Suchergebnisse

Observations of mobile phone use suggest that this medium facilitates existing social practices when used as a tool within, and at times outside, socially determined definitions of 'normal' or 'deviant' behavior. Written from a social construction of technology perspective, this article examines the mobile phone as a contemporary technology in the context of its use in illegal drug-dealing and the law enforcement of those practices in Canada. The relationship between illegal drug-dealing and law enforcement responses is critically analyzed, highlighting the way groups representing both sides utilize mobile phone technologies to achieve their divergent goals. Existing constitutional guidelines employed by law enforcement to support the use of mobile and wireless technologies for surveillance are considered, particularly considering the notion of privacy. The article concludes by challenging assumptions that mobile phones are primarily personal artifacts, and instead describes the inherently social nature of mobile communications, thereby calling for a re-conceptualization of current ideology on privacy.

This article investigates the online information practices of persons grieving and mourning via Facebook. It examines how, or whether, these practices and Facebook's terms of use policies have implications for the bereaved and/or the memory of the deceased. To explore these questions, we compared traditional publicly recorded asynchronous modes of grieving (i.e., obituaries) with Facebook's asynchronous features (i.e., pages, photos, messages, profiles, comments). Additionally, by applying observational techniques to Facebook memorial pages and Facebook profiles, conducting a survey, and interviewing respondents as a follow-up to the survey, we examined the benefits of and issues surrounding online information sharing via Facebook when coping with the loss of another. We found that the immediacy of publishing comments, messages, wall posts, and photos provides Facebook mourners with a quick outlet for their emotions and a means of timely group support; however, these actions directly affect the online curation of the deceased's self and memory and also create an environment of competition among mourners. The aforementioned benefits and complications of using Facebook during bereavement are shaped by the policies outlined by the social media platform.

This study analyzes the role of the machine as a communicative partner for children with complex communication needs as they use eye-tracking technology to communicate. We ask: to what extent do eye-tracking devices serve as functional communications systems for children with complex communication needs? We followed 12 children with profound physical disabilities in a special education classroom over 3 months. An eye-tracking system was used to collect data from software that assisted the children in facial recognition, task identification, and vocabulary building. Results show that eye gaze served as a functional communication system for the majority of the children. We found voice affect to be a strong determinant of communicative success between students and both of their communicative partners: the teachers (humans) and the technologies (machines).