truths

STEP TWO: GIRL/PHONE RELATIONSHIP

GIRLAPPROVED PHONES

WHAT CULTURAL
SHIFTS ARE
CHANGING A GIRLS
CELLPHONE USE? STEP TWO
THE GIRL PHONE
RELATIONSHIP
WHAT ARE THE In this step we take a deep
FUNCTIONS look at the relationship be-
THE PHONE PLAYS tween a girl and her phone.
IN A GIRLS LIFE? How does a modern girl
1 2 3 relate to her phone? How is
4 5 6 that relationship changing?
7 8 9 How are phones supporting
* 0 # her new relationship and
WHAT ARE THE where do they fall short?
FEATURES
SHE RELATES TO
AND VALUES?

CONCLUSION ONE
GIRLS RELY ON THEIR PHONES FOR FREEDOM

STEP TWO: THE GIRL-PHONE RELATIONSHIP GIRLAPPROVED CELLPHONES

GIRLS RELY ON THEIR PHONES FOR SOCIAL FREEDOM

For girls, phones are cornerstones of their independence. Phones give girls social independence, and allows us to maintain
relationships outside the people we interact with everyday. We like to deal with our feelings as soon as possible so we can get
social support even when we are physically apart from important people. We don’t have to wait around to talk on the phone. We
can talk for as long as want in places where people won’t hear us. We can physically be somewhere else, but still stay socially
connected to our friends. When we’re obliged to do something we can still do the things that we want to do because our phones
gives us the chance to. Otherwise we’d be cut off from all the happenings with our friends.

The phone is not our link to only our friends. Many girls are from divorced families and the phone is the primary link to the other
parent. They have to manage that parent relationship independently and the phone makes it more possible.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #01
HAVING A CELLPHONE
MEANS HAVING
EMOTIONAL COMFORT.
NOT JUST FROM FEELING
SAFE WHEN I AM ALONE,
BUT TALKING TO PEOPLE
WHEN WE ARE UPSET.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #02
WHEN SOMETHING IS
TROUBLING US, WE NEED
TO TALK ABOUT IT.
PHONES ALLOW US TO
RELIEVE THAT URGENCY
INSTEAD OF LETTING IT
STAY REPRESSED.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #03
MY PHONE MEANS I CAN
ALWAYS WORK THROUGH
MY FEELINGS WITH MY
CLOSE FRIENDS, EVEN
WHEN I AM STUCK AT
HOME WITH MY PARENTS.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #04
WE HAVE A HOUSE PHONE
BUT THAT IS NOT SAFE.
SOMEONE CAN LISTEN OR
TELL ME TO GET OFF THE
PHONE. MY CELLPHONE IS
ALWAYS THERE AND IT IS
ALSO PRIVATE.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #05
GIRLS FROM DIVORCED
HOMES NEED THE PHONE
TO MANAGE TWO SETS
OF FAMILIES. TALKING
TO THE PARENT WE DON’T
LIVE WITH MAKES IT LIKE
THEY ARE IN OUR LIVES.


PERSONAL STORY
My parents are divorced, but my phone lets me keep a relationship with
my dad, even when I live with my mom. My parents do not get along
well, so they are very awkward. Without my phone, it wouldn’t have
been possible to keep talking with my dad and his family. Phones let me
manage these relationships and avoid the extra stress and conﬂict.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #06
I EVEN SLEEP WITH THE
PHONE IN MY BED...
PEOPLE ARE JUST A
SECOND AWAY.


SOCIAL FREEDOM

BIG LESSON
GIRLS RELATE TO THE PHONE
IN TERMS OF ITS SOCIAL IMPACT
OVER ITS TECH ABILITIES

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE EXTRA
FEATURES. A PHONE IS STILL
MOST IMPORTANTLY A
COMMUNICATION DEVICE


