Lab+2

Lab 2


 * Tutorial #2 Questions: **

// 1. “It’s really quite striking,” Hammond says. “What people are voting for with their pocketbooks, as soon as they have more money and even before their basic needs are met, is telecommunications.” (World Resources Institute) //

// In the spirit of this quote, describe four instances of how owning a cellphone enables users to better their lives. ( Good article:@http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13anthropology-t.html?_r=1&emc=eta1&pagewanted=all 4 paragraphs/ one for each instance). //

The New York Times Article "Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?" has allowed my views on cellphones to change. It is remarkable how a simple instrument can ultimately change the lives of many with a click of a button. The use of cellphones initially is its ability to **communicate** with other users at any given place or time. Writer Sarah Corbette follows Nokia's "user anthropologist" Jan Chipchase in his daily life to determine why the usage of cellular devices is valuable. Chipchase's job requirement is to gather as much information about human behaviour as possible and to report back to the company. Given his hectic schedule travelling from country to country, he brings with him his cellphone in order to keep in contact with his fellow peers, friends and family. Without the concern of distance, he is able to keep in touch, acquire information, convey news and etc. With his cellphone, it is as if Chipchase has been within arms reach when he has privilege to travel from different parts of the world. And to those who require indirect contact with Chipchase such as Corbette, "just in time" instances require little in advance planning.

Reportedly, 68% of world's mobile subscriptions are in developing nations therefore cellphones can restructure many lives due to its **economical** effect. During his stay in Mumbai, Chipchase met with a shoe salesman and his family and was particularly interested in their way of living with the use of a cellphone. Among families who own mobile devices, there is a sense of economic efficiency and increase of productivity due to the "just in time" moment. The shoe salesmen described his ability to run errands more efficiently for his boss at the shoe shop. And you don't even need a cellphone to benefit from one. Farmers in Nepal brought their vegetables to a local person with a mobile phone to determine the market prices and arranging for the most profitable sale.

Essentially mobile users are benefiting from their device in some way, so much so, cellphones have become a piece of their **identity**. Having a callback number is necessary in daily lives because users can be reached at any time. Cellphones are fundamental because our need for communication. Without it, we would be lost as how some may feel when they have forgotten their mobile at home. (I know I do!) Our world is ever-changing therefore it is necessary for a device that allows us to keep in touch with those at home or as a business tool.

Needless to say, cellphones are **informative** and essential to everyday life. Its ability to inform users in seconds is the main reason for its inclination in market sale in recent years. People have already begun to depend their lives on cellphones, much like the mother from Uganda who was able to save her child's life by instantaneous S.M.S messaging. Cellphones have done so much for us, it is exciting to see what else it can do for us in the future.

// 2. How does the work of Jan Chipchase, as a cultural anthropologist, reveal information about users that otherwise would not be known to Nokia about how cellphones are used in other cultures? (200 words) //

As a cultural anthropologist, Jan Chipchase has the opportunity to travel and explore other cultures directly. His willingness to travel from different areas of the world allows Nokia to pursue developing countries as Chipchase gathers insightful information per cultural background. With this research, Nokia can create products that serve and cater to the unmet needs of their customers. Chipchase not only makes observations, but he is actively engaged with his subjects. He takes with him his camera, taking pictures essential to his research. Some pictures he makes available on his online blog sharing information publicly. Mobile companies are in favour of cultural anthropologists because they help determine how to build cellphones that people find useful and un-intimidating thus willing to spend their money on. People have different reasoning to their mobile usage but needless to say, they are significant tools. Chipchase explores developing countries by determining how they interact with their devices. It is valuable to do this, because cellphones can ultimately reconstruct and bettering their situation. With 68% of the world's mobile subscription are in developing nations, it will not be a surprise to see an inclination in market sales over the next few years.