Popularity determined by a “Digital Divide”?

According to a survey conducted for ACE*COMM Corporation, 50% of North American teenagers prefer cell phones to television. The survey also revealed that these teenagers spend almost the same amount of time using their cell phones that they do on physical activity. Why, we ask ourselves, are teenagers so enamored with the cellular phone?

Ling describes the cell phone as having a “symbolic position” in a teenager’s life, and it seems a more accurate statement could not have been made. The position, however, is multifaceted. Internationally it is utilized as a way for teenagers to “facilitate their social interaction.” It is a fashion accessory. It is the epitome of cool. Ling states, “the adoption of the mobile telephone is not simply the action of an individual but, rather, of individuals aligning themselves with the peer culture in which they participate.”

But within this peer culture is a technological hierarchy- one that often creates a “digital divide” between social groups.

An article on Wired.com describes the social faux pas associated with teens that are (gasp!) without cell phone. The article follows a study which revealed that teenagers are likely to alienate peers who are not in the mobile network. The surveyed teens (from around the world) “were so immersed in the technology that they often saw little difference between meeting face to face and talking on the phone.”

The teens were not intentionally rude to those who were not in the “mobile” group, they were simply reacting to the new “in crowd” standards for their generation. "I don't think that the cell phone is causing us to be rude," said Paul Dittner, an analyst with market research firm Gartner Dataquest. "It's just another opportunity to create norms and accepted behavior."

And in this generation, only the technologically savvy survive.