Beijing calling⋯ Mobile communication in contemporary China

Abstract

Subsequent to the recent wave of industrialization, China has become the factory of the globalized world. The modernization of this country, however, is not confined to the provision of production at a low added value: it also entails technological appropriation and innovation. In particular, China represents the biggest world market for mobile phones and will soon dominate the Internet market. In this country, the total number of mobile and fixed-line subscribers exceeds 750 million, and the total number of Internet users is more than 162 million. The present study focuses on how, after a decade of mobile phone use, the inhabitants of Beijing evaluate the changes in the social and communicative sphere as a result of the introduction of the mobile phone. Here we present some results of a quantitative research, specifically focused on mobile communication. Based on face-to-face questionnaires administered to a convenience sample of 487 respondents, this study addresses the following research questions: After a decade of mobile phone use, how do Chinese people perceive the importance of this device? To what extent do the adoption and use of mobile phones increase or decrease social connectivity in contemporary China? To what extent does the use of mobile phones in everyday life enhance or reduce the communications-do they make you feel closer to or more distant from other people? What are the variables that predict users' attitudes toward mobile phones in China?