Mobility: an extended perspective

Abstract

The emergence and convergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are fundamentally transforming the use of technology, and in particular concerning the issues of mobility. The current debates on mobility, however, almost exclusively consist of functionalist analyses of how particular mobile technologies can alleviate geographical barriers for human activity. This paper reconsiders, from a theoretical perspective, the concept of mobility. We argue that mobility should not exclusively be linked to human corporeal travel. The concept also relates more broadly to the interaction people perform. In order to appreciate the relationship between mobility and human interaction, three interrelated dimensions are discussed -spatial, temporal, and contextual aspects of mobility. In order to characterize the social topology of ICT supported mobilized interaction, we suggest and discuss the adoption of a fluid metaphor. Based on these discussions, a case of a new mobile technology system introduced in a Japanese distribution service firm is discussed.

Staying “In Sync” and “In Touch”: Two Challenges for Mobile Workers

“…Communication via instant message (IM) was rarely used (two out of the 10 mentioned using it regularly). However, half of the participants talked about using one's IM status to know whether the person would likely be available to receive a phone call 6 . Similarly, the regular adoption of other tools, such as the use of a web cam while having an online discussion was low (again, only two individuals mentioned reporting the use of this technology with any regularity).…”

“…Mobility, according to Kakihara and Sørensen [6], "is not just a matter of people traveling, but, far more importantly, related to the [types of] interactions they perform." In other words, working within a geographically distributed team forces individuals -who are separated by distance, time, and context -to find manageable ways to overcome a number of barriers in order to collaborate effectively.…”

Micro mobility marketing: Two cases on location-based supermarket shopping trolleys

“…We adopt the term micro mobility inspired by the work by Luff and Heath as a descriptor for the type of bounded spatial mobility characterising two mobile marketing prototypes for retail supermarkets. 17 Mobility has been discussed and investigated in related research, that is, Kakihara and S ø rensen 18 present an overview of the various conceptualisations on mobility. They suggest spatiality (location), temporality (time) and contextuality (in what way, under what circumstances and towards which actors) as three different but related dimensions of mobility.…”

Accentuated Factors of Handheld Computing

“…Zheng & Yuan ś [1] framework with the entities' mobile workers, mobile context, mobile tasks and mobile technologies is developed to describe differences between stationary and mobile context. Kakhira & Sörensen ś [13] discusses mobility and includes temporal, spatial and contextual mobility into mobility as a phenomena. Focusing on design Tarasewich suggests context to be divided into three categories: activities, environment and participants [14].…”