The Beijing Games will be the first Olympics to be widely watched by Australians on their mobile phones. Mobile phones may also play a role in coverage of the Games, with visitors to Beijing able to capture and send images instantly, subverting any controls imposed on official broadcasters, says RMIT University in Melbourne.

RMIT University’s Larissa Hjorth is an expert on mobile communication and mobile media. She has posed some questions about the impact of mobile phones on the 2008 Olympics.

What effect could digital “citizen journalism” have on the Games?

How might the advent of mobile media affect TV ratings?

Are we likely to see people huddled around mobiles to watch momentous Olympic events, reminiscent of people gathering around TV sets in the early days of television?

Ms Hjorth lectures in Games and Digital Art Programs, with her research focusing on mobile communication, gaming and virtual communities in the Asia-Pacific.

She has published widely on mobile media, with her latest book, Mobile Media in the Asia-Pacific (London, Routledge), available in October.

Ms Hjorth will comment in the media on the impact of mobile media on the Beijing Olympic Games.