Research on Use of Mobile Phone : A Comparative Study between Male and Female student of Dhaka University

Use ofMobile Phone: A comparative study between Male and Female Students of DU Page 1

Dedicated…
To my parents who brought me to the world of knowledge
And
To my friends who are always ready to stay by my side

Acknowledgement
All praise to Allah, the almighty, and the merciful. Without his blessing and
endorsement this report would not have been accomplished. I would like to
acknowledge and convey my heartfelt gratitude to the following persons. Without their
close and continuous guidance the completion of this report would not be possible:
I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to my supervisor, M. Salahuddin
Aminuzzaman, Professor, Department of Public Administration, University of Dhaka,
for his tremendous help & encouragement with my study. I am highly indebted to him
for his valuable advice & intellectual guidance throughout the period of my study. His
comments & suggestions were very stimulating & developed my ideas to accomplish
this study.
I would like to convey my heartiest gratitude to my team member of marketing
research whose scholars and organizations whose articles and publications has helped
me a great deal in successfully completing this paper.
I am also thankful to my family members and friends, they supported me in the crucial
time and encouraged me to prepare this report.
Last but not the least, I would like to give thank all the respondents who participated in
the survey proving valuable information and helped me to complete my report.
Finally, I would like to say adding some words that I have prepared this report from
secondary information and survey. I am ready to accept all unwilling errors and
omission that are extremely belong to me.

Abstract
The study aims at exploring the gender differences in mobile phone usage by the male
and female students who are studying at the University of Dhaka. Additionally, the
study determined personal and family factors related to the mobile phone use and, the
relationship between problem mobile phone use and psychological health of the
students. The random-convenience sampling basis was employed to identify the
students (N=120) who completed a self-administered questionnaire. There have
significant difference in usage pattern between male and female students. Female
students mostly cell phone for voice calls, text messaging and listening FM radio while
male use more for entertainment and social networking purpose. Male students
maintain close tie with family living in distance (villages or towns far away from
Dhaka) while female prefers using mobile to make personal relation steady (with
friends and lover). Female students view it as a security tool and male students view as
a medium to express fashion and style. Female prefers talking more at night and male
at day. Majority of female students talks more than 3 hours a day but majority of male
students prefers talk less than an hour a day. Male students find spending more time on
mobile phone have vulnerability to psychological disturbances. Females are not aware
of it. There is a need to further uncover underlying factors that influence student’s
mobile phone behavior.
.

Contents
Title Page
Dedication I
Acknowledgement II
Abstract III
Table of Contents IV- VII
List of Tables VIII
List of Diagrams & Charts IX
List of Fifures IX
List of Abbreviations X
Table of Contents
Chapter Page No.
Cahpter-1 : Introduction
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Background
1.3 Statement of the problem
1.4 Objectives and scope of the research
1.5 Significance of the research
1.6 Methodology
1.7 Sampling and sample size
1.8 Questionnaire design
1.9 Research framework
1.10 Research hypothesis
1.11 Research question
Cahpter-2 : Conceptual overview
2.1 Mobile Phone
2.1.1 Mobile phone in Bangladesh
2.1.2 Mobile phone operators in Bangladesh
2.1.2.1 Interconnection between different mobile
operators in Bangladesh
1-7
1
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2.1.2.2 Services provided by different operators
2.1.2.2.1 Grameen Phone
2.1.2.2.2 Banglalink
2.1.2.2.3 Robi
2.1.2.2.4 Airtel
2.1.2.2.5 Citycell
2.1.2.2.6 Teletalk
2.2 Mobile handsets in Bangladesh
2.3 University of Dhaka
2.3.1 A brief history
2.3.2 Faculties and departments
2.3.3 Institutes
2.3.4 Bureau and Research Centre
2.3.5 Halls of Residence.
2.3.6 Library
2.3.7 Health Service : The University of Dhaka Medical Centre
2.3.8 Trusts, Foundations and Scholarship Programmes
2.3.9 Transport
2.4 Male and Female students
2.5 Literature review
2.5.1 Mobiles in education
2.5.2 Mobile phone and youth
2.5.3 Mobiles and social network
2.5.4 Mobile as a compact communication tool
2.5.5 Gender issue and mobile phone
2.5.6 Mobile phone dependency
2.5.7 Psychological aspects of mobile phone
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2.5.8 Negative aspects of mobile phone
Chapter-3: Theoretical Framework
3.1 Theory of Adolescent Egocentrism
3.1.1 The 3 thought processes of The theory
3.2 Mobile Social Network Theory
3.2.1 Levels of analysis
3.2.1.1 Micro Level
3.2.1.2 Meso Level
3.2.1.3 Macro Level
3.2.2 Social Network Characteristics
3.2.3 Mobile Social Networks and Social Network Analysis
3.3 Media dependency Theory
3.3.1 Three levels of effects
3.3.1.1 Cognitive effects
3.3.1.2 Affective effects
3.3.1.3 Behavioral effects
3.3.2 Structure of Media dependency theory
3.3.3 Degree of Dependency
3.3.4 Process of creating dependence
Chapter-4: Data Presentation
4.1 Family status of respondents,
4.2 Cell phone dependency ,
4.3 Usage criteria,
4.4 Social networking and communication,
4.5 Causes and effects of using mobile phone;
4.6 Egoistic issues of using a cell phone
Chapter-5: Data Analysis
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5.1 Family status of respondents,
5.2 Cell phone dependency ,
5.3 Usage criteria,
5.4 Social networking and communication,
5.4 Causes and effects of using mobile phone;
5.5 Egoistic issues of using a cell phone
Chapter-6: Hypothesis Test
Chapter -7 : Observation and Recommendations
Chapter -8 : Conclusion
8.1 Conclusion
8.2 Limitations
8.3 Scope of Future Work
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References
Newspapers
Websites
60-62
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APPENDIX- A : Research Proposal
APPENDIX- B : Research question
APPENDIX- C : Gender differences found in previous studies
64-73
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78

List of Tables
Sl. No Table No. Title Page
1 Table 1.1 Sampling Plan 5
2 Table 2.1 Mobile operators in Bangladesh 9
3 Table 2.2 Services provided by Grameen Phone 11
4 Table 2.3 Services provided by Banglalink 12
5 Table 3.4 Services provided by Robi 13
6 Table 2.5 Services provided by Airtel 14
7 Table 4.6 Services provided by Citycell 14
8 Table 2.7 Services provided by Teletalk 15
9 Table 5.8 List of mobile phone handset brands in
Bangladesh
16-17
10 Table 3.1 Social Network Characteristics 34
11 Table 4.1 Parents Occupation 40
12 Table 4.2 Parent's income level 41
13 Table 4.3 Age of started using mobile phone 41
14 Table 4.4 Mobile phone usage dimensions 42
15 Table 4.5 Preferable talk time 42
16 Table 4.6 Daily talking hours 43
17 Table 4.7 Ratio of text messages sent daily 43
18 Table 4.8 Prefer to communicate with more 44
19 Table 4.9 Reasons for purchasing a cell phone 45
20 Table 4.10 Influence of operating company's packages 46
21 Table 4.11 Psychological disturbance of mobile phone
usage
47
22 Table 4.12 Best part of having a mobile phone 49
23 Table 4.13 Handset brands 49
24 Table 4.14 Preferred mobile operating network 50
25 Table 6.1 Hypothesis data Table 55
26 Table 6.2 Table of Chi-square value 55

List of Diagrams and Charts
Sl No. Chart No. Title Page
1 Chart 4-1 Mobile phone usage dimensions 42
2 Chart 4-2 Number of text messages sent daily 43
3 Chart 4-3 Daily mobile phone expenditure 44
4 Chart 4-4 Communication ratio with family 45
5 Chart 4-5 Data on socializing reasons of mobile usage 46
6 Chart 4-6 Feeling the necessity of mobile phone 47
7 Chart 4-7 If mobile phone increases the distance
between children with their parents and
families
48
8 Chart 4-8 Data on if mobile phone affect study 48
9 Chart 4-9 Handset brands 49
10 Chart 4-10 Mobile handset and fashion 50
11 Chart 4-11 Preferred mobile operating network 50
List of Figures
Sl No. Figure No. Title Page No.
1 Figure-1 Research framework 6
2 Figure-2 Structure of interconnection between
different mobile operators in Bangladesh
10
3 Figure-3 Self-organization of a network 31
4 Figure-4 Social network diagram, micro-level 31
5 Figure-5 Social network diagram, meso-level 32
6 Figure-6 section of a large-scale social network 33
7 Figure-7 Media dependency theory structure 38

List of Abbreviations
PC Personal computer
PDA Personal digital assistants
BTL Bangladesh Telecom Limited
SMS Short message service
MMS Multimedia message service
GPRS General packet radio service
EDGE Enhanced Data for Global Evolution
FDG Focus Group Discussion
GP Grameen Phone
ILDTS International Long Distance Telecommunications Services
ICX Interconnection Exchange
IGW International Gateway
VAS Value-added services
3G Third generation
CDMA Code division multiple access
TSP Triad significance profile
DU University of Dhaka
ICT Information. Communication and Technology
IM Instant messaging
e–mail Electronic mail
SNS Social networking sites
MoSoSo Mobile social software
SNA Social Network Analysis
TM Text Message
VC Voice call
MSDT Media systems dependency theory
M Male
F Female
BDT Bangladeshi currency

