Comments on: OMG! Life is calling

By: Catie Traverse

Catie Traverse — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 05:38:14 +0000

What has once been viewed as rude and distant has now become more common and acceptable. Often I have become frustrated with the common situations of being on a date, whether with a friend or significant other, and had to wait quietly while they texted across from me. When I make it known the discomfort or agitation I feel when this happens, most people see me as “overreacting”. Despite the media acceptance of this, I refuse to disregard the rudeness of being ignored when conversing with a person. Would it be rude, if while I was talking to someone, mid conversation they turned to talk to someone else? Is it not the same thing?

By: Sarah Reinartz

Sarah Reinartz — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:27:36 +0000

As most everyone who has already commented, I am not in denial about my addiction to technology. I am in constant contact with friends and family through texting and close friends know most every moment of my day as it is happening! When I have gone on trips into the wilderness in which a cell phone is completely out of service and unusable, it is incredibly hard to adjust to the inability to keep in constant touch with people. I think part of it is that my brain is so used to having multiple things to do at all times that just sitting still and enjoying what I’m doing in the present moment almost feels like not enough, like I need more brain stimulation than just that. However, after the first day or so of technological detox, not feeling the need to check my phone every 30 seconds begins to feel very freeing and being able to simply relax in what I am doing feels great. It is like my brain readjusts to not needing the constant technological stimulation and then the “addiction” isn’t an issue!

I am certainly guilty of walking in a veering line while texting or almost running into things because I have not looked up at what I am walking towards. It’s a little embarrassing when things like that happen! But I think that there is no way to move backward technologically now because the world has been exposed to what is available already. Technology will continue to advance and become more available and prevalent, therefore people will have to learn to function effectively as it advances. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with technology, but I do think that it is almost impossible not to become addicted to using it once you are exposed to it.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:13:46 +0000

I, like my peers, am addicted to my smartphone. I check Facebook multiple times per day, track news on Twitter, and am alerted when I have a new email message. I agree with Dr. Willis, however, that there’s “no turning back the clock on technology,” so the solution is to adapt and meet changing communication needs. For example, I work at a high school, and lately we’ve noticed just how widespread the propensity for texting is among our students. Though Vivian cites that 87 percent of teenagers text, I’m certain my school is close to 100 percent. In some ways, we embrace that technology – I’ve been known to text reminders to students before a meeting or deadline – but our school is also deliberate in fostering a culture where adults and students talk to one another. As modern-day teenagers go off to college and enter the workforce, it’s a frightening possibility that many of them will be ill-equipped for jobs in which they have to communicate with people because they never learned to do so growing up. At my school, we value face-to-face communication very much and want to be sure our students are comfortable with these interactions as well as those through a computer screen.

By: Kristin J

Kristin J — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:05:25 +0000

http://pinterest.com/pin/236579786645970057/

I love this idea (linked above). Justin, how right you are! We do place more importance on the conversations held through our mobile devices, much to the detriment of those around us. Jobs’ “digital society” is having massive effects on the society that is here and now. They aren’t all bad, though. For instance, most people work in a collaborative environment, and collaboration requires meetings, which require people to be out and away from their computers. For working environments, having mobile access to email is a great way to stay on task while “on the go.”

However, I love the idea of the link above because personal conversations, those memories you’re creating in a social setting, can’t be relived. Anything you’re viewing online will be there tomorrow. Having access to information online is wonderful, and certainly a great tool for an informed society, but what does it say about the importance of the conversation I’m having with a person when I stop it to look at my phone? It says to the other person in the conversation, “You are less important than this.”

By: Justin Heavenridge

Justin Heavenridge — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:44:25 +0000

I think the bigger question that is raised here is how as a society we have placed greater importance on the services that are offered by mobile devices. Are the calls we make and receive more important than those of 15 years ago when we had to wait until we got home to make them or check our messages? Are the emails we are getting so much more important that we need to check our in boxes every few minutes? Is posting what we are doing every 5 minutes to Twitter or Facebook really that important or are we just led to believe so by social pressures? Are our lives really that much more boring that we need to be entertained at all times? That is probably the one I’m most guilty of. Whenever I’m waiting in line for anything or sitting down for any length of time my phone is out and I’m browsing the web or reading Flipboard. I don’t have answers to these questions but I do know that sometimes society and media industries want us to believe things are more important than they actually are. Are we the users or the ones being used?

By: Whitney Moorman

Whitney Moorman — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 03:28:27 +0000

Interesting read. I’m embarrassed to admit I often veer off course while texting and walking…I have gotten better at making myself stop this habit–especially when on the stairs at work! I,too, always keep my phone on me. For me, it’s mostly a convenience thing. I want to be able to call and text whenever I need to. I want to be able to check my email while I’m on the go. I want to use Twitter and Instagram while at events. Steve Jobs’ “digital lifestyle” that I live supports all of that. To some extent, this lifestyle is an addiction. But it’s only because it has the opportunity to be one. Prior to personal mobile devices, we could only listen to the radio at home or in the car and we could only watch television on a stationary screen. We never thought about using those media anywhere else. Today, we just don’t think about where we’ll use media at all because they’re accessible everywhere via applications and personal devices.

By: Jim Willis

Jim Willis — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:49:36 +0000

Thanks for the post, Deborah. I remember asking myself back in 1992: What happens to interpersonal communication when you take the personalities out of it? The reason I was concerned about it then is that when I started getting into e-mail as a form of communication and realized the medium is lousy for non-verbals.

By: Jim Willis

Jim Willis — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:48:00 +0000

It is quicker, Jeff, admittedly. The question, of course, is what are we giving up in the way of human interaction, just to shoot short bursts of text which are often insignificant at best. Many positive uses for new technology are out there, of course.

By: Jim Willis

Jim Willis — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:46:29 +0000

You’re right, Kathelin. We are in danger of drowning in our addictions. But there is no turning back the clock on technology so we’re going to have to figure out how to use it for good and minimize the negative aspects of it. Thanks for the post.

By: Kathelin Buxton

Kathelin Buxton — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:58:57 +0000

We are drowning in our addictions. The evolution of media and technology has led to an environment where many people feel tethered to staying connected and in tune with media and society; usually this involves the internet in some regard. There is this notion that we have to be available 24/7 because technology has afforded us this opportunity. This has also sparked the demand for instant gratification. We want news and updates where we want at any given time, no matter what. The media landscape has had to evolve to satisfy this need. I know I complain about having to make myself available whenever someone reaches out to me, but we do it to ourselves. There’s no one putting a gun to my head forcing me to check my email before I get out of bed in the morning, or answer the phone just because it rings. It has become an addition, this environment of constant communication has compelled us to get sucked in and follow the trend, regardless of what we would prefer to do. I like having the option to be connected and absorb media at any time of the day whether on TV, radio or the internet, but hate that I feel a sense of obligation on occasion to stay tuned in or logged on.