The Ethnography of the iPhone: Users and Usage of AppleàiPhone [Working Paper]
Project Completed By:
– Cedrick Bonhomme, #300075743
– David Joseph-Lafleur, #300079172
– Ali-Ayan Ali, #300024234
– Abdirahman Kahin Ali, #300027429
To: Prof. St(an Larose
SOC 3116[A]
University of Ottawa
October 12th, 2022
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Introduction [Artifact]:
Although the iPhone was not the first smart gadget, it was unquestionably the
breakthrough smartphone of the contemporary era. Other companies were still launching flip
handsets and gadgets with slide-out keyboards at the era of its debut. Nevertheless, the
iPhone was a total of 180 in terms of design. The first iPhone served as the prototype for the
modern smartphone, creating an age where pocket-sized electronics are essentially minicomputers which can be used for multiple purposes. Since then, the iPhone has expanded
internet use to millions of people globally. In our preliminary research, we aim to discover
the many ways in which the iPhone impacts the lives of those in our society as well as the
extent of our dependency on this technology. In this preliminary stage we will observe and
conduct research and those around us in our daily lives, whether it be at home, school, work
or other public facilities.
Preliminary Analysis:
1- How are users (or non-users even) involved in shaping that technology? In modifying
or using it according to their needs?
Users and non-users matter in shaping technology. Users may point out existing
technologies that one can utilise to their benefit in addition to if a digital tool makes perfect
sense in their situation (it may not) and whether it would meet their fundamental needs.
Similar to users, non-users contribute to defining the rules that govern internet use. Such
policies inevitably lead to inequity and hardship. According to Knowles & Hanson (2018),
non-users may identify with those who reject technology because they have never tried it,
because they find it pricey, or are unable to acquire it for various reasons. An example we
observed during our research was that android users seem to vocally criticise apple products.
We theorise that this pressures Apple execs to enhance their products in order to meet the
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demands of the users and compete with android products such as Samsung smart phones.
Users contribute to designing, marketing, and manufacturing technologies after use, while
non-users evaluate technologies before and after they are used and analyse the analysis of the
intermediaries, such as consumer groups.
Also, non-users often use technologies such as iPhone models as an experiment. That,
therefore, is linked to social engineering, which explains to them whether they would
associate themselves with the technology or not. Such non-users utilise technology when it
has no negative impact on their daily and social lives. iPhone, a smartphone model, utilises
different technologies, including iPod, a revolutionary mobile phone and a breakthrough
internet communicator. Its performance depends on internet generations such as 5G support,
ultra-wide cameras, and light capture devices.
2- Where, with whom, and in what situation are they using it?
Apple iPhones have revolutionised the mobile industry and are some of the bestselling smartphones in the market; based on our observations, we have noticed that this
technology is used for peopleàdaily routines. The iPhone can be used for anything, anytime,
anywhere; it simplifies peopleàlives. Throughout the last six weeks, we have noticed that
this technology combines a computer, iPod, digital camera, and cellular phone into one
device. We have seen people use it in various situations, such as listening to music on public
transportation, filtering through emails, communicating through texting, calling and social
media at school/work and much more. For students in class, they would primarily use their
iPhones to text and scroll through social media.
Meanwhile, we observed that individuals dressed more formally would use their devices to
catch up on the news, manage finances, stock/bank accounts, and credit cards and
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communicate through phone calls. Adding to the observations, many people use it as their
GPS to wander around the city; others use it for photography, an alarm clock, their agenda,
their wallet and much more. We have noticed that this device contains countless features, and
in terms of time, place and situation, the iPhone is used depending on the personàneeds.
3- Is it used in conjunction with another technology?
On the surface, an iPhone is just another smartphone; however, it can be used in
conjunction with numerous technologies, some of which are required which are optional. In
any use of a smartphone device like the iPhone, a software is required, the Apple iOS is the
operating system that programs Apple devices to function correctly. Most software aims to
provide entertainment to users or make tasks more efficient. To properly use an iPhone and
all its programs, the device must be used in conjunction with the Internet/WiFi. Through our
observations, we can consider the Internet to be the most popular and influential
communication technology. With Internet connectivity, we can connect with people
worldwide to interact through social media, text messages, and audio and video messages. As
we stated previously, the vast majority of users of the iPhone use their devices to stay
connected with what is happening. The Internetàsole purpose is to allow devices to
communicate instantly with anyone and share information. There is not much a person can do
without internet connectivity on their Apple device. The iPhone works in conjunction with
batteries. This technology is complex and a source of electric power for the iPhone. As
batteries age, they can contribute to changes in iPhone performance.
