| ew generation of mobile phones users have become | | | | both communication and computing |
| more than simply talkers. With the onset of new | | | | capabilities.” This does not only have to take |
| technological advances, including peer to peer | | | | the form of political action. |
| methods and computer-pervaded environments, it is | | | | Barry Fox of New Scientist has found “Sony |
| becoming increasingly possible for groups of people | | | | Ericsson’s latest idea is to sell phones which |
| to organise and coordinate collective actions on a | | | | automatically change the way they behave, |
| scale never before imagined. Talk has turned to | | | | depending on the time, date and place. For example, |
| action. | | | | the wallpaper display on the screen shows pumpkins |
| Consider the following cases in point where mobile | | | | when the phone’s calendar sees the date is |
| phone technology has amplified cooperative human | | | | Halloween and Christmas puddings on December 25th. |
| efforts on a scale not historically seen before. | | | | Network roaming, or GPS, can tell a phone what |
| - A million Filipinos toppled President Estrada through | | | | country it is in, so the ring-tone might change to a |
| public demonstrations organised through salvos of | | | | reggae tune as the plane touches down in Jamaica, |
| text messages. | | | | for example.” |
| - Mobile phones were used by protesters at the 1999 | | | | Perhaps the most significant factor in the phones rise |
| World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle to | | | | as a collective catalyst that can adapt itself to the |
| coordinate the demonstrations, and outwit the | | | | geography, culture or politics of its user’s lies |
| centralised radio system of the police. | | | | is in its very mobility. Mobile phones are now carried |
| - In May 2004, the human rights organisation Fahuma | | | | everyday by a huge global network of users. In the |
| launched the first continent-wide campaign using SMS | | | | UK alone, over 75% of the population owns a phone. |
| test messages in Africa as part of a campaign that | | | | With increasing network compatibility, new product |
| involved sending electronic petitions. | | | | development such as Bluetooth, and the means to |
| Howard Rheingold is one of the world’s | | | | message across rival mobile phone networks, it |
| foremost authorities on the social implications of | | | | seems that the barriers to this new frontier of |
| technology. He says, “The people who make | | | | connecting technologies and connecting people are |
| up smart mobs cooperate in ways never before | | | | falling more and more. |
| possible because they carry devices that possess | | | | |