“You can show that hey, I'm here right now”: Mediated presence in visual mobile communication

Villi, M. (2011). “You can show that hey, I'm here right now”: Mediated presence in visual mobile communication. International Communication Association, Boston, 26-30 May 2011.

Abstract: The focus in the paper is on visual mobile communication, in particular on photo messaging. The purpose is to integrate the study of mobile communication with visual communication studies. In pursuing this goal, mediated presence is utilized as an overarching framework. Importantly, the practices of visual mobile communication cannot be explained only by the conventional modes of communicating photographs, but rather by practices familiar from mobile communication. Thus, the main question is concerned on how the camera phone as a communication device affects photographic communication and the visual mediation of presence. With results from an empirical case study with Finnish camera phone users, it is demonstrated how photo messaging can provide means for both simultaneously maintaining a connection between individuals and communicating presence.