Together, yet apart: Working-class youth and mobile phone uses

Authors

  • Veneza Mayora Ronsini Federal University of Santa Maria
  • Flora Dutra Federal University of Santa Maria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29105/gmjmx13.24-5

Keywords:

cell phone, class, gender, youth

Abstract

The uses of cell phone by ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ have been observed in order to understand how a subaltern condition is related to pre-reflexive dimensions of sexism and to ways of thinking about class condition itself. Our research methods consist of a combination of a survey, ethnographical observation within the school environment, and interviews in order to observe their interactions on Facebook During the fieldwork, in a public school in Santa Maria, a city in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), we conducted interviews with 12 working-class youth [young men and women] from the ages of 15 to 24. One of the conclusions of our study is that economic status, low cultural capital and lack of participation in collective activities may be related to the individualized use of cell phones, which become a technology for both self-expression as well as for the expression of the restricted peer group.Opinions given in reference to gender issues are revealing of persistent sexist notions regarding women’s and men’s attributes, associating women to the private sphere while men are associated to the public.

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Author Biographies

Veneza Mayora Ronsini, Federal University of Santa Maria

Dr. Veneza Ronsini –Professor at  Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM/Brazil). Visiting Scholar at Nottingham Trent University/CAPES Foundation during August 2014 to February 2015. CNPq research grant holder

Flora Dutra, Federal University of Santa Maria

Master’s Degree in Communication (UFSM/FAPERGS/Brazil) and member of Media's Social Uses research group (CNPq).

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Published

2016-04-20

How to Cite

Ronsini, V. M., & Dutra, F. (2016). Together, yet apart: Working-class youth and mobile phone uses. Global Media Journal México, 13(24), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.29105/gmjmx13.24-5