., 2009; Pe ie a, 2006).
The e a e also aspec s ha adolescen s ind appealing, including mobile elephone’s accessibili y, ex
messaging, mul i unc ionali y (i.e., nume ous applica ions ha can be downloaded), and en e ainmen
possibili ies (Ka z, 2003; Ling, 2004). One mus also add ha pa en s, likewise, con ibu e o usage as
hey use mobile elephones as a way o keeping abs on hei child en. Acco ding o a s udy by he
Ins i u o Nacional de Tecnologías de la Comunicación (INTECO) and O ange Founda ion (2010), 88% o
Spanish pa en s a e eassu ed knowing hey can con ac hei child en on hei mobile elephone. Bu
su p isingly, child en do no eel hey ha e any less eedom o p i acy in hei pe sonal ela ionships jus
because hei pa en s can eadily con ac hem. In ac , 69.6% o adolescen s hink ha ha ing a mobile
elephone g an s hem mo e, no less, au onomy. Adolescen s on he oad o adul hood a e ypically
in ol ed in a complex and o en con using p ocess o iden i y o ma ion; hey hus place a g ea e social
impo ance on iends han hey do on amily (Na al & Sádaba, 2005). In his sense, mobile elephones
a e a way o communica e wi h hei social ne wo k o pee s, ee om pa en al con ol (Ling, 2002).
A he same ime, o he s udies wa n agains he po en ial ha m ul e ec s o excessi e use o
mobile elephones by adolescen s,
3
who a e gene ally mo e p one o engage in addic i e beha io wi h
ICTs because hey a e highly sensi i e o hei social en i onmen and because his echnology is so
p esen in hei li es. Howe e , adolescen addic ion o mobile elephones is cu en ly unsubs an ia ed.
2
. See Ins i u o Nacional de Tecnologías de la Comunicación (INTECO) and O ange Founda ion (2010),
Es udios sob e segu idad y p i acidad en el uso de los se icios mó iles po los meno es españoles
[S udies on secu i y and p i acy in he use o mobile se ices by Spanish mino s] and Es udio sob e el uso
de los sma phones en los meno es [S udy on he use o sma phones in he mino s]. Re ie ed om
h p://www.in eco.es/Es udios/Es udio_mo iles_meno es and
h p://www.in eco.es/Es udios/Es udio_sma phones_meno es
3
. Fo example, see G ane , Be anuy, Sánchez, and Cas ellana (2007), Qué uso hacen los jó enes y
adolescen es de in e ne y del mó il? [How you h and adolescen s use he In e ne and mobile pHone?].
In Luís Ál a ez Pousa, Joám E ans Pim, Ósca C espo A igbay (Eds.), Comunicación e xu en ude: Ac as do
Fo o In e nacional (pp. 71–90). León, Spain: A co Lib os.
In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2589
Wha indings do show is ha he majo i y o adolescen s and young adul s gene ally exhibi easonable
use o mobile elephones and he In e ne , wi h only occasional p oblems. Howe e , misuse o hese
echnologies can ha e nega i e consequences o amily ela ionships and academic pe o mance.
Along wi h hei socializa ion aspec ― he possibili y o main aining immedia e con ac wi h one’s
social ne wo ks―mobile elephones ha e also mean a so o libe a ion o adolescen s om hei
pa en s. Mo eo e , ha ing a mobile elephone is a way o adolescen s o de ine hei iden i y: No only
can hey cus omize hei mobile elephone’s nume ous unc ional ea u es in so many ways, bu hey can
also c ea e hei own codes o communica ion (Ling, 2002, 2004, 2008). Du ing adolescence,
communica ion wi h one’s pee s is undamen al, so much so ha he ole models once played by pa en s
a e played by pee s, who now make up an adolescen ’s main poin o e e ence (Malo, Casas, Figue , &
González, 2006). Social ela ionships wi h pee s a e gene ally mo e impo an o gi ls han o boys. Fo
Ling (2002), his ac is associa ed wi h a ype o p esocializa ion, which gi ls unde go du ing adolescence
o he subsequen oles hey will adop as adul women. These oles a e ela ed o he con ibu ion
women make o main aining social and amily ela ionships. As Ma ínez e al. (2009) con i m, in many
cases mobile elephones a e no used o ac ual con e sa ion bu a he as a way o sea ch o emo ional
in ol emen o o ac as a kind o i ual cop esence. In o he wo ds, one seeks ecogni ion as belonging
o he g oup, con i ma ion o a long-dis ance social ela ionship, being pa o he ecei e ’s li e, in sho ,
jus “being he e.” This is especially impo an o he u al adolescen s in ou s udy who, because o
geog aphical dis ances and low popula ion densi y, equen ly canno physically be cop esen wi h hei
pee s.
