Mobile communications and ready access to internet on the suite of avaiable devices (smart phones, iPads, iPods) means that people are always "switched on". There's less downtime now than there was in previous generations and even when on holidays you don't escape contact from others. This means, generally speaking, that there is less time for contemplation and a reduced ability to make conscious decisions. People are cramming more into their already busy days. There's no time for slow cooking, whole foods or smelling the roses.
Being back in the city has made me aware of how plugged in everyone is. Recently a news article featured footage of a man walking towards a black bear while texting.
On public transport there's no eye contact, no turning of newspaper pages, no conversation. Instead there's the flurried sweeping of hands across sensory glass screens as people text or flick through tunes to select the song to blare direct into their ears or catch up on e-mail before getting to the office. What would our grandparents say? Would they see the folly of our actions and warn us against online networks in favour of interactions with real people? Would they reminisce about the old days when it took 2 weeks to get a letter to a friend in London and another 2 to get a reply? Would they tell cautionary tales of thinking things through before instantly sending a witty retort that could be incorrectly construed as an insult because in text there is no ability to judge tone?
The recent (admittedly hilarious) viral e-mails about autocorrection fails highlight to me that people aren't even taking the time to proofread their truncated texts before they press the send button. My mum recently sent me a text telling me that my cousing was "really looking forward to sodding time with me". Apple clearly has a way to go when they convert spending to sodding. I don't want to sod time with anyone, thank you! I get enough sod at the block on weekends.
And don't even get me started on "textese".
People are now experiencing mobile phone addiction (which is surely more of an issue than with televisions and computers as most people don't slip a TV or PC into their bra when they go out for a night with the girls) and there's even a defined mental health condition Facebook addiction disorder.
There's also the cost associated with mobile phone use. With mobile phone users spending on average $140 per month they're racking up over $1600 a year in bills. Alternatively, this is a new (small) car or a 5% deposit for a home in a decade.
Don't get me wrong, I think social media has it's place and serves to connect people that are geographically isolated. I am on Facebook and LinkedIn and love to hear what my friends and colleagues are up to. I love the instant sharing of information, the ease of communicating with people on the other side of the world and the feeling of connectedness that comes with sharing your life with others.
On public transport there's no eye contact, no turning of newspaper pages, no conversation. Instead there's the flurried sweeping of hands across sensory glass screens as people text or flick through tunes to select the song to blare direct into their ears or catch up on e-mail before getting to the office. What would our grandparents say? Would they see the folly of our actions and warn us against online networks in favour of interactions with real people? Would they reminisce about the old days when it took 2 weeks to get a letter to a friend in London and another 2 to get a reply? Would they tell cautionary tales of thinking things through before instantly sending a witty retort that could be incorrectly construed as an insult because in text there is no ability to judge tone?
The recent (admittedly hilarious) viral e-mails about autocorrection fails highlight to me that people aren't even taking the time to proofread their truncated texts before they press the send button. My mum recently sent me a text telling me that my cousing was "really looking forward to sodding time with me". Apple clearly has a way to go when they convert spending to sodding. I don't want to sod time with anyone, thank you! I get enough sod at the block on weekends.
And don't even get me started on "textese".
People are now experiencing mobile phone addiction (which is surely more of an issue than with televisions and computers as most people don't slip a TV or PC into their bra when they go out for a night with the girls) and there's even a defined mental health condition Facebook addiction disorder.
There's also the cost associated with mobile phone use. With mobile phone users spending on average $140 per month they're racking up over $1600 a year in bills. Alternatively, this is a new (small) car or a 5% deposit for a home in a decade.
Don't get me wrong, I think social media has it's place and serves to connect people that are geographically isolated. I am on Facebook and LinkedIn and love to hear what my friends and colleagues are up to. I love the instant sharing of information, the ease of communicating with people on the other side of the world and the feeling of connectedness that comes with sharing your life with others.
I see kids texting on their way to the station in the morning and during the day on the school holidays. I happened to chat to a teenage girl recently while waiting at a level crossing and asked her who she was texting so furiously with her fingers flying over the screen of her iPhone, she didn't look up but pointed at the girl next to her and said "her". When I responded in dismay, "why don't you just talk to her?" the exasperated reply was "I get free text on my plan". And there you have it; the exact reason I question the mobile life is the apparent rejection of actual interaction with an actual person that you are actually with in favour for communicating via a device that may or may not contribute to brain tumours and comes at a huge cost to individuals and the planet in terms of resources.
As my grandmother would say "What has the world come to?"
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