The interplay of mobile technology, structure of social relationships, and adolescents' agency: a study of adolescents' social use of mobile telephone in Hong Kong.

Hoi Pui-shan.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-139).Abstracts in English and Chinese.Abstract --- p.i摘要 --- p.iiAcknowledgement --- p.iiiChapter CHAPTER 1 --- Introduction --- p.1-8Chapter 1.1 --- The Technological Significance of Mobile Telephone: The Ambiguity of Mobile Technology --- p.2-3Chapter 1.2 --- The Empirical Significance of Mobile Telephone: Adolescents' Actual Process of Mobile Telephone Use --- p.3- 4Chapter 1.3 --- The Social Significance of Mobile Telephone: The Importance of the Context of Mobile Telephone Use --- p.4- 6Chapter 1.4 --- "The Theoretical Significance of Mobile Telephone: The Interplay of Technology, Structure and Agency" --- p.6- 7Chapter 1.5 --- Overview of the Thesis --- p.7- 8Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- Literature Review --- p.9- 30Chapter 2.1 --- Research on Mobile Telephone: An Overview --- p.10- 12Chapter 2.2 --- Technological and Social Changes: Technological Determinism --- p.12- 17Chapter 2.3 --- Contextualize the Use of Technology: Structure and Context --- p.17- 24Chapter 2.3.1 --- Family as an Important Context of the Use of Technology --- p.18- 22Chapter 2.3.2 --- The Changing Social Context in Hong Kong: Socio-demographic Changes and Family Life --- p.22- 24Chapter 2.4 --- Individuals' Voluntaristic Nature: Users' Agency --- p.24- 28Chapter 2.5 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.28- 30Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- Conceptual Framework --- p.31- 40Chapter 3.1 --- "Re-approach the Study of Mobile Technology, the Context of Use, and Adolescents' Agency" --- p.31- 34Chapter 3.2 --- Domestication --- p.34- 38Chapter 3.2.1 --- Process of Domestication --- p.35- 37Chapter 3.2.2 --- Domestication as an Interactive Process --- p.37- 38Chapter 3.3 --- The Research Questions --- p.38- 40Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- Methodology --- p.41- 48Chapter 4.1 --- The Research --- p.42- 46Chapter 4.1.1 --- Research Design --- p.42- 43Chapter 4.1.1a --- The Research Design and the Issue of Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research --- p.42- 43Chapter 4.1.2 --- Data Sources --- p.43- 45Chapter 4.1.2a --- Group Interviews --- p.43- 44Chapter 4.1.2b --- Individual Interviews --- p.44Chapter 4.1.2c --- Observing The Focus Group Respondents --- p.44- 45Chapter 4.1.3 --- Subject Selection --- p.45-46Chapter 4.2 --- Interview Core Questions --- p.46- 47Chapter 4.3 --- Method of Data Analysis --- p.47- 48Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- Purchasing Mobile Telephone: Negotiating the Meaning of Mobile Technology --- p.49- 66Chapter 5.1 --- Purchasing Pattern --- p.49- 54Chapter 5.1.1 --- Parents Initiate the Purchase --- p.50- 52Chapter 5.1.2 --- Adolescents Initiate the Purchase --- p.52- 54Chapter 5.2 --- Establish Rules that Govern Mobile Telephone Usage in the Purchasing Stage: Parents' Perception of Mobile Telephone --- p.54- 58Chapter 5.2.1 --- Control the Amount of Use: Excessive Use of Mobile Telephone --- p.55- 57Chapter 5.2.2 --- Control of Situation of Use: Using Mobile Telephone at Home is Banned --- p.57- 58Chapter 5.2.3 --- Control of Content: Legitimate Use --- p.58Chapter 5.3 --- Adolescents' Perception of Mobile Telephone --- p.59-64Chapter 5.3.1 --- Instrumental Use: Coordination of Social Activities --- p.61-62Chapter 5.3.2 --- Expressive Use: Being Connected --- p.62-64Chapter 5.4 --- Different Perception of Mobile Telephone Between Adolescents and Parents --- p.64-66Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- Negotiating Boundary and Autonomy: Mobile Telephone and Family Life --- p.67- 87Chapter 6.1 --- Reporting --- p.68- 79Chapter 6.1.1 --- Parents' Perception of Reporting --- p.68- 71Chapter 6.1.1a --- Reporting as Information Collection --- p.68- 69Chapter 6.1.1b --- Reporting as Adolescents' Responsibility --- p.69- 71Chapter 6.1.2 --- Adolescents' Perception of Reporting --- p.71- 76Chapter 6.1.2a --- Reporting as a Strategy to Negotiate Autonomy --- p.74- 76Chapter 6.1.3 --- Reporting as a Complex of Care and Control --- p.76- 79Chapter 6.1.3a --- Rethinking the Meaning of Control --- p.78- 79Chapter 6.2 --- Mobile Telephone and Boundary Control --- p.80- 84Chapter 6.2.1 --- Control of Information Input and Output --- p.80- 81Chapter 6.2.2 --- Reserve the Contents of Mobile Telephone Conversations --- p.81- 84Chapter 6.3 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.85- 87Chapter CHAPTER 7 --- Mobile Telephone and Peer Culture: Mobile Telephone and Construction of Identity --- p.88- 98Chapter 7.1 --- Mobile Telephone as a Shared Object: The Culture of Sharing --- p.89- 91Chapter 7.1.1 --- Sharing the Handset --- p.89Chapter 7.1.2 --- Game Playing as a Collective Experience --- p.89- 90Chapter 7.1.3 --- Share the Handset with Non-owners --- p.90Chapter 7.1.4 --- Share the Handset with Peer Group Members --- p.91Chapter 7.2 --- Using Mobile Telephone at School as a Part of Adolescents' Mobile Telephone Culture --- p.92- 93Chapter 7.3 --- Mobile Telephone Use and Friendship Network --- p.93- 95Chapter 7.3.1 --- Exchange Mobile Telephone Number: Extension of Friendship Network --- p.93Chapter 7.3.2 --- Maintenance of Peer Group Relationships --- p.93- 94Chapter 7.3.3 --- Sharing Emotions --- p.94- 95Chapter 7.3.4 --- A Sense of Sameness: Using the Same Network Services --- p.95Chapter 7.4 --- Display of Mobile Telephone Among Peer Social Network --- p.95- 97Chapter 7.5 --- Concluding Remarks --- p.97- 98Chapter CHAPTER 8 --- Conclusion --- p.99- 111Chapter 8.1 --- Summary of Findings --- p.100- 103Chapter 8.1.1 --- Adolescents as a Heterogeneous Group of Mobile Telephone Users --- p.100- 101Chapter 8.1.2 --- The Meaning of Control --- p.101- 102Chapter 8.1.3 --- Adolescents' Identity Construction --- p.102- 103Chapter 8.2 --- "Rethinking the Relations between Mobile Technology, Individual Agency, and the Context of Use" --- p.103- 107Chapter 8.2.1 --- Evaluation of the Concept of Domestication --- p.107- 108Chapter 8.3 --- Evaluation of Methodology --- p.108- 109Chapter 8.4 --- Suggestions for Further Research --- p.109- 111Appendices --- p.112- 128Bibliography --- p.129- 13