Keith N Hampton

The New York Times reports on the role of mobile phones in the maintenance of social relationships and decision making. This article brings together the authors of a number of recent publications related to the social implications of cell phone use. I was particularly interested in the discussion of collaborative decision making and the idea that people are less capable of making independent decision when they have immediate access to close friends and family through their cell phones. The comments at the end of the article by Kenneth J. Gergen, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, that “The best decisions are made in a whole set of dialogues” caught my attention. My argument has always been that mobile phones reinforce our existing strong ties (see the work by Rich Ling) – not our more diverse weak social ties – and as a result they reinforce homogeneity of beliefs. Mobile phones probably do not aid in decision making by providing diverse, new views and opinions, but by reinforcing existing norms and expectations that are common to our personal network.