Mobiles And Cigarettes

Mobiles and Cigarettes refers to the many similarities that I have noticed over this time. Many similarities become obvious as one thinks about the comparison. A phone is compared to the collection of individual cigarettes, the pack and also the matches or lighter. nTopics covered include sociology of cigarette use, social shaping of health scares, industrial structure and political influence, advertising, cultural images, gender and age issues etc.nnPhones have replaced cigarettes as the thing people fiddle with nn * When nervous, waiting for a to meet or hear from someone, or trying not to look out of place.n * They are a distraction from loneliness, insecurity, nervousness,nnThey are used to fill time waitingnn * smoking or calling when waiting for the busnnWe often have to go outside a building or room to use them.nn * We cannot get reception, or, as with cigarettes, we are not allow by explicit or implicit rules to use them indoors.n * The little crowd of smokers and phoners is a common sight. However smokers are united by their activity, phoners separated.nnThey are displayed in public placesnn * When put on the table in a pub or café they have brand and model statusn * They must be near at hand - for the next call or next smoke.n * A group of smokers all get out their cigarette packs and put them of the table when the sit down. Phoners do the same thing.nnThey are associated with certain stereotypesnn * The socially successful - the peron everyone wants to know.n * E.g. the sophisticated business person/socialite (advertisers preferred)n * E.g. beautiful people having funn * Actually used by: many peoplen * The spotty teenager on the busnnThey are used in characteristic ways by different peoplenn * Discretely, hidden in hand, back turnedn * Elbow stuck out the side - characteristic of overweight lorry drivers, to use a blatant stereotype!n * If you use two at the same time you probably have a problem.nnThey are lent and borrowednn * Friends think nothing of letting each other make calls or take a cigarettes.n * Except when there are hardly any left.n * One person with a phone or pack is enough for a whole group on an outing.nnnThey are seen as antisocial in many public or social contextsnn * They both annoy other people around the user.n * There are social codes about when it is appropriate to usen * Those that control social spaces make rules to restrict anti-social behavior, especially banning use, or restricting to certain areas. See below. nnThey are highly socialnn * They are an essential part of flirtation n * They are a point to start conversationn * They are used to note phone numbers.nnTeenagers want them n * Use them to show off/build identityn * They are often one of the few personal possessions of young people.n * Starting smoking and getting a mobile phone, were/are important boundary markers in growing upn * They make/made up a key part of youth culture.n * They can be subversive.n * They are banned in schools (phones), smoken * Catch 'em youngnnnTheir use is banned in many of the same places because of social interference or technical interference, or danger of fire.nn * Theatren * Hospitaln * Railway carriages (smoke, phones)n * Petrol stationsn * Parliament n nThey can cause fires - (phones by explosion)nnActually there is no evidence for this with phones, but that does not put off certain 'licensing authorities' from banning them on these grounds, such as in European filling stations.nThey have highly disputed health issues,nn * There are government studies n * Corporate denials n * Hidden patents and research n * There is a whole range a device to make them 'safer'n * Companies do not like to advertise 'safer' versions as that implies existing versions are dangerous n * Heavy users and children are most at risk nnThey are dangerous to use when drivingnn * One takes ones eyes and mind off the road to initiate use, and to hold them n * They both use the in car power socket n * Arkansas has banned smoking in cars with young childrennnnnThere are important 'class' issues over use,nn * Different parts of the population prefer different brands,n * Nokia - teen, young, more femalen * Ericsson - company people, engineers, boring menn * Motorola - more sophisticatedn nnSmaller versions arenn * More feminine (packs of cigarettes)n * More discreten * Are for lighter users (number of cigarettes, battery size, functions)nnGender differentiating in branding and design nThey both are associated with small pictures of popular culturen- Logos, cigarette cardsnYou go to the newsagent/tobacconist to buy themnnThey have similar industrial characteristicsnn * The industries both have huge political lobbiesn * They contribute lots of revenue to governments though taxn * The industries are both highly regulatedn * The industry is made of multinationalsn * The growth markets are in the developing worldn * In developing countries tobacco and telecoms have often been state enterprises