Living Without a Mobile Phone

Abstract

This paper presents an autoethnography of my experiences living without a mobile phone. What started as an experiment motivated by a personal need to reduce stress, has resulted in two voluntary mobile phone breaks spread over nine years (i.e., 2002-2008 and 2014-2017). Conducting this autoethnography is the means to assess if the lack of having a phone has had any real impact in my life. Based on formative and summative analyses, four meaningful units or themes were identified (i.e., social relationships, everyday work, research career, and location and security), and judged using seven criteria for successful ethnography from existing literature. Furthermore, I discuss factors that allow me to make the choice of not having a mobile phone, as well as the relevance that the lessons gained from not having a mobile phone have on the lives of people who are involuntarily disconnected from communication infrastructures.

Toward "JOMO"

“…Participants have become accustomed to instantaneous responses; they described a shared expectation of being available to others around the clock (especially if there are family members in a different time zone) and responsiveness. This shared expectation reinforces the behavior cycle and prevents people from disconnecting from their phone [19,22].…”

Experiential Qualities of Whispering with Voice Assistants

“…Our RtD process follows a methodological commitment to producing futureoriented, aspirational and generative design knowledge driven by practice, that is able to creatively challenge status quo thinking [43]; in this case on the subject of whispering voice assistants. Our process evolved through auto-ethnographic experiences [31] with whispering to a Google Home and whispering with Amazon Alexa, a co-speculation workshop that explored whispering as an interaction mode, and the use of a design probe which culminated in the production of a design fiction short film.…”

A Sample of One

“…In HCI, researchers often attempt to reconcile autoethnography with a more traditional view on methods, either by adopting a fully 'scientific' prose that avoids the use of evocative first-person narratives, and/or by concluding the autoethnography with specific design guidelines, or a concrete set of opportunities for design. Notable exceptions to this include Sengers's reflections on IT and pace of life [13], Williams's use of personal fitness and self-tracking technologies to lose weight [14], and Lucero's experiences living without a mobile phone for nine years [11].…”