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“As the Model T Ford was to the 1920s, so are the smartphone, and mobile devices more generally, to the present day.” Gregory Taylor and Catherine Middleton, Frequencies
Providing easy access to our pictures, our music, or social media, our technological identity is strongly dependent on, and affected by, smartphones and mobile devices. The tools and resources these provide, which most of us use on a daily basis, can now be conveniently kept in our back pocket. In some cases, as this week’s guest blogger Gregory Taylor aptly points out, this relatively new technology feels like an extension of who we are, a central part of our digital selves.
This week, we asked MQUP author Gregory Taylor the following question:
“We have expanded the ‘presence’ of our digital selves into every area of life; how has this new normal intersected with the subject of your book?”
His response helps us define and understand our relationship with this concept of the “digital self,” while simultaneously demonstrating the importance and impact the radio spectrum has on our relationship with modern technology and telecommunication.
In their new book Frequencies: International Spectrum Policy Gregory Taylor and Catherine Middleton bring together diverse national perspectives to explore the current and future state of spectrum governance worldwide, offering illuminating case studies from around the world. The contributors of Frequencies represent a wide array of disciplinary backgrounds, united by the common goal of maximizing the value and access to the public good that is the radio spectrum.
For many of us, the small pocket computers (it is an underrepresentation to call them phones, but such is the accepted term) we carry everywhere have unquestionably become extensions of our selves. We have all felt the palpable tinge of disengagement when we are out and discover to our horror, that we have left the device at home. The resulting sensation may feel liberating or terrifying, or both. But you’re not the same as you are when that thing is in your pocket. Your connectivity, your photos, your music collection, your navigation system are all held within the slender aluminum case of that cell phone, currently resting on your shelf at home. The relationship with one’s cell phone is far more personal than how we feel about our desktop computer. The digital self is mobile.
The conduit that allows for the transfer of data between these devices, and many more essential wireless technologies from radar to radios, remains mysterious for even the most avid cell phone enthusiast, even though the science has been in use for more than a century. The electromagnetic spectrum has been manipulated as a way to transfer data since the time of the telegraph, but the digital era is asking exponentially more of this public resource. While the broadcast of sound over the air has been commonplace for a century via radio, now we each hold the ability to broadcast ourselves or receive video in increasingly high definition. The digital self is data intensive.
Our book, Frequencies: International Spectrum Policy, places great emphasis upon the publicness of the spectrum. Major wireless companies may have gained exclusive access via auctions or administrative selection; however, the public remain custodians of the spectrum. Exclusive licenses are but one option. Though it is largely under the auspices of national governments and guided by an international body (the International Telecommunications Union), the water upon which our cell phones float belongs to all of us. Spectrum is a finite resource and the choices we make for its usage should reflect our social priorities. The digital self remains part of the wider community.
The great accomplishment of Frequencies is that it examines the policies guiding the spectrum from a multidisciplinary and multinational perspective. If you truly wish to explore how our digital selves have expanded into every area of life, one would be well-advised to look outside one’s national borders. The “self” in Toronto or Montreal may have far different priorities than people holding the same mobile device in India, Africa or Mexico. Whether your digital self involves the posting of selfies, or connecting to essential government and educational services, there is a strong chance the choices made by governments involving the spectrum resource are affecting this activity. While often a subject left to engineers and economists, in Frequencies we argue the social sciences and humanities have much to offer in the debates over the future development of spectrum. The digital self does not fit into a neat disciplinary silo.
When Marshall McLuhan released Understanding Media in 1964, it was notably subtitled “the extensions of man”. For McLuhan, technology is not separate from our bodies but part of a continuum, with reach far beyond the end of our fingertips. In the introduction, McLuhan observes of our relationship with electric technology: “we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace”. Few gadgets have seemed to exemplify this theory more than the cellular phone. In some cases, the smart phone can actually transmit data from our body (heart rate, sleep pattern) to external data centres in another country. In 2020, the province of Alberta partnered with Telus for a doctor consultation app called Babylon which allowed people to meet with physicians in one-on-one video consultations through their smartphone. While McLuhan may have felt vindicated, privacy experts voiced concerns.
McLuhan has been accused by some scholars as being too technologically deterministic; that his writing undervalues the role of individual agency and political action. We take no such approach in Frequencies. How we choose to govern spectrum must be a product of global, national and more local concerns and subject to democratic oversight. While the technology evolves, the use of spectrum in 2020 is not new, just more widespread and intensified.
It is spectrum that allows for the ubiquitous connectivity that maintains our presence across a range of areas while the body remains mobile. Our digital self is not so disconnected from our previous analogue identity; it does, however, have a data plan.
Gregory Taylor is assistant professor in the Department of Communication, Media and Film at the University of Calgary and author of Shut Off: The Canadian Digital Television Transition.
For more information on Frequencies: International Spectrum Policy >
Gregory Taylor’s guest blog offers a thought-provoking examination of the evolving relationship between mobile technology and identity. By exploring the concept of the “digital self,” Taylor provides valuable insights into the profound impact of smartphones and mobile devices on modern society. The discussion on spectrum governance adds a crucial dimension to the conversation, emphasizing the importance of considering broader societal implications in technological advancements. This informative piece enriches platforms like Mobilezmarket, fostering a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics between technology and personal identity.
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