Get connected! Social uses of the telephone and modes of interaction in a peer group of young Parisians - article ; n°2 ; vol.5, pg 227-240

Vanessa Manceron

Description

Réseaux. The French journal of communication - Année 1997 - Volume 5 - Numéro 2 - Pages 227-240
Summary: The observation of uses of the telephone and related practices in a group of young Parisians sharing a degree of social exclusion and linked by a sense of affinity reveals the importance of this communication tool in the organization and functioning of the group. This network of friends is built on a foundation of leisure activities and shared interests (music, parties, fashion, etc.). The very regular telephone contact reflects their need for strong cohesive relationships. It also attests to the adhesion of each member to the group and to his or her ability to use the network of friends to organize daily activities.
14 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

Informations

• Publié par: RESEAUX-_THE_FRENCH_JOURNAL_OF_COMMUNICATION
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1997
• Nombre de lectures: 40
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Vanessa Manceron
Pauline Ridel
Get connected! Social uses of the telephone and modes of
interaction in a peer group of young Parisians
In: Réseaux, 1997, volume 5 n°2. pp. 227-240.
Abstract
Summary: The observation of uses of the telephone and related practices in a group of young Parisians sharing a degree of
social exclusion and linked by a sense of affinity reveals the importance of this communication tool in the organization and
functioning of the group. This network of friends is built on a foundation of leisure activities and shared interests (music, parties,
fashion, etc.). The very regular telephone contact reflects their need for strong cohesive relationships. It also attests to the
adhesion of each member to the group and to his or her ability to use the network of friends to organize daily activities.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Manceron Vanessa, Ridel Pauline. Get connected! Social uses of the telephone and modes of interaction in a peer group of
young Parisians. In: Réseaux, 1997, volume 5 n°2. pp. 227-240.
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/reso_0969-9864_1997_num_5_2_3330GET CONNECTED!
Social uses of the telephone and modes of
interaction in a peer group of young
Parisians
Vanessa MANCERON
Translated by Pauline Ridel
Summary: The observation of uses of the telephone and related practices
in a group of young Parisians sharing a degree of social exclusion and
linked by a sense of affinity reveals the importance of this communication
tool in the organization and functioning of the group. This network of
friends is built on a foundation of leisure activities and shared interests
(music, parties, fashion, etc.). The very regular telephone contact reflects
their need for strong cohesive relationships. It also attests to the adhesion
227 Vanessa MANCERON
of each member to the group and to his or her ability to use the network of
friends to organize daily activities.
228 CONNECTED! GET
based on the sharing of leisure activities,
5 GET and in particular on going out in the
evenings and partying. Their chosen
relations are maintained in order to CONNECTED!
ensure strong cohesion which requires
each of the individuals in the group to
participate to a great extent. The ethnoSocial peer and modes group uses of the young interaction telephone Parisians in a
graphic study suggests that the people
concerned invest most of their time and
interest in this segment of their personal
network of relations and that their daily
activities are to a large extent deter
mined by the activities of the other memb
ers of the group. The telephone has an
important role to play in these contacts
by ensuring the co-ordination and cohe
Vanessa MANCERON sion of the friends, who are spread out in
different parts of Paris, without making
any particular place a central meeting
point.
In this article, I aim to set out the
initial findings of a short ethno
graphic investigation of a group of
young Parisians aged 20 to 25,
linked together by shared interests in
such a way that they describe thems
elves, somewhat hesitantly, as a 'group'
or a 'gang' or a 'crowd'. The study con
cerns the unusual way the telephone is
used by these young people, and gives
an insight into their lifestyle and rela
tionships. This concentration on five
people is the first stage in a broader
study which will take account of the
larger network of contacts of which the
group forms part. Nonetheless, I believe
this small group to be typical of that
larger network.
The people involved feel that they form a
group because of the regularity and fr
equency of the contacts they maintain
with one another - both face to face and
by telephone - which are more intense Outside his home, Antoine tests the code for pick
than any of the relationships that any of ing up messages from his new answering
machine. A neighbour (pictured with handset) has them is involved in elsewhere. This left him a message to make sure the machine is