CONCLUSION TWO
PHONES GIVE GIRLS PHYSICAL INDEPENDENCE


GIRLS RELY ON THEIR PHONES FOR FREEDOM

Another type of independence is physical independence (safety). We can go places where we never could before. When we were
younger, parents wouldn’t let us go to places like the mall, other neighborhoods or late night outings. Phones are providing girls
with safety and they help us convince parents to let us go places that they would never let us go before. Without the phone, we
wouldn’t be as brave as we are. We won’t be able to do so many life expanding things we do today. We would be limited in
where we went and the time we went there.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #07
OUR YOUNGER SIBLINGS
WERE ABLE TO DO SO
MANY MORE THINGS
EARLIER BECAUSE THEY
GOT THEIR PHONES
BEFORE I DID.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #08
GIRLS ARE MORE BRAVE
NOW THAT THEY HAVE
THEIR OWN PHONES. WE
DON’T HAVE TO RELY ON
FAMILY MEMBERS OR
FRIENDS TO BE PHYSICALLY
AROUND US TO FEEL SAFE.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #09
WHEN WE ARE ALONE
HAVING A PHONE IS
COMFORTING. WE KNOW
THAT WE’RE ONLY A CALL
AWAY FROM HELP.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #10
WHEN WE’VE GOT A
PHONE WITH US, WE
DON’T MIND GOING TO
NEIGHBORHOODS OR
CITIES WE WOULD NEVER
HAVE GONE TO ALONE.


PERSONAL STORY
“Sometimes when it’s late at night, and I’m driving back home,
it can be a little scary. That’s when I whip out the phone and call
my friends. When another human voice is with me, I feel a little
bit safer. That’s why I always call my friends, and they call me.“


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #11
WHEN WE DON’T HAVE
OUR PHONES WITH US, WE
FEEL VULNERABLE AND
LOST. WHEN OUR
BATTERY DIES WE FEEL
INSTANTLY VULNERABLE.


EMOTIONAL
TRUTH #12
NOW WE DON’T HAVE TO
WORRY WHEN DRIVING OR
GOING TO THE DELI OR
GOING TO DANGEROUS
LOCATIONS AT 10 PM.


PERSONAL STORY
“One time, I left my phone at home. I got into some car trouble
along the way, and where I was, there were no pay phones. Pay
phones are slowly becoming obsolete and they’re being taken
away. When things like this happen, it means we’re going to be
stuck.”


PHYSICAL FREEDOM

BIG LESSON
CREATE A POWER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT
WON’T LEAVE GIRLS IN A
STICKY SITUATION.

ADD PHONE FEATURES THAT
MAKE GIRLS FEEL DOUBLY
SAFE.


CONCLUSION THREE
PHONES ARE NOW DEMANDING AND OUT OF CONTROL


PHONES ARE DEMANDING AND OUT OF CONTROL
At ﬁrst all the phone gave were positive feelings of freedom, but that is changing rapidly. The amount of pressure that a girl feels
today to constantly network and communicate is overwhelming. Too many friends, too much sharing, too many apps, and too
many social networks to be a part of (Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, yelp, etc.) Even on a personal level, people
are expecting us to be accessible all of the time, on all of our networks. Trend groups always say that this is exactly what we want,
that we love sharing and connecting all the time. But this is really not the case. We feel way too much pressure, and we are really
unhappy about this situation. It’s frustrating when people have the expectation for us to be connected all the time.

On top of all these connections coming to us, we also have to learn all these new platforms, we have the pressure to update our
status all the time, learn how to download them, and ﬁx them, and all kinds of other operations to keep up with these new
technologies. All of this demand is going to cause a blacklash to social media.


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #01
OUR PHONE IS BECOMING
MORE AND MORE
DEMANDING OF US. READ
THIS, CHECK THAT, ANSWER
NOW.. BLAH BLAH BLAH


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #02
FACEBOOK STATUSES AND
TWITTER JUST MAKE
EVERYTHING WAY MORE
CRAZY. THERE IS CONSTANTLY
STUFF BLASTING THROUGH
MY PHONE


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #03
“LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT
ME!” WE GET STRESSED
WHEN OUR PHONES ARE
ALWAYS MESSAGING US
ABOUT EVERY LITTLE
THING.


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #04
SOMETIMES WE NEED A
LITTLE BIT OF PEACE AND
QUIET. I TRY TO GO OUT
WITH ONE FRIEND, AND
ALL MY OTHER ONES ARE
STILL TEXTING ME.


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #05
SOME GIRLS ARE STARTING
TO EXPERIMENT WITH
TAKING FACEBOOK OFF
THEIR PHONE: IT WAS
JUST TOO MUCH
COMMUNICATION TO
HANDLE.


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #06
WE CAN’T BE SHARING
AND TALKING ALL THE
TIME. I NEED TO HAVE A
LIFE. I NEED TO BE LIVING
AND DOING, SO I HAVE
THINGS WORTH SHARING.


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #07
I NEED A WAY TO SCALE
UP AND DOWN HOW
MUCH I WANT TO ENGAGE
IN MY PHONE, AND WHAT
I WANT TO LET THROUGH.
TODAY IT IS FULL ON OR
OFF.


