CMNS 253 Syllabus - SFU Wiki

3. What capabilities give mobile phones or mobile general-purpose devices a key advantageover specific-purpose technologies?4. Several aspects of telecommunications policy are discussed in this chapter. What are theseand why are they significant?5. In what sense was the advent of short messaging service (SMS) an important turn in theevolution of mobile communication?6. What is the significance of the way(s) in which the operators of large Internet sites such asFacebook and Twitter seized the potential of adapting their services to the sending andreceiving of SMS, of reaching out to text message users, rather than asking users to reach outto the Internet?7. What are some of the favourable and unfavourable implications of the ‘always on’capability of mobile devices? In what ways are these becoming almost default characteristicsin personal and professional life, and what are the consequences?8. Mobile phone use is considered by some as part of a revolution in youth culture. Discusswhat this means and in what ways such changes are evident in varying degrees acrossgenerational (and/or other demographic) lines.9. This chapter notes that there are significant controversies related to health, theenvironment, and the social and cultural impacts of mobile technologies. Discuss these (andany others) and what could be done to address the concerns raised.CLASS ACTIVITIES1. In small groups with other students, take out your phone and trade it to the person besideyou. Take some time to reflect on, and share with the class, how you feel about givingsomeone else access to your phone. Discuss the implications of such a personal device.2. Explore the various price plans and services (minutes, texts, data, voicemail, features) bothfor the mobile device(s) you have and (perhaps) the one you wish you had. What sacrifices doyou make, if any, to afford this plan?3. Break into small groups and create a reenactment or skit that portrays the many thingsthat people do while they are using their mobile device (for example, consuming other media,eating dinner with family, visiting with friends, driving, etc.). Comment on the implications ofthis task switching or interruption.Chapter 5: Social Networks and Participatory CultureQUESTIONS TO CONSIDER1. What does it mean to live in a network society?