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Mobile Communication, the Internet and the Net of Social
Relations
Friedrich Krotz
University of Erfurt, Germany
Overview
1. Mediatization: becoming mediated by media
2. Changing Social Relations by Mobile Phone and the Internet
3. But different changes by Mobile Phone and the Internet, refering to relations
4. Conclusions: Mediatization
1 Mediatization: becoming mediated by the media
Changing communication in society, culture and by individuals
Mediatization• Means a long term process of changing
conditions of communication• as new media come up and old media
are used in new ways and so the media environments of the people are changing
• new forms of communication today (mainly: Mobile Net, Internet, Interactive Communication and the Mix of all)
Mediatization
• As a construct (like Globalization and Individualization) to describe the development of the digital media becoming a part of culture and society
• As a micro concept: to describe the changing everyday life of men and women by more and more using digital media
• As a macro concept to describe the changing of economy, culture, society
Everyday Life in the industrial society
SCHOOL/WORK
REPRODUCTION: SLEEPING, EATING....
FAMILY
FRIENDS
HOBBIES
THE OLD MEDIA
Telephon letters
Consequences
• All areas of life are concerned: leisure and work,
• new “realities” and situations came up
• new orientations by reference and membership groups
• new experiences, roles, social relations
• New forms of identity and of forms of living together
In the industrial Society
Most people mainly lived in an net of personal, social and parasocial relations
• Personal Relations maintained by Face-to-face-communication,
• With media of interpersonal communication being helpful from time to time
• Maintained by mass media (parasocial relations)• (all media help to maintain social relations
between social groups)
The Net of (para-)social/personal Relations
Person
Aunt
Working Colleague
Mother
PartnerAquaintance
Neighbour
Ally McBeal
Friend
Social Net by Membership- and Reference Groups
Person
Fans of the sameSoccer clubTeam at the job
/Peergroup
Religion
Family
Hobbygroup
Fans liking thesame Music style, soap ...
Social groups/classes …
The digitally mediated everyday life
Person
Aunt
Working Colleague
Mother
PartnerAquaintance
Neighbour
Ally McBeal
Friend
Person
Fans of the sameSoccer club
Team at the job /Peergroup
Religion
Family
Hobbygroup
Fans liking theSame Music style
In the upcoming Media Society
• The net of everyday life interaction and communication
• is intertwined and intermingled by a net of digitally mediated forms of communication
• especially by mobile phone and Internetrelated PC (more and more refering to interactive communication)
• but how and with which effects?
Thesis: changing situations of Communication
For both the Internet and the mobile phone:• The use changes the situation a person is in
as it separates from the present persons• The use in addition produces a simultaneous
second situation as it connects with another person
• Even the presence of a media influences the situation: It is a latent possibility. It serves to present myself in a specific way and to manage impression. It serves to control the situation.
Mobile phone and a given prior situation
Person B
Person C
Person A
Common face-to-face-Situation
Person D
Adresses a specific person
Control of situation
Computer/Internet and a given prior situation
Household mebers or office colleagues
Person A
Home/Office
Enter an open „virtual“ space
You must not adress a person, thus open for new relations
Politics of the family/the office
Conclusion
• Mediatization: We more and more are in such simultaeous situations
• Both media• Separate from the actual situation - but what
type of situation?• Connects with other persons - but what type
of persons?• Helps to control the situation - but what type
of situation?
3 Differences between Internet/PC and Mobile Phone refering to relations
• Thesis
• Mobile phone and Internet/PC affect situation in a different way: Each changes another type of situations and each connect to another type of additional situation
Thus
• Each of them is important for different situations – which it changes and – which it creates
• by technical features
• by Culture
Internet/PC
• Traditionally and by culture, the computer is seen as a stand allone computer, which may have a connection to the Internet, in addition („Internet inside of PC“)
• Technically, Internet/PC is mostly used at home or in office, as they are not so easy to transport
• Thus, Internet/PC • Is important for the politics of the family
and organizes difference, e.g. between man and woman
• separates from relations to colleagues, household and family (specific place or room)
• Using the internet is organized as entering a virtual space, there you can maintain existing relations, but you also can start new relations
The mobile phone
• Is culturally understood as a phone (although it is a little computer). Therefor, it seen to be used mainly to speak with a selected other person (or send him or her a SMS), the adress of which you know
• Technically it may be used (nearly) everywhere, as the connecting nets are everywhere and it is easy to transport
Thus, the mobile phone
• Mostly plays a role to control situations and manage impressions outside of home
• Mostly separates from unknown people in unknown situations/does not disturb relations
• Using the mobile phone means you must adress a specific person with his/her phone number – it connects mainly with known persons
• You can only maintain existing relations
Personal Relations byInternet/PC Mobile phone
• Separates from relations to family/colleagues
• Is important for the politics of family
• Using the Internet is organized to enter a specific „virtual“ space
• There one can maintain personal relations, but you one can also start new relations
• Separates from often unknown persons/ no relations
• Helps to Controll the situation /manage impressions
• Signalizes a life style
• Connects with known persons an identifier of which you must know
• Helps to maintain relations in mobile times
4 Conclusions: Mediatization
• Every individual lives in a space of possible contacts
• and in a net of personal, social and parasocial relations, based on all types of communication contacts:– Interpersonal face to face– Interpersonal mediated– Parasocial– interactive/artificial
Starting from the everyday life of people we know:
1. There is a space of possible communication contacts
2. a net of social, personal and parasocial relations based on realized communication contacts, more and more by different media
Social, Parasocial, Personal Relations
3. are important for social integration, the roles of a person, his or her experiences, reflection, inner dialog and thus for his or her social character and his identy
4. „A person is a society in miniature, as she or he consists of the roles and experiences made in roles“ (Lindesmith and Strauss, following Tamotsu Shibutani)
• This space of possible contacts and also the net of relations is probably changed by the digital media
• But these changes depend on which media is used and which cultural and technical conditions are given
• Not only relations change, but in a similar way the orientation given by reference groups and membership groups
As a result about Mediatization:1. The communicational and relational net of
everyday live is overlapped by the net of digitalized communication
2. An intertwining and intermingling net of everyday life including digital media comes into existence, which gets more and more importance/different influences:
3. The mobile phone separates from more unknown situations and helps to maintain existing relations
4. The Internet/PC separates from given more stable structures and offers also new relations
If In/PC and Mobile phone are of future importance
• we can conclude that different types of new persons will come into existence, depending on their media use
• How stable are they? How different? It depends on what?
• This needs long term empirical research• as a result of Mediatization/Element of
Medium Theory
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