SOCIAL MEDIA

BIG LESSON
WE DON’T LIVE TO SHARE, DON’T
BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY IN ALL
THE TREND REPORS.

CREATE TOOLS TO SUPPORT THE
ISSUES CREATED WITH TO MUCH
CONSTANT COMMUNICATION


CONCLUSION FOUR
WE’RE CONNECTING MORE, BUT WE’RE LOSING MEANING


WE’RE CONNECTING MORE BUT LOSING MEANING

Today we have increasing ways to connect through an increasing range of networks. These increases are incredible. The phone is
at the center of all our relationships. One strange thing we have recently started to experience is that although we are connecting
more, many of our communications are becoming meaningless. We love communication, but we also need to be intellectually
stimulated by the things that people say. Why is this important? Why do we need to know exactly where you’re going or what
you’re doing? With the amount of communication that is coming to us, people don’t take the time to really learn how to craft a
message. We appreciate the effort that people put into expressing something. It’s the difference we feel when we open a letter
and a text message.

Girls love texture. Texture consists of all the details: the little imperfections in handwriting, font type, color, size, the adjectives we
use to describe something, the way our message looks aesthetically, the types of emoticons that we use, and how well its looks
match what we’re trying to say. All that is being taken away in favor of how many people we are talking to. How can we ever
express ourselves with a 160 character limit?


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #01
CELLPHONES ARE HELPING
US EXPRESS OURSELVES AT
THE EXACT MOMENTS WE
FEEL THINGS. THIS
INSTANT EMOTIONAL
OUTLET IS VERY
GIRL FRIENDLY


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #02
CELLPHONES MAKE US
FEEL CONNECTED WITH
LOTS MORE PEOPLE AND
EXPAND OUR NETWORK
ACROSS THE WORLD.
BUT ODDLY THINGS FEEL
MORE EMPTY.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #03
WORD LENGTH IS ONE
FACTOR THAT IS JUST NOT
GIRLAPPROVED. WE HATE
THAT OUR THOUGHTS ARE
LIMITED BY THE 160
CHARACTER LIMIT.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #04
GIRLS USE ABOUT THREE
TIMES AS MANY WORDS A
DAY AS GUYS DO. WE
NEED MORE TIME AND
SPACE TO COMMUNICATE
THAN BOYS DO.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #05
GUYS LIKE TO TEXT IN LIKE
25 CHARACTERS; THEY
ARE PROBABLY HAPPY
WITH THE LIMITS. WE ARE
ALWAYS BEGGING GUYS
TO EXPRESS MORE.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #06
SOMETIMES I SPEND MORE
TIME TRYING TO FIT MY
IDEAS INTO A 160
CHARACTER LIMIT THAN
ON WHAT I ACTUALLY
WANT TO SAY.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #07
WE DON’T WANT TO LOOK
DESPERATE OR NEEDY,
WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN WE SEND ONE
THOUGHT IN MULTIPLE
TEXT MESSAGES.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #08
BUT WE’RE LOSING THE
TEXTURE AND BEAUTY OF
OUR MESSAGES IN FAVOR
OF QUANTITY.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #09
TEXTURE CONSISTS OF
ALL THE LITTLE THINGS:
PERSONALITY, QUALITY OF
WORDS, MEANINGFUL
COMMUNICATION.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #10
WE HAVE DIFFERENT
MOODS IN DIFFERENT
SITUATIONS, SO IT WOULD
BE GREAT IF OUR
MESSAGES COULD
REFLECT THAT.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #11
WHEN MY VERIZON BILL
LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE MY
BOYFRIEND’S FLIRTS, IT
JUST DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT.


EXPRESSION

BIG LESSON
QUALITY MATTERS TO GIRLS, AS
MUCH AS QUANTITY.

ALLOW MESSAGES TO BE
VISUALLY CUSTOMIZED.

CHARACTER LIMITS ON A TEXT
ARE NOT GIRLAPPROVED.


CONCLUSION FIVE
WE ARE LOSING THE MEMORIES THAT MAKE UP LIFE


WE ARE LOSING THE MEMORIES THAT MAKE UP LIFE

We love saving messages, pictures, videos, voicemails, and anything that is meaningful and important to us. Whenever extra time
is available we love glancing through them and reliving all those moments.

