Mobile Ethnography Research Articles

Thinking food delivery platforms infrastructurally: The practices and politics of Baemin's infrastructuralisation in Seoul

AbstractThe proliferation of food delivery platforms is profoundly changing the way urbanites eat, work, and move. These platforms increasingly mobilise urban resources and population to function as critical infrastructure in the field of logistics and transportation, giving rise to a new form of governance. This paper traces the infrastructuralisation of Baemin, the largest South Korean food delivery platform. By engaging with critical infrastructure studies, it seeks to make the infrastructuring work of platforms more visible and political, revealing an opening for progressive disruption. Drawing on the empirical data from a mobile ethnography in Seoul, the paper claims that Baemin operationalises distinct sociotechnical arrangements that infrastructurally integrate the labour of couriers in its automated operations and generate ceaseless urban flows. Furthermore, it brings to the fore the significance of couriers' embodied practices in enabling and sustaining the contingent, hence precarious, operation of the convenient platform‐mediated food delivery that many take for granted.

Connected, programmed, and immobilised: a mobile ethnography of platform-mediated food delivery in Seoul

Against the rise of mobility platforms, this paper explores the practices and politics of mobility arising from the everyday infrastructural functioning of Baemin, the largest food delivery platform in South Korea. While the literature on food delivery platforms centres on changing labour relations, platform workers do not merely represent a new type of labour; they likewise form a critical conduit in the urban logistics system. Platform-mediated food delivery can be therefore conceptualised as a moving assemblage of heterogeneous entities that constitutes an urban infrastructure. Having emerged as an urban mobility regime, food delivery platforms increasingly enact a form of governance, enabling a particular mode of circulation and movements. Engaging with the mobility framework, combined with critical infrastructure scholarship, this paper seeks to uncover the politics of im/mobility involved in the creation of a ceaselessly flowing city envisaged by Baemin. It identifies three forms of mobilities—connected, programmed, and immobilised—produced through contingent interactions between moving bodies, technologies, and the environment, which could amount to tethering effects. Integrating empirical materials from multimethod mobile ethnography in Seoul, it presents on-the-ground accounts of practices, interactions, and sensations gathered around the Baemin-mediated food delivery.

What does it mean to prepare for class? A case study on students’ study habits in a nursing educational programme

This article presents findings from a research project that aimed to replace physical books with an adaptive learning platform, Area9 Rhapsode™, for nursing students’ class preparation. As the project expanded, it became evident that students employed diverse preparation practices, prompting an investigation into their preparation habits. This is done through the following research questions: (1) how do students feel about class preparation? (2) what learning resources do students choose? (3) when and where do they prepare for class? This is conducted through a mixed methods design that draws on empirical data from interviews, mobile ethnography, surveys, and log data. The results highlight the wide range of resources students utilise, including digital and analogue tools, the various temporal patterns of preparation, and students’ spectrum of feelings in their preparation. The findings suggest the importance of understanding individual students’ preparation habits to facilitate targeted teaching approaches that cater to diverse learning needs. The article contributes to the existing literature on study habits and strategies, emphasising the need for educators to recognise and adapt to students’ unique preparation behaviours in order to enhance their academic success.

What Makes adolescents want to read? Examining adolescents’ contemporary print and new media (fiction) leisure reading through mobile ethnography

Drawing on data from a mobile ethnography study of 12 adolescents from one secondary school, this article proposes to examine the everyday digital reading resources and practices of Singapore adolescent youths to better understand the print and new media (fiction) leisure reading habits of adolescents. Mobile ethnography, with its capacity to capture adolescents’ actual reading through images, texts, and video recordings, provides a new way to document and understand the changing reading habits of adolescents. Participants documented their print and digital reading on a smartphone app over four days, followed by a photo-elicitation interview. Findings showed that these adolescents read for pleasure and were self-directed readers who invested time in reading various new media fiction texts such as ebooks, Japanese manga and fanfiction. Practices of new media reading include cross-media consumption, engagement in fandom behaviours, and interest-driven searching for diverse reading materials. Adolescents are motivated to read when the reading experience promises immersive entertainment. A good story, ease of access to interesting content and potential for multiple media engagements encourage adolescents’ volitional reading. Implications for curriculum and future research on adolescent volitional reading are discussed.

