Are We All the Same Way?

When it comes to mobile usage, we normally do not regard or factor in the government control over these communicative practices. When we tweet something or post something on Facebook, we won’t pause for a moment and wonder if the government will come to your house and punish you for posting something they consider inappropriate. Rather, we are more concerned about what our family and friends think because they are ultimately the ones who are going to view what you post. For instance, we will post vacation pictures so that others can comment, as well as share the memories and what you saw.  Smartphones and other handheld devices make viewing such content easier. This is capable today through the purchase of apps in the App Store that Googlin explores in his paper. Through these apps, these handheld devices now have the capabilities of a computer in the palm of your hand, and it is quite affordable. You no longer have to go through the hassle of logging onto the internet on a PC to browse on Facebook! As Christian stated, “Smartphones have brought our favourite social media sites to the palm of our hands; we can see everyone’s tweets and status updates at virtually any location instantaneously.” Since you know that your friends and family can view what you post almost anywhere and at any time, you are more concerned about what they see.

When it comes to the usage of my phone, it is difficult whether or not I need to communicate or not. Of course there are times when I actually need it such as having to make a call to your parents or another individual for a particular reason.  Other than that, when I text or browse on social networking sites, it is normally when I am bored or when I need to burn time.  I personally don’t have to constantly communicate because I prefer face-to-face conversation. However, I have started to constantly communicate with my friends via text messaging. The main reason for this is because I am away from home to attend school and keeping in touch through text messaging is the easiest way. It is difficult and expensive having to arrange times to come back home to talk to my friends. Thus, wireless communication is the effective method. As Campbell and Park stated, “Adolescents and young adults are known for their distinctive uses of the mobile phone to establish, maintain, demonstrate, and reinforce social network ties.” Though the use of my cell phone, I can stay “in the loop” with my friends back at home and be notified of anything important. Keeping in touch is important because it maintains the strong relationships with my friends, even if it done wirelessly. It’s the best I can do right? Also, it makes me feel less of a stranger when I am home for a holiday or break because I have talked to them recently. Thanks to cell phone capabilities today, my relationships are still intact.

Handheld devices may have an effect on an individual’s social skills, which could cause a problem. By getting used to these devices, face-to-face communication is less frequent. I have a friend who is socially awkward and does not like to talk, mainly because he is shy. However, when he is behind a computer or Smartphone, he can talk forever. It honestly difficult to tell if it is him or not! As a business student, I have to get used to talking to someone directly because it is an essential tool for success in building business relationships. It is also an essential tool for teamwork and success. Can you imagine trying to build business relationships or working with a team via text? As Anthony stated, “Our phones thus represent us as people interpret the way we are simply by reading our text messages.  This constrains us from knowing one another by our true selves as we are judged upon written words rather than our face-to-face words and actions.” You do not know who you are doing business with or who your members of a team really are unless you meet in person. If you do not have the proper social skills, you may leave an impression that does not reflect who you really are. Therefore, it will lead to failure.

Smartphones have now advanced from its intended purpose of only texting and calling. As Campbell and Park stated, “This shift in the relationship between communication technology and society manifests not only in the style of mobile communication devices, but also how they are used.”  IPhones for instance now have many purposes such as social networking, playing games, checking our bank accounts and taking pictures. As Chad stated, “the IPhone is an “all-in-one” tool, combining a phone, a computer, an mp3 player and much more.” Many of us rely on these devices. For instance, a crucial purpose is the function that allows us to store important dates and appointments. These phones also notify us of these dates so that it is impossible to forget. This is quite the handy tool because there is so much going on in our lives that it is easy to forget. These phones serve many different purposes for the user because of its wide variety of function it can provide. This is essentially why the product is so successful.

The emergence of the IPhone and other similar devices has changed our society and who we are. These devices have become a part of us now and have become a necessity for daily function. I still don’t prefer to use text messaging or calling over face-to-face communication but, convenience is huge factor to overlook. Most of us will continue to depend on these devices and as these IPhones advance, so will our lifestyles.