Chapter-1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction: The use of digital gadgets has been growing in the developed
countries and is becoming to grow in the developing world as well. Today, the number
of iPods, cell phones, tablet PCs and personal digital assistants (PDAs) is increasing as
they are among the most useful and popular gadgets (Switzer & Csapo, 2005). More
than one out of six people worldwide own mobile phones, digital cameras, PDAs and
laptops which are equipped with wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) (Katz, 2005) since one of the
most important characteristics of computer devices is wireless network access
(Cutshall et al., 2006).
Many users want to have all-in-one, so smart phones appear. They constitute a hybrid
of PDA and mobile phone supporting digital camera, calendar, note-taking, calculator,
alarm and other functions (Mifsud, 2004).
Mobile phones today go beyond just voice communication and provide a multitude of
other features and services including text messaging (SMS), multimedia messaging
(MMS), photo display and recording, video playback and recording, calendaring, etc.
The paper will also seek out the usage patterns of mobile phones as an information
access device with respect to these features.
Growing benefits of mobile phones are undeniable and many Studies highlighted
advantages of mobile phone use, such as young people form and support relationships
with others (Power and Horstmanshof, 2004), widening social networks due to ease of
contact (Srivastava, 2005), sense of security and safety among the of mobile phone
users as users can contact others in case of emergency (Taylor and Harper,
2001,Chapman and Schofield, 1998, Carroll et al. 2002), social gratification of youths
from mobility, access and convenience (Tjong et al, 2003), busy working parents are
better able to communicate with their children (Frissen, 2000 and Matthews, 2004),
redirecting trips that have already started, softening and changing of schedules, and
progressive refinement of an activity, such as filling in details of open-ended plans
through mobile phones communication. Even deaf people can better communicate with
each other through SMS (Power and Power, 2004). These uses of the mobile phone
have changed the patterns of coordination in many areas of our social life, including
peer groups, families, and work (Ling and Yttri 2002). In short, people of all ages have
benefited from the mobile phone consumptions in the modern societies.
Mobile phone services are the fast growing services in telecommunication industry in
Bangladesh. Telecommunication sector of a country can tremendously affect the
society with different products and services which is also true for Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, mobile phone operators are contributing a lot with their services by the
creation of value to the society. Citycell, GrameenPhone, Robi (Aktel),Banglalink,
Teletalk (state-owned company), and Airtel(Warid) are the mobile phone service

providers in Bangladesh. Citycell (Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Limited) is the first
mobile phone operator of Bangladesh which, obtained a license in the name as
Bangladesh Telecom Limited (BTL) to operate cellular, paging, and other wireless
communication networks in 1989 and in 1990 a joint venture Hutchison Bangladesh
Telecom Limited (HBTL) was incorporated. Citycell started its commercial operation
from 1993. Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Bangladesh in November 28,
1996 gave license to Grameenphone and in March 26, 1997 Grameenphone launched
its service. Grameenphone has built the largest cellular network in the country and
introduced the pre-paid service in September 1999. Telecom Malaysia International
(Bangladesh) commenced its operation in 1997 under the brand name Aktel (present
ROBI) which is a joint venture company between Axiata Group Berhad, Malaysia and
NTT DOCOMO INC, Japan. The company changed its brand name Aktel with the
brand name Robi on 28th March, 2008. Under the Companies Act, 1994, Teletalk
Bangladesh Limited (the “Company”) was incorporated on 26 December, 2004 as a
public limited company. Bangladesh Government sponsored the company. In February
2005, Banglalink entered the telecommunication sector of Bangladesh and it became
one of the fastest growing mobile operators. In July 2007, a joint venture between Abu
Dhabi Group & SingTel Group named as Warid Telecom started its operation in
Bangladesh. Later on its ownership has changed and now it is providing service with
the name Airtel.
Although scholars have examined in detail how heavy uses of certain media adversely
affect students’ academic performances, little is known about how mobile phones
usage relates to academic performance.
This paper seeks to provide a more holistic view of mobile phone usage pattern of male
and female students who are studying at the University of Dhaka by applying
methodologies from that are generally applied in social researches. First, a theoretical
model that proposes antecedents to attitude towards use of mobile phones is presented
as a basis for investigation. Next, presentation of empirical data followed by conjoint
analysis to gain insights into how mobile phone usage pattern differs from male
students to female student of Dhaka University. Random basis analysis is performed on
the output from the conjoint analysis to extract salient and homogeneous students
segments that possess similar preferences for mobile phone functionalities.
Conclusions and implications are presented from theoretical and practical perspectives.

1.2 Background : The mobile phone is becoming the primary personal
communication mechanism worldwide (Leung & Wei, 1999; Ling, 2000; Wei, 2006).
Not only is it a talking device on the move, but it is also a necessary social accessory
(Peters & Allouch, 2005). Its use has become a social phenomenon, taking place within
a social context and influenced by perceptions of products, services, and social norms
(Roos, 1993).
Use of cell phone technology is of recent origin as the cellular technology was
undeveloped until the 1960s, when Richard H. Frenkiel and Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs
developed the electronics (Farley, 2007). The rapidly advancing wireless technologies
today ensures seamless integration of multiple communication channels like email, fax,
text messaging, voice call, etc. and hence, multiple group conversations in mixed
channels and formats i.e. voice, text, and pictures etc. have become possible
(Chattratichart & Brodie, 2003). The craze of mobile phone started after 1980‟s in the
world, but it has now touched the level of esteem. First it was just for a status symbol
but now it has become a dire need of the day and is in the reach of everyone, even a
person whose per month income is 2000 rupees (Javid et al, 2011).
The communication means has provided people a lot of ways to keep in contact with
each other from thousands of miles away. Fixed telephone was invented in 19th
century and advanced work had done by human brain which resulted in the invention
of portable “Mobile Phone”. Nevertheless, mobile phones have become increasingly
popular in recent years. While people of various ages find cell phones convenient and
useful, younger generations tend to appreciate them more and be more dependent on
them.
This scenario is not much different in Bangladesh either. The mobile phone revolution
has rapidly taken possession of Bangladeshi society which began with small steps in
1989 with the issuance of a license to a private operator. But like so many things of the
world, mobile phone has both its positive and negative impacts on human life what is
true for our country too. When mobile makes communication easy for us, it is also
considered that it is ruining our relationships while giving the crime rate an additional
boost. Therefore, when it is considered as a blessing of science by many, social
researchers often find it a concern for any society and culture. Again, it is hypothesized
that there exist a sharp variation in using pattern of mobile between male and female.
1.3 Statement of the problem : The whole world is accepting and adopting the ways
towards the advancement of technology. The youth is playing a vital role in this rapid
pace. Unfortunately the countries like Bangladesh who has strong cultural values,
norms and customs that are easily fettered by the western cultural onslaught. Our youth
is concentrating on some bad choices. In our youth segment the majority is student
community that is spell bounded by so many packages provided by different tele-
communication operators. It is hypothesized that they are losing the essence of their
profession/studies. They are derailing and deviating themselves. They are getting away

from their goals, destinies and motives. Their minds are becoming stagnant and static.
Creativity and innovation is blocked by the consistent telephonic conversations spread
over the whole of night. They are losing their interest towards the interactions and
sociality. Alienation is increasing within small community or groups of people. Along
with this, is it assumed that the extent of this negative impacts vary with the change in
gender.
1.4 Objectives and scope of the research : The core objectives of the study is to
explore the usage pattern of cell phones the student of the University of Dhaka which
include -
 Finding out gender based variation in mobile phone usage pattern by the
students of the University of Dhaka
 Finding out faculty based variation in mobile phone usage pattern by the
students of the University of Dhaka
 Finding out different purposes behind the usage of mobile phones by
male and female students of the University of Dhaka
 To know about the social, cultural and economic impacts of mobile phone
services on male and female students of University of Dhaka
1.5 Significance of the research : Recent studies suggest that cell phones have
evolved into something more than a simple communication tool, gaining its own place
in various aspects of social interaction. The increased popularity of mobile phones in
recent years has attracted research attention. Some of the common cell phone related
research topics include cell phone use while driving (Caird, Willness, Steel, & Scialfa,
2008; Horrey & Wickens, 2006; McCartt, Hellinga, & Braitman, 2006), cell phone
etiquette (Lipscomb, Totten, Cook, & Lesch, 2007), cell phone cultures and behaviors
(Campbell & Park, 2008; Bakke, 2010; Ling, 2004), text messaging (Pettigrew, 2009),
health risks from cell phone radiation (Anna, Kari, & Anssi, 2006), and cell phone
dependency/addiction (Billieux, Linden, D,acremont, Ceschi, & Zermatten, 2007; Ezoe
et al., 2009; Zulkerfly & Baharudin, 2009).
But not yet any qualitative research has been done on issues rising from the extensive
use of mobiles nor its impact on Bangladesh young generation. And hereby, this study
is primarily designed to explore the relationships between different gender, age, and
behavioral trends and mobile usage patterns of the student of University of Dhaka, as it
certainly will give upcoming researchers to have an insight on the issue and to work on
this with further depth, as University of Dhaka is an institution where one can find
young representatives of every corner of our nation.