Many linguis s ha e ound i mo e appealing o deal wi h communica ion han wi h language and
o conce n hemsel es wi h all hose aspec s, codes, and phenomena ha in e ene in he communica i e
p ocess. Fo his eason, p agma ics has gained ollowe s among language schola s: The communica i e
si ua ion su ounding he speake s― hei sha ed unde s anding o he wo ld, deduc ions, in e ences, and
implica ions―also o ms pa o he message and gi es meaning o i s p oduc ion. We can deciphe he
meaning o an isola ed u e ance i we unde s and he code in which i was p oduced. Bu we a e only able
o unde s and i s ue meaning i we know he con ex and si ua ion in which i was p oduced; wha
pu pose i se es in in e ac ions; and who used i and unde wha social, pe sonal, and cul u al
ci cums ances. The o mal simpli ica ion o which w i en language has been subjec ed in new channels o
echnological communica ion is a consequence o he po en ial ha ex alinguis ic ac o s ha e in he
cons uc ion o sense. A syn he ic w i en language, seldom subjec ed o adi ional con en ions, can s ill
be e ec i e: I keeps he communica i e si ua ion in mind and is en iched by isual codes. In his way, i
e lec s and, in u n, shapes how new gene a ions pe cei e and s uc u e he wo ld.
Me hodology and Field Wo k
Ou case s udy was conduc ed 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 (Figu e 1). F om a socioeconomic
pe spec i e, he egion o San a Comba exhibi s he classic u al pa e n o low demog aphic densi y. I
has a popula ion o 10,500 inhabi an s dis ibu ed h oughou dozens o a ms and illages. O e he las
ou decades, i has unde gone p onounced u al ligh and has expe ienced demog aphic con ac ion.
2590 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
None heless, 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 en i onmen has led o highe - han-a e age pe capi a income han o he Galician
dis ic s and an equal o e en highe income han some Galician ci ies (Ins i u o Galego de Es a is ica,
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 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 wi h wo ocus g oups. Ou quali a i e esea ch me hod was based on pa icipan obse a ion
echniques, wi h 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 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 ocus g oups: olde adolescen s (aged 14 o 15) wi h g ea e expe ience using mobile
elephones bu who we e 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 who we e mo e willing o
sha e hei ex messages.
In he i s phase o da a collec ion, we o med a ocus g oup o ga he he opinions o 19 10 h-
g ade s uden s (7 boys and 12 gi ls), all be ween he ages o 14 and 15. The opics discussed 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 essions o iden i y, in asions o p i acy, physical and emo ional sa e y, and
addic i e beha io .
Du ing he discussion, we sys ema ically in oduced in o ma ion abou he opics o be discussed.
F om he e, s uden s ga e hei opinions on, and subjec i e e alua ion o , ha in o ma ion. These
opinions and e alua ions hen se ed o ini ia e g oup dialogues and discussions. So as no o in luence
he pa icipan s’ opinions, we s ic ly limi ed ou pa icipa ion in hese discussions o obse a ion.
Howe e , i is possible ha ou me e p esence as esea che s migh ha e a ec ed he esul s.
In he second phase, we collec ed, obse ed, and analyzed he mobile ex messages o 16
se en h-g ade s uden s: 8 boys and 8 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 he sen messages a ea on hei mobile elephones. 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.
4
We also collec ed da a
4
. All o iginal ex messages and hei ull- o m e sions a e ep oduced he ein exac ly as hey appea ed
on he su eys wi hou linguis ic modi ica ion o any kind. The s uden s’ ull- o m e sions demons a e

In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2591
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. Despi e he selec ion p ocess explained in he me hodology,
we we e able o analyze all he SMS gene a ed by all su eyed in a ai ly b ie pe iod o ime. The
ieldwo k was conduc ed du ing wo weeks in Ma ch o 2011.
