Abstract
Mobile devices and the corresponding culture, are transforming the way we understand and sense social, urban and intercultural processes. The aim of this text is twofold: firstly, to circumscribe the main ideas and concepts which clarify the process of mobile culture, activated through the use of mobile apparatus (cell phones, etc.). Secondly, inquiry why and how mobile culture and its instruments facilitate or difficult communication within tourism activities. Tourism is one of the most relevant processes within the contemporary city, in the sense that it activates multiple urban mobilities and their modes and means of communication, in particular the social and cultural exchanges among native citizens of a destination place, and tourists visiting this locality.
TopIntroduction: Why Mobile Culture For Tourism Communication?
Mobile culture is emerging as a new paradigm of social action and discourse. It works as a sort of template for practicing, learning and applying information and knowledge, within multiple economic, political and cultural activities within the urban fabric. This phenomenon involves capitals, persons and objects, which are profoundly on the move across global and local arenas. According to John Urry (2007) and Mimi Sheller (2006), social mobilities even constitute the leading process shaping contemporary societies and urban cultures. Likewise, interpretation methods of all social realms are been shaked by quick and deep discursive movements, for instance in what concerns the analysis of cultural heritage (Cessari, 2011; Andrade, 2013) or mobilities (Giannotti, 2008).
However, such mobilities of cultural goods, services and interpretation are not desirable or even possible, without adequate communication among the main stakeholders involved in this novel reality. In other words, contemporary societies face a critical intercultural process (Piller, 2011; Paulston, 2012), that is, the encounter or clash between national citizens and foreigners, be them tourists (Andrade, 2014) or immigrants (Benson, 2012; King, (2013). And the correspondent communication of local, national or international information and knowledge are being activated, more and more, through digital mobilities and the underlying discourses. Among the central instruments which facilitate this communication, mobile devices such as cell phones are becoming prominent (Ling, 2009). For instance, according to André Caron (2007), when exchanging text messages, young people don’t just share information, but develop verbal performances that create knowledge and culture. And, beyond culture, mobile devices are becoming a cult (Goggin, 2006), a posture that, occasionally, may bring pleasure but also some risks, within the present risk society (Beck, 1992, 2008).
In sum, mobile devices are transforming the way we understand and sense urban and intercultural processes. Recently, mobile devices users are dealing with sophisticated new information and knowledge technologies, via Virtual and Augmented Reality apps, which may help them to get more and deeper experiences and understanding of their everyday life in urban places, contexts and territories. Following this trend, city planners are developing intelligent strategies for experiencing and interpreting practices, knowledge, culture and arts related with urban mobilities. Such initiatives aim to redefine not just local life and national citizenship, but also, at an international level, intercultural exchanges between the citizen and the Other, that is, visiting foreigners such as tourists or immigrants (Arvastson, 2006).
Within this perspective, the purpose of the following text is twofold: firstly, to define the main ideas and concepts which clarify the process of mobile culture, activated through the use of mobile devices (cell phones, etc.). Secondly, inquiry why and how mobile culture and its devices facilitate or difficult one of the most relevant processes in the contemporary city, that is, urban mobilities and its modes and means of communication. This text considers just one of such mobilities, the tourism travel, and focus on the most relevant social and cultural exchanges of competences and performances among, on one side, native citizens of a destination place and, on the other side, tourists visiting this locality (Andrade, 2017).
TopBackground: State Of The Art On Mobility Cultures And Tourism
Mediatization can be briefly defined as a social process which translates, shapes and frames all other processes and discourses within contemporary society. It was studied, among other authors, by André Jansson (2017), in connection with the ideas of individualization and globalization, and mainly in what regards mobile middle-class lives and post-tourism. In particular, it is important to know how mediatization is culturally legitimized, in a moment when connectivity and mobility are central elements of self-realization.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Cybertime: The rhythms that an internet user activates when s(he) explores digital network’s territories within cyberspace.
Mobile Culture: A recent mode of production and consumption of information, knowledge and culture, articulated to social mobilities and discourses on the urban, and mainly activated trough digital mobile devices, such as cell phones.
Web 2.0: The so-called second age of the internet, that had a notable development after 2001, and where users became apparently more active than in the precedent decade. That is, besides reading information, they write content, e.g. posts and comments in blogs or messages to other users in social networks (Facebook, etc.). That’s why Web 2.0 is also named ‘ reading/writing internet ’.
Citizen: A social actor who inhabits within a democratic society. (S)he may establish pacific or conflictual relations with other city inhabitants or visitors, such as tourists or immigrants.
Tourist: A social actor, originating in a departure society and culture, that visits destination societies and cultures, within (her)his leisure time.
Hybrid Reality: A fusion of various configurations or constellations of reality, e.g. Mixed Reality and the so-called “Real Reality”.
Web 3.0: This network mode is censed to foster a new style of reception and production of information, knowledge and meaning. It is often nominated Semantic Web , in that its main purpose is to construct, deconstruct and reconstruct social semantic sites and networks, where their own underlying model of meaning and knowledge is manifest, described, narrated, and interpreted.
Tourism Communication: This concept is based on three main modes of communication: (a) interpersonal face-to-face interactions among tourists and inhabitants, citizens and immigrants within a physical and social destination place; (b) classical mediated communication , undertaken by tourists through tourism institutions (tourism central or local offices), tourism organizations (tourism agencies) and via mass media e.g. newspapers, television; (c) digital media , for instance tourism sites and social networks and, recently, digital mobile media. Mobile devices are the main tool that contribute to the emergence of both the so-called electronic and internet-based e-tourism and the more mobile oriented m-tourism .
Mixed Reality: This concept signifies a fusion of Virtual and Augmented Realities.
Mobilities: In our contemporary world and societies, all processes, capitals, actors, and things, and even spaces and places, are permanently on the move and being transformed.