Domestication of Smartphones Among Adolescents in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

This article describes how smartphones have converged into multifunctional personal devices. Smartphones are equipped with features such as Internet access, cameras (pictures and videos) and MP3 players. While a majority of previous research investigated the use and effects of mobile phones and young people, these studies focused on the Western context. A qualitative research method was used to investigate the research questions. Specifically, focus groups and in-depth interviews were used to collect data. Nevertheless, while a growing number of studies has investigated mobile phone use by teenagers in non-western countries, there is little research on smartphone uses and their implications to teenagers in an Islamic context. This article examines the uses of smartphones by, and their implications to, Bruneian teenagers. The research seeks to map and understand the complex forces that influence and challenge the socio-cultural values and religious beliefs of teenagers in a non-Western, Malay, Islamic society such as Brunei.