A common phrase used in the discussion of smartphones is ‘smartphone addiction’, partly in acknowledgement that some apps are designed to ‘hook’ users and extend their time using that app. …
When you meet visitors from another country, it can be surprising to see how differently people behave. If you were to visit their country, they might well have the same …
Well, we started this week by pointing out that the smartphone spends much of its time right in front of your nose; but that this doesn’t necessarily mean that you …
Our team carry out their research within the discipline of social anthropology and perhaps for that reason, we are particularly keen on the social aspects of learning. Interactive learning is …
In this step, we discuss how wider influences such as government representatives or various media outlets impact not only how smartphones are used, but also what people say about them. …
Welcome to the ‘An anthropology of smartphones’ course! We are 11 anthropologists who researched how older people use smartphones in 9 countries around the world in order to understand their …
There have always been some extraordinary elements to the study of the phone. For example, in his history of the landline, Claude Fischer showed how its inventors didn’t even realise …
An important component of our anthropological perspective is pointing out the significant differences between the experience of people in different regions of the world. Let us start with this film …
Summary of paper about effects of googling for health in Ireland and the way it exacerbates class differences. Discussions of googling for health from Japan and NoLo – neither are …
It might seem obvious to consider the smartphone primarily as an app machine, but actually, an alternative perspective might work better. Similarly, it would seem obvious that the best way …
As we pointed out at the beginning of the course, the smartphone spends much of the time right in front of your nose. So it does seem important that we …
The first thing to note about the smartphone is that in most respects, it is neither smart nor is it a phone. What is smart about the smartphone? When the …
This week’s course was devised with several aims in mind. The first was simply educational, giving you a summary of the many different ways in which smartphones and digital devices …