What is New Media Studies

This article takes a critical, cultural look at the early era (roughly 2001 to 2007) of camera phone and MMS (multimedia messaging services) use by reviewing several user studies, mostly from European and Asian countries. The article complements this literature review by considering the role played by one of the main regional and global industry actors (Nokia) in shaping the technology and then responding to user trends and innovation. The studies reviewed show that early camera phone users embraced the technology as a significantly enhanced form of the portable analog camera, as opposed to being more enthralled with photo messaging as industry players like Nokia had hoped. The article concludes by arguing for continued use of the cultural studies approach to studying new media users, texts, and contexts (i.e., the multiple influences of industry and regional culture) at the same time.