Digital technology and digital messaging makes us feel like our work is all disposable, but it is not Having limited space on our
phones is something that makes us worry. When that limit is reached, it means that we have to either stop saving, or delete older
things to make room. What happens to all the things that we cherish then? To us, it feels like we’re deleting our memories.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #12
GIRLS ARE SENTIMENTAL.
WE LIKE TO KEEP THINGS
THAT ARE MEANINGFUL
AND LOOK AT THEM OVER
AND OVER TO RELIVE
THE EMOTION.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #13
WHEN WE GET A CUTE OR
SWEET NOTE WE LIKE TO
SAVE THEM. WITH THE
PHONE YOU CAN’T DO
THAT. OUR PRECIOUS
THINGS ALL VANISH AWAY.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #14
IT BREAKS OUR HEARTS
WHEN WE HAVE TO
DELETE SOMETHING THAT
WE SAVED A LONG TIME
AGO TO MAKE ROOM FOR
THE NEW.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #15
ALL THOSE FUNNY TEXTS,
ADORABLE IMAGES AND
THINGS WE FIND AND
SHARE NEED TO BE FILED
AWAY AND PROTECTED.


EXPRESSION
TRUTH #16
IT SUCKS WHEN WE GET
SOMETHING NEW AND WE
DON’T HAVE MEMORY ON
OUR PHONE TO STORE IT.


MEMORY

BIG LESSON
JUST BECAUSE IT IS DIGITAL DOES
NOT MEAN WE DON’T CHERISH
IT.

HELP GIRLS RECORD AND STORE
THEIR COMMUNICATION HISTORY


CONCLUSION SIX
THE LACK OF SOCIAL NORMS ARE CAUSING CONFLICT


THE LACK OF SOCIAL NORMS ARE CAUSING CONFLICT

While phones become an increasingly important part of our lives, there seems to be no social etiquette that tells us when and
where we should use them. The result is that whenever we’re in an important meeting, or on a date, or in class, we see people
texting and chatting online. Because girls are much more emotional, they feel much more responsible for messages than males
do. When somebody sends us messages, and we ignore them, we feel accountable and guilty if we don’t give a response. This is
why we feel so uncomfortable when nobody understands what is rude anymore. Everyone has their own standards of use, and
when you don’t know someone else’s rules, you have to make up a context. Girls are more likely than boys to try and understand
other peoples feelings. This means we are more confused when we send a message and have to read into a long delay. This
creates more tension than it would otherwise if we were boys. We ask ourselves, are they busy? Are they angry? Are they sad? Are
they in trouble? Should we call, and ask if everything is okay? Are they just proving to you that you’re not important? Dating just
got more complicated.


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #01
IT IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE
SO MANY WAYS TO
INTERACT WITH PEOPLE.
WE LOVE THAT WE CAN
CHOOSE AN IMAGE, A
VOICE MAIL, TEXT, ETC.


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #02
NO ONE CREATED RULES
OF HOW AND WHEN TO
COMMUNICATE. THE
PHONE COMPANIES
ASSUMED 24/7 AND THIS
IS SUPER MESSY SOCIALLY.


PERSONAL STORY
“Why are there no protocols for texting? BOYS GET MORE
COMPLICATED. How many texts are healthy? Clingy? Playful?
When I send a message and get no reply, I start thinking up
scenarios in my head. Is she angry, or just busy? Is he with
another girl? Is he being eaten by a lion? We need date rules.


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #03
I LIKE TO BE RESPONSIBLE
WITH MY FRIENDS, BUT
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
DOES THAT MEAN IGNORE
WHO I AM OUT WITH TO
CONTACT THE ONES I
AM NOT WITH. IT’S MESSY!


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #04
WE FEEL SO MUCH MORE
RESPONSIBILITY AND
OBLIGATION TO REPLY
THAN BOYS DO. WE FEEL
UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN
WE DON’T.


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #05
WHEN PEOPLE DON’T
RESPOND WHEN I CALL OR
TEXT, I WORRY ABOUT
WHAT’S GOING ON IN
THEIR HEADS. WHAT’S
GOING ON?


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #06
EVEN IN CLASS, EVERYONE
IS TEXTING AND THE
PROFESSORS JUST IGNORE
IT. DOES THAT MEAN IT IS
OK? LACK OF RULES MAKES
EVERYTHING MESSY.


PERSONAL STORY
“Whenever I’m on a date with Mike, it’s like I’m also on a date
with his mom, his friends, his roommate, his best friend, his ex-
girlfriend, and his brother. Geez, Mike, why are we even
bothering with this date thing?”


RELATIONSHIP
TRUTH #07
BLACKBERRY ANNOUNCES
WHEN YOU READ MESSAGES.
THIS CREATES ISSUES. PEOPLE
ASSUME THAT IF YOU CHECK A
MESSAGE AND DON’T
ANSWER, THERE ARE
PROBLEMS.


