Phone Stress

When An Ancient Invention Becomes Your Worst Social Nightmare 

A "Phony" Situation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digital communication has become a dominant tool  in our daily lives.  The telephone was a great tool during its prime, but we are now communicating in a voiceless manor.  The modern social realm is not really social at all.  Brief messages on cyberspace are empty of content, less meaningful and blunt.  We have forgotten how to talk when face-to-face and prefer a digital interaction over a real-time one.   Text, email and voice-mail messaging are electronic forms of communicating without having to show dress code, body language, or facial expressions.   Without the real-time pattern of question and answer, we now communicate by simple statements.  Many people are annoyed by this because the waiting time of a reply is unknown.  With the use of smart phones and tablets, communicating by voice has become a haunting ordeal.  Thinking about sounding scripted or the idea of being time consuming are reasons people stay away from real-time communication.  Phone conversations are more intimate and emotional, sometimes taking longer than expected.  Over the phone we can't edit what we have said and the conversation can end up on the wrong path.  There is no send button on a phone, so texting does have this reassuring advantage.  A message is shown for review and editing  until you are ready to send it. 

 

Your Digital Clone

 

In the book "Alone Together,"Chapter 10, author Sherry Turkle studies how teenagers adopt to a world of digital connectivity. She uses Internet sociability as her main topic of study.  

 

 

 

Having the Internet as a venue to communicate has its pros and cons.  The ability to create your own identity online is a communication tool that has become a disadvantage through peer pressure to be accepted digitally.  With Myspace, Facebook and Twitter, high school students are creating their digital clone. There is constant peer pressure to keep your profile as current and cool as possible.  Online profiling has become a competitive sport with young adults stressing about who they should add as their friend.  Bragging about the number of friends they have is the competitive nature of these websites.  The concept of perceived privacy online can have many consequences.  Typing messages on your profile is viewable by all your friends.  Understanding how to protect information between friends online with privacy preferences is important. 

 

 

 

 Help, My Profile Is Too Public! 

 

 If your profile is open to the public, anyone can view your intimate conversations with friends and family.  Instant messaging and mobile texting are not as stressful because the conversation is intimate.  Through texting you are only communicating with the receiver of choice.  This is an advantage that does not exist when on social profile websites. 

 

Audrey, a sixteen year old, has said her mom is always focused on her mobile phone, either texting or updating friends on Facebook.  Audrey explained this relationship between herself and her mom as "boundless."  To me cyberspace communication has its cons and the most common disadvantage is families have less bonding time.  Either the dad is watching sports or reading the newspaper, the son is in his room playing video games or on Facebook and the mom is in the kitchen texting friends about recipes. 

 

 

Online profiles also have the stress of what to put on the Internet.  Seeing yourself as a puzzle involving filtering and restricting every part of you from going online is a common stress.  This is a common stress among highscool students who feel as their digital clone is not completely who they are in real life.  This digital avatar is a resemblance of only pieces of their true self.  Only between close friends and family, can you be your full self online.

 

 

Google Images

 

 

  Video about Phone Calls Vs. Texting (Metro State University of Denver)

 

 

Online Communication Statistics

 

 

 

 

 

Websites on Internet Communication:

 

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/why-text-messages-wont-die/

 

http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2012/09/texting-vs-calling-has-technology-made-people-more-impersonal/

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/texting-phone-calls_n_1683756.html

 

http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2012/PIP_Teens_Smartphones_and_Texting.pdf

 

http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Texting-Vs-Calling/88376

Digitally Consumed

 

Digitally Consumed - Life With A Mobile Internet

 

 

As desktop computers took over our lives, engineers began brainstorming on ways to make the world wide web accessible and portable.  The creation of laptop computers created a mainstream portable version of the Internet.  Everyone could connect to the Internet, but people were limited by the 56k modem.  Connection was only available for access through a land-line.  As time progressed, the modem became obsolete when wireless technology replaced it.  Laptops and desktop computers could access the Internet with a faster and more efficient connection.  Wireless technology has let laptop users connect to a mobile version of the world wide web.  Internet routers and hotspot software were distributed to businesses like coffee shops, bookstores and cafes.  You could access the web on your laptop anywhere.

 

 

 Robots - An Extra Companion

 

 The invention and study of robots is not new.  Wind-up toys of the 1950's were small medal robots trying to resemble the future.  The Jetson's cartoon was based on the cyborg future and had a robot butler named Rosie.  As we entered the 1980s, many of the sci-fi movies had fictional characters that were robots.  From movies like E.T. to more modern movies like Wall-E, robots and futuristic life have been a mainstream concept.  Various toy companies started creating lines of toys that were motorized by moving parts.  These modern toys were much better than the wind-up toys.  Character toys like Teddy Rugspin and Tickle Me Elmo were in households everywhere.  As kids needed a toy that would give them companionship, computer enhanced toys like Furby, Penbo and Aibo were created as an interactive friend.  These new toys engaged children's imagination and social skills.  Merchandise from Sci-Fi movies including robots was an interest for people of all ages.  Toys based on movie characters were being released with computerized vocals from the film.  More mature films started using robot characters: examples are Star Trek and Star Wars.    