As part of the participant observation, we have observed that most iPhone users use their
devices with other Apple devices, resulting in the same ecosystem. In class, students can also
text their friends on their MacBook as if they were sending messages from the iPhone. Even
for ourselves, the observers, we could make and receive calls via our iPad or MacBook.
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Multiple devices are tied to the iPhone, and they exist because of the phoneàsuccess. The
iPad is a device we noticed was prevalent on campus, essentially a larger iPhone. Moreover,
there is also the Apple Watch, which is tethered to the iPhone. All the Apple devices seem to
work together very well.
4- Does its use entail any kind of knowledge, training or expertise?
The iPhone does entail minimal knowledge, training and expertise; while it is
straightforward to use, it takes a few days to get used to. The knowledge comes from being
used to Apple devices; an iPhone is stable, privacy-friendly and secure. Many features are
ecosystem-exclusive. If a person uses an iPhone, they can essentially use any Apple device.
The more they use it, the more they get used to it, but it does not take long. Whatàmore, we
observed that previous android users who¥ purchased an iPhone expressed that they had the
most trouble adjusting to the functions of the device. We theorise that this is linked to the fact
that Android offers exclusive applications that differ from Appleàapplications.
5- Are the users relying on user guides, owneràmanual, or any set of instructions?
Based on our participantàobservations from the last few weeks, iPhone users do not
rely on user guides, owneràmanuals, or any set of instructions. However, as users of iPhones
ourselves, when we have issues or concerns regarding our phone, we tend to make a quick
google search to analyse our issue. We must also state that the iPhone’s user interface is
intuitive, it gives users the ability to use most of the iPhone’s features without reference to a
user manual. the user can customize his screen to his choice to organize the most important
applications. Also, the iPhone uses special tricks and therefore requires tips on using its
products, including the Apple Watch and the Macbook. Using an iPhone requires special
knowledge, as observed, unlike other technologies such as Android users. Most users today
do not rely on manuals since they find them difficult to use. Most of them say that they have
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the web at their disposal and, therefore, can quickly learn how to use it through other means.
We observed that people often use youtube for tutorials on how to use their device properly.
Also, Apple provides a user guide, currently available online under the title macOS
Handbook for macOS Mojave. Because of how rapidly things change nowadays, a printed
handbook can be outdated when you get your hands on a computer. The current edition of the
Apple User Manual is available online. We can trust that Apple will update it immediately if
the OS version updates since this is the most excellent method to keep us up to date.
6- Is it gender specific? Technologies are also often gendered, they may be designed as
such or used differently by men and women. Many of you may want to investigate thi.s
Our initial observations indicate that the iPhone is not necessarily gendered; however,
it is internally used differently by men and women. Around our households, we have noticed
that women use their phones much more for family purposes than men. Men are often tapped
in with sports using the iPhone. Another observation we need to outline regarding how men
and women use this device is that men tend to pay close attention to their finances. While on
the train in the morning, we noticed that men verified their stock portfolio a lot; this
observation was not made with the female gender.
We must state that, during our observations, we noticed a gap between the iPhone usage of
men and women. Judging from interactions outside of school, more women seem to have
iPhones than men. Looking at people over 25, it seems that men will own an Android over an
iPhone compared to women who own more iPhones. This observation was explicitly outlined
in our preliminary research in the workplace. An interesting observation we made is that
female participants were more likely to use a folding phone case than a traditional one.
Meanwhile, male participants tend to keep their phones in their pants or coat pocket. We
consider this may also be due to the size of menàpockets being larger than womenàon
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average. We cannot say for certain this correlates with Appleàtargeted audience, however
these are interesting early observations. Although we cannot determine if the iPhone itself is
gendered, we notice its uses differ depending on gender.
7 – How does using that technology, or even its very existence, change the lives of the
individuals interacting with it? Of other people?
