University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Communication ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-1-2012 VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES Pamela Gerber Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds Recommended Citation Gerber, Pamela. "VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES." (2012). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds/70 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. i Pamela Gerber Candidate Communication and Journalism Department This thesis is approved, and it is acceptable in quality and form for publication: Approved by the Thesis Committee: Dr. Patricia Covarrubias, Chairperson Dr. Mary Jane Collier Dr. Janet Shiver ii VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES by PAMELA JOYCE GERBER B.A., ANTHROPOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 2007 THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Communication The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico November 2012 ! iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my amazing sister, Melissa. Who, since I’m dedicating it her, will now have to read in its entirety, even if it’s not about zombies. ! iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a handful of people in my life who I would like to thank for their continued support and faith in me: First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude towards my advisor, Dr. Patricia Covarrubias, and committee members, Dr. Janet Shiver and Dr. Mary Jane Collier, who dedicated their time to helping me achieving my goals. Patricia: Your passion and dedication to academia, the EOC, and SCT is inspiring and your high level of standards helped me the best the best that I can be. My thesis would never have been written without your input, guidance, and belief in me. Janet: Your continued support throughout my academic career helped me to be a better scholar and instructor. Mary Jane: I greatly appreciate your input and insights that have served to strengthen this thesis. I would like to thank my family, who are proud of me regardless of my academic endeavors. I would also like to thank my partner, Austin, for understanding that I had to spend many weekends and evenings writing instead of hanging out and for always listening to me and offering advice. A huge thank you to my best friend, Leia, who has always been there for me and who proofread every single chapter of this thesis, some of them twice. Without her support through the years I would have been lost. Leia: you’re the best bff ever! And finally, I would like to thank Stacey for keeping me sane throughout graduate school. Without writing ‘parties’ with her and LaRae, I might still be on the first chapter. Stacey, your outfits and spider-web tights prove that you can be smart AND stylish. You are my sunshine. ! v VIRTUALLY PRESENT: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION LOOK AT THE SHAPING OF SOCIAL RULES IN SMALL GROUP INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY MOBILE DEVICES Pamela Joyce Gerber Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology Master of Arts, Communication ABSTRACT In this study I describe the communication rules that inform how particular bar patrons use mobile device technologies to shape particular types of small groups. Mobile devices have increasing been naturalized into the communicative landscape and the effects of this need to be explored. I focus on a college bar, MVF, to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the sets of rules surrounding mobile device use in small groups at MVF during late afternoons and evenings? (2) What are meaning(s) users and other group members attribute to the use of mobile devices at MVF during late afternoons and evenings? (3) What particular type of small group does the use of mobile device technology enable and mediate? I argue that mobile device technologies enable and mediate the presence of three types of social groups, specifically, “suspended groups,” “procured groups,” and “transitory groups.” ! ! ! ! ! ! ! vi ! Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: Introduction!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#! Research Questions and Rationale!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$! Theoretical and Methodological Standpoint!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!%! Researcher’s Assumptions!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!&! Overview of Chapters!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#'! CHAPTER 2: Review of the Literature!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!##! Mobile Devices!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!##! Perpetual Contact and Saturation!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#$! Necessity or Hindrance!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#%! Reclassification of Space(s)!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#&! Interpersonal Relationships and Socializing!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#'! Connectivity and its Discontents!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!#(! Control!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$)! Toward a new direction!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$#! Speech Codes and the Ethnography of Communication!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$$! SCT as Theory!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$*! SCT’s Propositions!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$&! STC as Method!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!$(! Small Group Communication!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!('! Bona Fide Group Perspective!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!*$! Stable, Yet Permeable, Boundaries!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!**! Interdependence with Immediate Context!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!*%! Technology and BFGP!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!*'! SCT and BFGP!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!()! Summary!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!(*! CHAPTER 3: Methods!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!(+! Conceptual Framework and Methodological Perspective!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!(+! Selection of Site!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!,$! Collection of Data!"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!,(! Observations!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!,,! Interview Protocol!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!,%! Selection of Participants!""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""!,*!