Ini ially, 15 gi ls and 12 boys ag eed o pa icipa e. Whe eas he in e es o he gi ls held s eady
h oughou he s udy, boys we e no as en husias ic. Fou o he male s uden s who ag eed o ake pa
u ned in blank su eys. Al hough we do no know exac ly why, we can make he ollowing assump ions as
o he ac o s ha migh ha e in e ened in hei decision:
 They had ew o no messages o sha e because hey had o “clean hem up” since hei pa en s
check hei mobile elephones (as he s uden s hemsel es o en allege). In any case, bo h he
pa icipan s and hei pa en s o legal gua dians we e ully awa e o his pa o he s udy p io o
pa icipa ing in i .
 They migh ha e doub ed he au onomous na u e o he su ey, ea ing ha hei eache s would
ecognize hei handw i ing.
 Masculine language used in ex s may be c ude, and hey migh no wan anyone ou side o hei
social ci cle o see i .
 The conside able in e es ha his ac i i y gene a ed among emale s uden s migh ha e caused
a so o dis us among hei male pee s. One mus wonde i boys conside ex ing “gi ly”
compa ed o o he o ms o communica ion, which would explain hei ese a ions abou he
su ey. I his is indeed ue, in a u al en i onmen like he one in his s udy, male sensi i i y o
gende ed oles is pe haps e en g ea e han ha o emales when he boys hide hei p oblems
o isola ion. In he case o some male s uden s, ou knowledge o hei social and pe sonal
ci cums ances leads us o assume ha ei he hey do no ha e a mobile elephone o hey lack a
social ne wo k o iends wi h whom o exchange messages. Consequen ly, so as no o call
a en ion o ei he si ua ion—especially in on o hei classma es— hey p e ended o pa icipa e
bu u ned in blank ques ionnai es.
 Finally, boys and gi ls migh ex o di e en easons; ha is, he unc ion ex messaging se es
is gende speci ic. Boys and gi ls migh choose he ype o ICT ha bes esponds o hei needs
and communica i e in en ions, and hese choices migh di e be ween gende s. Wha pu poses
ex messaging se es o boys and gi ls is p ecisely he unknown a iable in ou s udy.
Compa ed o he a e age numbe o messages sen by gi ls (17), he a e age sen by boys (9) is
conside ably lowe , and hei messages a e s ikingly mo e b ie as well. Consequen ly, ou inal da a se
consis ed o 210 ex messages: 136 om gi ls and 74 om boys.
ha hey s ill ha e no in e nalized he o mal ules o w i ing o , a leas , ha hey ha e no aken hem
e y se iously (especially i hey a e no going o be es ed o i ).
2592 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
Figu e 1. Loca ion o he s udy a ea in Galicia, Spain.
Sou ce o map: Fe ás and O’Flanagan (2012).
Adolescen s Con inually Connec ed
The indings o his s udy show ha adolescen s make use o a wide a ie y o mobile elephone
unc ions. These include making oice calls, aking and downloading pho os, lis ening o music,
exchanging iles, and playing games. Fo he majo i y o adolescen s, mobile elephones ep esen an
ex ension o hei social li e, a o m o making hei p esence known and o displaying hei pe sonali y o
hei pee s. This exp ession o iden i y occu s bo h h ough he usage o he elephone as well as h ough
he physical elephone i sel , which can be cus omized wi h acepla es, ing ones, icons, and wallpape s.
Fo mos adolescen s, mobile elephones ha e become an e e yday objec ully in eg a ed in o
hei li es. All o he adolescen s who pa icipa ed in he ocus g oups ha e hei own mobile elephone.
They do admi , hough, ha in some places―such as a school― hey knowingly un he isk o ha ing he
elephone aken away. The ollowing ype o commen was hea d equen ly among he pa icipan s: “A
In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2593
school we can’ ha e mobiles. Ei he you hide hem eally well o hey ge aken away om you. Bu
e e yone akes one anyway.”
We obse ed ha o all he unc ions ha mobile elephones o e , he one used mos is ex
messaging. Howe e , his has mo e o do wi h an economic decision han wi h a pe sonal choice. The
majo i y o he s uden s su eyed, especially boys, p e e calling hei iends a he han making he
e o o compose a ex message. The ollowing ypes o commen s we e equen ly hea d in he ocus
g oup discussions:
 Gi l: “We send mo e messages, lo s mo e, all o hem.”
 Boy: “I like calling be e han ex ing, bu I ha e o do i [ ex ] because i ’s cheape .”
 Boy: “I ex because i ’s ee wi h my calling plan, bu I call oo. I p e e o call, and since I ha e
a con ac I always call.”
 Gi l: “Tha ’s because ou pa en s pay o he In e ne and we ha e o pay o ou phones. I my
mobile was ee, I would use i mo e.”
