Evolution of Mobile Phones and their Impact on Society
Introduction
Right from the time when mobile phones were introduced in Tokyo in 1979, they had a tremendous impact on the way people lived. The spread of mobile phones had made the lives of people easy by making it easier to pass information from one part of the globe to another. Another important beneficiary of the evolution of mobile phones is the business sector. Businesses could easily stay in touch with their clients and partners. If the growth of mobile phones enabled people communicate with other easily, their emergence into smart phones further simplified the life of people. With smart phones, people could connect with the Internet on the move and communicate with other through social networks and instant messaging services. The proposed research would investigate the impact that the evolution of mobile phones over the past 3 decades had on the society. It will cover over a range of issues like how the mobile technology has evolved over a period, role of mobile phones in the economic development of underdeveloped nations, and some of the problems created by the spread of mobile phones like loss of privacy.
Literature
Tachikawa, K. 2003. “A Perspective on the Evolution of Mobile Communications.” Communications Magazine 41, no. 10 (October): 66-73.
This article tracks the development of mobile phones since they were first introduced in the Tokyo. Different kinds of technologies that were instrumental in the various stages of the development of mobile phones like TDMA, CDMA, GSM, and WCDMA are discussed in detail. With a special emphasis on the Japanese market where most of the mobile technologies were first introduced, the article discusses the current stage of the mobile communications and the future directions that it can take. Latest technologies that have the potentiality to bring drastic changes to mobile communications like 4G too are thoroughly reviewed. By giving a thorough review on the spread of mobile phones, the article is helpful in understanding the evolution of mobile for the proposed research study.
Aker, Jenny and Mbiti, Isaac. 2010. “Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 24, no. 3 (summer): 207-232.
The article discusses the role that mobile phones had on the economic development of some of the poorest nations in the sub-Saharan Africa. The authors highlight the changes that were brought about due to the spread of mobile phones in the continent. The spread of mobile phones has brought a lot of new possibilities to countries in sub-Saharan Africa like improving the connectivity between individuals, access to market information, and access to banking services. Keeping the needs of African users in mind, mobile phone manufacturers have produced solar powered mobile phones that can be charged without the need of any regular power supply. With details on the positive benefits that the evolution of mobile phones has brought to the society, the article would be useful in elucidating the positive benefits that the spread of mobile phones has brought to different parts of the world.
Okazaki, Shintaro, Li, Hairong, and Hirose, Morikazu. 2009. “Consumer Privacy Concerns and Preference for Degree of Regulatory Control: A Study of Mobile Advertising in Japan.” Journal of Advertising 38, no. 4 (Winter): 63-67.
This study investigated the concerns of consumers regarding their privacy in the context of mobile advertising. A research model was presented basing on the social contract theory. The model connected a number of psychological factors like prior negative experience, concerns related to information privacy, trust, perceived ubiquity, and perceived risk with preference for degree of regulatory control. Data for the empirical analysis was collected from 510 users of mobile phones in Japan. Analysis of the data has shown that mobile users who had negative experiences regarding information disclosure had higher perceived risk and concerns related to privacy. Higher perceived risk regarding their privacy results in increased preference for stricter controls on mobile advertising. Since the evolution of mobile phones is leading to increased concerns regarding privacy, this study will help in understanding the negative impact that mobile phones can have on the society.
Bibliography
Aker, Jenny and Mbiti, Isaac. 2010. “Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa.” The Journal of Economic Perspectives 24, no. 3 (summer): 207-232.
Okazaki, Shintaro, Li, Hairong, and Hirose, Morikazu. 2009. Consumer Privacy Concerns and Preference for Degree of Regulatory Control: A Study of Mobile Advertising in Japan.” Journal of Advertising 38, no. 4 (Winter): 63-67.
Tachikawa, K. 2003. “A Perspective on the Evolution of Mobile Communications.” Communications Magazine 41, no. 10 (October): 66-73.
Bogren, Alexandra. 2011. “Gender and Alcohol: The Swedish Press Debate.” Journal of Gender Studies 20, no. 2 (June): 155–69.
