Smart phones really are the big topic in technology right now. Conversations are endless - from the device, to the apps, to the carrier, and from Google, to Apple and Microsoft. But there is also another hot topic that you will never read about on your favorite news feed. I admit, I don't fully understand the scope of this topic, but it comes up quite often, and it is a valid concern.
I have been in the technology world for over 9 years now, so it is natural to me to be in the middle of it. I helped people stay connected with laptops and using a dial-up modem (very expensive!). Then they came out with wireless cards for these laptops, this was the coolest thing ever invented, but it took a little while for wireless networks to be available. Some of the nice hotels would have a wireless network, but many would not. As the technology grew, laptops were now being manufactured with built in wireless, and soon wireless was in everyone's homes, as well as laptops! Blackberries took the world by storm with cell phones that kept people in touch by email 24/7. This was amazing! There was literally an illness called "blackberry thumb syndrome" because people would use their blackberries so much that their thumbs would have chronic sorness or maybe even bleeding. RIM (Blackberry) for many years led the industry in cell phones. Then Microsoft introduced the world to the touchscreen smart phones with their windows mobile devices - I LOVED my windows mobile phone! (Yes, there was the Palm Treo that did well for a short time, but I just never liked it) And now...you all know the rest of the story. iPhones, iPads, Droids...devices that do anything you want it to, or in today's world they will do anything you tell it to. There is probably an app to cook your breakfast for you if you had time to search through thousands of them.
As I have said before, the world we live in today is more connected than ever. You can reach anyone at anytime in anyway you want - email, text, call, facebook, and so on. When something goes wrong at work, my phone will either call me or email me immediately - days, nights, weekends, it doesn't care about my sleeping schedule.
"The world is more connected than ever".....or is it? This is the question that constantly arises in these discussions. While two guys are talking about their great phones or showing off the new features, there is always one guy who is shaking his head. Why? Because something has changed. His buddies no longer call him to chat, they simply text him. He is now forced to get a texting plan on his phone so he doesn't get charged extra on his monthly bill. He sits in a room with his friends and they are all looking at their phones or talking about them instead of the meaningful conversations that once took place. The kids are now playing different games made available through the app store rather than riding their bikes outside. Two people sitting next to each other are texting each other rather than having a conversation. If you want to get to know someone, you have to read their blog or join facebook! In short, technology has ruined culture.
I have just painted this picture from the eyes of the person shaking his head at all of this new "stuff", and there are a lot of these people out there. It is a valid point. This person says there is no personal relationships anymore. Instead of calling someone or spending time with someone, you are texting or facebooking.
The other guy says he has over 400 facebook friends that he would never have been in touch with and now he knows all about them thanks to facebook. And when he has a quick question, a text is very efficient and you don't spend 20 minutes on the phone when you needed a quick answer. He says he can text an entire group of people in minutes about an event rather than taking over an hour to call each one of them. He now stays in touch with his kids and close friends all day long with texts back and forth when he otherwise would not have been in touch with them. He never needs a phone book, never needs a map, never needs to pack a camera, and on and on.
Wow, this can be quite the conversation piece. I used to hear a similar battle, "why don't you just pick up the phone and call someone rather than email?" I tend to be the guy that does facebook, email, and texting; in my line of work, I despise spending my days on the phone. So how do we respond to this issue? Both sides have valid points!
It is an interesting time we live in, and yes, technology has changed culture, but is it good or bad? I truly believe it is the same problems, different time. Not too long ago it was about too much television, or Mom and Dad yelling "get off the phone!" Then we started talking about how we were hooked on the internet and spent the entire day in front of our computer screen. So maybe the problem began a long time ago? Maybe the problem is much deeper than just technology or cell phones? When did we stop going to people's houses for visits? When did we stop helping people on a regular basis? When did we give up our normal habits to sit in front of a TV, or talk on a phone, or surf the net? And now we facebook, text, blog, email...on and on it goes. What did we do before we had all of these things? Have these things damaged culture?
To be continued....maybe, this could get deeper than I am able to tackle! :)
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