Mobile phones are the new garden
fence
The space-age technology of mobile
phones has allowed us to return to the more natural and humane
communication patterns of pre-industrial society, when we lived in
small, stable communities, and enjoyed frequent 'grooming talk' with
a tightly integrated social network. In the fast-paced modern world,
we had become severely restricted in both the quantity and quality
of communication with our social network. Mobile gossip restores our
sense of connection and community, and provides an antidote to the
pressures and alienation of modern life. Mobiles are a 'social
lifeline' in a fragmented and isolating world.
Additional findings:
- Men gossip as much as
women. The study found that men gossip
at least as much as women, especially on their mobiles.
Thirty-three percent of men indulge in mobile gossip every day or
almost every day, compared with twenty-six percent of women. Men
gossip for just as long and about the same subjects as women, but
tend to talk more about themselves. The study did find a sex
difference in 'gossip partners', with men more likely to gossip
with work colleagues, partners and female friends, while women
gossip more with same-sex friends and family. Male and female
gossip also sounds different, as women use more animated tones,
more detail and more feedback.
- Mobile as 'symbolic
bodyguard'. Women use their mobile
phones as 'symbolic bodyguards' when feeling vulnerable in public
places – in the way that they used to use a newspaper of magazine
as a 'barrier signal'.
- The joy of text.
Texting is particularly important in maintaining contact with a
wide social network – allows us to maintain social bonds even when
we do not have the time, energy, inclination or budget for calls
or visits. Texting re-creates the brief, frequent, spontaneous
'connections' with members of our social network that
characterised the small communities of pre-industrial times.
- Teenage social skills.
Texting helps teenagers (and some adult males) to overcome
awkwardness and inhibitions and to develop social and
communication skills – they communicate with more people, and more
frequently, than they did before mobiles.
- Text as 'trailer'. Mobile
gossip is enhanced by the use of the text message as a 'trailer',
alerting friends to the fact that one is in possession of an
interesting item of gossip, but saving the details for a phone
call or meeting.
- Entertainment. Women are
more skilled than men at making gossip entertaining – three
factors are involved: highly animated tone, plenty of detail and
enthusiastic 'feedback'.
- Risk-therapy. Enjoyment of
gossip is also about the thrill of risk-taking, doing something a
bit naughty, talking about people's 'private' lives – this is
particularly important for the reserved and inhibited English, but
all humans have inbuilt need for risk-taking.
-
Benefits of negative gossip.
Only about five per cent of gossip-time is devoted to criticism
and negative evaluation of others – but this 'negative gossip' has
clear social benefits in terms of rule-learning and social
bonding.
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