Maria Perevalova

Contextualization of the Mobile Internet: Mobile Phone and the Internet Convergence Maria Perevalova

The mobile Internet is a relatively recent phenomenon in the West and it has been claimed to be the next big step in the Information Age. It is induced by the convergence of the Internet and the mobile phone, which represents a charismatic technology and convergence tool par excellence. This work is dedicated to the contextualization of the mobile Internet in convergence and mobile cultures and to the detection of an approach that could aid in assessing in what terms the mobile Internet is distinct from the desktop Internet. Drawing on the interdisciplinary findings it is concluded that the mobile Internet is a sociocultural phenomenon. By analyzing features of the mobile phone and features of the Internet encapsulated in web 2.0 it is argued that the synergy between the two technologies is resting on the complementarity of social and individual features. Despite looking at media hybrids informed by technology convergence, the approach lies in distinguishing specific types of Internet and intrinsic concepts and phenomena informed by the mobile Internet.