1.6 Methodology:Data has been collected from two kinds of sources:
a) Primary Data: Following methods are used to collect primary
data:
 Survey / questionnaires Method: We find survey as the most appropriate
methods to collect huge range of data. We provided 120 questions to 120
samples we selected from four faculties of Dhaka university.(Appendix-1)
 Focus Group Discussion: We arranged a FDG in order to find some in
depth information relevant to our research.
b) Secondary Data: In addition to the primary data, secondary data
are collected from articles published in dailies, magazines,
periodicals ,books and also from internet websites . Thus Content
Analysis is followed to analyze secondary data.
1.7 Sampling and Sample size : The entire primary data has been collected from the
campus of University of Dhaka where we choose 120 respondents (60 Male and 60
Female ) from four faculties .These are, 30 from social science faculty, 30 from Arts
faculty, 30 from science faculty and rest 30 from business studies faculty. From among
the 30 respondents of all faculties, 50% (15 in number) are male and 50% are female
students. All 120 respondents are chosen on a random-convenience sampling basis.
Following table represents the faculty based sampling distribution:
Faculty Number of respondents Total
Social Science Faculty Male
Female
15
15
30
Arts Faculty Male
Female
15
15
30
Business Studies Faculty Male
Female
15
15
30
Science Faculty Male
Female
15
15
30
Total Respondents 120
Table 6.1: Sampling Plan
1.8 Questionnaire design: In the questionnaire I put different factors which are the
independent variables like respondents family status, operating network, handset
brand, number of SMS, voice call duration, age of respondents when started using
mobile phone, reasons of purchasing mobile phone, preferable purposes to use,
preferable time of talking over phone, daily talk time, number of SMS sent daily, daily
mobile phone expenditure, with whom they communicate more, communication ratio
with family, social security, stylishness and negative aspects of keeping mobile phone.
My dependent variable is difference in mobile phone usage pattern by male and female
students of Dhaka University . To measure the level of differences, I categorized 3

levels of majority of the opinions these are totally agree , neither agreed nor disagreed
and totally disagreed. The primary scale of measurement is nominal scale, where
according to the importance the factors are measured. The questionnaire is in English
because most of the good universities use the English version. The whole data was
collected from students of four faculties of Dhaka University. A total of 120
respondents provided the needed information. Standard demographic measures were
included in order to characterize the sample: the male-female ratio was 50 - 50 (male =
% versus female = %).
1.9 Research framework:
Figure-1 : Research framework
Family status,
Operating network,
Handset brand,
Number of SMS,
Voice call duration,
When started using mobile phone,
Reasons for purchasing
Preferable purposes to use
Preferable talk time,
Daily talk time,
Number of SMS sent daily,
Daily mobile expenditure,
More communicate with,
Communication ratio with family,
Social security,
Stylishness
Negative aspects
Independent variable
Difference in
mobile phone
usage pattern
by male and
female students
of Dhaka
University
Dependent
variable

1.10 Research Hypothesis : It is clear from previous literature works that only a
small amount of scholarly research (e.g., Kubey et al., 2001) has been directed towards
the understanding the usage pattern of mobile phone by the pupils who are studying at
the University of Dhaka. This study will work on the usage pattern of mobile phone by
the young adults here on the basis of a hypothesis that There is a variation in mobile
phone usage between female and male students of different faculties at University of
Dhaka.
1.11 Research Question :
 To what extent Mobile phone is being used by the learners of Dhaka University
for maintaining social communication?
 Is keeping mobile and using it directly or indirectly affect Dhaka University
student’s (e.g. ego, sentiment etc.)
 What are the usage patterns of mobile phones among the students?
 Do the patterns of mobile phone use differ between the male and the female
students?
 What are reasons or purposes behind using mobile phones of those particular
students?
 What are the impacts of using mobile phones on students of University of
Dhaka?
 How much money & time students normally spent on mobile phone?
 How does it affect social relationships of the student?
 To what extent they are dependent on cellular in their day to day life?

Chapter-2: Conceptual Overview
2.1 Mobile phone : In simple term, Mobile phone is a telephone that does not have
wires and works by radio, that one can carry with and use anywhere.
Mobile phone, sometimes called Cellular telephone, is a type of short wave analog or
digital telecommunication in which a subscriber has a wireless connection from a
mobile telephone to a relatively nearby transmitter. The transmitter's span of coverage
is called a cell.
Today, Mobile phones are becoming capable of doing almost anything a computer is
capable of doing which include -Take and make calls to any other person with a phone;
Send and receive text messages; Take, view, and store pictures and videos using
embedded cameras; Access the Internet, e-mail, chat, and even download add-ons for
the phone; Play games and have access to common programs such as a calculator,
contacts, calendar, clock, to-do list, etc.; Store and run files, Play music; If anyone is
lost, he/she can call for directions; If anyone is in an accident, he/she can call the
police or ambulance - and if the phone has a camera, he/she can take pictures of the
accident; It can fit in anyone’s pocket; Transfer of data with infrared or bluetooth
technologies which allow one to transfer data like mails, pictures, music and even
videos just in span of seconds; Prestige and fashion statement: cell phones have
become a matter of prestige and fashion statement, especially among the youth. If you
anyone have a latest handset then he/she can definitely impress others etc. etc..
But like everything and other technologies, it does have some disadvantages including
-Mobile phones can be expensive; They can damage one’s hearing; People use the
phone while they are driving, and this can cause problems; People can abuse their
phones if they have internet connection; Can be hard for older people to use; Because
of their smaller size, anyone can be easy to lose.
2.1.1 Mobile phone in Bangladesh : In order to give the glance at the status of
mobile communication technology in Bangladesh , we have to know about it’s
communication system. Communication in Bangladesh is based on Telephone, mobile
communication, TV Broadcast, Radio, Internet etc. Three types of radio broadcast
stations; AM15, FM 13 and shortwave 2. There are 376 Internet hosts with 10 ISP’s
and 450,000 internet users as of the year 2006. Telephone density is less than 1 per 100
persons. Mobile cellular density is 13 per 100 per person. The country is introducing
digital systems, trunk systems which include VHF and UHF microwave radio links and
some fiber optic links. The country has a link to Europe with SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber
optic submarine cable. (CIA World Fact Book 2008)

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) and six ITC operators -
Novocom Ltd, Asis-AHL JV, BD Link Communication Ltd, Mango Teleservices Ltd,
Summit Communications Ltd and Fibre@home Ltd- are the main source for
connecting the country with the information super highway. (FE)
Mobile phone service is growing rapidly and the number of phone company increasing.
You can browse the websites of all Bangladeshi Mobile phone company from this
page. Later in this page you will find some great links on how to choose a good mobile
phone set, how to setup the settings of GPRS or EDGE in your mobile phone to browse
internet.
2.1.2 Mobile phone operators in Bangladesh : City Cell was the first mobile service
provider of Bangladesh. Initially it had a monopoly on the mobile service but only until
1996. In 1996 two new operators entered the market- Grameen Phone and Sheba (later
on acquired by Orascom and renamed as Banglalink. Sheba’s service was limited to
Dhaka but Grameen Phone (GP) spread its network rapidly. Today out of the 64
districts, GP serves 61 districts in Bangladesh and its network is divided into 6 zones-
Dhaka, Chitagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Barishal, and Rajshahi. Network frequency
allocated do different operators are listed below:
No. Operator name Logo System Frequency
(MHz)
1 Grameenphone Ltd.: Branded
as Grameenphone
GSM 900
2 Sheba Telecom Ltd.: Branded
as Banglalink
GSM 900
3 Robi Axiata Ltd: Branded
as Robi
GSM 900
4 Pacific Bangladesh Telephone
Ltd.: Branded as Citycell
CDMA 800
5 Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd.:
Branded as Teletalk
GSM 900
6 Airtel Bangla Ltd. Branded
as airtel
GSM 900
Table 2.1: Mobile operators in Bangladesh

The number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh as of February 2009 was 45.21
million., rising to 76.43 million at the end of June 2011.
2.1.2.1 Interconnection between different mobile operators in Bangladesh : As
defined in the National Telecommunications Policy 1998 and International Long
Distance Telecommunications Services (ILDTS) Policy 2007, all mobile operators is to
interconnect through Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and all international calls to be
handled by International Gateway (IGW) which is to be connected to the mobile and
fixed operators through the ICXs.
The Interconnection Exchange (ICX) will receive all calls from the mobile and fixed
operators whenever the call is made to other network and will pass it to the destination
network if the call is local, and will pass to the IGWs if the call is international. ICX
will also deliver calls received from IGWs where the call is destined.
Below illustrate the structure of interconnection between different interfaces.
Figure 2 :structure of interconnection between different mobile operators in Bangladesh
2.1.2.2 Services provided by different operators : Mobile phone operators in
Bangladesh expand their market not only as communication sector, but attract their
customers with various social services as well as with appealing Value added services
(VAS).
As published in The daily star1 -In the last few years, mobile operators in Bangladesh
have widened their value-added services (VAS). Mobile users can sign up for new
services - from communication and entertainment to mobile wallets to financial
services. In Bangladesh, value-added services were basically introduced by the short
1 Mr. Mahfuz Anam is the Editor–Publisher of The Daily Star, the highest selling. English
newspaper in Bangladesh.

message service (SMS). But nowadays, VAS has spread and people can even get
emergency help from the telecom operators. One can talk to doctors for help or to
agriculturalists for advice on farming. About 90 percent of total internet use in the
country is through the mobile network, according to government data.
The most common services that most operators give include SMS, MMS, mobile
internet, missed call alert, call block, voice mail service, Flexiload services, and music
and ring tone downloads. There are still more services that are unique to different
operators. Till now, the emergency health service by the mobile companies has been
most beneficial to users. Users can get medical advice 24/7 from doctors by just
dialling 789. Ring tone and dial tone downloads are very popular but there are
allegations that some companies do not pay artists for using their music. Third parties
provide the tones for the operators.
Recently in a programme, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman said the
central bank has given 12 banks the permission to go for mobile financial services.
Among them, BRAC Bank Ltd, Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd (DBBL) and Mercantile Bank
Ltd have started operations.Services provided by six operators in Bangladesh are :
2.1.2.2.1 GRAMEENPHONE : Grameenphone is the first operator to introduce the
pre-paid service in September 1999. It established the first 24-hour Call Center,
introduced value-added services such as VMS, SMS, fax and data transmission
services, international roaming service, WAP, SMS-based push-pull services, EDGE,
personal ring back tone and many other products and services. Other services of GP
include :
Call Block Service
Missed Call Alert service
Mobile Backup Service
Flexiload
Vehicle Tracking Service
Friends & Family
MMS
Voice Mail Service
Pay for Me
Balance Transfer
Welcome Tune
Voice SMS
International SMS
International MMS
E-bill
Free Data Offer with Opera Mini
New tariff for Xplore
My Zone
Start-up price and freebies offer
Internet Modem offer
Locate GP Centers
Special Tourist Pack
Buddy Tracker
Business Solution
Cricket Information
Djuice Shake
Cricket SMS Quiz
Table 7-2 : Services provided by Grameen Phone

