Gendered Power and Mobile Technology by Caroline Wamala Larsson Laura Stark

Author:Caroline Wamala Larsson, Laura Stark [Caroline Wamala Larsson, Laura Stark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781351708142
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 42994984
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-05-31T00:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

The results of my analysis point to different mechanisms that operate in the creation of vulnerability and privilege in the case of older women from different socio-economic levels. I found that income levels shape communicative ecologies and the ways that mobile phones are used or not used. Mobile telephony, when there are no resource restrictions, is used in combination with landline telephony, but it can also act as its substitute among lower income participants – and poverty usually comes with a lack of fixed line at home. At medium- and high-income levels, mobile phone non-ownership is voluntary and creates no social disconnection. It is an accessible object for women, who decide how to not use it depending on their personal interests and the way they live. It might even be an object to be ignored. However, in low-income contexts, the possession of a mobile phone has an aspirational component. All the participant women in this socio-economic segment who did not have a mobile phone would have liked to have had one. In addition, the mere possession of a handset that did not allow for mediated communication could be positively evaluated. Having a mobile phone that did not work as a phone or not having a mobile phone at all could create disconnections and isolation, since no landline was available.

I identified different degrees of expertise (see Fernández-Ardèvol & Arroyo Prieto 2012) and affordances of use (Galperin & Mariscal 2007) among women who used the mobile phone for mediated communication. For instance, Elena and Juana would qualify as assisted users who need help to perform basic tasks on the mobile effectively; Milena as an autonomous user who can perform basic tasks on her own; and Judith as a skilled user who performs advanced tasks on the phone and can help others setting up their devices. Everyday life practices reveal power relations that seem to be a consequence of the interplay of gender and class (Brah & Phoenix 2004), and my results also show age and ageing to be significant factors. I found two specific challenges affecting lower income older women that shape affordances of use: resource restrictions, which mostly affect the purchase of a device; and lack of skills, particularly literacy, which restricts effective use of the mobile. One relevant finding is that breadwinners and those who live on their own immediately replace their mobile phone when it is lost or broken because they play a central role in the household. Yet, women who are economically dependent on their children must adapt to the household decisions around purchase priorities to replace a lost or stolen device. One possible explanation for this is the economic role played by these women within the household. The former play a central role, while the latter play a peripheral role. Thus, if there is a lack of resources, households must find ways to manage without their peripheral members having a mobile phone. This is an illustration of the loss of authority and status that come with older age (Calasanti & Slevin 2006).

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