Mobile phones as autobiography: young women, delinquency and self-hood

Mobile phones as autobiography:young women, delinquency and self-hood Dr Elaine Arnull London South Bank University UK

Research Aims: • How young women portray themselves through their use of mobile phone technology and other social networking platforms • If delinquent behaviour can be observed as part of this process:- do young women record acts of delinquency and how is that mediated by their presentation of self/understanding of self?

Background • Mobile phone use particularly attractive to girls and young women • Mobile phone use mediated by gender and age • Marketing of phones aimed at specific markets – gender and country (Motorola’s Razr ‘champagne gold’ model 2007)

Background • The mobile phone as a ‘part of the users body’ (Stald 2008) • That the mobile phone becomes part of young woman’s sense of self (Weber and Mitchell 2008) • Features such as the camera are linked to notions of self-identity; observer/observed; public/private memories

Aims of this pilot/paper • To bring together considerations of development of identity and creation of ‘social self’ through the use of mobile phone and social networking platforms. • Consider how in the construction of identity using these media how young women mediate, explore and portray ‘delinquency’?

Methods • Pilot study – to establish scope of the project and some key questions • In-depth interviews with six young women aged 15-21 years in fulltime education • Focus group with three young women attending a project for girls who offend.

Findings • Describing their phone girls rarely refer to/ know the model. Describe how it looks, feels, colour, love it/hate it. • Txt and phoning by far the most common features and used for different things, groups of friends. • Other popular features are the camera, alarm, music – never games – associated with boys/young children.

Findings • Type of phone determined by contract chosen and use of txt or calls mediates that. • Cost is important – txt or calls priorities. • Call and txt people they see all the time – close friends • Txt people see less often, know less well, boys.

Findings • Girls are ‘better’ correspondents than boys • Boys use of phones portrayed as utilitarian • Cameras are the next most important feature on a phone • Features on phone such as camera and music are important because you don’t have to carry lots of equipment – but they don’t replace i-pods and digital cameras

Findings • Phone use and social networking sites are different and used differently • Mobile phones are a fiercely guarded private space shared only with close friends • Looking through someone else’s phone without permission severely frowned on • Parents and siblings (especially younger) do not have access

Findings • All had instances of their phone privacy being ‘invaded’ – deeply felt • More invasion (especially by boys) when younger • All expected to share texts with close friends and for them to do the same • Girls saved texts purposely to share, analyse and reminisce

Findings • Photos were kept for private and public memory but rarely (if ever) transferred to social network sites – this came from digital cameras • Phones and social network sites are different – one private, one public • Social networking sites generated significant caution about what was posted and expectations of trust

Findings • Boys were more likely to take videos – usually of something ‘funny’ which was usually drunkenness – girls/boys not expected to be upset about this • Girls from state schools were aware of people videoing fighting between boys and girls and sharing/posting those • Only girls who were ‘delinquent’ had videoed/been videoed fighting

Findings • All were aware of people having shared/posted photos/information about others to hurt or embarrass them by phone or platform • It was described as ‘bitchiness’ • Only delinquent girl admitted to doing this herself

Conclusions • Phones are a very private space • They are associated with close friends • Txt and calling are used for different purposes – calling increases with age • Txt is usually (but not always) a more distant activity/associated with boys • The sharing of txts is ‘bond-forming’ and associated with close friendship and trust

Conclusions • The ‘look’ and feel of the phone is important and it can be liked or hated – but it is always precious • Parents and siblings cannot share this space • Self is created and mediated through contacts and the sharing of txts and images with close friends

Conclusions • Delinquent acts, such as drunkenness, fighting and bitchiness all take place in the phone and social networking space • Delinquent behaviour was more likely to be admitted to by delinquent girls but all were aware of amongst a wider group • Mobile phones and social networking sites are very different spaces – mobiles are ‘private’, social networking sites more definitely associated with self-image creation.

Mobile phones as autobiography: young women, delinquency and self-hood