                                          Kismet (MIT Project Robot)

 

Smartphones and Being One With The Internet (A New DNA Strand in Human Biology)

 



 

 

The idea of robotic friendship was modernized and digitized as mobile phones started to incorporate the concept of the Smart Phone.  The concept of  mobile Internet has flourished in recent decades with cellphones that have a web browser, but today's cellphones are futuristic cyborgs that have apps that run our daily lives.  The idea of calling someone has been replaced by texting, video and images. 

 

Problems and Stresses of Modern Digital Devices

 

 

 

 

• We spend our day waiting for a reply or watching facebook and twitter updates. 

 

• Movie theaters, business meetings, restaurants and even libraries have been filled with a digital orchestra of notification sounds from Smartphones and Blackberries. 

 

• Attention in class has been compromised by always having your phone with you.  Remembering to turn your cell to mute has become a daily task and stress. 
 
 
• Life has its own problems, but having to worry about someone texting you back all day has become a problem of its own. 

 

• We are so interconnected with our Androids and IPhones that most of our daily lives are now spent digitally.  Spending time with family is not the same, as everyone has digital matters to stress about (email, texting, etc.) 

 

• We meet with our friends and loved ones, but at the same time we are absent minded. 

 

 
• We have become one with the world wide web as our mobile devices sit in our pocket or purse. 

 

• Our DNA is not complete without our digital devices, they complete our daily brain functions, compiling our have-to-do lists and music. 

 

• Today remembering phone numbers is a thing of the past; even remembering someone's email address has become a complicated matter.  Everything is automated, so keeping track of passwords and user named is another stress. 

 

• Fun boardgames like Connect Four, Sorry, Life and Trivial Pursuit are entertainment of the past; we are looking towards our digital devices as the current outlet for fun and bonding with friends.   

 

 



 

 

Questions:

 

1. Has our involvement with social media actually made us less social out in the world?
2. In your opinion: What are the pros and cons of using modern technology?
3. What do you think about Robots and Interactive Companionship?





Episode of Wife Swap

 

Digital Culture (High Maintenance) Vs. Pilgrim lifestyle (Low Maintenance)


The other day I was channel surfing on my television and came across the show Wife Swap.  The topic of the episode was showing different sides of the rector scale (One with a modern lifestyle and lots of money and the other living the lifestyle of pilgrims). 

One family live in a wood cabin in the forest with no modern appliances or even electricity.  Living a green style life was very important to them.  They went as far as the whole family bathing in the same bath water.  They never flush the toilet and use a bucket of bath water to help the toilet flush.  The mom said she hadn't shaved her armpits in weeks.



The point of this blog entry is that seeing the total opposite of modern life made me feel bad I was using electricity to light up my room, run my fish tank and to help me watch this show on television.


The wife of the other family was totally obsessed with appearance of herself and her house.  She had the house built around a 10,000 dollar chandelier.  The father worked as a computer software consultant and let the kids play on the computer whenever they wanted.  The mom would spend over $500 just on the kids clothes during every mall visit.  Contrasting the with the other family, they go to the thrift store and spend under $10.00 on used clothes.  They wash them every two weeks and wear the same thing everyday.  Without electricity, they would wear flashlight headbands to                                                          do everyday choirs and play boardgames.

 They're family entertainment was making candles out fresh wax.
Once the wives swapped places, hell broke loose in the homes.  Each side were stern about changing the lifestyle of the other family.  During the end of the episode, the modern family wife wired the Pilgrims home with electric lighting and bought the families daughters a digital camera.  The daughters were frustrated that this new wife cared only about commercialism and rejected the camera.  The father was angry about the electricity invading their home, it being a waste of energy.  The father quickly unplugged all lights and threw them out the window; telling her to leave.

The episode trailer is below: Starting at 1:00 is shows what each wife thinks of their temporary new family lifestyle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXq0NCQb0eM

Basically, If you didn't have today's modern electricity or digital electronics, could you handle it?

What is your take on how each wife reacted to their temporary new lifestyle?

A Critical Look At Cyberspace

A Critical Look At Cyberspace

 

 

 

Cyberspace consists of digital multimedia and information sources that are today called "The Infamous Cloud."  When computer owners around the globe let the computer's Internet softwares seek for information, it is like an invisible cloud that starts raining information.  Cyberspace is such an advanced phenomenon that they used to call it "The Information Highway." 

 

Fast forward to the 2000's, our generation is more social and computer savvy.  Search Engines like Google, Bing and MSN allow computer users to seek out information including pictures and videos.  These search engines allow you to keep an email profile while searching the web for information.  During the beginning of the search engine era, Webcrawler was the most used.  Other search engines include: Yahoo, Northern Lights and Lycos.

 

Search Engines today are not just for research, but can be used for shopping online.  Sites like eBay are a platform for buying and selling items online.  A clone of eBay called Craigslist came shortly after and included interactive chat.  Websites like this are not always trustworthy because the item you're buying might not even compare to its photo or listing.  People edit a product's description to make someone want it more.  This concept has expanded from eBay to include websites just dedicated to one type of item.  Websites like Zappos, Shoe-Envy, CutesyGirl or ShoeShow, are all websites dedicated to buying shoes.

