Drawing upon ethnographic data, this article explores how young Koreans appropriate mobile phones. By examining the role of local norms of sociality among young people, the study shows that this "individualizing" technology is articulated through "traditionalizing" forces. Despite dominant representations of young people's individualization via the popular use of new technologies, young Koreans in the study internalize and negotiate local norms of sociality emphasizing collective harmony based upon self-regulation. This implies that young people's use of "new" technology is integrated with the "old" contexts. (Contains 1 note.)