Ringtones as youth fashion statement

Ringtones are a huge business: it’s a statement we have been hearing quite often lately. The latest article exploring the issue has been published on TechCentral and it’s dedicated to Malaysian’s market. EMI Malaysia managing director Darren Choy notes that the new generation of consumers is actually buying more albums that CDs.
Ringtones add a new level of personalization to mobile phones. “Ringtones are a youth fashion statement today, just like blue-jeans in the 1970s” said the author of the article.
It would be interesting to investigate users’ psychological relationship with the cell phone, and understand what’s the meaning of the device in daily life, what it represents, what is it for. There is actually a paper, by Hulme and Peters entitled “Me, My Mobile and I” (.pdf) which studies the influence mobile phones have on society and the use of other media.