From Moving About the City to Moving About the Home: Considering Bounded Spaces of Connected Mobility

Authors

  • Scott W. Campbell University of Michigan
  • Morgan Q. Ross The Ohio State University
  • Fan Liang Duke Kunshan University
  • Rich Ling Independent scholar

Keywords:

COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, mobile communication, mobile media, mobile phone, mobility, placemaking, smartphone, uses and gratifications

Abstract

Findings from this survey of China and the United States support the proposition that bounded connected mobility, or use of mobile media while moving within locations, can be distinctively meaningful for how and why people use the technology. Among the results, we found that in China, connected mobility at home was associated with use of the technology for coordination, while between locations was associated with news. In the United States, connected mobility at home was associated with the use of the technology for passing time, and between locations was associated with personal relationships. The discussion interprets these and other findings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and different lockdown conditions in China and the United States, as well as implications for scholarship on placemaking, mobilities, and mobile media and communication.

Author Biographies

Scott W. Campbell, University of Michigan

Scott W. Campbell, Pohs Professor of Telecommunication, Professor of Communication & Media and of Digital Studies, University of Michigan.

Morgan Q. Ross, The Ohio State University

PhD Student

Fan Liang, Duke Kunshan University

Assistant Professor of Media

Rich Ling, Independent scholar

Independent scholar

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Published

2023-09-14

Issue

Vol. 17 (2023)

Section

Articles

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