Edward C. Barrett

Q1. Tools like mobile media, which we can always carry with us or constantly communicate or share knowledge with somebody, has been disseminated. What kind of influence does this dissemination have on people's thinking and awareness? Please tell us about both aspects whether you evaluate them positively and negatively.

Edward C. Barrett

It's hard to determine positive and negative aspects because new technologies are so easily and quickly absorbed into everyday life: it's as if they were always there and part of us. Parents buy cellphones for their children and use them to track their locations throughout the day. This can make a parent feel secure that their child is somehow being watched; it can make a child feel that parents are watching them too closely.

But your question involves a deeper issue, I believe: does the use of mobile technology affect self awareness and consciousness? In a sense mobile technology allows us to be in two places at the same time: one place of course is the actual physical location where you are at a given moment. But possessing a device that exists mainly to project yourself out into the world-or to collect parts of that outer world and bring them into you-inherently makes you aware that others are with you, a silent troop of friends or family or business associates or favorite activities. This can have the effect of making individuals more aware of their communal lives, of a larger world and society that they are part of.

Q2. You advocate the concept of "sociomedia." In order for mobile media to function as real sociomedia in society, what problems must be solved?

Each society will probably have a different answer to this question since cultural differences still define our respective heritages and lives. So I'd try to answer this question in a very general sense, or as generally as I can from my perspective. Several things are readily apparent: the entry costs for the devices and for data plans must be affordable. The design of user interfaces for these devices must be improved, and this can only be done through large-scale usability testing. Key feature sets must be identified by user testing. Just adding features without regard to their fundamental usefulness is a mistake. Battery storage capacities must be improved. Finally, the design of media to be consumed on mobile devices must suited to that medium: repurposing wide-screen movies or TV shows on a small cellphone screen makes no sense. Creative artists must develop entertainment forms unique to the medium.

Q3. You are a professor of MIT. Are you engaged in educational practices using mobile media? If so, please give us an outline and the aims. If you know about unique or remarkable educational-related practices, please let us know.

For the past three years I have taught an MIT class in collaboration with colleagues at Motorola. Students work in small collaborative design teams to propose, build and document a semester-long project focused on mobile applications for cell phones. Assignments also include creating several small mobile applications in addition to the semester-long project. Students document their work through a series of written and oral proposals, progress reports and final reports. This course covers the basics of J2ME and explores mobile imaging and media creation, GPS location, user design, usability testing and prototyping. Projects have included GPS traffic management systems, multiplayer online games, educational software for out of class use, and using cellphones to store and communicate personal health care information.

I also teach two classes that focus on the use of computational technology, including mobile technology, for generating and transmitting poetry and fiction. We get some excellent haiku and short fiction pieces for the cellphone user who wants to delve into something less informational while waiting for a train, private moments of concentrated meditation.

Q4. A great deal of trial and error has been made by companies and people related to the mobile media, such as cell phones and PDA, to conceptualize a society in which such media is being widely disseminated. What do you think that a near-future society where mobile media is widespread will be? Please let us know in as specific terms as possible.

We will use cellphones and related PDAs to access all media forms (TV, Internet, movies, music, personal communication) and to perform other mundane everyday activities such as paying for groceries using our cellphones as a sort of credit card.

I have students who have developed a cellphone application that can read product bar codes on packaged food items (and other objects) to compute such simple tasks as letting us know what to buy, but also to determine dietary requirements for individuals with a variety of chronic illnesses. Others have used GPS phones to facilitate transportation systems management and real estate buying and selling.

Cellphone cameras (still and video) have already become valuable tools for documenting moment-to-moment activities and for capturing events of greater significance to the public at large. And various applications are being developed to permit very detailed tagging of this information. Such ubiquitous use of mobile technology can make us feel present to others when we are separated by distance, and can connect us to parts of our daily activities when needed. Of course, they also bring with them the possibility of greater intrusions into an individual's private life. But it will be possible to carry almost all the personal information that defines you in your pocket.

Q5. How is mobile media used in the country (region) where you live? Please let us know the characteristics that you have noticed through your daily life or problems that your society has faced. How do you utilize mobile media?

In the northeastern United States cellphone and PDA media are used mainly for personal communications such as voice and instant messaging and email. Still image capture on cellphone cameras is another widespread use of mobile technology. However, carriers charge very high rates for data packages so cellphones are still not used for web browsing or for downloading other forms of digital media. GPS positioning by satellite is difficult in an urban area such as Boston, and determining position by cell tower location is not reliable.