A Therapeutic Landscape for Some but Not for All: An Ethnographic Exploration of the Bethlem Royal Hospital Parkrun

This study sought to explore the experiences of those involved in the Bethlem parkrun. A mobile ethnography employing participant observation and informal discussion was conducted on the grounds of the hospital in London, United Kingdom. The findings focused on “what it is like” to participate in this parkrun and were organized into two themes: (a) Bethlem as a Shared Leisure Space and (b) Shared Leisure Space, But for Whom? Findings illustrated the emplaced and relational experiences of some participants in this “therapeutic landscape,” while highlighting that the events were exclusionary for others, namely service-users. These findings contrast the therapeutic landscapes literature, which largely assumes their benefits are experienced equally. This work may provide further understanding of the individual and collective experiences of parkrun.

Beyond the boom. Genealogies of corridor urbanism in the making of the Lithium Triangle, Argentina and Chile

Since 2015, the Atacama region has emerged as the Lithium Triangle, a global hotspot for lithium extraction marked by the establishment of new mines and the expansion of existing ones. Adding to recent studies that document the adverse localized impacts of this booming economy, in this article I grapple with the layered geographies of logistics infrastructure that have historically enabled and materially sustained the process of resource extraction, probing the co-production of extraction and logistics. I propose to explore this intersection through the notion of corridor urbanism as proposed by Silver (2021) and chart its underexplored aspects in a context of extended urbanization and resource extraction. Through a mobile ethnography along a segment of the lithium trade's logistical network across the Atacama, I engage with the layered genealogies of three infrastructural elements that have been crucial in the development of this extractive landscape: the upgraded cross-border road and customhouse at Paso de Jama, the recently repaired Huaytiquina railway and the expanded port of Mejillones. Reflecting on these genealogies and their associated dynamics of smoothing, repair and securing, I locate some defining features of corridor urbanism, its extractive dimension, layered temporalities and selective character whereby socioecological wellbeing is unevenly distributed. In conclusion, I argue how a closer engagement with the situated genealogies of corridor urbanism can contribute to a sharper understanding of present and near-future extractive landscapes, especially in the context of a global expansion of resource frontiers and wider technological restructuring.

Colonization, appropriation, commensuration: Three modes of translation

What happens when practices are transferred from one place to another? This question lurks in the background of competing concepts of social order, modernization and globalization: Does it expand a homogeneous space where the functionality of original practices is reproduced? Or does it mix up any settled orders and create a dynamic space of heterogeneous assemblages? We here draw on a mobile ethnography following the travel of ‘mini-publics’, a pratice of organizing public participation, across different situations. We find three different modes by which mobilized elements of this practice (people, texts and artefacts) link up with local configurations: Firstly, colonization is when the original practice is sought to be replicated at the site of destination, reflecting a modern ambition to territorially expand the order that guarantees the original function. Secondly, appropriation is when mobilized elements of practice are left to freely change their meanings and effects as they are absorbed into various local configurations, reflecting a postmodern ambition to dissolve boundaries and hybridize settled orders. Thirdly, commensuration is when elements embedded in different sites are linked with each other through a broader abstract model within which they are positioned as functionally equivalent, reflecting a reflexive-modern ambition to build network infrastructures for integrating diversity. We find that the three modes coexist and thus propose them as components of a broader conceptual repertoire for empirically analysing how transfer happens, how translocal spaces are constituted, and how globalization takes shape, rather than a priori assuming either one, or the other mode as the generally dominant pattern.

Capturing the Dynamics of Homelessness Through Ethnography and Mobile Technology: Protocol for the Development and Testing of a Smartphone Technology-Supported Intervention.

