On Doing Being Teenager Applying Ethnomethodology to the Analysis of Young People s Use of Mobile Phones

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1 On Doing Being Teenager Applying Ethnomethodology to the Analysis of Young People s Use of Mobile Phones Alexandra Weilenmann and Catrine Larsson {alexandra, catrine}@viktoria.informatik.gu.se Mobile Informatics, The Viktoria Institute Abstract Studies have previously shown that young people are more expressive in their use of technology than the adult user. Therefore, it is essential to use a different approach when designing for this age. This paper explores how methods from social science, Ethnomethodology and Conversation analysis, can be used to inform the design of new information technology for young people. Ethnomethodology and Conversation analysis, in taking members own accounts into consideration, provide insight into how teenagers go about producing social order: what is it that they do in order to be teenagers. We identify three categories of mobile phone use, and discuss methods suitable to study these different categories. Keywords: conversation analysis, ethnomethodology, ethnography, mobile phones, teenagers. 1. Introduction Two Nokia phones were out walking, and then one of them got run over by a steamroller and got all squashed, and the other said come on Ericsson, let s go. Mogge, 13-yearold mobile phone user [ ] every member of society is a practical social theorist Anthony Giddens, 1995:241 Let s face it most designers of information technology are not teenagers anymore. They might think that they are, but they are not. So how do we design for this generation without knowing how the people intended to be the final users actually use their mobile phones in their daily lives? This paper attempts to answer the question How can we use conversation analysis and ethnomethodology to inform the design of new communication technology for young people? Recent studies have shown that young people are more expressive in their use of technology than the adult users, (Ling, 1999). Thus, it is essential to take a different approach when designing for this age. Ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, in taking members own methods into consideration, can provide information about the teenager s own views of technology, what they use it for and how it forms a part of their socialization process. This information is essential when designing new technology. This paper will begin by shortly discussing studies of adolescence. We will then continue by presenting the framework of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis, as well as Proceedings of IRIS 23. Laboratorium for Interaction Technology, University of Trollhättan Uddevalla, L. Svensson, U. Snis, C. Sørensen, H. Fägerlind, T. Lindroth, M. Magnusson, C. Östlund (eds.)

2 discussing methods to obtain data that can be analyzed within these frameworks. We discuss what is being studied when studying mobile telephone use, thereby identifying three categories of analysis. The paper is then summarized. 2. Young people and mobile phones In this paper, we focus on teenagers use of mobile telephones. There are several reasons why it is interesting to study teenagers and their use of the mobile phone. This age is a very special and turbulent time in life. We define three reasons why teenagers have to be considered as a separate group when considering design of mobile telephones. First, it is important to remember that the teenagers of today are the first generation growing up with mobile telephones. They have no presumptions on what a mobile telephone is; for them it is not a stationary phone that has gone mobile, with whatever that implies. Second, this period of life is when a person primarily creates her individuality and identity. Third, studies have shown that young people use mobile phones in ways that are radically different from adult users, in that they focus on the expressive rather than the informative aspect of what the technology does. The statements made above will be discussed further below. In this section, we will turn to research about adolescence, and then discuss how findings from that field relate to the use of the mobile phone Adolescence Adolescence has been defined as a period of liberation of the individual from the deep down boundaries represented by the parents (Sernhede, 1996). The children are strongly connected to the family s structure, and in the teens the children need to explore and form their individuality and identity. The individuality refers to the process to distinct self from the family, and to find a suitable role when connecting with others (Grotevant and Cooper, 1994). The teenagers are going through a period of many changes, both physical and emotional, and need to find their own identity. An interesting aspect of adolescence is that people in this age tend to detach themselves from childhood, and at the same time they do not consider themselves as adults. They are neither an adult nor a child; they are something in between, teenagers, which is important to show the society. In finding their role in society, and creating an adult identity, they express their group belongings through their appearance and behavior. Teenager s emancipation from their parents leaves an emotional empty space that needs to be replaced, something which is often done within peer groups (Coleman, 1980). The strong link that is being developed to friends and the group plays a significant role for the teenagers; they can share experience with persons in similar situations, and get sympathy in the conflicts within the family. The communication between youths is therefore essential for keeping the links constantly up to date, and they feel a need to always be available to each other. This is also reflected in the phenomena popularity, if we by that mean to be well liked by many persons, where there is important to be connected to many people. To become popular and accepted within a group, the teenager needs to feel one with the others; they need to feel normal. The concept of being normal, if we by normal mean ideal, typical and well-

