Recontextualizing Contextless Devices: How to Study the Smartphone

Abstract

Media have become more mobile and thus move from situation to situation, from context to context. This is an important change because we cannot come to a solid understanding of these technologies without taking context into consideration. Instead of the monofunctional point of view that sufficed to study more rooted media, it is necessary to view them as the ever changing things they are. This paper seeks to find an understanding of how we can begin to think about these contextless devices in a way that does them justice.