Jean-Christophe Rampal is a freelance French journalist. In August, he interviewed Howard Rheingold by e-mail. Now, it has been published by EPOK, the cultural monthly magazine produced by FNAC, the largest french retailer for books, records and electronics.
Here is the french version as published by EPOK, which doesn't have an online presence, but allowed me to reproduce this article.
Ancien rédacteur en chef de "Hot Wired", le webzine du magazine Wired, observateur des mutations sociales engendrées par les nouvelles technologies, l'Américain Howard Rheingold publie Smmart Mobs, The Next Social Revolution (Foules intelligentes, la prochaine révolution sociale) (chez Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Etats-Unis).
Q: Certains gouvernements, en particulier en Asie, souhaitent réglementer l'utilisation des téléphones mobiles équipés d'appareils photo numériques. Qu'en pensez-vous?
A: Imposer aux constructeurs de doter les appareils d'un dispositif sonore, une sorte de "clic" bruyant, lorsqu'une photo est prise, me paraît être une mesure sensée. Mais je ne crois pas sérieux de contrôler de manière autoritaire l'utilisation de ces terminaux dans les lieux publics. Cependant, on peut comprendre qu'on les interdise dans certains endroits comme les vestiaires.
Q: Peut-on imaginer que la majorité des utilisateurs s'autodiscipline en créant une "étiquette" à l'image de ce qui a prévalu sur le Net?
A: Jusqu'à un certain point, oui. Après un premier temps d'utilisation d'une nouvelle technologie ou d'un nouveau média, les usagers créent des normes d'emploi, une forme d'auto régulation. Mais il demeurera toujours des réfractaires.
Q: Les échanges d'images par téléphone mobile sont-ils amenés à connaître le même succès que les SMS?
A: Le succès sera au rendez-vous, mais sans atteindre les volumes que nous connaissons aujourd'hui avec les SMS.
Here is the slightly longer original e-mail exchange.
Hello, I work as freelance for EPOK, a monthly magazine sponsored by the first French retailer of cultural products, a mix of Tower Records, Barnes & Noble and Apple Stores. For the October issue, I am writing an article about alternative uses of picture phones. I read your last book Smart Mobs and I’d like to ask you some questions about this phenomenon.
Q: Some governments for example in Asia want to regulate the use of picture phones, how you see this?
A: Regulating the manufacture of the phones so that they make a loud "click" when they take a photograph makes sense. I don't see much sense in trying to police the behavior of how people use telephone cameras in public. They can be prohibited from places like changing rooms, of course.
Q: Do you believe in the possibility that a majority of users, as a social group, accepts a self-regulations creating a etiquette?
A: To some degree, yes, as a new technology and communication medium becomes used for a while, people develop norms -- the way we self-regulate all sorts of behavior. But of course, some people will always be rude.
Q: One use of picture mobiles is alternative journalism, like in the last G8 summit in Evian. Do you believe that use is going to be a permanent use and perhaps a new media?
A: Moblogs Seen as a Crystal Ball for a New Era in Online Journalism.
Q: Do you believe that exchange of pictures by mobile is going to be successful like SMS?
A: Yes, but undoubtedly the volume of pictures will not equal the volume of short messages.
Q: Do you have in project the translation of Smart Mobs?
A: No French publishers have made an offer, I am afraid.
Thank you for your answers.
Best regards. Jean-Christophe Rampal.
Sources: EPOK Issue 40, October 2003, P. 53; E-mail exchange between Jean-Christophe Rampal and Howard Rheingold, August 24, 2003
3:49:44 PM
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