Mobile Communication

17 Structural Crises of Meaning and New Technologies: Reframing the Public and the Private in the News Media through the Expansion of Voices by Social Networks -- 18 A Starting Path for a Great Future -- List of Contributors -- Index

How wireless technology is redefining the relationship of communication, technology, and society around the world—in everyday work and life, in youth culture, in politics, and in the developing world. Wireless networks are the fastest growing communications technology in history. Are mobile phones expressions of identity, fashionable gadgets, tools for life—or all of the above? Mobile Communication and Society looks at how the possibility of multimodal communication from anywhere to anywhere at any time affects everyday life at home, at work, and at school, and raises broader concerns about politics and culture both global and local. Drawing on data gathered from around the world, the authors explore who has access to wireless technology, and why, and analyze the patterns of social differentiation seen in unequal access.They explore the social effects of wireless communication—what it means for family life, for example, when everyone is constantly in touch, or for the idea of an office when workers can work anywhere. Is the technological ability to multitask further compressing time in our already hurried existence? The authors consider the rise of a mobile youth culture based on peer-to-peer networks, with its own language of texting, and its own values. They examine the phenomenon of flash mobs, and the possible political implications. And they look at the relationship between communication and development and the possibility that developing countries could "leapfrog" directly to wireless and satellite technology. This sweeping book—moving easily in its analysis from the United States to China, from Europe to Latin America and Africa—answers the key questions about our transformation into a mobile network society.

Principles of Mobile Communication provides an authoritative treatment of the fundamentals of mobile communications, one of the fastest growing areas of the modern telecommunications industry. The book stresses the fundamentals of mobile communications engineering that are important for the design of any mobile system. Less emphasis is placed on the description of existing and proposed wireless standards. This focus on fundamental issues should be of benefit not only to students taking formal instruction but also to practising engineers who are likely to already have a detailed familiarity with the standards and are seeking to deepen their knowledge of this important field. The book stresses mathematical modeling and analysis, rather than providing a qualitative overview. It has been specifically developed as a textbook for graduate level instruction and a reference book for practising engineers and those seeking to pursue research in the area. The book contains sufficient background material for the novice, yet enough advanced material for a sequence of graduate level courses. Principles of Mobile Communication treats a variety of contemporary issues, many of which have been treated before only in the journals. Some material in the book has never appeared before in the literature. The book provides an up-to-date treatment of the subject area at a level of detail that is not available in other books. Also, the book is unique in that the whole range of topics covered is not presently available in any other book. Throughout the book, detailed derivations are provided and extensive references to the literature are made. This is of value to the reader wishing to gain detailed knowledge of a particular topic.

This textbook takes a unified view of the fundamentals of wireless communication and explains cutting-edge concepts in a simple and intuitive way. An abundant supply of exercises make it ideal for graduate courses in electrical and computer engineering and it will also be of great interest to practising engineers.

Mobile Communication covers a wide range of topics. These include the replacement of co-present interaction with mediated contact and analysis of mobile-based cohesion and gender. The authors also explore the role of media choice and its effect on the quality as well as quantity of social cohesion. Other topics include mobile communication and communities of interest; and mobile communication, cohesion, and youth.This volume brings together scholars from around the world to consider how mobile communication both builds and destroys our sense of social cohesion. There is no question that uses of technology can lead to increased cohesion within personal communities. For example, this volume includes research on caravan couples in Australia, factory workers in China, young couples in Germany, citizens in Slovenia, and sports clubs in Ireland. It also includes research on drunken calls between university students in the US, calls of international students in Switzerland and communications between immigrant women in Melbourne, Australia.However, the contributors also argue that as social networks become inundated with mobile communication users, these users may become increasingly isolated and social division can ensue.

This volume captures the domestication of mobile communication technologies by families in Asia, and its implications for family interactions and relationships. It showcases research on families across a spectrum of socio-economic profiles, from both rural and urban areas, offering insights on children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. While mobile communication diffuses through Asia at a blistering pace, families in the region are also experiencing significant changes in light of unprecedented economic growth, globalisation, urbanisation and demographic shifts. Asia is therefore at the crossroads of technological transformation and social change. This book analyses the interactions of these two contemporaneous trends from the perspective of the family, covering a range of family types including nuclear, multi-generational, transnational, and multi-local, spanning the continuum from the media-rich to the media have-less.