There is no confusion on my part that the evolution of our society has a complete dependency on technology. My grandparents have cell phones, my parents have WIFI and multiple computers, Facebook and Twitter are engraved in our daily routines and e-mails have replaced a good chunk of any voice to voice contact in the workplace. I can’t even remember the last time I had a long conversation on my phone or the last time I called all of my friends to set up a get together. Between Facebook and Texting my fingers to most of my work! This could possibly be one of the reasons that I had carpal tunnel syndrome surgery 3 months before my 27th birthday… Hmm…
H. Rheingold quoted a young Filipino in his 2002 article ‘Shibuya Epiphony’ saying that ‘We Are Generation TXT.’ How right you are! And this was 2002, the start of…well at least my own texting revolution, it was still a minority of services among the communication realm/ Seven years later it is a way of life. If I couldn’t text someone chances are I probably wouldn’t have nearly as much communications with that person as I would have if i could just thumb over a quick message. This medium is the most immediate and effortless ways to communicate with one or many people at once. Rheingold also referred to social theorist Erving Goffman’s comments on ‘the presentation of self’ saying “The ways people communicate and the groups they use as audiences for their communicative performances are part of the social machinery they use to construct identity.” This basically exactly backs up the statement I made on frequency of communication to the method of communication.
Popular culture is based on the embracing of a “thing,” whether it’s a haircut or a communication style. We have written texting and electronic communications in our own history. I think Sprint’s slogan, ‘The NOW Network’ really captures this idea. We are a culture who has come to expect things instantly, and we are used to getting it. Methods of technology have shaped our actions.
NPRs Brooke Gladstone interviews Gordon Bell who is a 72 year old computer scientist (proving there’s no age limit to todays technological revolutions). Gordon Bell is seeing the abilities of these technologies as an opportunity to push “lifelogging” which was described as,
…digitally storing every letter and photo, every phone call, email and video, every conversation, keystroke and scrap of paper, the entire minutiae of his daily routine, onto a hard drive.
From a self-professed packrat, I think the idea is absolutely fantastic though it would take me years to let go of the physical pieces, being able to store your entire life in one spot (and I have learned to also include about 2 back ups…. juuuuust in case) is phenomenal. Every piece of your life recalled on-demand. NOW, just how we want it. Another lifelogger, Clive Thompson speaks of “the holy grail” of a ‘life browser’ or ‘remembrance agent.’ Now that is something I could use!
Pop these all in a portable internet machine and I think our society could have a pretty interesting virtual future.
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