The iPhoneàexistence has completely changed individuals,ives; as humans, we
seem to rely on this technology for practically everything. For some people, it is their
morning alarm clock; it is their agenda for the day. Since its invention, using that technology
always keeps individuals connected; even if they are not on Wi-Fi, participants seem to be
linked through their cellular network. Furthermore, it is not just unavoidable connectivity that
the iPhone helped bring about; the iPhone and App Store have spawned industries that would
not exist without smartphones. We have noticed that many people rely on Uber to shuttle
around the city; a smartphone is required to order an uber to a personàcurrent location. This
artifact became a necessity in peopleàlives. Looking for cooking recipes? There is an app
for that. Looking to shop? There is an app for that. Apps integrated into the artifact have
affected every aspect of our lives, for good or bad. Furthermore, apart from the evident
calling, texting, web surfing and social media interactions, as part of the observational
participation, we have noticed a large sum of the participants listen to podcasts on their
iPhones while on the train, at the gym and at other places, this means that they do not have to
listen to the radio in real-time. Likewise, mapping on the iPhone is one of the most used
features to facilitate our needs; Google Maps and Apple Maps make it easier to travel around
the city with their compact GPS. Another significant life-changing impact of the iPhone on
participants,ives is the digital wallet; they interact with their phones as if they had their
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wallet. This was observed especially on campus; most students purchasing goods around the
campus seem to have stored their bank cards digitally on their phones and tapped to pay.
There are also some negative reasons as to how it changed our lives as humans; we have
noticed throughout the participant observations that people today are not talking to each other
in real life as much anymore. On campus, most students are fixated on their phones, and on
the train, most people are on their phones. The physical-social interaction has taken a hit.
People are constantly on their phones, even in restaurants or even when they are walking. The
iPhone certainly has people hooked to the screen, which is how it changed the lives of people
interacting with it and other people. We can all agree that through our observations of
people’s behaviour using the device, it is the one thing we never leave home without, and we
panic at the thought of being lost.
Concluding remarks
From our preliminary research, we found that people use iPhones often, and everywhere. We
observed that some use it to find directions, check their work emails, to consume social
media, take photos and for banking purposes. Our initial concluding remark is that the iPhone
is a necessity that the current society will have difficulty living without. Early primary
research showed us that age is also a factor usage of the iPhone, and this topic will be further
explored in our final paper. We theorise that the way in which people interact with their
iPhone correlates to the way in which applications are marketed to target different groups of
people within our society, creating a dependent relationship. This technology no longer only
connects people to one another, but also fulfils peopleàdaily lives.
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Appendix – Ethnographic Field Notes:
Cedrick Bonhomme – The use of the iPhone 7hat have you observed?
Welcome to my Journal! During these next few weeks, I will pay close attention to the
behaviours of people who use an iPhone device. Participant observation is the type of data
collection method that I will use to draw some conclusions regarding this artifact (AppleÊiPhone). Each weekly journal entry will be different, as I will focus on different interactions
with iPhone users every week.
Week of September 19th, 2022
Letàstart with the obvious observations; I¥ noticed that people often interact with their
phones to text and call. Taking the public transportation, everyone is hooked to their phone,
whether it is to text, call, to listen to music; the iPhone is extremely popular. Sitting on the
train and observing people aged 25+ with their iPhones, it seems they use their phones
differently from those under 25. I see them mostly read online newspapers, read books on
kindle/nook apps, respond to their emails and use their calendars for work and home.
Meanwhile, people who looked more in the 18-24 age range would use it primarily to text,
browse the web and change their music with their device. Now walking on campus, students
seem to keep texting, browsing the web and listening to music. This time around, they had
their laptop nearby.
Weeks reflection: The reflection I made for this week was the following; we are hooked to
our phones. On campus, on the bus, train and everywhere I went this week, the iPhone was in
use, and human interactions are minimal nowadays. With the iPhone and the rise of social
media, thereàno longer an excuse not to stay in touch, yet our day-to-day human interactions
have suffered. Itàcommon to see those walking down the street become so absorbed in the
on-screen conversations that they forget to have them in the real world. We can conclude that
iPhones have created an always-on culture that we have entirely asked for; we seek the
reward of a new text message and the dopamine rush that comes with it. Itànot only the
people I¥ observed; I am part of the issue too, and my phone seems to control my life. But
itàcool to see you reflect and notice you are a part of it too.
Week of September 26th, 2022
Texting and calling are obvious observations; I wanted to see more interactions with the
iPhone. Continuing the participant observation method of methodology, this week I wanted to
see more of what people use their iPhones for; funny enough, I noticed that it is my alarm in
the morning. My iPhone woke me up in the morning, and the same can be said about people
around my house. I wanted to see what we depend on the iPhone this week. At the Tim
Hortons on campus, itàalmost like we do not need our wallets anymore; most students pay
with their phones. Apple Pay became their wallet; the use of cash is not completely obsolete
but using your phone at checkout is more common than ever. At Costco, the same thing
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happened at the food court, I was buying my food, and all the checkout places were digital;
people just tapped their iPhones. It is all cash-free. The last comment on the digital cards with
Apple, I attended the Panda game with some friends, and the passes were stored on our
phones; you present the pass near the reader, and the barcode is scanned. All students and
alums who attended the game did the same thing; iPhones encourage a paperless
environment.
