The comfort of phones – Deirdre from Ireland
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. …
Course: An Anthropology of Smartphones: Communication, Ageing and Health
What is anthropology?
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 …
Summing up Week 1
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 …
Welcome to the course!
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 …
The wider context
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. …
Introduction and what to expect
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 …
The Academic Study of Smartphones
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 …
The socio-political importance of technology in China
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 …
Article on effects of smartphone on health
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 …
Anthropology of Smartphones: Exploring Ecologies
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 …
Why anthropological perspectives matter
the whole of medical anthropology, or at least studies of digital communication in, with annotated bibliography in Learn More
Thank you and goodbye!
We have come to the end of this course. We are glad you were able to join us and share your thoughts and ideas! If you’d like to keep up …
Conclusions to the course
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 …
What is a smartphone?
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 …
Summary of Week 3
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 …
These articles are from the online course:
An Anthropology of Smartphones: Communication, Ageing and Health