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Smartphones are often literally right in front of our noses, but how much thought do we give to what these devices actually *are*? [short thread]
![Smartphones are often literally right in front of our noses, but how much thought do we give to what these devices actually *are*? [short thread]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0sSG-YX0AIqTzW.jpg "Smartphones are often literally right in front of our noses, but how much thought do we give to what these devices actually *are*? [short thread]")
To find out, 11 anthropologists each spent 16 months living in different communities across 9 countries to find out more about smartphone use. 
When the study began, older people were mass-adopting smartphones - devices that previously, had been regarded as ‘youth technology’.
(
by @AlfonsoOtaegui)
(
by @AlfonsoOtaegui)
With ageing perceived as one of the transformative changes of the 21st century, we also wanted to know - would having a smartphone impact this process?
( by @LauraLHK)
(
by @LauraLHK)
And how do people deal with issues ranging from ageing, health and social relations on these devices?
( by @amberwanguk)
(
by @amberwanguk)
We also wanted to know how our participants related to ‘app culture’ – do they see their phone as an aggregate of apps? Do they seek out solutions to problems by looking for a specific app?
( by @amberwanguk)
(
by @amberwanguk)
We also found that smartphones give people a lens through which they can discuss a range of moral and other concerns people have about contemporary life, from time-wasting to addiction and beyond. 
A closer look at smartphones is therefore not just about the technology itself and its usage, but about the device as an icon and idiom.
( by @LauraLHK)
(
by @LauraLHK)
Our research also focused on health.
With health-related apps being introduced to the market for managing almost any condition, the smartphone is the place where we get health information, care for relatives, talk to doctors, participate in health communities, and more.
With health-related apps being introduced to the market for managing almost any condition, the smartphone is the place where we get health information, care for relatives, talk to doctors, participate in health communities, and more.
What we found was that across several field sites, many participants did not use specific health apps but instead, adapted, combined, and made relevant the apps that they used for other purposes, like @WhatsApp and @YouTube (or @WeChatApp in China/ @LINE_Global in Japan).
Our work is comparative and acknowledges cultural differences - no population represents the natural or normal users of smartphones, from which others are then variations or deviations...
( by Patrick Awondo)
(
by Patrick Awondo)
So, if you want to find out more about smartphone use in Italy, Uganda, Ireland, al-Quds, Brazil, China, Chile, Cameroon, and Japan, our book ‘The Global Smartphone’ is now available to download for free via @UCLpress!
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/171337
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/171337
'Ageing with smartphones in Ireland', by Pauline Garvey and @DannyAnth, is also available to download, here:
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/171340
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/171340
'Ageing with smartphones in Urban Italy', by @shireenwalton, is also out today, and you can download it here:
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/171346
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/171346
Let us know what you think of the books as you are reading them! We'll be posting more about our findings in the next few weeks! [end of thread]
