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Week 39/ 2007: Finns love mobile phones but disapprove of chatter

In her dissertation published in the US, Lecturer Saila Poutiainen from the Department of Speech Sciences studied how Finns talk about mobile phone communication.

An extensive analysis of newspapers and interviews revealed that mobile phone communication has become part of the mythical talk of a tongue-tied nation.

“It’s a special, slightly ironic way that we Finns talk about ourselves with each other. Yet our everyday communication can be quite different,” Poutiainen says.

She admits having thought before that calling Finns “a mobile phone nation” would have more negative connotations. Her research revealed, however, that many interviewees regarded it as a totally neutral concept. In newspapers it was used on a more ironic note.

Poutiainen discovered thirty different words for mobile phone talk. Most of them were negative, such as lörpöttely, chatting, and juoruilu, gossiping. This entailed the assumption that the mobile phone nation cannot talk asiallisesti, in a matter-of-fact style, but instead people waffle on about their private matters on the phone.

“But the interviews also showed that chatting and gossiping on the mobile phone is often a good way to break free from everyday routine and stay in contact with friends,” she says.

In her material, Poutiainen noticed the paradox between reachability and disturbance via mobile phone. She studied how people described being disturbed by the mobile phone and explained why they were not always reachable. Olla rauhassa, to be in peace, somehow seemed to be a significant need and of even greater importance than reachability. This is why people tend to avoid disturbing others with unnecessary calls.

According to Poutiainen, mobile phone use in a way resembles the way Finns speak about mökki, the summer cottage, where people also want to be in peace with selected company.

“Being in peace seems to be connected to the Finnish concept of humanity and social relationships. Text messages are particularly handy for Finns, as you don’t have to reply right away even though you are reachable,” she says.

Text: Ilona Hietanen
Photo: Veikko Somerpuro
www.helsinki.fi/digitalcommunications

Translation: Valtasana Oy