I'm on facebook, twitter, blogger and delicious. I don't want to be. Back in the day I joined MySpace, then converted to facebook. I soon got sick of the whole concept of social networking and deleted it all. So why am I back on Facebook? Because this is now what the world operates around. Kelly describes a new economy based around expanding communications, and states that "those who play by the new rules will prosper, while those who ignore them will not". How was I going to progress in a world where people show you things by posting it to your Facebook and classes at uni are based around exploring social networking sites. When you met someone new, you used to ask them for their phone number, and for a short time, their email address. Now we ask "are you on Facebook?" During my near 2-year hiatus from Facebook, I was asked this question, and was met with a dropped jaw.
I'm a former Information and Communication Technology (Network and Systems Management) student. Without going into specific details of the topics covered, one topic that stick out is Risk Management. Specifically, the successful communication of information. This was vital to managing the risk involved in networking, or as Kelly would put it, to help the success of this new economy.
I finished Year 12 in 2004. Which means I went through high school pre-Facebook, and went through primary school pre-Internet. I therefore consider myself to have 3 different perspectives on communication technologies. When I was 8 I would pick up the phone (which had a cord attached to the end of it), and call my friends house.
"Hi Mrs. Smith, it's Chris, is Joe there?"
When I was 16 I'd rech into my pocket for a much smaller phone (with a monotone screen) and type into it to contact lots of friends at once. I still remember an ad on TV from the early '00s about the Nokia 3315 and it's whiz-bang "Send To Many" SMS feature.
"Hey boys, movie this weekend?"
These days I'd much rather stick to one of those two methods (and I do if I can), but try organising a party these days without putting in on Facebook.
Technology has started to progress to a stage where the tangible device you have in your hand is only as good as the intangible tasks it can perform. It doesn't matter if your phone has a 10MP camera, with a dual core processor and a 1080p AMOLED screen, if it doesn't let you tweet on the fly. You won't sign up with a $800 a month cap-plan for $20 if it doesn't give you data to use.
I completely agree. I did not have facebook until 2 years ago and now because I do, people now assume if it's on facebook you will instantly know the event is happening. Facebook seems to add more communication problems then it solves, especially for people who do not regularly log on.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny that I don't really know anyone who regualrly uses the camera on their phone, and yet will not buy one unless it has a minimum 6 MP and things like that. The tangible is the selling point of the physical product. The services it provides are accpeted as a given.
I find it really interesting that you say 'one thing about new technology is that I think you have to be smart about it and not let it suck you in too much' - DXW1. Specifically i find it interesting that you see that as being 'sucked in'. I think the BEST thing about technology is things like not needing a house phone anymore and having digital cameras on our mobiles. Obviously I have a big crush on technology and you guys may hate me for it but I think its all so exciting. You may have heard the quote 'we shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us' by Marshall McLuhan? This process has happened for years. Society virtually crapped its pants when the phone came about and now look how far it has taken us. Its easy to be scared of technology because it is unknown but i think taking DXW1's advice to 'sit back and enjoy the ride' should be adopted by everyone. After all we are humans and we will continue to shape these tools as much as they shape us. :)
ReplyDeleteEnd rant.
Annie.
I am in the same boat as you, but just a little behind. I remember my parent's first "brick mobile" and how quickly it seemed to develop - to the good old nokia 3310... From there on, mobile phones were in a development landslide.
ReplyDeleteI also remember the computer phases, using the old bulky mac computers in my last few years of primary school. The internet was really only making itself known to my generation around year 7 and 8, which therein held the myspace craze.
We are currently stuck in our facebook driven world (which is easier than getting someones email or myspace url), but i cant help but wonder what comes next?!
Firstly, I loved my Nokia 3315.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, as Olivia asks, what come next? I mean, we have seen such large transformations in technology, what else is there to come? Technology never ceases to amaze me, for example the ipad, could we have imagined such an invention, it's features and capabilities 10 years ago?