 Boy: “I also p e e o call. I’m eally lazy; i akes me o e e o ype a message.”
 Gi l: “I’m no lazy abou sending ex s, bu i depends on who you’ e alking o. The e a e some
people you don’ wan o alk o, so you send hem a ex .”
Wha is s iking in many cases is ha mobile elephones a e no used o alk, pe se, bu a he
o se up an al e na i e con ac
5
using ano he echnological de ice (on he In e ne o a landline phone).
He e, i is he con ex ha gi es meaning o he in e ac ion:
 Gi l: “I ha dly alk on Tuen i
6
. . . you’ e ne e connec ed a he same ime unless you say ha
you’ll call and hang up so hey know o connec , and basically when I wan o se up a ime o
alk wi h people, I do his: I say, ‘Gi e me a missed call [on my mobile] and we can alk on
Tuen i.’ I ’s easie . I ’s like we use ou mobile o no i y each o he abou some hing, bu we alk
on he In e ne . Mobiles a e o when you don’ ha e In e ne igh hen.”
We obse ed ha gi ls alued in imacy and p i acy in hei communica ions mo e han boys did
and ha mobile elephones o med an impo an pa o his p i a e sphe e. As one gi l explains,
5
See Simón, A. (2008). Tuen i, la compe encia de Facebook hecha en España [Tuen i, acebook
compe i ion made in Spain]. In Cinco Días. Re ie ed om
h p://cincodias.com/cincodias/2008/04/11/emp esas/1207921214_850215.h ml
2594 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
You can’ use he In e ne o ac ually alk; you always ha e o ype. And i , le ’s say,
you’ e alking o someone and a e a aid ha someone else migh see you o some hing
like ha , i ’s be e o alk on he phone.
Fo he majo i y o he pa icipan s, mobile elephones a e indispensable o communica e wi h
hei pee s, no because hey can ac ually say hings bu because hey can main ain con ac wi h each
o he . Mobile echnology is hus seen as an ex ension o hei body; i is ne e swi ched o and goes
whe e e hey do. They need o be con inually connec ed:
 Boy: “You ake you mobile ou o you pocke , and ha ’s i . You always ha e i wi h you, and
you don’ ha e o be w i ing when you don’ ha e ime.”
 Gi l: “You ake you mobile e e ywhe e. You jus g ab i and go.”
In his sense, using a mobile elephone has mo e o do wi h being connec ed han wi h he
message i sel . This gi es mobile communica ion a pha ic-appella i e unc ion: he calle appeals o he
ecei e o make his/he p esence known while he calle is simul aneously making his/he own p esence
known. Obse e he ollowing commen s:
 Boy: “Bu i ’s like lo s o imes, okay, you can hink abou wha you’ e going o say, bu you alk
jus o be alking; you say silly hings jus because i ’s ee and you wan o use up he messages
you’ e go le [ e e ing o he ee message o e s by mobile phone companies], and so you
w i e ‘Hey! Wha ’s up?’ and you send i o di e en numbe s.”
 Boy: “I depends. Some imes you call someone and you ha e o alk he whole ime because
he e a e some eally bo ing people ou he e. You gi e hem you li e s o y, and hey don’ ell
you a single hing. You can call and hen no say any hing. I’d a he alk on he phone han send
a ex . . . bu alk abou some hing. The e a e also hings ha you’ e emba assed o alk abou
on he phone and you end up sending a ex . Besides, my pa en s don’ e en know how o ead
ex s.”
We also obse ed ha only on a e occasion do mobile elephones cons i u e an in asion o
p i acy. In ac , i is p ecisely because hei pa en s can each hem a any ime on hei mobile
elephones ha adolescen s eel hey ac ually ha e mo e eedom o mo emen and independence.
 Gi l: “Since I ha e my mobile, I eel mo e independen .”
 Gi l: “I don’ eel like my pa en s con ol me mo e. They don’ call me so much, and besides, i I
wan o a i e a li le la e, I call hem, and ha ’s i . I ’s be e .”
 Boy: “I ’s like, besides, say you wan o s ay ou a li le longe , you can le hem know a home,
and e e y hing’s okay. I you don’ ha e you mobile, you ha e o go home.”
In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2601
Table 1. Appella i e and Pha ic Func ions o Mobile Telephones.
Appella i e Func ion
Pha ic Func ion
Why didn’ you go o school? Le me know.
Hey wha ’s up. Le me know please I’m bo ed.
