Understanding the application of mobile technology in local community contexts
Open Access
- Author:
- Han, Kyungsik
- Graduate Program:
- Information Sciences and Technology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- August 20, 2015
- Committee Members:
- John Carroll, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
John Carroll, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Mary Beth Rosson, Committee Member
Dongwon Lee, Committee Member
S. Shyam Sundar, Committee Member
Patrick Shih, Special Member - Keywords:
- local community
local engagement
local awareness
mobile technology
human-computer interaction - Abstract:
- Understanding the impacts and consequences of information and communications technology in local communities through theoretical and practical approaches has long been studied. Among different types of technologies, mobile technology has suggested potential opportunities to community informatics, because a growing number of people across different age groups have adopted mobile phones, becoming an indispensable part of their daily lives, and because mobile technology transcends the limitations of time and place, expanding the ways of accessing and interacting with local community information and lowering the barrier to participation. In this dissertation, I present my research studies in community informatics including local news and tweet aggregation, mobile timebanking, digital cultural heritage, and annual arts festivals. I argue that mobile technology has a significant influence on local communities by facilitating the creation, provision, and dissemination of hyperlocal community information as well as creating social interactions among local people. I articulate the utilization of mobile technology in local community contexts based on the findings and analyses from lab- and field- based user studies and discuss how mobile technology contributes to reinforcing community attachment, increasing community awareness and participation, and strengthening social support networks.