As the world is getting more and more technologically advanced devices that used to be separate devices are now constantly being combined to smaller, lighter multi-functional devices. Take for instance a blackberry. Just by holding one simple object in your hand you possess functions of several media artifacts, such as the internet, the phone, e-mail, calendar, face book and so one. It is actually crazy to think that when I was in middle school and got my first cell phone its sole purpose was just to make phone calls. However, you can look back even further when people just had home phones and so on from there.
As the world advances at a rapid pace it is absolutely necessary that technology advances at the same speed if not faster. People do not have the time or space to carry around several different media artifacts to obtain all the functions they need, which is why smart phones, such as the blackberry are crucial. The only question I would raise is; are we becoming too dependent on our smart phones? Our first assignment in class was to try to live without our most important media artifact and I proved that I could not even last a full day without my blackberry. How disastrous would it be if I lost my blackberry and had to be without texting, making phone calls, e-mail, face book, internet for an extended period of time? Sure I could use a computer for internet and a home phone for making phone calls, but I would become a lot less efficient and fall behind in a world where everything is now so fast pace.
I would answer yes to your question Annie! The youth of America are becoming so dependent on smart phones and their capabilities that they are losing touch with reality.
ReplyDeleteWhat I mean by this is that, males & females ranging from the age of 14 - 22 are more comfortable with addressing issues via text messages or e-mails because there is a degree of separation between the two parties involved. What would be a more difficult/uncomfortable conversation to have with a peer is greatly reduced by this degree of separation.
The reason this is becoming an issue is because texting & emails can easily distort the real message trying to be conveyed. Tone & context can be totally misinterpreted which ultimately leads to communication failure.
I would agree with your observation and with Andrew’s as he has suggested that we as a society have become completely dependent on our phones. However I would like to add that not just the age group of 14-22 year olds but everyone has become dependent on our phones. We as a society cannot live without our phones as we need to always be in constant communication in today's globalized economy; to be up to date with the latest news and gossip of our societies. To imagine a world without our smart phones today after becoming so accustomed to them, society would seem as if it were back in the age of the telegraph since obtaining news and information would take a lot longer since it has become to the norm to receive information instantaneously at the touch of our fingertips
ReplyDeletei completely agree with you annie. I also have a blackberry and could not last any longer than myabe a few hours without it. Now that i have owned a blackberry, i feel like it would be impossible to down-grade to something lower than a smart phone that doesn't have internet or e-mail capabilities. In this fast pace world, i feel it is necessary to stay in constant access to media, specifically my blackberry.
ReplyDeleteAs the previous comments, I also agree with you Annie. I do believe that most people do not need to be connected to their email and internet at all times of the day and wherever they go.
ReplyDeleteWhile it might come in handy for some business executive or salesmen who are on the road a lot without computer access, I think the majority of the people - especially in the age group 14-22 that Andrew pointed out - can do well without most of the smart phone's functions.
Texting and calling from a cell phone have made life more efficiently for everyone. Things get done faster and locations matter less and less, but I also believe that this decreases the quality of oral conversation between people. Because we are used to saying as much as possible in as little words as possible, the average vocabulary is shrinking. One reason for this is probably that we don't read as much anymore. Obviously the smart phone should not be blamed alone for this, but I think it is part of the group of advanced media technology that should be held responsible.
I also agree with all the previous comments. It is very true that everyone in our socicety is becoming very obsessed with being connected to many different media through their phones.
ReplyDeleteIt is good in the way that we can stay connected with the World very easily, but it is definitely taking away from the face to face contact, which is in fact a very important aspect of our society. If we continue to forget about the other ways of communcating, we as a society will only in fact become less connected as humans.
I like your first paragraph, it actually makes me feel your fascination about the BBRY technology and your starting to think criticall about it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the 2nd paragraph, it slides into a general point about BBRY addiction which we often hear about. Could you give more indepth questions about whether it is healthy to have this addiction? what are the possible down/upsides of such social craze? how do you feel about personally so dependent on a medium? and so on so forth.
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