Page - 68 - in Mobile Culture Studies - The Journal, Volume 3/2017

68 Mobile Culture Studies. The Journal 3 2o17 Agata Stanisz | Tractor unit acoustemology Cybermobility supported by the software of GPS navigation and communication systems over- laps with human situational agency. Physical movement, the ability to use mobile Internet, mobile phones and satellite navigation systems, create a new form of communication on the road, new forms of coordination of both human and mechanical motion and,  in  the case of long-haul tractor unit drivers, lead to the blurring of lines between homes and workplaces, and between private and public matters. According to Kevin Hannam, Mimi Sheller and John Urry, what we face here is convergence between transport and  communication as well as the process of co-presence mobilization (Hannam, Sheller, Urry 2006, 4-6). Taking into consideration the aural dimension of communication via mobile phones or  the  Internet, which constitute significant components of tractor unit drivers’ work, effec- tively debunks and nullifies the favoring of ocularcentrism rooted not only in  experiencing, but also in the scientific understanding of the modern media. This creates an  opportunity to rethink the  phenomenology of screen media and interfaces. Sounds produced by mobile de- vices co-create the daily ambience of working and dwelling on the road. Michael Bull (2004, 173-190) defines this phenomenon as the auditory privatization of public space. This is accom- panied by  audible telepresence – the embodiment of co-presence, proximity and intimacy – through sounds, not through vision (Richardson 2009). For this reason, my research constitute an expression of resistance to the visual paradigm. Vision is simply insufficient. This  paradigm most often refers to the hegemony of the eye and marginalization of other senses. This is reflect - ed in the concept of knowledge described in terms of either illumination or enlightenment as a process of acquiring knowledge using one’s eyesight. The  juxtaposition of vision – light and knowledge is deeply rooted and we still tend to forget that reality is multi-sensual. Radio, singing, satellite television, whistling tunes – music inside and outside the cabs – at  petrol stations, parking lots, bars and restaurants, car washes, in toilets and public show - ers,  shops and at some parties the drivers pass by. They are an example of manifesting one’s national and ethnic identity through music. The- se are the means used for creating and organizing space, setting the time, defining identity, for example, through rituals which are to assure the  community that it occupies a certain place in the world and that there is a political project for the future (Smith 1997, 502-529). Therefore, tractor unit drivers use music and other musical sounds to emphasize their background and identity. And so they listen to disco polo (Polish disco music) or,  less frequently, Polish rock and pop music while driving or, more often, while resting at  a  parking lot. Most tractor unit drivers take satellite dishes, which enable them to listen to  Polish radio stations, football matches com- mented on by Polish footballers, or to Sunday’s masses. For Polish drivers, this constitutes an important demonstration of their national origin. They constantly travel on standardized roads, Audio file 17: Road-mender as guide. Humburg, Germany, 2011-08-19. https://app.box.com/embed/preview/96hoi4g49j0claj49ui0?theme=dark