Ten years of smartphones. A semiotic-communicational analysis of the social impact of mobile telephony

Abstract

Among all new technologies, mobile phones with Internet connection (or smartphones) have most rapidly spread in today's society and produced critical habits in citizens' lifestyles. This paper analyses the narrative universe of "Conectados" from a semioticcommunicational perspective. It is a programme from the series Salvados specifically dedicated to the social use of this technology, exactly ten years since the emergence of the first smartphone. Through the analysis of the content introduced by the various actors involved - adolescents, adults, families, school and experts - at issue is whether the new media devices empower or impoverish us and to what extent. Although the analysis is limited to the contents of a television program, the variety of actors involved and especially the interview unpublished to the philosopher Bauman show a broad social prism and reliable results. It concludes by reflecting on what would be the conditions for an autonomous, social, enriching and critical use of such devices.