Incredibly obvious story in Wired News about a new study on how teenagers, surprise, surprise, are using cellphones as yet another way to form cliques and exclude the uncool:
In the study, teens who had no cell phones and whose numbers were not included in someone’s phone book could pretty much write off the possibility of speaking with any of the teens with cell phones, a group Blinkoff refers to as “mobiles.” While saying he didn’t think the cell-phone-toting teens were intentionally acting rude, he said he suspects that a new kind of “digital divide” has been created, similar to the gap among PC haves and have-nots.
It’s the same as what’s happening with AOL Instant Messenger, which is a huge part of how teens socialize after school. If you aren’t on AIM, you’re probably not going to be a part of the social world of a teen who spends their afternoons that way. And it’s not just teens whose social lives are dictated by technology. Most adults I know are so busy with work, kids, etc that they can’t sustain a friendship with someone who doesn’t also have email.
Read [Via MobileTracker]