3 adjusted (Erchack, 1992), is essential because of the fear of being left out. Everybody likes what is normal. We believe that there is an intriguing contradiction between the ambition of being normal at the same time as being special. To be accepted in the group seems very important, but also to be special, to express the individuality, and of course to be cool. It is in this sense that the mobile phone plays an essential role Mobile phones as group markers We have argued that it is important among young people to show their group belonging, and to be normal and special at them same time. In today s society, the mobile phone is an important tool for the child in the sense of helping them create their own network of friends, as well as their own identity. Also, information technology in large, has radically changed the way that young people live and socialize (Meyrowitz, 1985). Recent studies of teenagers and mobile phones suggest that the mobile phone affect the teenager s social situation both within the family, as well as within their own network of friends. Ling (1999) has found that it is important for the teenager to be able to be reached by their friends, and the mobile telephones make this easier. The mobile telephone is used as a communication and coordination tool, at the same time as it has a strong symbolic value in itself. Studies have shown that young people use their telephones in ways that are radically different from how adults use their mobile phones. Ling (1999) notes that mobile telephones are not only used for their functionality, but also for incorporation in the symbolic universe of adolescents. (Ling, 1999:7) The conclusion that Ling makes is of great importance when thinking about design of new technology for this age group. Young people are more prone to use technology as a way to express themselves, rather than just using technology in the effective way often associated with adults. This is not to say that all adults are boring people who want boring technology. But in the design discourse of today, the words faster, more effective, and time-saving are very common. It is taken that technology should do just this; provide faster, more effective ways of communicating. Teenagers adopt technology much faster and in different ways, they explore and find new, creative ways to interact with technology. The mobile phone does not just function as a tool for coordination but as a tool for developing social relationships. In the next section, we will look at methods that can be used when investigating the social aspects of mobile phone use. 3. Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis In this section we will try to define ethnomethodology and conversation analysis. Ethnomethodology is concerned with how people go about to produce social order. One of the founders of ethnomethodology, Harold Garfinkel, defines this area as ethnomethodology as the study of various policies, methods, results, risks, and lunacies with which to locate and accomplish the study of the rational properties of practical actions as contingent ongoing accomplishments of organized artful practices of everyday life. (1986:309). Another of the founders of this discipline, Harvey Sacks, argued that one should Look to see how it is that persons go about producing what they do produce. (Sacks, LC1:11, quoted in

