1 Mobile Media and the Transformation of Family Misa Matsuda Chuo University, Japan Mobile Media 2007 The University of Sydney 4 th /July/2007

2 1.Why focus on Japan? highest diffusion of the mobile Internet Future of the mobiles? Future of the societies embedded mobile media ?

3 unique circumstances of Japan 1.Users : boom of pagers among youth habituation of text message exchanges 2.Competitive media : slow diffusion of PC Internet 3.Services and Carriers : not to employ the GSM and vertically integrated model

4 Mobile media embedded society from the uniqueness of Japan and Japanese families

5 Keitai mobile phones Shared moniker for mobile phones in Japan Keitai : portable Denwa : telephone

6 2.Toward Keitai-managed family Mother of 8-year-old and 10-year-old sons (on her way to pick them up from their after-school lessons): I always call to say We're done, so we re coming home. Once, when I neglected to call, my husband scolded me saying, Since you have a keitai, you could at least call! Author: But doesn t the lesson always end at the same fixed time? Mother: Yes, but even still, I always call home to announce that we re on our way. My husband also calls from the office without fail.

7 Toward Keitai-managed family Transformation of the Japanese family individualization communicativeness Keitai as a binding agent

8 Keitai for kids

9 Keitai Diffusion among children Sep. Nov. Fifth and sixth graders in elementary school Junior high school

10 3.Parents surveillance via keitai Mother of 7-year-old and 10-year-old daughters: My daughter said to me 'Wouldn't you also feel better if I carried a keitai?'

11 Docomo s Service A loud protection alarm can activate voice call and location notification functions Equipped with an easy-to-activate approximately 100 dB* protection alarm. The alarm can be set to trigger an automatic call (voice call) to a pre- registered party, and send automatic mail (Message R) with location information to an "imadoco search" subscriber.

12 If the Security Buzzer is activated: the camera automatically takes a photo. a call is automatically placed to a family member s phone (Pair Function recipient). the photo and a URL for tracking the child s movement is sent to a family member s phone (Pair Function recipient). your child's movements can be tracked with a phone or computer using maps that are updated approximately every five minutes (minute-by-minute location marks with your child's whereabouts are displayed on the map). aus service

13 Parents surveillance via keitai children s commuting custom penetration of the sense of the deterioration of public safety care/control for children among a family who educates

14 Mom in the pocket Author: Is there any particular instance when you were glad you had your child carry a keitai? Mother of nine-year-old daughter: Well, my daughter called me while she was out crying "I lost my bicycle key!" So I told her, "I'll be there right away, so wait right there." I was glad she was carrying a keitai then.

15 Mom in the pocket enhance remote mothering transformation of the children s process of independence