IV          THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG JAPANESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

1. The spread of the mobile phone

In recent years, mobile phones have spread remarkably. Last year, the number of subscribers to mobile phones passed that of fixed phones. Today, mobile phones are a fact of life in Japan. Mobile phones keep evolving, because each telephone company discover or makes use of new technology almost every day. Therefore the relationship between mobile phones and ourselves keeps changing. So, what is this relationship at present?

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2. We asked our class (2001 Fukushima Univ. English 1-2-U) mates and our teacher some

  Questions. In our questionnaire we asked as follows.

  Q.1.Do you have a mobile phone?

  Q.2.If so, why do you have one?

  Q.3.Which phone company do you use? And why?

  Q.4.How much do you pay for it per month?

  Q.5.Which functions do you use? (Multiple answers possible)

  Q.6.What are the good points and bad points of your phone?

  Q.7.How does your mobile phone influence your lifestyle?

  Q.8.What evolution do you want to see in mobile phones in the future?

  We drew conclusions from the answers.

 (1) The concrete uses

All respondents had mobile phones. About half of all people in Japan have one, but not all. Maybe, the core users are the young.

 We mainly use them to contact our friends or families. Because it is fairly cheap, we often send E-mail. Sending E-mail is easier than speaking by phone. Always having a phone with us has made communication possible any time, anywhere. And, to have a phone produces a sense of solidarity or security.

  Connecting to the Internet works well to get new information. Besides the functions of communication, we regard phone's functions as a watch and alarm as important. This was shown in answers, as many of us use those functions.

 (2) Thoughts on present mobile phones

 At present, we pay most attention to the basic charge and the charge for calls. They cost more than house phones. Our reasons for selecting phone companies are based on discount services of a particular companies. We can use mobile phones at any time and anywhere, but it is still very expensive for University students.

 But sometimes mobile phones do not work well in some environments. Mobile phones have made possible rapid communication, but when we use them, we sometimes feel a deep dissatisfaction.

    In addition, we use them for very long time and use various functions. And we see them as "necessities of　life." So if we lose our phones, we worry. This feeling was expressed in one man's answer----"Without my mobile phone, I couldn't live! " Our lives have become dependent on mobile phones.

 (3) Hopes for the future

    From the answers, we want to see still lower prices, and more stability in communication environments, improve a durability, and greater speed. Because mobile phones have to do with our lives, we want to use them with utmost ease.

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3. Differences in usage

I checked TV programs, news papers, the internet, and the people around me for information. As to the usage of mobile phones, there is no difference between Fukushima University students and others of the same age.

4. The future of mobile phones

Mobile phones will become more important in future. Perhaps, they will be used by everybody, kids and elderly people too. However, mobile phones are still a challenge for most elderly people, because the latest mobile phones have complex functions, and small buttons. This is disadvantageous for elderly people. This is an important problem we must solve. The establishment of good relationships between mobile phones and all users is very important.