176 12 THE STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION Implications for Self and Society Scott W. Campbell, Rich Ling, and Joseph B. Bayer Mobile communication is a relatively new form of interaction. It has only been commonly available in developed countries for the past two decades and in developing countries for less than that. Perhaps because the rise of mobile communication is so recent, the juxtaposition of its use against traditional social practice illuminates issues in a new way. To be sure, mobile communication’s explosive growth as an everyday life resource has given us a lens through which we can study both sociological and psy- chological developments. Despite being a relatively new addition to the media landscape, the assuredness with which we appropriate our mobile devices speaks to well routinized use. When we reach for our phone to ill in what Fortunati (2002, p. 518) calls the “smallest folds” of life, we manipulate them with ease. In addition, at the social level, we increas- ingly understand that it is expected of us to have a mobile phone. Our friends and family expect us to be available to them, to be socially “on call.” Through mobile communication, we become more attached to one another, not to mention to the technology itself. Without the device, it is not uncommon for a user to feel utterly disconnected and psychologically distressed (Vincent, 2006). As it continues to take root as a multi-channel resource, individuals increasingly rely on mobile communication to stay plugged in outside of their social network as well. Individuals increasingly turn to mobile com- munication as a way of connecting with society by using it as a resource for news, politics, popular culture, and the like. Thus, the psychological