Weeks Reflection: As we can see, today, the entire world is at our fingertips, and we can do
almost anything with a mere tap or swipe. With an app for everything, increasingly fast
mobile internet speeds and the immediacy of messaging apps, our lives have become much
more convenient. We can tap all day, and we don notice how everything is stored on our
phones.
Week of October 3rd, 2022
For this week, I wanted to continue seeing different behaviours from what I¥ seen before;
participants kept texting, calling, and tapping through their day with their iPhones, but what
else would there be? I noticed that on the train, several men would check the news on Twitter
regarding stocks etc. The majority of the people who checked the investment portfolio were
men. Meanwhile, women, I would mostly see them look around for store flyers and more
family-oriented aspects of their lives.
Furthermore, as part of my observation, at work, I noticed my IT department personnel do not
own a personal iPhone; once I noticed that. I started to pay attention to the gender side of
technology and saw that from the ages of 25 and up (Public Service workers), more womenowned an iPhone than men. I noticed that younger individuals like me, who go to uOttawa,
are the ones with the iPhone. Not only that, but students also seem to have the whole Apple
lineup. It has always been known that the iPhone is on the pricier side, which made me
realize that students,uxury clothing, such as Gucci and other luxury brands, tended to have
an Apple Watch, iPad, and MacBook on top of the latest iPhone model they already had. I
noticed that in class, I don think this phone can necessarily explain someoneàsocial status
but seeing some people have the entire apple lineup was very interesting.
As part of this week, I also noticed that the iPhone transformed photography from a hobby to
a part of everyday life. I saw that people take pictures for social media all the time; everyone
seems to be a journalist with a story to share. With social media, we share, we give our
opinions, and we can find like-minded individuals to engage with. We build Instagram and
Pinterest profiles to showcase our creativity. I went out downtown at night during the
weekend, and the amount of people who posted their location online was insane; even during
the festivities surrounding the Panda Game, everything was captured instantly by everyone.
iPhones were out at all times, capturing every moment and were instantly posted on Snapchat
and Instagram.
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Weeks Reflection: It was interesting to sit down and realize that we have the worldàmost
extensive information resource at our fingertips. Seeing people look down at the news and
see how their stocks were affected was very interesting. Seeing if there is a correlation
between having money and owning an iPhone was very interesting; being born in the digital
world made me reflect on what people were doing before. Nowadays, I walk around campus,
and most students have an iPhone and a MacBook at the very minimum; then thereàthe
percentage that owns the entire pricey Apple lineup (Watch, Earphones and iPad).
Furthermore, I think we tend to overshare; we share what we eat for dinner, our location and
much more. The rise of social media platforms, in turn, gave us a reason to post our photos.
Week of October 10th, 2022
During this short week, I noticed a few more things regarding how people use their iPhones;
GPS was a big one; we don’t need to spend hours in traffic, and our iPhone GPS
communicates with us to take another route. My dad needed to head to a place for the first
time; what did he do? He used his iPhone GPS; the virtual assistant talked him through the
route. One key thing I saw this week was that a man could check his security cameras from
his home while sitting beside me on the train. This was very interesting as I did not know the
iPhone allowed someone to have such a feature. Other than that, it was mostly the same; at
my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, we took many pictures with our iPhones and captured good
moments. I noticed my parents change the house’s temperature using their phones and my
family members’ usual texting and calling. YouTube was also a key thing I saw with my
younger cousins during our Thanksgiving dinner. They are hooked to their device, and no one
can stop them from their shows.
Weeks Reflection: The technology of the iPhone keeps our minds entertained and puzzled
by unique creations and visions. Itàhow people love to listen to music and play games, and
anything that comes to mind could be done on that small device we call the iPhone. We all
use it differently, but we all use it the same. The last few weeks, I took an approach to write
this journal week by week. I could¥ written everything I have seen every week, but some
things were repetitive. I wanted to see new interactions from iPhone users, hence why the
entries are very different from each other. But one thing that is a consensus is that texting,
calling, photos and social media are part of the common usage for iPhone users.
Abdirahman Kahin Ali – Observing the people around me interact with the iPhone
I want to get the most diverse pool of results for my primary research. To make this possible,
I thought that I would observe the people around all the areas of my life in four stages. For
the first stage, I will observe the people that attend my school. Stage 2 will be an observation
of my family at home. In stage 3 I will interview two coworkers. Stage 4 will take place
where I spend plenty of my time, the gym (Goodlife Fitness). As a bonus day, I will observe
the train and bus that I take often.
