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Anthropology of mobile phones

Ten years ago Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone. He started his speech with the words “We’re going to make some history together today”. Now in 2017 when we’re looking back, he was completely right. Jan Chipchase gave this speech in 2007. Even then the three most important things people carry are their mobile phone, money, and their keys. The reason Read more →
Chipcase reflection

Chipchase shared his research – what do people carry, in which keys, money and phone top the list. However, society now is different from then.
With technological advancement, keys are no longer an essential item. Electronic security systems are increasingly common in new estates. Personally, access into my house is now only a fingerprint away.
Cash is no longer the only option Read more →
[Response] Anthropology of Mobile Phones

Despite the immense leap of improvements in technology since the time Jan Chipchase gave this Ted talk to now, it seems to me that there is one thing that appears to remain the same — the habit of disposing phones when they no longer work or are outdated.
Sustainability seems to be the hot topic nowadays. But Read more →
Wk3: Anthropology of Mobile Phones
One of the points that Chipchase has mentioned was that the top 3 things that people carry are: Mobile phones, keys and money. This is across cultures, ages and genders.
Despite this being many years ago, where keys provide security, phones connectivity and money basic necessities, in today’s context it is the same, yet different. How different? Well, as discussed in class Read more →
Week 3 Response: Chipchase's TED Talk


I very much agree with the points Chipchase mentioned in the video. three important things we bring out: keys, phones, and money. Mobile phones have become such an important part of our lives that many would say they can’t function without mobile phones. If we didn’t bring keys out, we can always wait for others to open the doors for Read more →
[Response] Anthropology of Mobile Phones by Jan Chipchase.

Jan Chipchase gave this talk around 10 years ago. It’s really amazing how many things had changed within 10 years. Most importantly, the change of lifestyle and doing of things.
He mentioned about 3 most essential items to bring out – money, phone and keys. However, in today’s time, seemingly all these items are amalgamating into 1 – Smart phone.
Ibanking, E-wallets, Read more →