Description

As a high school teacher I am daily reminded of the importance of social life and peer status among adolescents. I had been wondering what purpose cell phones serve and the extent to which students' attention and energy are spent on cell phones. This work discusses the influence of cell phones on teen culture. It explores the relationship between cell phones and perceived popularity among teens as well as how cell phones influence connectivity and social impact. An online focus group through a weblog was used to explore the thoughts, feelings and experiences that teens have regarding cell phones. The results from the focus group showed that cell phones' overwhelming purpose is for connectivity. While there were allusions during the online discussion to other characteristics associated with popularity, such as attractiveness and social deviance, it was evident that the effects of cell phones on teen culture go much deeper than the traditional characteristics associated with popularity. In using cell phones, they have created cellspace, a whole new dimension for themselves to interact with each other and the "real world".