Perpetual and personal: Swedish young adults and their use of mobile phones

Abstract

Mobile phones have become widespread among teenagers and young adults across the developed world. This article describes how 18—24-year-olds in Sweden, a country with one of the world’s highest penetration rates, use mobile phones for various purposes and in different settings, and what they think of the appropriateness of using the mobile phone in a range of social contexts. Data are derived from a Swedish national survey. We find that in their everyday lives, young adults (compared with older people) seem to be in perpetual contact with family, friends and colleagues, via traditional voice communication but preferably via text messages. If this pattern can be seen in other national samples, we might argue that use of and attitudes towards mobile phones are more dependent upon life stage than upon culture.