Technomorphic Social Relations

The mobile phone does not just mediate existing forms of communication, it conditions our social relations.

Our neighborhood is the mobile phone. We don't accidentally run into social encounters; we choose whether to call or answer to someone. Although we are supposedly available anytime anywhere, we exercise full control over who we respond to, by what means we communicate (voice, voice mail, text, multimedia), what we say and what we hide, what appearances we present. Our social relations are more like levers on an instrument panel.

Gone are the days of the tightly knit neighborhood with its complex social nuances. Mobile-mediated social interaction also involves certain nuances, but these have to do with the handling of the device rather than the sustainance of face-to-face interaction. Notice how young kids feel more comfortable texting one another rather than talking face to face.

Not only isn't the technology anthropomorphic, it conditions our social relations into a technomorphic mould.