SOCIAL MEDIA
TRUTH #08
FRIENDS AND FAMILY GET
UPSET IF THEY THINK YOU
ARE PURPOSELY IGNORING
THEM. BECAUSE OF THIS
FEATURE, I HAVE TO ALWAYS
RESPOND IN FULL, ASAP.
(MORE PRESSURE)


EXAMPLE
My mom can tell when I’ve read her messages, and gets hurt
and confused when I don’t respond immediately. Now that I’m
in college, my schedule is packed and I need my privacy: I can’t
have my mom calling and worrying about why I haven’t gotten
back to her when I’m studying and cant reply!


RELATIONSHIP

BIG LESSON
NEW TECHNOLOGY IS
DISRUPTING SOCIAL CUSTOMS.

RELATIONSHIPS NEED NEW
SUPPORT BECAUSE OF PHONE
TECHNOLOGY

MESSAGE NOTIFICATIONS
NEED TO BE QUALIFIED


CONCLUSION BONUS
RANDOM INSPIRATION FOR THE PERFECT GIRL PHONE


CELL PHONE SIZE
TRUTH #01
OUR POCKETS ARE NOT
SHAPED TO CARRY PHONES.
THE PHONE-GIRL POCKET
RELATIONSHIP IS A LITTLE
TENSE.


CELL PHONE SIZE
TRUTH #02
BUT MOST OF THE TIME, WE
TRY TO SHOVE IT IN
ANYWAY. SO THEY END UP
FALLING OUT AND
BREAKING.


CELL PHONE SCHOOL
TRUTH #01
DURING SCHOOL I HAVE
DOWN TIME I NEED TO
USE TO STUDY, BUT I
DON’T WANT TO ALWAYS
CARRY A BOOK WITH ME;
THEY ARE BIG AND HEAVY.


CELL PHONE PLAY
TRUTH #01
MY PHONE IS THERE TO
LOOK AT WHEN I AM
BORED OR RESTLESS.
IT ENTERTAINS ME
WHEN I HAVE A FEW
MINUTES ON MY HANDS.


CELL PHONE PLAY
TRUTH #02
I LIKE TO READ CELEBRITY
GOSSIP TWEETS ON
MY PHONE, BUT
I DON’T WANT ALL THE
OTHER NOISE.


CELL PHONE PLAY
TRUTH #03
THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH
GIRL ENTERTAINMENT APPS
ON OUR PHONES TO HELP
US KILL SOME TIME.


VOICE MAIL
TRUTH #01
I DON’T CHECK MY VOICE
MAIL BECAUSE IT FEELS
LIKE WORK, I USE TO LOVE
CHECKING MESSAGES ON
THE HOME ANSWERING
MACHINE.


VOICE MAIL
TRUTH #02
YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE
PHONE TO YOUR EAR,
WHICH MAKES IT LESS
SHAREABLE BECAUSE THE
SPEAKERPHONE FUNCTION
IS NOT GOOD QUALITY.


VOICE MAIL
TRUTH #03
I WANT TO BE ABLE TO
USE MY PHONE HANDS-
FREE, OR IN MY LAP. BUT
THE SPEAKERPHONE
MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO
HEAR AND BE HEARD.


POWER
TRUTH #01
WE HAVE A HARD TIME
MANAGING THE POWER
BECAUSE MOST OF THE
TIME, WE’RE NOT NEAR
AN OUTLET AND WE’RE
RUNNING AROUND ALL
OVER CAMPUS.


POWER
TRUTH #02
IT’S PRETTY HARD TO
FIND AN OUTLET WHERE
WE CAN SIT BY AND LET
OUR PHONES CHARGE.
WHEN THERE IS AN
OUTLET SOMEWHERE,
STUDENTS FIGHT OVER IT.


CAMERA
TRUTH #01
WE LOVE TAKING
PICTURES, BUT WE CARE
A LOT ABOUT DETAILS.
SOMETIMES THE ZOOM IN
OUR CAMERAS DON’T
ALLOW US TO CAPTURE
WHAT WE REALLY WANT.


CAMERA
TRUTH #02
EVEN WHEN DO HAVE
THE PERFECT PICTURE,
SOME PHONE
COMPANIES MAKE IT
IMPOSSIBLE TO DO CROSS
PHONE PICTURE
SHARING.


truths

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

En vedette

En vedette (8)

Plus de Girlapproved

Plus de Girlapproved (12)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

truths