Category Archives: Assignment Wk 3

Response: The Anthropology of Mobile Phones

While the talk by Jan Chipchase was ongoing, I realised that I was agreeing to certain points he did in his research. For example, the 3 key important items people have in their bags/pockets.

I too, agree that these 3 items are the most important items amongst the other items I carry in my bag. Without these 3 items, not that I will feel like it’s the end of my life, but more to feeling uneasy the entire day.

In these scenarios:

  • Key – What if my family members are not home yet? How am I going to enter the house? What activities can be done while waiting for family members to be home?
  • Mobile phone – Because we’re so used to having mobile phones with us everyday, it would feel different? In a way it can affect one’s mood for the entire day. “What if there are important calls/messages? How will my daily commute be without mobile phone? I can’t listen to songs on my way to school.”
  • Money – For me, I would feel that having loose cash with me is equally important as having ATM card. I’d rely more on loose cash to easily keep track of the amount I spent and to avoid going to the ATM machine to withdraw.

The strategies Chipchase talked about also reflected in my daily life whenever I realised I don’t have these items with me:

  • the point of reflection – I’d tap my pockets to ensure that I have these items with me before I leave the house
  • the center of gravity – I’d find these items at certain areas of my house like bedroom, or dining table, as these are the places where I’d normally place them.