The Mobile Phone and Indigenous Teens: A Comparative Analysis of Bedouin and Tel-Aviv Teens

Abstract

To examine whether indigenous adolescents demonstrate distinct usage patterns and perceptions of mobile phones, I compared phone usage and perceptions of indigenous Bedouin teens enrolled in two schools located in Bedouin villages in the Israeli desert (N?=?100) and teens studying in two high schools (N?=?100) in Tel Aviv, a more technologically advanced environment. I found that the Tel-Aviv adolescents use mobile phones primarily for self-expression such as frequent conversations with friends, while Bedouin adolescents use mobile phones primarily for instrumental uses, such as connecting to service providers and accessing emergency services. Moreover, in Bedouin culture, public use of a mobile phone is considered ?impolite.? To examine whether indigenous adolescents demonstrate distinct usage patterns and perceptions of mobile phones, I compared phone usage and perceptions of indigenous Bedouin teens enrolled in two schools located in Bedouin villages in the Israeli desert (N?=?100) and teens studying in two high schools (N?=?100) in Tel Aviv, a more technologically advanced environment. I found that the Tel-Aviv adolescents use mobile phones primarily for self-expression such as frequent conversations with friends, while Bedouin adolescents use mobile phones primarily for instrumental uses, such as connecting to service providers and accessing emergency services. Moreover, in Bedouin culture, public use of a mobile phone is considered ?impolite.?

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