It

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Its a question of balance mobile methodologies
and studies of mobility
Ben Fincham University of Brighton
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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Capturing elements of the social world that
  involve movement through space
• Methodologies specifically designed to translate
  the experiences and meanings of types of
  mobility, for different populations and different
  contexts

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Introduce methodology employed during study of
  bicycle messengers
• Examine potential of corroboratory mobile methods
• Discussion of ethnography and methodological
  fetishism

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Anytown, UK.
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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• selection and recall bias
• documentary purism
• Intention to get closer to the moments of the
  experiences that would be analysed
  retrospectively .

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Right. Im at the bottom of St Pauls Street on
  the way in. Ive already had two near misses and
  couldnt crash because of the police. Crash the
  lights. Its very strange the driving is quite
  aggressive but its often like that on a Friday.

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• short of breath Just got up to TV company,
  Hell TV as its otherwise known because it is
  such a long way its kind of two miles uphill
  and now Im going across to media company and
  Im completely knackered. The thing is Ive taken
  my jacket off because it is too hot and now Ive
  taken it off Im far too cold. Perennial problem.

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• bit of a mad time because none of us have got
  any spare inner tubes and DJ got a puncture up
  north which was a bit of a bummer, so weve all
  been running around like crazy, and hes walking
  three miles into town now, hes very pissed off.

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• 20 minutes later Talk about a risk
  environment. I just handed my folder to a
  secretary at law firm and she caught her finger
  on it and there was a bit of a fuss about the
  injury she sustained, which was a slightly red
  finger. I was going to bang on about well I
  dunno other risks. Ive just bumped into DJ at
  the side of the road, Middle Road very fucked
  off, wants to go home. No inner tube, started to
  rain, very boring.

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Out of breath Currently coming through the
  park, Cathedral Park going to media company
  erits about sort of lunchtime Im feeling a
  bit tired but the weather is fabulous, its a
  bit windy but its dry and the suns come out
  out er the traffics actually been ok today. I
  mean a few near scrapes but this was something
  that came out in one of the interviews. Is the
  job dangerous if you have near misses and to what
  extent are your expertise as a worker keeping you
  safe? The other thing to say is that its one of
  the rare occasions when we have a woman working
  today, and shes getting the same sorts of jobs
  as everyone else, there doesnt seem to be any
  distinctions between the sorts of work shes
  doing. I, on the other hand, am getting odd looks
  for looking like I am talking to myself most of
  the day.

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Highlighted the mundane
• Screened out situatedness
• Allowed space for reflection contradictory to
  the intention

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Introduction of visual and aural data
  re-introduces the unusual in everyday experiences
• Adds another dimension to the surety of
  assertions
• triangulation?

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Development of techniques
• Data capture
• Techniques of gathering data that more closely
  describe situations
• Data analysis
• Post-hoc reflections on data intended to capture
  phenomena that are temporally specific

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Sounds like ethnography to me
• Use of technologies and techniques across
  disciplines
• Distinctiveness in analysis

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• The conundrum
• How to best capture elements of the social world
  that involve movement through space
• Difficulties inherent in examining the dynamic
  and the danger of fixing the flow

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mobile methodologies and studies of mobility

• Methodological fetishism and scholarship
• Problem centred research vs. methods centred
  research

Its a question of balance mobile methodologies
and studies of mobilityBen FinchamUniversity
of Brighton