2.1.2.2.2 BANGLALINK: The operator has introduced a travel guide for travelers.
Users can dial 707 to get tourism related information from any corner of the country.
In addition, its Bibaholink service helps people choose life partners.
The Probashi Kormi Seba service has been introduced for customers who want to get
work abroad. They can get related information on the required documents, visa and
training from the operator.
The Banglalink Krishibazar service helps farmers sell their products directly to the
consumers. Other services provided by Banglalink are :
Blood bank,
Health line,
Jigyasha,
Info,
Railway,
Yellow pages,
Messaging,
Quran,
Namaz alert,
SMS timer,
Friend finder,
Stock info,
Azan alert,
E-ISD,
Call block,
call back,
advance load,
voice,
SMS Adda,
Back-up,
Vehicle tracking,
Amar tune,
Mig33,
Golpo Chora gan,
Messenger,
Song dedicate,
Call conference,
call waiting,
line identity,
Bill pay,
Mobile remittance,
SMS
e-mail,
modem,
EGDE/ GPRS,
Maritime
Table2- 8 :Services provided by Banglalink

2.1.2.2.3 ROBI: Like Grameenphone, Robi has also the market in one's pocket
service called the 'Haatbazaar.' The company also introduced the 'BBC Janala'
initiative to help people learn the English language. It has runs a job alert service for
people looking for a job. Robi recently introduced a new service that helps users
update their status on Facebook through SMS.
To ensure leading-edge technology, Robi draws from the international expertise of
Axiata and NTT DOCOMO INC. It supports 2G voice, CAMEL Phase II & III and
GPRS/EDGE service with high speed internet connectivity. Its GSM service is based
on a robust network architecture and cutting edge technology such as Intelligent
Network (IN), which provides peace-of-mind solutions in terms of voice clarity,
extensive nationwide network coverage and multiple global partners for international
roaming. It has the widest International Roaming coverage in Bangladesh connecting
600 operators across more than 200 countries. Its customer centric solution includes
value added services (VAS), quality customer care, easy access call centers, digital
network security and flexible tariff rates.
Call Conferencing National Roaming-Both way Dedicated Customer Services Music
Entertainment Downloads Internet & Data Services Messaging Community & Chat
Information & Services Mobile Assistance Education & Career Islamic Info ,Lifestyle
M-Ticket Finance ,Balance Transfer Request ,Call Management etc.. Services of Robi
include:
Call Waiting
Call Holding
M-Ticket
Call Forwarding
Finance
Call Conferencing
Balance Transfer
Request National Roaming-Both way
Islamic
Info
Dedicated
Customer Services
Entertainment
Community & Chat
Information & Services
Mobile Assistance
Finance Call Management
Request
Lifestyle
Education & Career
Messaging
Music Downloads
Internet & Data Services
Balance Transfer
Table 2.9 : Services provided by Robi

2.1.2.2.4 AIRTEL: The comparatively new operator introduced a new VAS with the
assistance of some development organisations that provides the location of sea fishing
boats.
Services provided by Airtel include :
2.1.2.2.5 CITYCELL: Citycell Zoom is a broadband service for subscribers that has
made immense progress. Zoom is using CDMA200 1x technology1 in 2004 to provide
high speed internet service. and innovative multimedia features, including Multimedia
Messaging Service (MMS) and many more data based mobile features currently not
available in Bangladesh.
Services provided by Citycel include :
1 CDMA2000 (also known as IMT Multi-Carrier (IMT-MC)) is a family of 3G mobile technology
standards, which use CDMA channel access, to send voice, data, and signaling data between
mobile phones and cell sites. The name cdma2000 actually denotes a family of standards that
represent the successive, evolutionary stages of the underlying technology. These are, in order of
evolution:CDMA2000 1xRTT; CDMA2000 1xEV-DO: Release 0, Revision A, Revision B;
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Revision C or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) & CDMA2000 1xEVDV
Table 2- 10 : Services provided by Airtel
Tunes & Downloads
Astrology
Entertainments
News & Updates
Call Management Services
Finance
Messaging Services
Devotional
Data Services
FM Radio
Services Travel
SMS
MMS
Internet
GPRS
Medical service
Traffic update
Agriculture information
Sports
Roaming service
Ezi-load

Data Services
Call Waiting
Call Holding
Health line,
Jigyasha,
Info,
Call block,
call back,
advance load,
voice,
SMS Adda,
MMS
News update
Sports
VOICE-DATA,
voice,
zoom ultra,
VAS,
SMS,
International service,
infrastructure,
webstore,
Moneybag,
Facebook SMS service,
Twiter SMS service,
Handset,
Modem,
Download driver
Table 2-11 : Services provided by Citycel
2.1.2.2.6 TELETALK: State-run Teletalk came to the spotlight with different
government services, such as exams results. Subscribers can get national examination
results on their mobile phones. Recently, it added the BCS exam results as well.
Teletalk facilitates getting railway tickets by mobile handset. Services of Teletalk
include:
Push pull services
Voice mail service
Bangle SMS
International SMS
Internet SMS
Govt. info
University admission
3G technology
International roaming
International roaming
GPRS
Missed call alert
Malicious call blocking services
ISD and EISD
Result
Job alert
Public info
VAS
Table 2- 12 : Services provided by Teletalk

2.2 Mobile Phone handsets in Bangladesh : As with many other Asia-Pacific
countries, the Bangladesh mobile handset market is predominantly captured by global
handset giant Nokia (approximately 52% market share) followed by Siemens.
Besides multinational mobile handset brands, a good number of Chinese, Indian and
Bangladeshi joint venture companies are exploring Bangladesh mobile market. List of
Mobile Phone handsets in Bangladesh is :
Brand name Logo
Nokia Mobile Phone
Samsung Mobile Phone
Symphony Mobile Phone
Maximus Mobile Phone
Walton Mobile Phone
HUAWEI Mobile
Micromax Mobile Phone
HTC Mobile Phone
Sony Ericsson Mobile

Motorola Mobile Phone
LG Mobile Phones
Kingstar Mobile Phone
iPhone
Sprint Mobile Phone
KONKA Mobile Phone
BlackBerry Mobile Phone
Bird Mobile Phone NO LOGO
Tecno Mobile Phone
NO LOGO
i-mobile Mobile Phone
NO LOGO
Philips Mobile Phone
NO LOGO
Table 2- 13 : List of mobile phone handset brands in Bangladesh

2.3 University of Dhaka : The University of Dhaka (commonly referred to as
Dhaka University), is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is famous for its quality
education and multi-disciplinary research activities. Established in 1921 by the British
Government in India, the university was modeled on Oxbridge education.
It is often regarded as the best university of our country. And thus attract the most
brilliant students our nation produced over times to study here. So when doing any
research on students of Bangladesh, be that the quality of students to find out, or the
impact of mobiles on student, it is often chosen by social researchers as a sample.
2.3.1 A Brief history : On the first day of July 1921 the University of Dhaka
opened its doors to students with Sir P.J. Hartog1 as the first Vice-Chancellor of the
University. The University was set up in a picturesque part of the city known as Ramna
on 600 acres of land.
The University started its activities with 3 Faculties,12 Departments, 60 teachers, 877
students and 3 dormitories (Halls of Residence) for the students. At present the
University consists of 13 Faculties, 71 Departments, 10 Institutes, 17 dormitories, 3
hostels and more than 38 Research Centres. The number of students and teachers has
risen to about 33,112 and 1,805 respectively.
At the beginning a distinctive feature of the University of Dhaka was its nonaffiliating,
residential character like that of the Oxford of England. However, since 1947 the
University was given an affiliating mandate in place of an exclusive residential-cum-
teaching character.
A new phase began in the history of the University with the emergence of the People's
Republic of Bangladesh in 1971. This has been a phase of development, expansion and
consolidation of earlier gains. The University has assumed a central role in the
academic pursuits of the region including this new nation.
The University of Dhaka has passed through tumultuous times at different periods of
our national history and played vital, at times pioneering, roles in all critical junctures
in the making of this great nation. The University played a central role in the Language
Movement of 1952 that ultimately culminated in the recognition of Bangla as the State
1 Hartog, Sir Philip Joseph (1864-1947) the first Vice Chancellor of the UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA
who was a British national, was born on 2 March 1864 in London. PJ Hartog was a member of the
Calcutta University Commission (1917) of which Michael Sadlar was the chairman. He was a
member of the Indian Public Service Commission, chairman of the Committee on Indian
Education in 1928-29. Hartog was well versed in English, German, French, Hindi, Urdu and
Bangla. Some of his publications are An Examination of Examinations (1935), The Marks of
Examination (1936), Culture : Its History and Meaning. He died on 27 June 1947. [Banglapedia]

Language. Scores of students, teachers and employees of the University of Dhaka laid
down their lives for the independence of the country. Just after the creation of
Bangladesh, the government proclaimed the University of Dhaka Order 1973 whereby
democratic norms and autonomy became integral features of the institution. As of
2012, the university has a student body of 33,000 and a faculty of 1,805. It is the
largest public university in Bangladesh and is the only university from the country to
be listed on AsiaWeek’s1 top 100 Universities in Asia.
2.3.2 FACULTIES AND DEPARTMENTS : The university has 77 departments under 13
faculties that offer undergraduate and graduate, M.Phil and Ph.D programs: Faculty of
Arts, Science, Law, Business Studies, Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Pharmacy,
Earth & Environmental Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Faculty of Fine Arts,
Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of PGMIR, Faculty of Education.
2.3.3 INSTITUTES : 10 The institutes are the constituent schools of the University
with separate governing bodies. They function under the executive and academic
control of the University.
2.3.4 BUREAU AND RESEARCH CENTRE : There are thirty-four research centers
which engage faculties and students from the university at large. All the centers
provide assistance to the faculty members and research students to conduct research on
the key issues of their relevant .
2.3.5 HALLS OF RESIDENCE : 21 A dormitory is called a Hall in the university.
Students admitted to the Departments and Institutes of the University have either to
reside in or be attached to a hall of residence. The University has thirteen halls of
residence and two hostels for male students; and four halls of residence and one hostel
for female students. The administration of a hall is headed by a Provost who is assisted
by a number of House Tutors and Assistant House Tutors while the administration of a
hostel is controlled by a Warden assisted by Assistant Warden(s).
2.3.6 LIBRARY: The University Library, housed in three separate buildings, is the
biggest in Bangladesh. The Library holds a collection of more than 617,000 volumes,
including bound volumes of periodicals. In addition, it has a collection of over 30,000
manuscripts on various languages and a large number of microfilms, microfiche and
CDs. It subscribes to over 300 current foreign journals.
1 Asiaweek, was a news magazine focusing on Asia, published weekly by Asiaweek Limited, a
subsidiary of Time Inc. Based in Hong Kong, it was established in 1975, and ceased publication
with its December 7, 2001 issue due to a "downturn in the advertising market," according to
Norman Pearlstine, editor in chief of Time Inc. The magazine had a circulation of 120,000 copies
when it closed.

