INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION Document: SMIS/04 WORKSHOP ON SHAPING THE ITU/MIC 26 February 2004 FUTURE MOBILE INFORMATION SOCIETY Seoul, 4-5 March 2004 SOCIAL AND HUMAN CONSIDERATIONS FOR A MORE MOBILE WORLD BACKGROUND PAPER © ITU February 2004 This paper was prepared by Lara Srivastava <[email protected]>, Telecom Policy Analyst, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The author wishes to acknowledge Maria Cristina Bueti and Alex Young for their assistance. The New Initiatives project on “Shaping the Future Mobile Information Society” is managed by Lara Srivastava <[email protected]> under the direction of Tim Kelly <[email protected]>. Country case studies (Japan, Korea, Morocco, Norway) on the future mobile information society, and a background paper on the future broadband convergence network, can be found at http://www.itu.int/futuremobile. The series editor is Joanna Goodrick <[email protected]>. The opinions expressed in this study are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Telecommunication Union or its membership. 2 Table of contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Context .............................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 A more mobile market....................................................................................................................... 4 2 Mobile and identity.................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Belonging and the self ....................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 The fashionable mobile ................................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Mobile, gender and youth................................................................................................................ 11 2.4 Identity management for a mobile world......................................................................................... 14 3 Mobile and social interaction .................................................................................................................. 20 3.1 The interplay between the public and private spheres of life .......................................................... 20 3.2 Individual responsibility and the illusion of communication .......................................................... 22 3.3 Love and dating with a mobile ........................................................................................................ 24 3.4 Mobile entertaining ......................................................................................................................... 25 4 Mobile and the workplace ....................................................................................................................... 27 4.1 Living to work ................................................................................................................................. 28 4.2 Working on the move ...................................................................................................................... 29 4.3 Mobile opportunity.......................................................................................................................... 30 4.4 Tracking the mobile......................................................................................................................... 31 5 Mobile wellness and safety...................................................................................................................... 33 5.1 Mobile health applications and concerns.........................................................................................33 5.2 The environment and the mobile..................................................................................................... 35 5.3 Mobility and emergency services.................................................................................................... 36 5.4 Protecting mobile minors................................................................................................................. 37 6 Conclusion............................................................................................................................................... 39 3 1 Introduction In recent years, the world has seen an explosion in the growth of information and communication technologies (ICT), and particularly mobile communications. 2002 marked a turning point in the history of telecommunications in that the number of mobile subscribers overtook the number of fixed-line subscribers on a global scale, and mobile became the dominant technology for voice communications. Indeed, the mobile phone has moved beyond being a mere technical device to becoming a key “social object” present in every aspect of our daily lives. Always-on connectivity and mobility will define not only the future technological landscape, but equally the socio-political one. With the spread of “anywhere, anytime” communication infrastructures, comes increased convenience, better access to information and streamlined business processes. The capacity of current and future technologies to enter the private sphere of human lives, however, is correspondingly enhanced. This paper begins with a brief overview of the development of mobile around the world, before exploring the societal and human implications of advances in mobile technology, and particularly its increasingly personalized nature. This will include a discussion of matters such as child protection, data security, health considerations and nuisance factors. The discussion is divided into four key areas influenced by the use of mobile technologies: social interaction, identity, the workplace, and health and safety. 1.1 Context This paper is one of two briefing papers to be presented at the New Initiatives Workshop on “Shaping the future mobile information society”, held 4-5 March 20041, and jointly hosted by the International Telecommunication Union and the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Information and Communication.2 Country-specific case studies have also been prepared, on Japan, Korea, Morocco and Norway. 1.2 A more mobile market 1.2.1 What’s in a name? The mobile phone is probably the most talked about consumer product in the last 50 years. The term “mobile” comes from the Latin “mobilis”, which has the following meanings: • Easy to move, movable, loose, not fixed, not firm; • Pliable, nimble, flexible, agile, swift and rapid. • Readily changing its expression. Able to change one’s social status. • In a negative sense, inconstant, fickle and changeable.3 There is much to be said about its technological, economic and social significance. Today, the smallest mobile has more computational power than the largest computers had a generation ago. And this computational power is only set to increase. No wonder the mobile has been adopted at a staggering rate across cultures and nations. The Americans refer to it as a “cell”; the Germans use the term “handy” which it certainly is; the Japanese use “keitai” which simply means phone; in China it is referred to “sho ji” or hand machine; in Arabic it is sometimes called “makhmul” (referring to the act of carrying).4 Whatever its name or its nickname, human beings have developed a fascinating relationship with the mobile phone, one that certainly bears further study. 1.2.2 Mobile overtakes fixed As mentioned above, 2002 marked a turning point in the history of telecommunications, as the number of mobile subscribers overtook the number of fixed lines worldwide (see Figure 1.1). The rise of mobile telephony to overtake fixed has a host of implications, but perhaps the most significant impact is on access, both to basic telecommunication services, and to ICTs, as a tool for economic and social development. It is also noteworthy that the phenomenon of the mobile cross-over has taken place across geographic criteria such as countries, regions, and continents, across socio-demographic criteria such as gender, income, or age, and across economic criteria such as price premium for mobile (micro) or GDP per capita (macro). The 4 economy with the highest penetration is Taiwan, China, at over 106 per cent. Luxembourg and Israel are in second and third place respectively. Hong Kong, China and Italy complete the “top five” list (see Figure 1.2). Overall, the Asian region boasts the highest proportion of the world’s mobile users, 39 per cent (Figure 1.3). The first third-generation mobile networks (under the IMT-2000 standards family) were launched in 2001 in Japan and Korea. The year 2003 saw a number of additional third-generation networks launched, particularly in Europe. Already, research and development efforts are well under way for systems beyond IMT-2000.5 Figure 1.1: Mobile Overtakes Fixed in 2002 Fixed lines and mobile subscribers (millions) and countries in which mobile has overtaken fixed Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU). 5 Figure 1.2: Top mobile economies Leader economies in terms of mobile penetration, year-end 2002 Mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants, top 15 economies, 2002 Taiw an, China 106.45 Luxembourg 101.34 Is r ael 95.45 Hong Kong, China 92.98