Connected Mobilities : The Uses of Yesterday and Today

In the space of fifteen years, smartphones have replaced many technical devices, making digital uses more mobile and autonomous. Connected Mobilities presents an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the continuities and discontinuities between past and present uses of mobile applications in the era of permanent connectivity. This book examines the socio-technical effects of these digital devices on social interactions, collective imaginaries, and modes of communication in public spaces now saturated with screens, interfaces and mobile devices. It also examines their impact on our consumption choices, on the accessibility and discoverability of diverse cultural expressions online, and on power relations in increasingly digitized environments. In order to shed light on the complex links between technological innovations, mobile connectivity and development, the book analyzes the opportunities and risks associated with the widespread, even pervasive, dissemination and adoption of these technologies. Based on surveys conducted in a variety of fields, the book questions how mobile applications can promote or hinder societal change and behavioral transformation in a context marked by persistent digital inequalities. It thus provides key insights in understanding the technological and societal changes underway in our hyperconnected era. It is essential reading for taking a step back and looking ahead to the issues and challenges of the future, in a world where the boundary between digital life and real life is becoming increasingly blurred.