2.3.7 HEALTH SERVICES: THE UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA MEDICAL CENTRE : The
Medical Centre of the University of Dhaka, located near the Science Annex Building,
offers free medical service and free pathological examinations to students, teachers and
staffs of the University and also family members of the teachers and staffs. The Centre
provides service round the clock, seven days a week, with 30 doctors working in
different shifts. The Centre also has dental unit, eye unit, x-ray department and two
ambulances. The Centre has in its premises arrangement for 30 bed accommodation so
that students suffering from such contagious diseases as chicken pox, mumps, etc. may
be taken care of in isolation.
2.3.8 TRUSTS, FOUNDATIONS AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMES: The University
contains about 220 Trusts and Foundations offering scholarships and medals to
meritorious students of the University. Besides, a large number of scholarships are also
offered by the University, Dhaka University Alumni Association and the Government.
2.3.9 TRANSPORT : University of Dhaka has transport services for students. Though
the number of the bus is not enough for the vast student community it is a great facility
for the students. The bus schedule for different parts of the city can be found in the bus
depot. The service is always available even on university holidays, to help those
students who come to university for library or teacher's council.
2.4 Male and Female Students : A student is a learner, or someone who attends
an educational institution. In some nations, the English term (or its cognate in another
language) is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the
age of eighteen is called a pupil in English (or an equivalent in other languages). In its
widest use, student is used for anyone who is learning. Here students refers to who are
studying at the University of Dhaka.
From biological perspective male are of or denoting the sex that produces small,
typically motile gametes, esp. spermatozoa, with which a female may be fertilized
while female are of or denoting the sex that produces ova or bears young having
characteristic of or appropriate to this sex; feminine, designating an organ, such as a
pistil or ovary, that functions in producing seeds after fertilization and having a
recessed part, such as a slot or receptacle, designed to receive a complementary male
part.

2.5 Literature review : Though not a lot of research has been done on the use of
mobile and its impact on the student segment of mobile users of Bangladesh ,
specifically on the students of the University of Dhaka, a lot of research, around the
world, has been done on the impacts of mobile phones use or on its social and cultural
impacts which lead us to the direction of doing such experimenting research. For
instance, when research had been done on Social Context & communication, Katz
(1997) explored the possible effects of wireless communication on people’s lives. He
identified several levels of effects of such a technology. The ʹfirst‐order effectsʹ are
direct effects that are immediately perceived by users, they include uncertainty
reduction, personal security, and personal efficiency. The ʹsecond‐order effectsʹ are
indirect effects which represent the experiences or feelings that people have or may
observe in others, they include tighter coupling of domestic production, information
immediacy, and contact ability. The ʹthird‐order effectsʹ are the least direct effects that
are observed not by users of the technology but by outside observers who study the
effects of the technology on the society in general, they include social interaction,
social control, and innovative uses or unanticipated usage. Taylor and Harper (2001)
noted that young people use text messaging on mobile phones as forms of gifts to
cement social relationships .
2.5.1 Mobiles in education : Today, there is a great interest in the use of mobiles in
education. Several initiatives explored the use of mobiles in education and developed
educational resources for mobiles (e.g. SEIRTEC, 2002). Wireless network access is
considered the most important feature in the success of laptops in education (Cutshall
et al., 2006). The use of mobiles in education provides several benefits. It makes class
management easier and more effective, it enhances coordination and it provides
students with better access to course (Katz, 2005). University students in Korea used
the mobile phones in the following activities: confirm attendance, enter libraries, buy
food and prove identity. In an experiment, students were loaned wireless PDAs.
Communications tools, the web browser and the timetabling features were among the
most useful characteristics for students. Moreover, a student used the PDA as a mobile
Internet phone (Corlett et al., 2005). Another survey found that many students were
impressed with the size, performance and functionality of the devices and they found
useful the use of the lecture notes on the handhelds. Some others though, wanted
wireless connectivity, web and e-mail access, support for Microsoft applications or
even a smart phone (Traxler and Riordan, 2004). Furthermore, the combination of
handheld computing and wireless communication could support collaborative learning
(Chung et al., 2003; Vasiliou and Economides, 2007), exams (Triantafillou et al.,
2008a; Triantafillou et al., 2008b), or various types of pervasive and ubiquitous
learning (Economides, 2009).
There are many capabilities that digital technologies have brought to the classroom but
according to some researchers, computing and communication technology has been
introduced slowly into education for a variety of reasons. These reasons include
insufficient programs and preparation of teachers, lack of curriculum, and

administrators without the appropriate skills (Hardin and Ziebarth, 2000). Factors
which influence mobile technology adoption in an educational context include the
learners’ expectations, previous methods of study, level of interaction and ways of
assessment (McAlister and Peng Hui Xie, 2005). Furthermore, teachers have to
understand and accept the mechanisms of a device if it is going to be used. Some
universities trained and supported the staff in order to achieve this goal (McDonough,
2006). It was found that students had positive computer attitudes which might occur
due to the fact that computers were available to them at various school stages (Teo and
Beng Lee, 2007). According to Hardin and Ziebarth (2000), universities need to
become leaders in applying technology to education for learning and collaboration.
Administrators need to understand their students’ perceptions towards Internet so as to
make it an effective educational tool. Since the use of Internet in university education
is not developed yet, many issues regarding its use have not been clarified (Cheung and
Huang, 2005). In the transition from mass teaching to personal learning, it is also the
responsibility of educators to support students and help them obtain the appropriate
skills so as to succeed as self-directed learners (Corlett et al., 2005). Moreover, one
should not forget that handheld technologies were developed as business and not as
pedagogic tools (Mifsud, 2004).
2.5.2 Mobile phone and youth : Growing benefits of mobile phones are undeniable
and many Studies highlighted advantages of mobile phone use, such as young people
form and support relationships with others (Power and Horstmanshof, 2004), widening
social networks due to ease of contact (Srivastava, 2005), sense of security and safety
among the of mobile phone users as users can contact others in case of emergency
(Taylor and Harper, 2001,Chapman and Schofield, 1998, Carroll et al. 2002), social
gratification of youths from mobility, access and convenience (Tjong et al, 2003), busy
working parents are better able to communicate with their children (Frissen, 2000 and
Matthews, 2004), redirecting trips that have already started, softening and changing of
schedules, and progressive refinement of an activity, such as filling in details of open-
ended plans through mobile phones communication. Even deaf people can better
communicate with each other through SMS (Power and Power, 2004). These uses of
the mobile phone have changed the patterns of coordination in many areas of our social
life, including peer groups, families, and work (Ling and Yttri 2002). In short, people
of all ages have benefited from the mobile phone consumptions in the modern
societies.
Work of Ling (2005) shows linkage between adolescent criminality and mobile
telephone use. Heavy users of mobile telephone are over represented among those who
are involved in various forms of deviance such as, fighting, alcohol and narcotics use,
various forms of theft, etc (Ling 2005). School, College and University students use
mobiles during their classes (Srivastava, 2005). Youth often use mobile phone while
driving, which is a considerable safety risk (McEvoy et al. 2005).Therefore, it is vital
to understand the calling and texting patterns of the youth and issues linked with their
consumption in the contemporary societies. Youth often use their mobiles in different
banned settings such as hospitals, planes, petrol stations, and while driving, (Bianchi

and Phillips, 2005, Palen et al, 2008), mobile conversations in different other public
spaces (Paragras, 2003), excessive and problematic use (Bianchi and Phillips 2005).
According to a study conducted by James and Drennan (2005) one of the major
negative consequences of addictive mobile phone use is financial cost or really
expensive mobile phone bills. Apart from the significant financial issues, study
uncovered a wide range of negative consequences for addictive mobile phone
consumers such as damaged relationships, emotional stress and falling literacy (James
and Drennan 2005). According to Griffiths and Renwick (2003) Young mobile phone
consumers experience great level of phone bills debt, which leads to the financial
worries for some young adults (Griffiths and Renwick 2003).
2.5.3 Mobiles and social network : Power and Horstmansh (2004) proposed that
mobile phone usage provides young people with an opportunity to create new
relationships with others and to sustain them. Chapman and Schofield (1998), Taylor
and Harper (2001), Carroll et al. (2002) emphasized on its use to increase the sense of
security in case of emergency. Tjong et al. (2003) proclaimed that this technology
provides means for social fulfillment of young people such as access, convenience and
mobility. Ling and Yttri (2002) proclaimed that mobile phone technology has
revolutionized the patterns of correspondence and coordination among peer groups,
colleagues and family member. Cova (1994) proposed that youngsters seek peer group
acceptance by using their mobile phones. Warner (2003) proposed that, young people
use SMS to be in touch with their belongings and to feel a sense of their presence all
the time.
2.5.4 Mobile as a compact communication tool : Mobile phones are equipped with
various features that enable communication and entertainment for its young users.
Previous study found that the most popular feature used among young users were text
messaging (Nurvitadi, 2003; Lie, 2004; Madell & Muncer, 2004; Ling, 2001; Eldrige
& Grinter, 2001). Adolescents preferred text messaging because the service was quick,
cheap and convenient (Grinter & Eldrige, 2001). Lie (2004) found that the patterns of
text messaging among adolescents peaks significantly between the ages of 16 and 24.
Ling (2001) in his study on female adolescents and young adult men found that female
adolescents sent more text messages compared to adult men. Ling further noted that
there is a transition periods in patterns of mobile phone use among adolescents.
Recent studies suggest that cell phones have evolved into something more than a
simple communication tool, gaining its own place in various aspects of social
interaction. For instance, a qualitative study on Australian adolescents revealed that
cell phones play an integral part in the lives of young Australians (Walsh, White, &
Ross, 2008). Some of the participants in the study reported very strong attachment to
their cell phones; they felt as though their cell phones were part of them. In another
qualitative study, Bond (2010) examined children's cell phone use and concluded that