grouping of friends is to a large extent working properly.
229 Vanessa MANCERON
Interactive observation is the only way of For that is what they expect of me: to be
penetrating this closed circle of friends. like them or, rather, to show that I have
These young people, most of whom do enough respect for their way of life to
not work, or at least work only intermitt ignore the differences between us and,
ently, often spend their entire day meet as far as possible, to join in. The fact
that I am not much older than them and ing or making phone calls. Making
intensive use of the telephone, meeting that we have a similar cultural back
at one another's homes, calling one ground makes our relations much easi
another from there, establishing multi er. The remaining difficulty is to balance
ple relations within the network and par the closeness and the distance, to aban
tying together are, in their view, proof of, don the informality of the relationship
and commitment to, their involvement. for just as long as it takes to interview
them individually and ask questions
which they will answer without the nonThe time of the investigation was a period
chalance and vagueness typical of their of learning and socialization, as the vari
relations with one another. ous changes that took place during our
phone conversations clearly revealed. Observing how the telephone is used in
Making contact by telephone in advance the normal course of daily life also raises
of any meeting was initially a very formal many questions concerning ethno
matter which consisted of making an graphic methods. It is quite unusual to
appointment in the next few days. Faced be able to be present when a telephone
with their evasive replies, ('tomorrow ... conversation is taking place, and the
well, I don't know what I'm doing'), we information thus received is inevitably
would usually agree to call one another incomplete. The obligation to fill in a
again the next day or early in the after table of all the calls made and received
noon. Gradually, therefore, I dropped my over a four-day period, and to give info
own norms of polite behaviour - warning rmation about the place and duration of
them in advance so that they were free to the calls, and the reasons for them, was
organize their schedules as they wished - regarded by the five people concerned as
and tried to make an appointment the a particularly unpleasant sort of 'home
same day, which enabled me to become a work' which they would have no wish to
part of their plans for the day and repeat. The use of a tape recorder to
increased our chances of meeting, even if record phone conversations in each per
this sometimes meant ringing each other son's home was essential at this stage of
several times beforehand. Now it is even the investigation, and required a high
easier. I pick up the phone and say: 'Hi, degree of trust between myself and the
it's Vanessa. How are you? What are you subjects - a trust which only time and a by?' I have simplified doing? Can I stop suitable approach on my part made pos
my approach as much as possible, sible.
putting the emphasis on immediacy and
spontaneity and expecting them, for their I met these five people - Laure, Grégoire,
part to be readily available. I am gradua Boris, Antoine and Claire - through
lly adopting some of the specificities of Adèle (a friend and ethnology student
the way they react to one another, which who shares her flat with her sister,
is the essential condition for establishing Laure), at an improvised dinner at
a 'correct' relationship. Laure's and Adèle's flat. Boris, Antoine,
230 GET CONNECTED!
Grégoire and Mikey were also present. I to describe briefly the social situation of
met Claire later through the others, who these five young people who left formal
pointed her out to me as a member of the education relatively recently and who
restricted circle they described to me plan to learn as they go along, in order to
once my role as an ethnologist was establish links between their current
spelled out and the investigation had lifestyle and their relationships.
begun. Mikey, a friend of all of them, and
other people whom he sees and calls reg A turning point: age 20 or so...
ularly such as Pavel, were not included
All of them saw school as a restriction to in this initial definition of the group for
which they were not really suited and in reasons which the investigation will they could see little benefit or permake clear at a later stage. They still
sonal interest. Apart from Boris, who is remember well the way we met: I am
studying for a degree in philosophy, they linked in their minds with Adèle, Laure's
had a difficult time at school from about sister, and they tell me: You arrived
the fourth year onwards, punctuated by through Laure.' This method of making
various periods of absence or changing contact through a network therefore
schools. Eventually they decided to take determined the selection in advance,
their baccalauréat as external candiand I found myself included in their net
dates, and some passed. N