Search

In this paper, we analyze the data collected through in-depth interviews of migrant workers in Southern China about their mobile cultures. In particular, we focus on understanding the role that mobile cultures play in female workers’ negotiation of their social and romantic relations and leisure space and how these negotiations are directly or indirectly facilitated by development of informal literacies through their frequent short message service communicative practices. These will help us understand the lifestyle aspirations and life trajectories of the new young working women in China who are experiencing the most rapid socioeconomic changes in society and negotiating their ways of life amidst much tension between old and new values governing lifestyle aspirations, familial, and gender relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Jonathan Donner on cellular phone use in developing countries and another by Bart Barendgret on cellular phone use in Indonesia.

The article provides a preliminary literature review of earlier studies related to short messaging services (SMS). The social impact of new mobile communication technologies is analyzed. Mobile text messaging has fulfilled an important function which provides a sense of co-presence for young people who lack the means to share some private physical space free from adults' surveillance. A study in Taiwan found that SMS is used to negotiate subtle gender relations especially among couples. The increasing popularity of text messaging in Hong Kong is discussed.