cell phones were fundamental tools with which the children maintain and manage their
relationships contributing to reinforced peer ties.
2.5.5 Gender issue and mobile phone : Gender and technology as a social science
research subject is a post-1980 phenomenon (Sørenson, 2000). Its roots can be traced
back to the “Women in Technology” movement, which continues to this day to
advocate equal opportunity among women and men to access technologies that are
neutral in design, production, and diffusion. This position in feminist technology
studies has been challenged for placing the burden of change upon women (their
socialization, aspirations, and values), instead of asking the broader questions of
whether, and in what way, technology and its institutions could be reshaped to
accommodate all genders (Wajcman, 2004).
Improved literacy and education have been linked with a correlated increase in
personal empowerment and participation in local and global social communities
(Stromquist, 2005). According to Hafkin and Taggart (2001), women in developing
countries and themselves in the deepest part of the digital divide, further removed from
that experience by men whose poverty they share. They claim that gendered factors
such as income, time constraints, language, education, and cultural contexts affect
women’s access to facilities, training, and employment using ICTs (ibid.). In the South
Asian context, Gurumurthy (2003) purports that women’s limited access to ICTs is a
result of “barriers of illiteracy, preoccupation with survival and constraints of time, in
egalitarian and oppressive socio-cultural norms and practices, high costs and
predominantly urban character of facilities, and bandwidth limitations.” These studies
point to education and literacy as critical factors that are, among others, contributing to
differential access and use of ICTs among women and men.
Most scholars agreed that the gender gap in Internet use had narrowed significantly in
the college age group (Goodson et al., 2001; Odell et al., 2000) as well as the general
population (Brenner, 1997; Jackson et al., 2001; Newburger, 1999; Ono & Zovodny,
2003). In general, some of the differences between genders had vanished. However,
some gender differences had been found in attitude towards technology, intensity of
Internet use, online applications preferred and experience in cyberspace.
Several studies reported that males had significantly more positive attitudes toward
computers than females did (Collis & Williams, 1987; Makrakis & Sawada, 1996;
Smith & Necessary, 1996). Also, technologies were not utilized in similar ways by
men and women and as a result some differences still existed (Mitra et al., 2005).
Another research among Chinese and British students found that men in both countries
used email and chat, played computer games and were confident about their computers
skills more than their female counterparts (Li & Kirkup, 2007). It was suggested that
women had to increase their level of involvement with computers and both teachers
and parents had to support them in this (Shashaani & Khalili, 2000). However, other
studies contradicted these findings and reported that gender had no significant effect
on any of the dimensions of computer attitude studied (Jennings & Onwuegbuzie

2001; Shaw & Gant, 2002). Furthermore, one study reported that female college
students possessed more positive attitudes than males (Zhang, 2002). Another research
pointed out that males tended to try new things, while females preferred traditional
ways. However, girls tended to use more often media types that they deal with daily
(Trifonova et al., 2006). The unconformity in findings related to gender might be
attributed to differences in methods or might show the greater adoption of technology
by women (Mitra et al., 2005).
Gender difference was also found regarding the use of web applications. Male college
students were more likely to use the Internet for recreational purposes, information
gathering and entertainment while females preferred to use the Internet for
communication (Shaw & Gant, 2002). Furthermore, females tended to be social as they
used e-mail and instant messaging more than their male peers (Media Report for
Women, 2000). Also, they stated that the electronic mail messaging was the most
important function of the Internet (Wilson, 2000) and actually used the e-mail more
than males (Boneva et al., 2001; Jackson et al., 2001). Another survey reported that
females made more cell phone calls and sent more SMS messages than men did. Also,
teenage girls used their devices more frequently so as to express their feelings while
boys were more interested in the technical aspect (Doring et al., 2004). Saunders &
Quirke (2002) stated that males expected the new technology to offer to them easy and
quick answers and they worked alone or sometimes even in pairs. On the other hand,
females were interested in the quality of the product and they preferred interactive
group work. It is worth mentioning that females tended to study online more than men
as online learning may be appropriate for women’s lifestyles and they were also more
likely to look for further views of education (Selwyn, 2006). Moreover, Selwyn (2006)
reported that as the current situation changes, educational technology can be seen as a
predominantly feminine activity. Generally, further research has to take place because
gender differences emerge (Doring et al., 2004).
Previous findings on gender differences in the use of cell phone are mixed (Junco,
Merson, & Salter, 2010; Bianchi & Phillips, 2005; Wei & Lo, 2006). Females spent
more time talking on the cell phones than men (Junco, Merson & Salter, 2010).
Females were also more likely than men to make and receive more family-oriented as
well as social-oriented calls (Wei & Lo, 2006). This social use of the cell phone among
females is congruent with previous findings on the use of conventional telephones
(Bianchi & Phillips, 2005; Smoreda & Licoppe, 2000; Wei & Lo, 2006). In addition,
females consistently displayed higher levels of attachment to their cell phones (Geser,
2006). Regarding the overall time spent on the cell phone and problematic cell phone
use, however, Bianchi and Phillips (2005), failed to identify any significant
relationship with gender, concluding that the cell phone is a gender neutral device.
2.5.6 Mobile phone dependency : Factors associated with pathological cell phone
dependency have been examined (e.g., Ezoe, Toda, Yoshimura, Naritomi, Den, &

Morimoto, 2009; Bianchi & Phillips, 2005). Ezoe and colleagues (2009) found that
extraversion, neuroticism, and unhealthy lifestyle were associated with cell phone
dependency among female Japanese nursing students. Bianchi and Phillips (2005) also
found that high extraversion was associated with the problematic cell phone use but
they failed to identify neuroticism. Youth (Bianchi & Phillips, 2005) and low self-
esteem (Bianchi & Phillips, 2005; Zulkerfly & Baharundin, 2009) were also associated
with problematic cell phone use. Other contributing factors to problematic cell phone
use include a number of social calls made, a number of functional features on the
handset, and the duration of cell phone use (Zulkerfly & Baharundin, 2009). In
addition, earlier adoption of cell phone use was correlated with a greater number of cell
phone interaction partners, a greater number of average monthly incoming and
outgoing calls and text messages, higher monthly phone bills, and higher emotional
attachment to cell phones (Geser, 2006).
2.5.7 Psychological aspects of mobile phone : Aoki and Downes (2004) focused on
the behavioral and psychological aspects of cell phone usage among college students
They tried to find the reasons behind why a technology is adopted in a particular way.
They identified several attitudinal factors based on the exploratory study including,
necessity in modern times, cost efficiency when compared to landline phone, safety or
security, and dependency. The study also endeavored to look at the motivational and
behavioral characteristics of mobile phone usage. Markett (2006) suggested that
learning in classroom can be promoted through increased interactivity among the
students during the lecture and using the short messaging service (SMS) can promote
this interactivity. Chen et al. (2007) proposed that having mobile phone is necessary
for college students to keep in touch with their family. Also they use mobile phones to
fulfill their family roles by sharing their experiences with and getting an emotional and
psychic support from their family. Newby et al. (2000) compared three prevalent
perspectives of learning: behavioural, information processing and constructivist
perspectives. They argued that constructivist perspective (which is the premise upon
which PBL is based) requires learners to task their knowledge and environments more
than in information processing and behavioural perspectives.
Past research has shown that male users are more attracted to the technical application
and features of the mobile phone such as games and MP3 player while females use the
mobile phone as a socializing tool (Ling, 2001; Bianchi & Phillips, 2005). Adolescent
girls do tend to develop the skills required to maintain their social networks as they
attain their adult position in society. Bianchi and Philips (2005) in their study found
that females use the mobile phone for social reasons while males called more people
on a regular basis. Bianchi and Philips assumed that males used their phones frequently
for business purposes and not for socializing.
However, Bianchi and Philips did not find any significant relationship between gender
and the patterns of mobile phone (i.e SMS usage and time spent). Bianchi and Philips

concluded that gender did not predict overall use of the mobile phone. They claimed
that the mobile phone was a gender neutral device and both gender seemed to have
embrace mobile phone technology equally. Women tend to send more text-messages
than men, and women’s messages are more likely to be longer and more complex (e.g.,
Ling, 2004; Rosen et al., 2010). The limited evidence as to whether girls and boys
differ in their text-messaging behaviour is mixed: Plester et al. (2009) found that girls
used a significantly higher proportion of textisms (38%) when asked to generate their
own text messages than did boys (28%), whereas De Jonge and Kemp (2010) saw no
significant sex differences in any of the texting behaviours of their sample of
Australian teenagers.
2.5.8 Negative aspects of mobile phone : Mobile communication benefits education
but has negative aspects too. The main problems are related to the usability problems
of the hardware, including weight, screen size, the limited memory and the battery life
(Corlett et al., 2005). The mobile’s small size results to small screen size and
unfriendly text input mechanisms. Moreover, it may be difficult to take notes in the
same device that is used for reading (Waycott and Kukulska-Hulme, 2003). In
addition, mobile-communication activities included cheating, disruption of class,
harassment and delinquency. Finally, it was found that one out of three students felt
addicted to their phones (Katz, 2005). This sense of addiction may occur due to
dependency and heavy usage.
Intense use of this communication device may cause harm to user’s health including
his or her psychological well being. Studies from different countries such as Thailand
(Kawsaki et al, 2006), Korea (Jee Hyun, Doo-Heum, Seung-Ho & Jaehak, 2008),
Norway (Ling, 2005) have found that students who are preoccupied with their mobile
phone tend to experience psychological disturbances. Jee Hyun et al. (2008) in their
recent study involving 595 Korean students found that excessive use of the hand phone
causes students to have depression, higher interpersonal anxiety, and lower self-
esteem. In an earlier study, Van den Bulck (2003) reported that addictive mobile phone
usage could cause disturbance in students’ sleeping pattern. Students tend to get
engaged in text messaging and feel anxious when not receiving replies from their
friends even during the night when they are supposed to be sleeping (Kamibeppu and
Sugiura, 2005). This addictive behavior tends to cause students to stay up late at night
and thus disrupting their daily routine. Several studies have shown that addictive
behavior and lack of sleep is detrimental to one’s psychological health and functioning
(Fredriksen, Rhodes, Reddy & Way, 2004; Moore, Kirchner, Drotar, Johnson, Rosen,
Ancoli-Israel & Redline, 2009; Roberts, Roberts, & Chen 2001).
Niaz (2008) proposed that addictive mobile use has now become a public health
problem and awareness about the dangers associated with excessive usage and
addictive behaviors must be extended among common people .

