VTT CREATES BUSINESS FROM TECHNOLOGY Technologyandmarketforesight•Strategicresearch•Productandservicedevelopment•IPRandlicensing VTT PUBLICATIONS 737 •Assessments,testing,inspection,certification•Technologyandinnovationmanagement•Technologypartnership • • • VTT PUBLICATIONS 737 The How has the mobile phone integrated into everyday life as a communication device and as a medium? What does it mean to talk about mobile phones as media? m OBIL The mobile phone enables an instantaneous news, information and discussion e channel for the mass media. As a medium it has its own specific characteristics and P social functions, although its uses may vary in different contexts and cultures. The h ON role of user innovations has been important in constructing the mobile phone’s role e: in the media field: for instance, text messaging has brought a new kind of social A interaction and media form with it. Indeed, the mobile phone has influenced the med ways in which we can interact with other media. The mobile phone is not only a IU developing tool for citizenship journalism and participatory media making, but m also a channel between traditional and new media, as it, in some cases enables INITS the interactivity of television. Text messaging has been incorporated into televi- e sion and, in some cases, also into newspapers. It seems that the mobile phone as a L personal and ubiquitous technology may lower the threshold for participating in media f making. The role of the mobile phone as a tool in digital storytelling has become more important as the number of reader’s own photographs as news material in newspapers has increased. Furthermore, the possibilities of mobile phones are not yet fully utilized in crisis communication. More likely, the role of the mobile phone as an interactive link between the personal user and social and mass media will increase in the future. Virpi Oksman The mobile phone: A medium in itself ISBN 978-951-38-7394-3 (soft back ed.) ISBN 978-951-38-7395-0 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/publications/index.jsp) ISSN 1235-0621 (soft back ed.) ISSN 1455-0849 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/publications/index.jsp) PUBLICATIONS 737 The mobile phone: A medium in itself Virpi Oksman Academic dissertation to be presented with the permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tampere, for public discussion in the Auditorium Pinni B 1097, Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere, on May 28th, 2010, at 12 o’clock. ISBN 978-951-38-7394-3 (soft back ed.) ISSN 1235-0621 (soft back ed.) ISBN 978-951-38-7395-0 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/publications/index.jsp) ISSN 1455-0849 (URL: http://www.vtt.fi/publications/index.jsp) Copyright © VTT 2010 JULKAISIJA – UTGIVARE – PUBLISHER VTT, Vuorimiehentie 5, PL 1000, 02044 VTT puh. vaihde 020 722 111, faksi 020 722 4374 VTT, Bergsmansvägen 5, PB 1000, 02044 VTT tel. växel 020 722 111, fax 020 722 4374 VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Vuorimiehentie 5, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland phone internat. +358 20 722 111, fax + 358 20 722 4374 Technical editing Leena Ukskoski Text preparing Raija Sahlstedt Cover photo Tekes Edita Prima Oy, Helsinki 2010 2 Virpi Oksman. The mobile phone: A medium in itself. 2010. VTT Publications 737. 89 p. + app. 130 p. Keywords Mobile media, media convergence, multi-method, ethnography, user studies Abstract This dissertation examines the integration of the mobile phone into every day life as a communication device and as media. It focuses on the uses of the mo- bile phone as a pervasive multimedia tool and its relationship to other media in the changing media landscape. The main argument of the dissertation is that the mobile phone is a medium in itself and it should also be regarded as a medium among others. In media studies the mobile phone has often been perceived as a sub-media to traditional media. As a medium it has its own specific characteristics and social functions, allthough its uses may vary in different contexts and cultures. However, this argument does not mean that the mobile phone is a medium without user in- volvements. The role of user innovations has been important in constructing the mobile phone’s role in the media field: for instance, text messaging has brought a new kind of social interaction and media form with it. Indeed, the mobile phone has influenced the ways in which we can interact with other media. The mobile phone is located between personal, social and mass media, and can serve personal, peer-to-peer and mass communication purposes in different communi- cations situations. The mobile phone, along with the popularity of personal com- puters, has contributed to the increased consciousness and idea of personal me- dia, and the emergence of new kinds of media behaviour. The mobile phone is not only a developing tool for citizenship journalism and participatory media making, but also a channel between traditional and new media, as it, in some cases enables the interactivity of television. Text messaging has been incorpo- rated into television and, in some cases, also into newspapers. It seems that the mobile phone as a personal and ubiquitous technology may lower the threshold for participating in media making. The role of the mobile phone as a tool in digi- tal storytelling has become more important as the number of reader’s own pho- tographs as news material in newspapers has increased. The newspaper offices and other media have to find a solution for how to act with the increasing con- tent produced by their audience; for instance, how to find the important news 3 and verify the reliability and originality of the material. The copyright issues with amateur content producers are also gaining more significance. Yet, the physical user interface of the mobile phone is quite different from other media. This means that in the media production stage, the media content has to be tailored so that it can be accessed with a mobile phone and read on their small-screen user interfaces. Currently, there are problems related to the immature technology, such as mobile web browsing problems. Usability issues regarding small-screen user interfaces are particularly important. However, the size of the screen is not only a limitation but also an advantage, as in some cases as it can support the use of mobile media services in various places and situa- tions. Other limitations, such as battery life and network coverage problems, may have an influence on the quality of the user experience as well. The mobile phone enables an instantaneous news, information and discussion channel for the mass media. Indeed, the role of the mobile phone in participatory media making could be further developed in media companies. Furthermore, the possibilities of mobile phones are not yet fully utilized in crisis communication. More likely, the role of the mobile phone as an interactive link between the per- sonal user and social and mass media will increase in the future. 4 Preface I became interested in the use of mobile phones as media approximately ten years ago when I got the chance to carry out a project at Tampere University regarding the possibility of mobile media for news and other newspaper content delivery. At that time the Internet loaded very slowly on small mobile devices and the possibilities for mobile media were quite abstract for ordinary consum- ers. The most common mobile phones themselves were heavy models with black-and-white screens and simple voice and text communication. Back then many of the interviewees in my project saw the role of mobile media as supple- mentary in relation to other media in their daily lives. They thought that they could use mobile media only mainly when other media, newspapers or the Inter- net were not available. Nowadays, the mobile phone may be the first medium at hand to tell you the news and access information and no special situation or rea- son is needed to use it. Recent times have shown quite amazing development in devices, services and usage cultures. The mobile phone has become one of the most popular media devices all over the world. I believe that we are only in the first metres of this development, in which the mobile phone evolves into a per- vasive multimedia device which reacts to its environment in different ways and can be used in more effective ways for personal, community and mass commu- nication. At the same time, the whole media field is changing as media and de- vices and new technologies enable better interaction with users, use groups and media. Hopefully, this dissertation will give some new ideas in the field of the changing media environment. 5 Acknowledgements Writing this dissertation has been a multiphase process which wouldn’t have been successful without numerous people who have been helping me along the way in various ways. In proceeding with my dissertation, it was crucial to find a sharp focus and to concentrate on the essential and leave some unnecessary themes out. In this process I was delighted to get guidance from my dissertation supervisor, Professor Janne Seppänen from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Tampere University. Janne has helped me to find that focus and clarify my direction and goals regarding the dissertation. Janne has been very supportive during the process and strengthened my belief that I am again one step closer to the target. I was also happy to get knowledgeable feed- back and guidance from Professor Ari Heinonen from the Department of Jour- nalism and Mass Communication. Ari Heinonen’s first dissertation in the De- partment of Journalism and Mass Communication of the impact of new media (e.g.