An analysis of mobile communication environment by a socio-technical approach

By the end of 2012, there were 5.1 billion mobile communication subscribers in South Korea. The majority of subscriptions (97.3 percent) were for mobile phones, particularly smartphones. From 2010 to 2012, the number of mobile phone subscriptions increased 2,000 percent, growing from an initial subscriber base of 150 million. This paper explores the changing mobile communication landscape from a socio-technological perspective to understand the underlying drivers of change and their effects on the South Korean populace. A content analysis of 11,156 electronic newspaper articles mentioning mobile communication in South Korea and occurring between 2010 and 2012 was conducted. 5,119 keywords were extracted based on frequency statistics and further analyzed to determine the drivers of change. Based on this analysis, we conclude that South Korea`s mobile communication environment is focused on rapid expansion of technology with minor consideration given to the social aspects of this change. This has resulted in several negative consequences and we urge for new policies by government and industry to address this gap.

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