US military veterans who have experienced homelessness often have high rates of housing transition. Disruptions caused by these transitions likely exacerbate this population's health problems and interfere with access to care and treatment engagement. Individuals experiencing homelessness increasingly use smartphones, contributing to improved access to medical and social services. Few studies have used smartphones as a data collection tool to systematically collect information about the daily life events that precede and contribute to housing transitions, in-the-moment emotions, behaviors, geographic movements, and perceived social support. The study aims to develop and test a smartphone app to collect longitudinal data from veterans experiencing homelessness (VEH) and to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using the app in a population that is unstably housed or homeless. This study's design had 3 phases. Phase 1 used ethnographic methods to capture detailed data on day-to-day lived experiences of up to 30 VEH on topics such as housing stability, health, and health behaviors. Phase 2 involved focus groups and usability testing to develop and refine mobile phone data collection methods. Phase 3 piloted the smartphone mobile data collection with 30 VEH. We included mobile ethnography, real-time surveys through an app, and the collection of GPS data in phase 3. The project was launched in June 2020, and at this point, some data collection and analysis for phases 1 and 2 are complete. This project is currently in progress. This multiphase study will provide rich data on the context and immediate events leading to housing transitions among VEH. This study will ensure the development of a smartphone app that will match the actual needs of VEH by involving them in the design process from the beginning. Finally, this study will offer important insights into how best to develop a smartphone app that can help intervene among VEH to reduce housing transitions. DERR1-10.2196/53022.

‘Because I’m always moving’: a mobile ethnography study of adolescent girls’ everyday print and digital reading practices

ABSTRACT With increased access to technologies for reading, more understanding is needed about how adolescents engage with print and digital reading across school and out-of-school contexts. In this study, mobile ethnography was used to document the everyday print and digital reading practices of adolescent girls from one all-girls’ school. They responded to real-time researcher prompts about their reading across various timings, locations, and devices over four days, and participated in photo-elicitation interviews. Findings showed that as students moved between locations, they also transited across devices, platforms, and formats, making use of different print and digital resources for varied ways of reading. Their ability to ‘style-shift’ flexibly across the boundaries of school and personal spaces, various devices and platforms allowed them to independently optimise reading as a resource for their everyday leisure, information seeking, and learning purposes. Insights, implications, and challenges for learning in a post-pandemic digital age are discussed.

Politiki vremeni, logistika i neravenstva v sovremennykh rossiyskikh gruzoperevozkakh

Based on mobile ethnography among long-distance truckers, the paper explores the temporal dimensions of their everyday work. In the neoliberal Russian trucking industry, large transport companies and their clients prioritize ‘efficient’ logistics, relying on computational calculations and an urge to keep the goods moving. Accordingly, corporate temporal policies are shaped by clock time logic. However, the reality of truckers’ everyday mobility is filled with contextual factors such as traffic jams, time zone changes, and weather conditions that disrupt the clock time logic. The clash between the smooth temporal politics of logistics and the unpredictable experiences of truckers leads to conflicts, requiring drivers to adjust their pace, routines, and bodies, often resulting in a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty. Despite these challenges, the paper highlights how truckers skilfully navigate various rhythms, finding a sense of game-like enthusiasm in their work. By examining the contradictions between logistical clock time and drivers’ time, the study sheds light on the inequalities surrounding the labor of longhaul truck drivers and explores the social, emotional, and bodily effects of these inequalities. Through an inside look into the drivers’ perspective from inside their cabs, the paper provides insight into the workings of 24/7 capitalism in Russia.

Ruling the Periphery: Pakistan state ruling practices in Lower Dir

This article examines Pakistan State’s ruling practices in Lower Dir, a peripheral region. It argues that this peripheral region was ruled by a colonial logic of governmentality. Through a “thick” ethnography of Lower Dir, I documented the militarized and fragmented state practices that Tsing refers to as the “sticky materiality of practical encounters” of the local people with the state apparatuses. The study collected data through anthropological methods such as mobile ethnography at checkpoints, casual conversations with locals, and firsthand observations of state ruling practices in the region. This article concludes that it is the Pakistan state’s strategic interest that keeps the region out of the mainstream, and its security status is now even more important for Pakistan state following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021.

