Being together while not being together

“Being together while not being together”

 

 

 

No matter where we are we can be in contact with everyone anywhere. The influx and growth of mobile technology has changed our world. It has dramatically changed how we communicate and how we interact socially. Smartphones in particular have in many ways become a distraction. There are many situations where they tend to intrude or draw our attention away, such as work meetings, social gatherings, in university, school, actually anywhere really.

I have to in some ways agree with Sherry Turkle’s point that what we are experiencing is the phenomenon of being alone together. That we want to be together but also elsewhere, we want to stay connected to everything that’s going on outside whilst we are together.  Mobile devices are distracting us and intruding on our time together, having a large impact on our private lives.

On top of this phenomenon that sees people being in the same room together but not actually being together, a study found that people are increasingly texting and phoning family members within the same house from another room. I guess we could say this is very convenient, a good use of technology, or is it plain lazy? Are young people losing the communication skills we once took for granted? 

It seems we also are becoming so absorbed with our phones that on top of losing real connections with each other, our attention can get seriously lost and accidents that occur whilst being on a mobile phone are on the increase and this has created in some circumstances a very deadly preoccupation. 

We need balance, we need awareness! I have a clear need for my phone, it has become an essential device for me to carry out many daily activities. There are many positives to take from this growth in mobile technology, many opportunities, but we do need to be wary that where there are positives there will always be negatives. We need to become aware that yes communicating is a vital aspect to human existence and advancements that connect us are vital to everyone, but we need to also be sure not to lose our ability to connect face to face, to truly feel what it is to be human, to feel emotion and be together.
 

Many questions get raised when we look at this issue surrounding mobile phone use. Are we really listening to each other? How can we be listening when our attention is spread much more thinly? Are the next generations destined to losing the fundamental communication skills? What has happened to just talking and conversing? What does this say about our future?  I look forward to reading your ideas and comments related to the implications of mobile devices in our lives and how you feel this affects us moving forward...

References: 

Bingham, J 2013, Mobile phones destroying people's private lives, The Telegraph, 27 September, viewed 27 November 2013, <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/10336750/Mobile-phones-destroying-peoples-private-lives.html>

Duudeabides2, 2012, Man distracted by phone, falls onto train tracks, Youtube, viewed 28 November 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMiZYNt3UCE>

Geser, H 2006, Is the Cell Phone Undermining the Social Order?: Understanding Mobile Technology from a Sociological Perspective, Knowledge, Technology, & Policy, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 8–18. 

Kaye, J 2013, Cell Phone Absorption: A Deadly Preoccupation, The Picket, 29 October, viewed 28 November 2013, <http://supicket.com/commentary/2013/10/29/cell-phone-absorption-a-deadly-preoccupation/>

The Times of India 2013, Study finds people increasingly phoning and texting family members in the same house, The Times of India, 21 February, viewed 27 November 2013, <http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-02-21/edit-page/37201042_1_text-messages-communication-face-to-face-conversation>

Turkle, S 2012, Sherry Turkle: connected but alone? TED, viewed 27 November 2013, <http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.html>

Turkle, S 2013, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sherry Turkle, viewed 27 November 2013, <http://www.mit.edu/~sturkle/>

Where do we begin? The future of blogging

Where do we begin?

Hey everyone, welcome to my new blog ‘Social Switch’. My name is Michael and this is my first ever post into the Blogosphere. I look forward to seeing what comes of this adventure over the next few months. Half the battle when writing can be deciding what to write about, or maybe more to the point is what to write about that will actually be interesting for others to read. I personally do enjoy writing, although I do sometimes tend to ramble on a bit. I will do my best to limit this in my posts and be concise and straight to the point. 

Being that this is the first post I struggled somewhat where to begin. Maybe this was due to a little fear of the unknown; at the same time though I feel some excitement in learning a new skill and being able to share my thoughts on some very interesting topics. I look forward to learning and sharing over the next few months more about mobile devices which I have plenty of experience with using and twitter which I have used on occasions. I also am looking forward to delving into topics like politics and wikileaks in which I have some knowledge, as well as learning about the last 2 topics simulacra and produsage as they are completely new to me.

Does blogging have a future? 

One thing we can be sure of is the fact that internet most definitely is not a fad, it is here to stay. New forms of media and the growth in technology will continue for a long time to come. Social media platforms have exploded in popularity, if we look back at the origins of social media, blogging is central to where it all began. It has come a long way since the first online journal which gave us the ability to write about our thoughts and ideas, then publish and share them with everyone. 

Social media and blogging together have revolutionised how we engage and share news and ideas. The platform has given everyone a voice; through writing posts and conversations about those posts, to sharing videos and pictures. On their own, pictures tell a great story. 

Traditional media did at first write off blogging, but now they see blogging as crucial. The fastest growth is seen in the desire for traditional media to have faster, cheaper and real-time platforms to distribute their content. Blogs have a broad reach, the integration of many social media platforms to promote have ensured larger audiences read posts and thus have seen an increased use by influential groups such as politicians, media, corporate highflyers and celebrities. This has turned blogs into an essential means of communication especially if you wish to attract wider audiences.

Another aspect that will continue to see the blogosphere grow and survive is the increased growth and use of mobile devices making for easier access at virtually anytime. This helps support the continued growth of multimedia platforms that encourages and attracts wider audiences through the availability and ability to use multiple media platforms in blogs. This has greatly enhanced the user’s ability to package information in different formats to reach much larger audiences. 

The continued growth of social media and multimedia platforms and the increased use of blogs by the traditional media, corporations and leaders as well as individuals wishing to have a voice ensures blogging does have a strong future.