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1st observations: Week of September 12th
For the first week of when the project was announced, I observed students’ use of the iPhone
and approached them at uOttawa campus. The first thing I noticed was that a large portion of
students use their iPhones to listen to music or podcasts while walking around campus. This
was a particularly easy observation as so many students have their earphones plugged in and
can even hear if I am speaking to them. Since this was during the second week of classes, I
also observed some students using their iPhones as a GPS tool to find the building for their
next class, since the phone features a popular maps application. I also noticed students taking
selfies with their iPhones, as so many students seemed happy to return to campus and reunite
with their friends. I decided to approach one of the students and ask them why they are
2nd observations: Week of September 19th
For this week, I decided to monitor a different family member throughout the week. On
Monday, I asked my first sister a series of questions and checked up on her several times
throughout the day. She first uses her iPhone as an alarm, followed by some TikTok and
twitter browsing for her news source. She answers her friends on the group chats and begins
her day working from home. Afterwards, she watches some YouTube during lunch and
leisure time. She also ended up ordering UberEATS from her phone as soon as she was about
to finish work. I then went to school and our experiment for the day ended there. On
Thursday, I followed my mother around. She starts her day by opening Facebook and seeing
some news or updates from her friends. I noticed that she does several google searches on
random topics as well. I noticed my mother uses WhatsApp to communicate with her family
members abroad in Djibouti as well. This way, she can see their faces through video chat and
talk freely with them. However, I observed that my mother is much less dependent on her
iPhone than my sister is. Following this, I checked on my brother’s iPhone usage. He used a
lot of snapchat throughout the day to send pictures or videos to friends and communicate in
groups via group chats. He used the same basic applications such as the alarm clock, the
calculator to figure out numbers as well as the weather app to see whether it would be warm
or cold today (typical Canadian weather). Interestingly with my brother, I noticed he did most
of his activities on his iPhone. He even watches Netflix series on his iPhone, despite the fact
that we have a well functioning 60-inch Samsung smart TV. I observed that he has developed
a close relationship with this technology, and it always has to remain close to him at all times.
On Friday, I followed around my father. His use of his iPhone is much more limited. He
essentially only uses it as a means of communicating with colleagues or family or to watch
the Djibouti news via YouTube. I noticed he does not know how to fully make use of his
iPhone, which might limit his use of the technology features. This may be an early
generalisation, but this week I observed that age is a factor in iPhone dependency. The
younger people in the home are far more attached to their phones to the extent where it is an
extension of themselves.
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Interviews: Week of September 26th
This week, I decided to schedule a couple of interviews with a colleague at work and my
manager, in order to diversify my research demographic. Below are a few questions from this
interview:
September 27th at 3pm: Interview with my coworker Jillian, senior analyst at ESDC via
Microsoft teams
Question: What are the main purposes that you use your iPhone for?
Answer: The first reason I use my personal iPhone to organize my day. to communicate with
my husband, and to text or call family and friends. I start off by using the alarm clock so that
I can wake up in time for work. I also use the alarm feature to remind myself to take my daily
medications. I use the calendar to plan my hobbies, so that I don forget them. Of course I
take lots of pictures on it too. I use my iPhone to chat with my husband, and to text or call
family and friends throughout the day. Oh, I`also always on twitter so I use my iPhone for
that purpose as well. I check media outlets for news. Then I browse other social media
platforms like Tiktok or Instagram.
Question: You mentioned your personal iPhone, do you have multiple?
Answer: Yea, I also have my work iPhone provided by our department. I use this one if I
want to chat with folks from the office or answer emails on the go.
Question: Do you think that you are dependent on your iPhone in any way?
Answer: Pretty much. I don know what I would do without it. Since itàa part of my daily
tasks, I think of my iPhone as another ini me I use it all the time, whether itàto search
things up, to entertain myself, talk to people or to even pay for things (apple pay). My phone
is literally my wallet and bank too.
Additionally, I decided to ask my manager Franés about his daily interactions with his
iPhone. As a manager, I assume he has well developed organisational skills which might be
reflected here. Shockingly, his use of his iPhone was quite limited. He does not use the alarm
app in the morning, as he has a separate alarm clock. He also does not use the calendar
feature on his phone.The only social media he uses or browses often is Facebook as he posts
pictures or statuses regularly. He uses his personal iPhone primarily to communicate with his
girlfriend or his two children. He uses his work iPhone to answer emails and to take work
calls. Perhaps it is due to the age difference of my coworkers (52 – manager, 2