Package cycle tourists′ relationship to time and pace

For its slow mobility, cycle tourism has been linked to slow travel. Yet, few tourism scholars have studied the meaning of the pace at which cycle tourists move. This study seeks to shed some light on cycle tourists' relationship to time and pace. For that purpose, mobile ethnography through participant observation and interviews was employed to explore how western tourists experience a package cycling holiday in Vietnam. The cyclists' notion of subjective pace was found to be unconnected from actual velocity or form of travel. Some of the tourists sought speed and closely monitored time as ways to achieve their cycling performance goals. None of the cyclists expressed concerns with the high carbon footprint of their air travel to Vietnam. Furthermore, contrary to the slow travel literature, the cycle tourists did not prioritise social encounters. The findings of this study, therefore, question whether package cycle tourists can be considered to be slow travellers. We thus suggest that the experience of pace as controlled by the traveller her or himself is central to being a slow traveller.

Anthropology at the Ends of the Lines

Anthropology at the Ends of the Lines

The Lived Body and Embodied Instructional Practices in Maritime Basic Safety Training

This paper explores the role of the lived body in maritime professional training. By focusing on how instructors include students’ subjective experiencing bodies as an educational resource and context for directives and demonstrations, the study aims at informing training of professionals for survival in emergency situations onboard ships. Drawing on a mobile video ethnography and on phenomenological analyses of the presence/absence of the body in experience, the study illustrates how instructors direct students’ attention towards or away from their appearing corporal field depending on the stage of the training. The article documents three instructional practices incorporating students’ lived embodiment during training: coping with distress by foregrounding the lived body, backgrounding the lived body for outer-directed action and imagining others’embodied experiences. The study contributes to our understanding of intercorporeal practices in instructional interaction and guidance in simulation-based vocational training.

Understanding the experience and meaning of app-based food delivery from a mobility perspective

Online food delivery service has developed rapidly and expanded the boundaries of the catering industry. Being a food delivery rider in the gig economy attracts workers with the premises of flexibility and freedom. However, existing studies based on labor process theory revealed that freedom is fictitious. The study sheds light on how the individual rider finds meaning in their work from the mobility perspective. A mixed-method approach based on questionnaires, interviews, and mobile ethnography is applied. Findings showed that food delivery riders gain the experience of freedom in many aspects, from flexible working hours, body movement, immediate cash transfer to freedom from many other regulations. Being a rider represents a free lifestyle and a way to control one’s fate. Yet, it is perceived as a transitional job. This study contributes to making connections between the mobility perspective and work-related studies.

ROCKETING SHEEP: AFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE IN ANONYMOUS MOBILE SOCIAL MEDIA JODEL DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked online discussion in unprecedented volumes, as citizens use social media to share their opinions and concerns regarding the prevention measures, for instance. Much of such activity takes place under real names on popular platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. However, parallel to these platforms more anonymous spaces remain and flourish, including completely anonymous services such as Secret.ly and Ask.fm, or pseudonymized services such as Reddit. This study focuses on Covid-19 related discussion on mobile social media platform Jodel, an anonymous-by-design social media application that allows messaging users who are geographically close. In this paper, we explore discussions about the Covid-19 pandemic on Jodel in Helsinki, Finland, through the theoretical notion of affective discipline. Our data is collected during a virtual, mobile ethnography that followed the discussions on the #corona channel in Jodel in Helsinki during 2020-21. We argue that the anonymity of Jodel provided its users a space to discuss the restrictive measures in a more relaxed manner than real-name-based social media. This also endows the conversations with deeper and different affective attunement than what public discussion would. While the discussions contain moral judgments, they were also rife with humor, irony and distanced spectatorship of the ongoing pandemic, resonating with the carnivalistic discussion cultures of other anonymous and pseudonymous platforms. We argue that anonymous and ephemeral platforms like Jodel, where identities and histories are nonexistent, bring out the affective dynamics of online discussions, and the related forces that assemble and disassemble communities.

