Wots ur ASLR? Adolescent girls’ use of cellphones in Cape Town
Tanja Bosch, University of Cape Town, South Africa
This exploratory study explores girls’ use of cellphones in Cape Town, South Africa, with a particular focus on their use of the popular cellphone based instant messaging software, MXit. Through qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with Grade 11 and Grade 12 teenagers, three main themes emerged:
1) the use of MXit in the development of personal relationships via social networking, 2) the use of MXit and the cellphone in the construction of personal identity, and
3) the potential use of MXit for education. Further sub-themes included the use of MXit for peer support, the ‘softening’ of time and the flexibility of social networking, the cellphone as an object or valued commodity, gender performativity, the use of photographs and video, race and identity, and the use of the cellphone in the classroom.
The study shows that emerging trends with regard to cellphone use by young people in South Africa are very similar to international trends. This might suggest that youth use cellphones to navigate and make sense of various aspects of their lives, including peer and parental relations, self-representation and identity formation. Existing research on mobile youth culture focuses almost exclusively on general cellphone use and text messaging. This study raises the possibilities for IM to serve similar functions with regard to youth identity construction.
