Author
Listed:
- RACHEL PAIN
- SUE GRUNDY
- SALLY GILL
- ELIZABETH TOWNER
- GEOFF SPARKS
- KATE HUGHES
Abstract
Mobile phone ownership has spread rapidly among young people in the UK. This article contributes to an expanding body of literature which is examining the consequences of this phenomenon for urban life. Our focus is the impact of mobile phones on young people's geographies, particularly their own and their parents’ fears about their safety in public spaces. Quantitative and qualitative findings are presented from two research projects in Gateshead, north‐east England on crime victimization and leisure injury risk for young people, in which the role of mobile phones in managing and negotiating safety emerged as significant. The article highlights the different ways in which young people and parents are using mobile phones for this purpose, and asks whether they are best viewed as technologies of surveillance or empowerment. We also raise questions about the efficacy of mobile phones in protecting young people from risk and fear, in particular examining the mobile as a new site of victimization. Throughout, we emphasize the social unevenness of the uses and impacts of new technologies, which is often underplayed in research. We conclude with the suggestion that although they offer some empowerment to young people in their use of public spaces and their negotiation of risk, mobile phones appear to be reshaping rather than reducing moral panics about young people's presence there. Au Royaume‐Uni, le téléphone mobile s’est répandu rapidement parmi les jeunes. Cet article s’ajoute aux documents en nombre croissant qui étudient les conséquences de ce phénomène sur la vie urbaine. Il s’attache à l’impact des mobiles sur la géographie des jeunes, notamment sur leurs craintes personnelles et celles de leurs parents quant à leur sécurité dans les espaces publics. Il présente des résultats quantitatifs et qualitatifs provenant de deux projets de recherches à Gateshead (nord‐est de l’Angleterre) sur le risque pour les jeunes d’être victimes d’un acte criminel et de se blesser durant un loisir, cas où les mobiles semblent jouer un rôle important pour gérer et négocier la sécurité. L’article met en lumière les différents modes d’utilisation des mobiles à cette fin, par les jeunes et les parents, en se demandant si ces téléphones sont d’abord considérés comme des technologies de surveillance ou de responsabilisation. Il interroge également l’efficacité des mobiles pour protéger les jeunes contre risques et craintes, notamment en envisageant ces téléphones comme nouveau terrain de victimisation. Dans son ensemble, ce travail souligne l’irrégularité sociale des usages et impacts des nouvelles technologies, souvent minimisée dans la recherche. La conclusion suggère que, même s’ils offrent une certaine responsabilisation aux jeunes dans leur utilisation des espaces publics et leur négociation du risque, les téléphones mobiles semblent remodeler, non réduire, les paniques morales liées à leur présence dans ces lieux.
Suggested Citation
Rachel Pain & Sue Grundy & Sally Gill & Elizabeth Towner & Geoff Sparks & Kate Hughes, 2005.
"‘So Long as I Take my Mobile’: Mobile Phones, Urban Life and Geographies of Young People's Safety,"
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 814-830, December.
Handle:
RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:29:y:2005:i:4:p:814-830
DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2427.2005.00623.x
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Citations
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Cited by:
- Jack Nasar & Peter Hecht & Richard Wener, 2007.
"‘Call if You Have Trouble’: Mobile Phones and Safety among College Students,"
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 863-873, December.
- Akile Ahmet, 2013.
"Home Sites: The Location(s) of ‘Home’ for Young Men,"
Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(3), pages 621-634, February.
- Colin Pooley & Duncan Whyatt & Marion Walker & Gemma Davies & Paul Coulton & Will Bamford, 2010.
"Understanding the School Journey: Integrating Data on Travel and Environment,"
Environment and Planning A, , vol. 42(4), pages 948-965, April.
- Shamrova, Daria & Lampe, Joana, 2020.
"Understanding patterns of child material deprivation in five regions of the world: A children’s rights perspective,"
Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
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