What Cell Phones Mean in Young People's Daily Lives and Social Interactions

In this exploratory study, we present a preliminary analysis of narrative accounts written by 72 undergraduate students, to help shed light on what cell phones mean in the daily lives and social interactions of young people. At a time when, increasingly, people are using and becoming familiar with information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their personal lives before these technologies infiltrate the work space, an understanding of how young people develop emotional connections with their cell phones could provide insight into what ICT use may be like in the future. The narrative accounts provided by study participants elucidate what cell phones mean in young people‘s lives. Our study reveals that young people become increasingly dependent, and develop deeper emotional ties with cell phones, as usage permeates more aspects of their daily lives and social interactions.