CELL PHONE USAGE IN PUBLIC SPACES:
Question:
Has cell phone usage changed the character of public spaces?
Hypothesis:
Cell phone usage in the United States has changed the character of public spaces.
Research:
According to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Associate, there were approximately 340,000 wireless subscribers in the United States in 1985 and by 1995, that number had increased to more than 33 million. By 2003, more than 158 million people in the country had gone wireless. In fewer than 20 years, cell phones have gone from being a rare and expensive piece of equipment used by the business elite to a pervasive low-cost item. In fact, it is not uncommon for young adults to simply own a cell phone instead of a landline for their residence.
With cell phone usage increasing in the United States, so has the use of cell phones in public spaces. I would like to approach the subject of cell phone use in public spaces by asking if the usage of cell phones has changed the character of a public space.
Method:
I will use a Blackberry Pearl 8100 to capture images of people using their cell phones in public. By using the tool that I am documenting, I hope to reveal how the omnipresence of the mobile phone is changing public spaces. Because I do not want to interrupt people using their phones in public, I will not interview the cell phone users I photograph but rather ask the people that are around them how the use of cell phones changes the character of this public space. I plan on recording the audio and creating a sound slide with the images behind the answered question. The photography will reveal where the people are using their cell phones while helping the viewer see how often people are using their cell phones in public. It will also help the viewer see how it changes the public space. The audio will help to answer the question for the viewer.
Questions to ask during Interview:
Has cell phone usage changed the character of public spaces?
Final Project Format:
Audio sound slide converted into 3GP video format which is the standard cell phone video format.