Come a 17:15. can you?
Wha ’s up?
B ing he came a and don’ gi e any hing o olga in
on o anybody.
Wha a e you doing now
Wha do “an onela” and “nemias” wan o do o me a
he s o e [“nemias” is a nickname]
Yeah, we’d be e s op I’m using up all my
minu es. Ciaooo [belly laugh]
A e you going o San iago? Please le me know hon
kisses.
Abb e ia e o c ying ou loud!!
Hi when you come can you b ing me he came a co d
please.
Wha a e you doing?
B ing me he ennis balls please hey’ e on he co ee
able.
Hi Lucia. [laugh e ]
Wha ’s up hon did you see Mad i Ba sa [Mad id-
Ba celona oo ball ma ch]
Hi beau i ul! Can’ alk now.
Wha ’s up did you see he ilm on Channel 3
Tell me some hing please.
He e a e some o he messages coded as ha ing a e e en ial o exp essi e unc ion:
Re e en ial unc ion
Exp essi e unc ion
They punished me and won’ le me go ou
Hey swee ie! Tha ’s li e! No one wan ed you o
go.
The English ones a e on page 32 o he wo kbook
So y i ’s jus ha I’m eally emba assed
playing on he PlayS a ion
I lo e you so much! Mo e han anyone in he
wo ld.
II. The Co ela ion Be ween he Func ion o he Message and Gende
We co ela ed gende wi h he unc ions o he messages, which o m he independen and
dependen a iables, espec i ely. To do so, we used VARBRUL compu e so wa e (Gold a b X o
Windows).
10
The indings o how hese wo a iables in e ac wi h each o he a e highly signi ican :
10
. Gold a b X is a so wa e package ha is widely used o quan i a i e s udies on linguis ic a ia ion. I
wo ks wi h he s a is ical model o mul iple eg essions. All he VARBRUL applica ions a e ee. The one
used in his s udy can be downloaded along wi h i s use manual a

2602 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
VARBRUL, h ough mul iple eg ession analysis, eached con e gence in he i h i e a ion. An analysis o
he c oss- abula ion ables (Table 2) shows ha 45.7% o he messages ha e an appella i e unc ion,
21.4% pha ic, 17.1% ep esen a i e, and 15.7% exp essi e. In e ms o gende , he mos signi ican
di e ences occu wi h he appella i e, pha ic, and exp essi e unc ions: boys sen 65% o he appella i e
messages, compa ed o 34.4% sen by gi ls. These pe cen ages a e e e sed o messages wi h a pha ic
unc ion: 63.3% sen by gi ls, compa ed o 36.7% by boys. The exp essi e unc ion is much mo e
equen among gi ls (77% compa ed o 23%), and he ep esen a i e unc ion is he same (50%) o
bo h sexes. Mo e han 140 o 210 messages analyzed used an impe a i e o an in e oga i e; 70 we e
om boys and 70 om gi ls.
In addi ion, we iden i ied wo basic linguis ic esou ces used in ex messages o exp ess
appella i e in en ions: he in e oga i e and he impe a i e (Table 3). O he 42 appella i e messages sen
by boys, 32 con ained an in e oga i e and 10 an impe a i e unc ion. C oss abula ion o he a iables
in e oga i e + impe a i e yielded only one occasion whe e he wo a iables occu oge he . These
esul s indica e ha boys p e e he in e oga i e o e he impe a i e. Gi ls sen 22 messages wi h an
appella i e unc ion, 21 o mula ed wi h an in e oga i e, and 9 wi h an impe a i e, he wo a iables
occu ing in a leas 9 messages. These indings hus indica e ha he use o an in e oga i e plus an
impe a i e o he appella i e unc ion is mo e equen among gi ls.
11
We co ela ed gende and he use o poli eness o mulas and hei ela ionship o he appella i e
unc ion. The s a is ical analysis o his a iable did no yield signi ican esul s gi en he low numbe o
occu ences o hese o mulas. I seems he e is li le oom o cou esy in adolescen s’ ex messages:
only 11% con ained exp essions such as please, hanks, o a modal e b wi h an in ini i e (“can you ell
me”). Gi ls sen 75% o hese messages.
