Evolving Mobile Media: Uses and Conceptualizations of the Mobile Internet

Technological convergence has led to the ability to access the internet from a variety of mobile devices. Drawing on the Mobile Phone Appropriation Model (Wirth, von Pape & Karnowski, 2008), we sought to understand how people conceptualize and use the mobile internet by conducting semistructured interviews with 21 mobile internet users, half American and half German in order to explore cross-cultural differences. Findings suggest little cross-cultural difference in use and understanding of the mobile Internet. Users do not perceive the act of going online as a significant step, even if it is on a mobile device. They do, however, distinguish between different ways of consuming information online (extractive and immersive), relating them to different situations and devices.