Chapter-3: Theoretical Framework
In conducting this research the theory of adolescent egocentrism of Elkind (1967)1,
mobile social networks theory of Lugano, et al.,( 2006)2 and media dependency theory
of Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur’s (1976)3 shall be employed. The concept of adolescent
egocentrism was first discussed by psychologist David Elkind. Besides, the design
issues can be addressed from a conceptual perspective of mobile social networks
(Lugano, et al., 2006), a socio–technical concept corresponding to patterns of
interconnection with others emerging directly or indirectly through mobile
communication. Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur’s (1976) media dependency theory
explains people’s dependence on certain forms of media to get information, in both
everyday, daily life and in crisis situations, and how this preferred media becomes
more important to the user than other forms. Employing all above theory, the current
study will examine how important the mobile phone is for Dhaka University students
to own a cell phone, to what extent they communicate on the cell phone, with whom
they frequently communicate, how serious cell phone dependency has become, to what
extent their emotional aspects (ego, pride etc.) are accelerated by the cell phone as well
as gender differences of mobile phone usage pattern. Key features of the theories are
described below :
3.1 Theory of Adolescent Egocentrism : "It is this belief that others are
preoccupied with his appearance and behavior that constitutes the egocentrism of the
adolescent" (Elkind, 1967, p. 1030).
The theory of “Adolescent Egocentrism” was developed by David Elkind and his
associates .Adolescence egocentrism leads teens to a self-absorbed and distorted view
of their personal uniqueness and importance in the world. Elkind and his associates
discovered that such egocentrism is most prevalent in early adolescence, peaks at about
the age of 14 to 16, and declines in young adulthood (Elkind & Bowen, 1979).
1 David Elkind, PhD, is a professor and department chairman of the Eliot-Pearson Department of
Child Development at Tufts University. Building on the theories of Jean Piaget, Elkind has done
extensive research in the areas of perceptual, cognitive, and social development. he has written
several books, including The Hurried Child, Reinventing Childhood, All Grown Up and No Place
to Go, and Ties That Stress: The New Family Imbalance. He is the author of more than 400
articles.
2 Giuseppe Lugano, MSc Computer Science, his Research field: Computer and Information
Science Social computing, mobile social software (MoSoSo), future information society,
sustainability research, social aspects of digital convergence, community-oriented digital services,
social network analysis (SNA), social capital and ICT, educational technology
3 Melvin Lawrence DeFleur lead to the creation of the Media Systems Dependency Theory with
Sandra Ball-Rokeach in 1976..

This is the point when maturing brains should take the next step to conceptualize
others’ thoughts without projecting their own thoughts onto them. After progressively
testing his “personal fable” and “imaginary audience” against peoples’ reactions in
reality, the young adult discovers that his thoughts are subjective and that others are
not obsessively thinking about him.
3.1.1 The 3 thought processes of The theory of Adolescent Egocentrism : David
Elkind and his associates developed three defined thought processes of the theory.
These processes are :
 Personal fable: Teens develop a personal fable, in which they over-differentiate
their feelings and believe they are the only ones capable of experiencing their
unique emotions; this is why teens often express sentiments such as “Nobody
understands me!” and “Things aren’t the same as when you were young!”
 Imaginary audience: Teens develop an imaginary audience, in which they
believe they are living life on a stage with everyone looking and noticing
everything they do. "It is an audience because the young person believes that he
or she will be the focus of attention; and it is imaginary because, in actual social
situations, this is not usually the case (unless he or she contrives to make it so)"
(Elkind, 1967, p. 1031).
Teens are motivated to frequently share personal information because of their
imaginary audience. If a teenager feels as if everyone in the world is obsessed
with his life, he will be compelled to use social media to not only meet the
demand for personal information but to project the “right” image of himself
(identity management). In fact, social media takes the “imaginary audience” one
step further by removing some of the imaginariness.
 Risk taking: Teens develop “an exaggerated sense of invulnerability” that leads
to risk taking (Green et al, 2000, p. 439) because they do not consider any risks
previously encountered by others to be applicable to their personal situation
(why should they when, according to the personal fable, nobody has ever
encountered their unique situation?).
Adolescent egocentrism seems to align with popular adult perception about teenage
social-media use. Current research, however, offers evidence that it may be
shortsighted to assume that such behavior will fade with maturation, and teenagers are
more aware of social-media risks and take greater action to manage their online
identity than most adults.

Because adults may not be as quick to adopt or understand social media as adolescents,
they frequently attribute the difference to a developmental stage. For instance, one
technology expert predicted that “teenagers will outgrow [digital media habits] as they
mature, transform, partake of greater burden and responsibilities on their life like
providing groceries and housing for a husband or a newborn” (Taylor, 2010).
3.2 Mobile Social Network Theory : A social network is a theoretical construct
useful in the social sciences to study relationships between individuals, groups,
organizations, or even entire societies (social units, see differentiation). The term is
used to describe a social structure determined by such interactions. The ties through
which any given social unit connects represent the convergence of the various social
contacts of that unit. This theoretical approach is, necessarily, relational. An axiom of
the social network approach to understanding social interaction is that social
phenomena should be primarily conceived and investigated through the properties of
relations between and within units, instead of the properties of these units themselves.
Thus, one common criticism of social network theory is that individual agency is often
ignored,[6] although this may not be the case in practice (see agent-based modeling).
Precisely because many different types of relations, singular or in combination, form
these network configurations, network analytics are useful to a broad range of research
enterprises. In social science, these fields of study include, but are not limited to
anthropology, biology, communication studies, economics, geography, information
science, organizational studies, social psychology, sociology, and sociolinguistics.
3.2.1 Levels of analysis : In general, social networks are self-organizing, emergent,
and complex, such that a globally coherent pattern appears from the local interaction of
the elements that make up the system.[33][34] These patterns become more apparent as
network size increases. However, a global network analysis of, for example, all
interpersonal relationships in the world is not feasible and is likely to contain so much
information as to be uninformative. Practical limitations of computing power, ethics
and participant recruitment and payment also limit the scope of a social network
analysis.[35][36] The nuances of a local system may be lost in a large network analysis,
hence the quality of information may be more important than its scale for
understanding network properties. Thus, social networks are analyzed at the scale
relevant to the researcher's theoretical question. Although levels of analysis are not
necessarily mutually exclusive, there are three general levels into which networks may
fall: micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level.

Figure 3 : Self-organization of a network, based on Nagler, Levina, & Timme, (2011)
3.2.1.1 Micro level : At the micro-level, social network research typically begins
with an individual, snowballing as social relationships are traced, or may begin with a
small group of individuals in a particular social context.
Figure-4 : Social network diagram, micro-level.
Dyadic level: A dyad is a social relationship between two individuals. Network
research on dyads may concentrate on structure of the relationship (e.g. multiplexity,
strength), social equality, and tendencies toward reciprocity/mutuality.
Triadic level: Add one individual to a dyad, and you have a triad. Research at this level
may concentrate on factors such as balance and transitivity, as well as social equality
and tendencies toward reciprocity/mutuality.[35]
Actor level: The smallest unit of analysis in a social network is an individual in their
social setting, i.e., an "actor" or "ego". Egonetwork analysis focuses on network
characteristics such as size, relationship strength, density, centrality, prestige and roles
such as isolates, liaisons, and bridges.[37] Such analyses, are most commonly used in
the fields of psychology or social psychology, ethnographic kinship analysis or other
genealogical studies of relationships between individuals.
Subset level: Subset levels of network research problems begin at the micro-level, but
may crossover into the meso-level of analysis. Subset level research may focus on
distance and reachability, cliques, cohesive subgroups, or other group action, group
actions or behavior .