4 Luff et al, 1990:13). Further, an important aspect of ethnomethodology is that it focuses on the categories and methods that members (that is, members of society) produce and use. Therefore, the analyzer is interested in member s categories and methods, rather than the categories and methods of the analyzer her/himself. In recent years, ethnomethodological approaches have been used in order to inform the design of information technology. The advantage here is that the focus is on how the work or activity in focus is actually being carried out, rather than how it is believed that the work is done. Regarding the collection of data, it is necessary to use data that has been gathered in a setting where the members are engaged in activities that they regularly and ordinary do (Gougen, 1997:42). This implies that numerous methods frequently used to inform design of information technology, such as interviews, surveys, and controlled experiments, have to be avoided. Sacks strongly criticizes the interviews as a method for data collection, since asking questions of the informants is a way to investigate the categories that members use by asking them about these categories, rather than finding them in the activities in which they are used, (Sacks, in Silverman 1998:55). One strand within ethnomethodology is conversation analysis. Here, the focus is on the ways in which members produce social order through their utterances. People, in talking, do things with their language. Giddens (1995) has explained why it is necessary to study language: Ordinary language is the medium whereby social life is organized as meaningful by its constituent actors: to study a form of life involves grasping lay modes of talk which express that form of life. (1995:237) Conversation analysis presents many analytic concepts, such as turn-taking, repairs in conversations, opening sequences, etc. In order to use these concepts on any data, one needs data that is recorded and systematically transcribed. In the next section, we will look at methods for obtaining data Ethnography A common method for collecting material that can be analyzed with an ethnomethodological approach is ethnography. Ethnography has been used to describe cultures and society in a qualitative way. Significant for qualitative methods in large, is that they seek to understand actions and their meaning within their social context (Silverman, 1993). Ethnography has become a popular method for informing the design of information technology. Practically, in doing ethnographic work, one collect data through listening, observing, and taking notes. The researcher attempts to take the perspective of the member, something that requires insight and engagement. If you live in Scandinavia and you are interested in teenager s use of mobile phones, everyday provides you with an opportunity to observe teenagers using their phones. The Scandinavian countries have a high penetration of mobile phones (Bakke in Ling, 1999, and Koskinen, 1999). You see people talking on the bus, in restaurants, cafés and bars, in the streets, in the line for the cash machine, in the stores, everywhere. If you have good ears, you are provided with many opportunities to eavesdrop on mobile telephone conversations. However, for the observations to be scientifically valid, it is not enough observing and listening. There has to be a systematic approach as well as a careful documentation in form of note-taking. Even this is not enough if you want to do conversation analysis on the results; you

5 would have to record the conversations. If you start following people with a microphone in your hand, people are likely to get offended. Not only would it be unethical to make recordings without people s knowledge, it would also be difficult to get a good recording, and you would only get the one end of the conversation. These difficulties are probably one of the answers to why there has been no conversation analysis on mobile telephone conversation so far. Getting people s permission to bug their telephones would be a way of getting this material. Also, video recording of the interaction, would allow more detailed analysis, and reveal what it is that teenagers really do with their telephones. 4. Units of analysis In this section, we will look at methods that can be used for collecting data about mobile phone use among teenagers. The question that is in focus here is: When one studies mobile telephone use, what is being studied and how is this studied? We identify three categories of mobile telephone use. They are important to distinguish, as they imply different methods for collecting data, and of course, give varied types of results. These categories are: 1. Actual Use: Young people s conversations on and use of the mobile telephone 2. Reported Use: Young people s conversations about their mobile telephone use 3. Social Impact: Implications of mobile telephone use on the ongoing social context What is studied? Actual Use Reported Use Social impact How is this studied? Ethnography, Conversation Analysis Focus Group Discussions, Interviews Ethnography, Focus Group Discussions Category 1: Actual use: Young people s conversations on and use of the mobile telephone This category focus on what people actually do with their telephones, how teenagers use their mobile phones, and how they make their actions accountable to other members. For instance, this research approach would finally get to terms with the widespread myth that the most common first phrase in a mobile phone conversation is Where are you?. We would like to examine what a person says on the phone in order to communicate his current context, and how this is said. This includes detailed analysis of actual mobile telephone conversations, including such phenomena defined in conversation analysis as turn-taking, adjacency pairs, sequential ordering, etc. How do they actually talk? It also includes analysis of what people do while they talk on

