The Coordination of Everyday Life

The mobile telephony is potentially both a substitute for and a supplement to time as a basis for coordination. Mobile telephony allows for more interactive coordination that does not necessarily rely on secondary systems. However, aside from the various types of swarming activities that arise, its application is in all likelihood limited to small-group situations. One of the most central contributions of mobile telephony is its potential to allow for more nuanced coordination of everyday life. The greatest social consequence arising from the adoption of the mobile telephone is that it challenges mechanical timekeeping as a way of coordinating everyday activities. With increasing personal access to mobile telephony, one moves away from the parallel interpretation of a common metering system and provide for direct contact between the partners who are coordinating their interactions. The mobile telephone also has the ability to “soften” schedules, in that it adds slack to the more precise nature of time-based agreements. yet found its natural place.