The question is about cell phone numbers because to a large extent people can choose whether or not to keep them, regardless of current geographical location, or change them, whereas you can't take a land line with you when you move. I'm interested in whether people are likely to either change or avoid changing their cell phone number so that it identifies where they are from, however they define that. People who don't have or rarely use their cell phones add noise to the data, but it doesn't invalidate the question. As I said above, I suspect the strength of the correlation would vary by generation as cell phones are more likely to be the only phone number people have if they're younger.
As to whether or not this is about where someone is from or where they call home the whole point is that that means something different to different people. Everyone's story about where home is is unique; what I'm interested in is how that impacts their behavior.
Well, as we've seen by some respondents here, they ported their landline numbers to their cell phones, so it's not impossible to carry your home number with you. I wonder if it's possible to also just port a phone number from a landline to another place landline. It's becoming mostly software anyway.
I suppose this is just anecdotal evidence, so you can take it with a grain of salt, but I've seen both behaviors across all ages: both people who scream bloody murder their phone numbers will change and people like me who think it's not a big deal and also for both cell phones and landlines -- by now multiple metro areas had lively arguments pro- and con- splitting the phones into new area codes or adding overlays. Some areas, like Boston, just got new area codes for the 'burbs, some places added overlays. Although I think here cell phones did a bit of both depending on the carriers.
If I'm allowed to make up answers, I'd say that my perception is that the businesses were the first to scream bloody murder about the number changes (no surprise, the older the business, the harder it is) and then people got the idea that changing their phone numbers might be a big deal for them too.
For me, I think I'm of the electronic age even though I'm nearly 50 years old. When my phone number changes, I just email my entire set of friends and tell them so. Also, that's what the phone directories and directory assistance is for, but then again, I'm fortunate enough that I'm not being stalked, so I can list my phone number (I have friends that have restraining orders against nasty people and can't do what I do, for example).
Still, I suppose it's pretty obvious there are all kinds of people. I hope you get your answers as to what percentages they fall into, good luck!
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-16 06:02 am (UTC)As to whether or not this is about where someone is from or where they call home the whole point is that that means something different to different people. Everyone's story about where home is is unique; what I'm interested in is how that impacts their behavior.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-16 09:56 am (UTC)I suppose this is just anecdotal evidence, so you can take it with a grain of salt, but I've seen both behaviors across all ages: both people who scream bloody murder their phone numbers will change and people like me who think it's not a big deal and also for both cell phones and landlines -- by now multiple metro areas had lively arguments pro- and con- splitting the phones into new area codes or adding overlays. Some areas, like Boston, just got new area codes for the 'burbs, some places added overlays. Although I think here cell phones did a bit of both depending on the carriers.
If I'm allowed to make up answers, I'd say that my perception is that the businesses were the first to scream bloody murder about the number changes (no surprise, the older the business, the harder it is) and then people got the idea that changing their phone numbers might be a big deal for them too.
For me, I think I'm of the electronic age even though I'm nearly 50 years old. When my phone number changes, I just email my entire set of friends and tell them so. Also, that's what the phone directories and directory assistance is for, but then again, I'm fortunate enough that I'm not being stalked, so I can list my phone number (I have friends that have restraining orders against nasty people and can't do what I do, for example).
Still, I suppose it's pretty obvious there are all kinds of people. I hope you get your answers as to what percentages they fall into, good luck!