| Abstract: |
Communication via mobile telephones is widespread in East Asian metropolis
such as Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo. In the last ten years, the number of mobile
telephone users has increased dramatically, with the younger generation in
particular depending on the services available via mobile telephones. This
paper explores the relationship between the voice and text messaging
communications of these young consumers through their mobile telephones and
their interpersonal relations. It analyses how mobile telephone usage affects
relationships between respondents by comparing models of the cause-effect
relationship of several latent factors in different environments, namely
dependency on mobile telephone communication, perception of friendships,
individual factors and IT literacy. By applying a covariance structure
analysis, the correlations between latent and observable variables can be
successfully visualized. The results show that mobile telephones have little
influence on the perception of relationships among the younger generation,
although somewhat different structures of interdependency exist in these
metropolitan areas. |