3.2.1.2 Meso level : In general, meso-level theories begin with a population size that
falls between the micro- and macro-levels. However, meso-level may also refer to
analyses that are specifically designed to reveal connections between micro- and
macro-levels. Meso-level networks are low density and may exhibit causal processes
distinct from interpersonal micro-level networks.
Figure-5 : Social network diagram, meso-level
Organizations: Formal organizations are social groups that distribute tasks for a
collective goal.[39] Network research on organizations may focus on either intra-
organizational or inter-organizational ties in terms of formal or informal relationships.
Intra-organizational networks themselves often contain multiple levels of analysis,
especially in larger organizations with multiple branches, franchises or semi-
autonomous departments. In these cases, research is often conducted at a workgroup
level and organization level, focusing on the interplay between the two structures.
Randomly-distributed networks: Exponential random graph models of social networks
became state-of-the-art methods of social network analysis in the 1980s. This
framework has the capacity to represent social-structural effects commonly observed in
many human social networks, including general degree-based structural effects
commonly observed in many human social networks as well as reciprocity and
transitivity, and at the node-level, homophily and attribute-based activity and
popularity effects, as derived from explicit hypotheses about dependencies among
network ties. Parameters are given in terms of the prevalence of small subgraph
configurations in the network and can be interpreted as describing the combinations of
local social processes from which a given network emerges. These probability models
for networks on a given set of actors allow generalization beyond the restrictive dyadic
independence assumption of micro-networks, allowing models to be built from
theoretical structural foundations of social behavior.
Scale-free networks: A scale-free network is a network whose degree distribution
follows a power law, at least asymptotically. In network theory a scale-free ideal
network is a random network with a degree distribution that unravels the size
distribution of social groups.[42] Specific characteristics of scale-free networks vary

with the theories and analytical tools used to create them, however, in general, scale-
free networks have some common characteristics. One notable characteristic in a scale-
free network is the relative commonness of vertices with a degree that greatly exceeds
the average. The highest-degree nodes are often called "hubs", and may serve specific
purposes in their networks, although this depends greatly on the social context.
Another general characteristic of scale-free networks is the clustering coefficient
distribution, which decreases as the node degree increases. This distribution also
follows a power law.[43] The Barabási model of network evolution shown above is an
example of a scale-free network.
3.2.1.3 Macro level : Rather than tracing interpersonal interactions, macro-level
analyses generally trace the outcomes of interactions, such as economic or other
resource transfer interactions over a large population.
Figure – 6 : section of a large-scale social network
Large-scale networks: Large-scale network is a term somewhat synonymous with
"macro-level" as used, primarily, in social and behavioral sciences, in economics.
Originally, the term was used extensively in the computer sciences.
Complex networks: Most larger social networks display features of social complexity,
which involves substantial non-trivial features of network topology, with patterns of
complex connections between elements that are neither purely regular nor purely
random, as do biological, and technological networks. Such complex network features
include a heavy tail in the degree distribution, a high clustering coefficient,
assortativity or disassortativity among vertices, community structure, and hierarchical
structure. In the case of agency-directed networks these features also include
reciprocity, triad significance profile (TSP), and other features. In contrast, many of the
mathematical models of networks that have been studied in the past, such as lattices
and random graphs, do not show these features.

3.2.2 Social Network Characteristics :
Goal Relation based on individual interests,
debate, confront on specific topics;
multiplicity and heterogeneity of joining
interests and motivations
Belonging Spontaneous and autonomous motivation
Duration Non-defined
Cohesion and enabling factors High level of trust (relevance of
reputation), sense of responsibility, high
technological skills, distributed reflexivity
and evaluation (non autonomous, nor
heteronymous but socially spread)
Type of relation: share/evaluate
Table 3.1. Social Network Characteristics, adapted from (Pettenati et al., 2006b).
Technical advances of the Internet and mobile technologies have promoted new forms
of social communication (Rheingold, 2002), allowing the maintenance of large
distributed networks of contacts. Such tools can either complement or replace face–to–
face meetings. Social software, such as e–mail and instant messaging (IM), already
provide full support to interpersonal or group communication. Nevertheless, social
networks remain often either invisible (e–mail) or private (buddy list). The
introduction of online social networking sites (SNS) and mobile social software
(MoSoSo) rendered them public, offering access to functionalities built around the
interconnection of user profiles. Social connectivity is usually based on direct
interaction or search for users according to specific criteria. However, social network
data is not completely public: typically users can choose the level of visibility of their
personal data through privacy management mechanisms. The first popular SNS,
Friendster, was launched in 2002 and since then a number of similar applications have
appeared and are now among the most popular Internet sites.
3.2.3 Mobile Social Networks and Social Network Analysis : The study of mobile
social networks can be placed in the context of SNA, a discipline dealing with the
mathematical representation of patterns of social connectivity. The key concept of
social networks was originally introduced by Barnes (1954), but here we adopt the
definition stated in Wasserman and Faust
“a social network consists of a finite set or sets of
actors and the relation or relations defined on
them.”

According to Wasserman and Faust, “the presence of relational information is a critical
and defining feature of a social network.” As several types of relations connecting
individuals can be identified, social networks are inherently multidimensional.
In the mobile phone, the list of existing social ties is described in phonebook, which
presents an overview of the mobile social network. A few studies investigated the
importance of mobile phonebooks: Kuitto (2001), for example, used the information to
assess the participants’ personal community. Her most relevant result deals with the
significant overlapping between a user’s mobile social network and the real social
network: only six of the participants reported that significant social contacts were not
in the phonebook. A subsequent study compared paper and phone phonebooks and
found that the knowledge present can contribute significantly to the understanding of
the interaction between technology and sociability (Lonkila, 2004). The finite set of
actors present in the mobile phonebook provides a useful account of the structural
element of a mobile social network. Its relational aspect can be defined on the basis of
data available on the mobile device, such as communication logs or sensor data.
Therefore, the history of personal communications described by phone calls and text
messages can be used to evaluate the properties of a social relationship, such as tie
strength and reciprocity. Numerically, these values can be measured employing
procedures similar to the ones described by Granovetter (1973) and Marsden (1990;
2005). For instance, “weak” and “strong” ties describing emotional closeness can be
assessed through frequency and direction of mobile communication.
3.3 Media Dependency Theory : Media systems dependency theory (MSDT), or
simply "media dependency," was developed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin
DeFleur in 1976. The theory ties together the interrelations of broad social systems,
mass media, and the individual into a comprehensive explanation of media effects. At
its core, the basic dependency hypothesis states that the more a person depends on
media to meet needs, the more important media will be in a person's life, and therefore
the more effects media will have on a person.
According to this theory, there is an internal link between media, audience and large
social system. The audience learning from the real life is limited, so they can use media
to get more information to fulfil their needs. An extensive use of media generates
dependent relation in audience and also Media can able to creating dependence
relationship with target audiences to achieve their goals by using their media power.

3.3.1 Three levels of Effects: Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur suggest that media
have various cognitive, affective, and behavioral effects.
3.3.1.1 Cognitive : There are five types of cognitive effects that will be exerted on
audiences, the first of which is the creation and resolution of ambiguity. Ambiguity
occurs when audiences receive inadequate or incomplete information about their social
world. When there is high ambiguity, stress is created, and audiences are more likely to
turn to mass media to resolve ambiguity. Ambiguity might be especially prevalent
during times of social change or conflict.
The second effect is agenda-setting. This is another reason why we might call
dependency a “comprehensive” theory of media effects - it incorporates the entire
theory of agenda-setting within its theoretical framework. Like any other effect, media
agenda-setting effects should be heightened during times when the audience’s needs
and therefore dependency on media are high. So, for instance, if our informational
needs and dependency on media was high during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, we
would have been more susceptible to agenda-setting effects, and we would have
therefore perceived the Iraq War as the most important problem (MIP) facing the
United States.
Third is attitude formation. Media exposes us to completely new people, such as
political figures and celebrities, not to mention physical objects like birth control pills
or car safety mechanisms that we come to form attitudes about.
Dependency does not suggest media are monolithic in their ability to influence
attitudes, but the theory does suggest that media play a role in selecting objects and
people for which people form attitudes about. If a person is experiencing greater media
dependency, we would therefore expect that the person will form more (or more
complex) attitudes about these attitude-objects than people with low media
dependency.
Media also have the potential cognitive effect of expanding people's belief systems.
Media can create a kind of "enlargement" of citizen's beliefs by disseminating
information about other people, places, and things. Expansion of people’s belief
systems refers to a broadening or enlarging of beliefs in a certain category. For
example, a constant flow of information about global warming will expand people’s
beliefs about pollution affecting the earth’s atmosphere, about cap and trade and other
policies, and about personal contributions to global warming. These beliefs meet with
and are incorporated into an existing value system regarding religion, free enterprise,
work, ecology, patriotism, recreation, and the family.

Last is value clarification and conflict. Media help citizens clarify values (equality,
freedom, honesty, forgiveness) often by precipitating information about value
conflicts. For instance, during the 1960s the mass media regularly reported on the
activities of the Civil Rights movement, presenting conflicts between individual
freedoms (e.g., a businessman’s property rights to deny blacks entrance) and equality
(e.g., human rights). When such conflicts play out in the mass media, the value
conflicts are identified, resulting in audiences forming their own value positions. Such
a position can be painful to articulate because it can force a choice between mutually
incompatible goals and the means for obtaining them. However, in the process of
trying to decide which is more important in a particular case, general value priorities
can become clarified.
3.3.1.2 Affective : Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur mentions several possible affective
media effects that are more likely to occur during times of heightened dependency.
First is desensitization, which states that prolonged exposure to violent content can
have a "numbing" effect on audiences, promoting insensitivity or the lack of desire
toward helping others when violent encounters happen in real life.
Second, exposure to news messages or TV dramas that portray crime-ridden cities can
increase people's fear or anxiety about living in or even traveling to a city.
Media can also have effects on morale and feelings of alienation. The degree of
positive or negative mass media depictions of social groups can cause fluctuations in
people's sense of morale in belonging to that group or in their sense of alienation from
that group.
3.3.1.3 Behavioral : There are two broad categories of behavioral effects that Ball-
Rokeach and DeFleur identify. The first broad category is called "activation" effects,
which refer to instances in which media audiences do something they would not
otherwise have done as a consequence of receiving media messages. Behavioral effects
are largely thought to work through cognitive and affective effects. For instance, a
woman reading a news story about sexism in the workplace might form an attitude
toward sexism that creates a negative emotional state, the culmination of which is
joining a women’s rights march in her local community.
The second broad category of behavioral effects is called "deactivation," and refers to
instances in which audiences would have otherwise done something, but don't do as a
consequence of media messages. For example, the primary presidential campaign has
become longer and increasingly use more media to target audiences. As such, primary
campaigns might elicit negative attitudes toward the electoral process and negative
affective states such as boredom or disgust that in turn might make a person not turn
out to vote.

Research on Use of Mobile Phone : A Comparative Study between Male and Female student of Dhaka University

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Research on Use of Mobile Phone : A Comparative Study between Male and Female student of Dhaka University