6 their phones, as well as how they go about when using the phone for other activities such as for instance SMS (Short Message Service), and playing games. Category 2: Reported Use: Young people s conversations about their mobile telephone use This category focus on how teenagers talk about their mobile phones, how they report their use and relate their views on their own (and others ) use. This question will shed some light on how teenagers use their telephones, but mostly we will get interesting reports of how the teenagers believe that they use their telephones, and how they talk about their use. This type of material can be collected using traditional interview methods, as well as focus group discussions. Within design, this method can be used to obtain information about what the teenagers think about current trends, and how they want the phones to be like at the moment. It will also tell us how important the mobile phone is in the life of a teenager. Category 3: Social Impact: Implications of mobile telephone use on the ongoing social context This category deals with how the mobile telephone changes the social context in which they are used (or not used). Attempts to answer questions such as: how do co-present teenagers react when one member in the group gets a phone call, and how does the phone call restructure the ongoing interaction. What do the other people in a situation do when a mobile phone rings? How do they orient toward the person talking on the phone? Do they restructure the social situation that they are part of when the telephone rings? Is the person who is talking on the phone excluded or included in the interaction? How does the interaction continue after having finished the phone call? This research issue also addresses questions such as the conflict between the teenagers different roles, and how these roles blur when they are given a medium that enables people to be reached everywhere. 5. Summary In this paper, we have tried to explain how ethnomethodology and conversation analysis can be applied in order to study young people s use of technology. Our aim was not to give concrete design suggestions that can be used right away. Rather, we wanted to discuss how methods from social science could be used within this field, to reach a deeper understanding of the actual use of mobile phones among teenagers. Bringing this kind of data into the design process, will contribute to design that is valid according to teenager s use of mobile phones in their day-today activity. This type of information cannot be gained through frequently used methods such as interviews, where the user is in an unnatural situation, reflecting only upon her conscious behavior. Further, we have presented three categories of mobile telephone use. These are: 1. Actual Use: Young people s conversations on and use of the mobile telephone 2. Reported Use: Young people s conversations about their mobile telephone use 3. Social Impact: Implications of mobile telephone use on the ongoing social context These categories can be used to structure studies of mobile telephone use, and are important to consider when choosing the method appropriate for what one wants to study.

7 6. References Atkinson, J.M., and Heritage, J., (1984), Structures of Social Action: Studies in Conversation Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Coleman, J, (1980) The Nature of adolescence. Liber Tryck Stockholm. Garfinkel, H. (1967) Studies in Ethnomethodology, Polity Press. Giddens, A., (1995), Politics, Sociological and Social Theory: Encounters with Classical and Contemporary Social Thought, Stanford: Stanford University Press. Gougen, J.A., Toward a Social, Ethical Theory of Information, I Bowker, G.C., Star, S.L., Turner, W. & Gasser, L. (ed) (1997), Social Science, Technical Systems, and Cooperative Work: Beyond the Great Divide. (Computers, Cognition and Work Series). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp Grotevant, H and Cooper, C, (1994), Individuality and connectedness in adolescent development: Review and prospects for research on identity, relationship, and context. In Skoe, E and von Derlippe, A. (ed.) Personality Development in Adolescence. A cross national and life span perspective. Routhledge, London. Erchack, G. M, (1992), The anthropology of self and behavior. Rutger University Press, New Brunswich, New Jersey. Ling, R., Yttri, B. (1999), Nobody sits at home and waits for the telephone to ring: Micro and hyper-coordination through the use of the mobile telephone, Telenor FoU report Koskinen, T., Mobile Asynchronous Communication: use and talk of use among a group of young adults in Finland 1999, Extended Abstract for the 2 nd workshop on HCI with mobile devices, May 1999 Meyrowitz, J., (1985), No sense of place: the impact of electronic media on social behavior, New York: Oxford Sacks, H. (1984) On doing being ordinary, in Atkinson and Heritage, pp Sacks, H. (1995) Lectures on Conversation, ed. G. Jefferson, introduction by E. Schegloff, 2 vols., Oxford: Blackwell. Sernhede, O 1996, Ungdomskulturen och de Andra. Sex essäer om ungdom, identitet och modernitet. Diadalos AB Göteborg Silverman, D. (1993), Interpreting Qualitative Data: Methods for Analyzing Talk, Text and Interaction, Sage Publishers Silverman, D. (1998) Harvey Sacks: Social Science & Conversation Analysis, Oxford: Polity Press