We likewise examined i he use o he oca i e was used o one down he appella i e o ce o
he message and coded i s use by di e en ia ing be ween he absence o he oca i e and he p esence o
a deno a i e o a ec i e oca i e. He e, he indings we e equally insigni ican since 80.5% o he 140
messages analyzed lack a oca i e o any kind. Only 26 con ained a oca i e, 19 o which we e a ec i e
(“cu ie,” “hon,” “beau i ul,” “sexy,” “swee ie”) and 7 deno a i e ( he ecei e ’s name). The e a e also no
no able gende di e ences in he use o he a ec i e oca i e (8 cases by boys and 11 by gi ls). Likewise,
he p esence o he oca i e is no associa ed wi h he appella i e unc ion o he message gi en ha o
he 19 messages ha con ained a ec i e oca i es, 10 we e pha ic, 5 appella i e, and 2 exp essi e. The 7
deno a i e oca i es ha appea ed in he sample belong o messages wi h di e se linguis ic unc ions.
h p://indi idual.u o on o.ca/ agliamon e/gold a b.h m. A comple e desc ip ion o his applica ion and i s
use in sociolinguis ic esea ch is ound in Mo eno Fe nández (1994).
11
. The use o a ques ion ma k is no always necessa y o iden i y his unc ion. Example: “Despois que es
i comp a a a de conmigo”[La e do you wan o go shopping in he a e noon wi h me]. The modal
e b “que e ” (wan ) in he second pe son singula is su icien o assign an appella i e-in e oga i e alue
o he u e ance.
In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2603
Table 2. Tex Messages by Gende and Linguis ic Func ion.
Linguis ic
Func ion
Gi ls
No. (% o N)
Boys
No. (% o N)
All Subjec s
N (% o N)
Appella i e
22 (34.4)
42 (65.6)
64 (45.7)
Exp essi e
17 (77.3)
5 (22.7)
22 (15.7)
Pha ic
19 (63.3)
11 (36.7)
30 (21.4)
Rep esen a i e
12 (50)
12 (50)
24 (17.1)
Ns
70
70
140
VARBRUL ou pu : Con e gence a i e a ion 5; Inpu 0.503;
G oup # 1— : 0.497, a: 0.341, : 0.630, e: 0.770;
Log likelihood = −98.806.
Table 3. Tex Messages by Gende , Linguis ic Func ion, and Linguis ic Resou ce Used.
Numbe o Messages
Using an Impe a i e
_________________
Numbe o Messages
Using an In e oga i e
____________________
Func ion
by Gende
No
Used
Used
N
No
Used
Used
N
Appella i e
Gi ls
Boys
13
32
9
10
22
42
1
10
21
32
22
42
Exp essi e
Gi ls
Boys
16
5
1
0
17
5
15
5
1
0
16
5
Pha ic
Gi ls
Boys
18
11
1
0
19
11
7
4
12
7
19
11
Rep esen a i e
Gi ls
Boys
12
12
0
0
12
12
12
12
0
0
12
12
N
Gi ls
Boys
59
60
11
10
70
70
35
31
35
39
70
70
2604 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
Conclusion
Fo he u al adolescen s in ou sample, mobile elephones ha e become an in eg al pa o daily
li e, which hey use p ima ily o exchange ex messages. They eel ha ha ing a mobile elephone 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 mobile elephones han a e 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 essed 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. I is p ecisely
hese wo ea u es ha 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, ha is, o e i y ha
hei iends a e “ he e” while con i ming hei own p esence. This 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. . . We no
longe ha e o “ ell hings,” we ha e “ o be loca able,” which is he same as saying
iden i ied. (p. 1100)
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 o sha e hei
expe ience. The easons o his di e ence a e unclea . One possibili y con empla ed and con i med in his
s udy is ha boys and gi ls use ex 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 esul s 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 dialogues g ea ly
limi s ou unde s anding o he messages and hei 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,
12
analyze he p esence o g ee ings and lea e- akings, de ec code-
11. E en so, in some cases we would mos likely ha e o ha e access o he communica i e si ua ion and
he sha ed unde s anding o he wo ld be ween sende and ecei e , which a e highly complica ed o
ob ain.
In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7 (2013) Can We Ge A ound Ru al Isola ion? 2605
swi ching caused by ex e nal ac o s, and unde s and why punc ua ion has become supe luous in
communica i e si ua ions ha ely on w i ing.
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 led 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 wi nessing he c ea ion o a new ype o 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 inc easingly 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 in o de o be pe manen ly connec ed, hus ge ing a ound 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.
2606 Ca los Fe ás, Yolanda Ga cía, Ma iña Pose In e na ional Jou nal o Communica ion 7(2013)
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