Movilidad en bicicleta en ciclovías de zonas distintas de Lima a través de la etnografía móvil.

El artículo describe y compara la influencia de los aspectos materiales y sociales de dos ciclovías, ubicadas en diferentes zonas de la ciudad de Lima, en la experiencia de desplazamiento de sus usuarios; visibilizando así una forma de desigualdad urbana. A partir de la etnografía móvil se demuestra que en la ciclovía de la Avenida Universitaria, ubicada en la zona norte de la ciudad, área antigua de expansión donde predominan los niveles socioeconómicos medios y bajos, la movilidad es difícil, limitada, insegura e incómoda dada la baja calidad de infraestructura urbana y ciclista y los diversos usos dados por otros agentes urbanos. En el caso de la localizada en la Avenida Arequipa en el centro, área consolidada donde residen los grupos socioeconómicos medios altos y altos, se desarrolla de manera fluida, segura y cómoda por la mejor calidad de infraestructura, facilidades y respeto hacia el ciclista.

A mixed methods stakeholder satisfaction study of sports events based on the case of the 2016 international children’s games

Sports event research has displayed gaps in the analysis of different stakeholders’ perspectives and satisfaction levels. Consequently, this study aims at laying bare real-time experiences of event stakeholders via a unique mixed method research approach for explaining stakeholder satisfaction. Data were gathered on occasion of the 2016 International Children’s Games in Innsbruck, Austria via mobile ethnography using an app (n = 103), semi-structured interviews (n = 24), and participatory observations. Stakeholders’ experiences were analyzed with the confirmation/disconfirmation paradigm, revealing that catering, transport, and organization can be classified as essential factors, whereas performance factors comprise competitions, daily work, and atmosphere. The findings contribute to the sports event and tourism literature (1) by analyzing the main stakeholders’ perceptions along the entire event journey during the 2016 ICG and (2) by aiming to gather a deeper comprehension of processes among sports event stakeholders with a mixed methodological approach (mobile ethnographical app, interviews and participatory oberservations).

Performing authenticity: Independent Chinese travellers’ tourism dining experiences in Europe

Authenticity seeking in dining experiences has focused on “perceptions” rather than “doing” and “sense-making”. This study aims to understand how independent Chinese travellers perform authenticity through their dining experiences in Europe through the lens of performance theory. A mobile ethnography approach was applied by following 14 informants in 3 trips across Europe to gain an in-depth understanding of independent Chinese travellers’ dining experiences. Three sets of field notes, 21 interview transcripts, drawings, reflexive diaries, social media posts, and blogs were collected. The findings suggest that independent Chinese travellers navigate between directed performance and improvised play in tourism dining. They seek the novelties and familiarities of food in the process of perceiving, understanding, appreciating and rejecting authenticity. This study extends our understanding of experienced authenticity through the lens of performance theory. Furthermore, the study provides detailed accounts of overlooked authenticity-seeking through tourism dining of the non-Western market segment.

“Mix or Match?”: Transnational Fertility Industry and White Desirability

ABSTRACT Does the transnational process of gamete selection challenge ways of mobilizing race and whiteness? Based on a mobile ethnography of the transnational fertility industry, I argue that fertility experts and intended parents (IP) co-produce the desirability of whiteness through “racial matching” for white, heterosexual IP, and “strategic hybridization”, or strategic mixing of gametes, for some same-sex IP who do not identify as white. Although disruptive of notions of racial purity of whiteness and the heteronormative focus on resemblance match, the transnational legitimizing of such desires as intimate and innocuous choices depoliticizes conversations around race, racialization and whiteness as privilege.