Always On

We are literally 'Always On'.  We now have the ability to access the internet, while talking on the phone, after sending a text message to someone you just e-mailed.  There are all these options we can use today that 10 years ago had to be done seperately and not on the same machine that fits in the palm of your hand.  New technologies form every year and we consistantly adapt and change to these new forms of communication and technologies. 

Sherry Turkle's chapter 8 in her book, "Alone Together" is very interesting in how we are always connected to the internet and social outputs.  In the past decade, these newfound technologies of smartphones and wireless connection has broughten us to a new state of life.

In my life, i am lucky to have a smartphone as well in the iPhone.  I have the ability to do everything i need in a timely manner on my phone.  It has everything from text messaging to having apps to checking the weather and anything in between. 

Turkle brought up a great point about e-mails in the chapter.  She talked about how anyone under 25 years old, e-mail has become an old form of use and technology.  I believe this is correct in some circumstances.  E-mail, in my eyes, has become something of the past and continues to do.  With new forms of communication on social media outputs and on smartphones, e-mailing has become something one has to check but doesnt want to. 

Being a college student, obviously i have to check my email for school and my personal email.  However, if i didnt have those email accounts on my phone i would be lost.  I wouldnt check my email as much if i had to log on my computer and check everyday because i just would forget or wouldnt want to.  Having in on my smartphone is a great convenience for me. 

Turkle also brought up the point of distractions and multitasking in the chapter.  I believe that the generation growing up with these forms of technologies grasp the ability to multitask and conduct new ways to communicate.  However, there are forms of distractions with these new forms of technologies.  She said she interviewed children in the 1980's about their lives with technology.  Their distractions while doing homework consisted of Super Mario and music playing in the background.  Now, students are faced with numerous distractions, especially with school, in Facebook, Twitter, texting, email, eBay, shopping on line, and surfing the web in class.  Going through school, i can agree that these distractions sometimes get a hold of students and myself while in the classroom setting.  Now, some people might even function better when they are able to multitask with these forms of technology rather than sitting and drifting off in a lecture.  They might actually get more out of it by not being bored. This could be wrong, but a good thought to think about.

However one might take it, new forms of technologies are being made all the time and we have to adapt to these or we might get left behind.  These days, people adapt so quickly to these forms that it will be something of the past before we know it.