The Use of Mobile Social Presence
by Frank Bentley and Crysta J. Metcalf
Telecommunication innovations have provided people increasingly richer means to share their experiences with each other. For most of recent history, this communication was tied to a particular place—phones were fixed in homes or offices, and people sent letters to a specific location. Now mobile phones connect to people no matter their location, which has brought new possibilities to share live experiences instantly across great distances. As mobile phones become sensing and media capture devices, they can ambiently share a user's environment with others. This mobile context sharing creates new, rich experiences that can increase feelings of social presence as well as enhance and inspire future communications.