The Digital Divide

Countries like Europe and Africa suffer from the Digital Divide.  Many cultures around the world because of their norms do not allow Internet access.  This is broken down into three layers: the Global Divide, the social divide and the democratic divide.

Identity Crisis

Cyberspace is a land of identity opportunity.  Sometimes this is good and sometimes this is bad.  Social websites like Twitter and Facebook are profile platforms that allow someone to explain who they are and chat with friends.  This allows people to portray or not portray their true self.  Many people have trouble separating their Internet self from their real self and this is an identity crisis.  Many who spend too much time online can take their Internet self and make it their real self.    Creating a fake profile of yourself can be damaging to others because they believe you and feel emotionally connected to the user's profile.

 When addicted to your cyberself one can loose touch with their realness, lending characteristics of the online with the human personality.  Acting a different race on a chat or having a fake profile showing that you are of that race or culture, can lead to you changing your social behavior in real social situations. Learning how to balance your cyberself, even if you are telling the truth, from your real self is a hard life skill that must be learned because cyberspace today is the main medium of communication.

The show on MTV called Catfish shows how fake profiles online can lead to real life indemnity crisis and emotional crisis for the friends.


Tell Me Your A.S.L Please!

These initials have become the common question that is asked first thing during a cyberspace interaction.  These initials stand for Age, Sex, and Location.  Someone asking this on a chatroom is intending your answer truthfully, but the digital culture and the Internet allow freedom of imagination.  The rest of the dialogue of a chat is based on how you answer these minor questions.  When asked about the weather where you live, you can be in any climate you want.  Being a good liar is a skill needed because follow up questions are based on what you say.  For example, if you say its snowing in Miami, you better know how to convince someone or answer truthfully.  A chat conversation is based on the connection between facts and knowledge of the subject.  If someone lies and the facts don't add up then everyone can tell you're a bad liar.  The fun thing about chatting is if you want to be an alien from Mars, you can be by saying something like  (Age 203, Female, Mars).

On some social groups online participants can create their life anyway they wish.  Examples of websites like this include Second Life and a computer game called SIMS.


Virtual Self

A video game is a digital story that incorporates a set of responsibilities to perform the chosen game.  The subject matter is endless and gives the gamer the opportunity to be whatever they want.  From platform games like Mario, to movie games like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, gamers can be a character of choice.  Being a fighter, driver, super hero or even a dinosaur, lets gamers experience different roles.  Video games let someone have skills they don't have in real life.  These fantasy type worlds are like the cyberspace chats where you can be who you desire, but playing a video game too much can lead to social problems and real life emotional stress. 





Growing up Digital

Growing Up Digital

Meet Nathan Schulman

I am Nathan Schulman, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.  I was born on August 21, 1983, in the suburbs of Fulton County. My religion is Judaism. I enrolled at Reinhardt University (then known as Reinhardt College) in 2004. After a few years completing the core courses, I declared my major as Visual Arts/Communications.

Early Digital Culture

Being born during the 1980s, all things digital were already taking over the music scene and personal electronics. When I was a toddler, I had a synthesizer (aka digital keyboard piano) by Casio. I enjoyed hearing the sounds and rhythms that this electronic piano made. As I grew older, I started to own more and more digital trend items like the remote control car and alarm-clock radio. I enjoyed the remote control car as a kid.

 

Digital Gaming World

 

When digital culture became a mainstream desire, I saw video game consoles in restaurants and at amusement parks. Shortly, miniature versions of these arcade games were made for household use. When the Nintendo system came out, I was excited and played it all the time with my friends. I had it hooked up to an old television set with ear antennas.   I was a huge Mario Brothers fan and played it often. I was also addicted to The Claw Machines and Skeet Ball in arcades.  I became a great pinball player too.

For kids of the 90's, these game consoles were a new social tool.  Having fun compotisions through these games helped kids of all ages forget the stresses of their childhood and family life.  Friends would call eachother and hang together to play the assortment of games.  This escape from reality for a few hours was like therapy for kids who had problems communicating with their parents.  Kids looked up to the games characters as an early form of today's online profile.  Kids wanted to become this characters and learn all the skills they could.  I was one of these kids, was looking  forward to becoming Mario or Spiterman for an afternoon.

 

I had the first personal computer called Apple II. This computer did not have an operating system, but a floppy drive for games and office software. Most of the games were not in multi-color and were presented in just green. As I grew up, I owned and witnessed the invention of the operating system. I owned computers that had Microsoft Windows 3.1, 1995, and Windows XP. As graphics became enhanced, I began to play computer games and chat online. I used the early AOL to check email and text with friends. I was addicted to instant messaging and creating an account on all softwares possible (Yahoo Messenger, MSN Chat, MIRC).



When chatting platforms became more advanced and included Javascript and chat rooms, I became a computer nerd and searched for chats that were of interest. A software by Microsoft called Internet Relay Chat became my favorite place to stay social. It was a global platform software that could connect to chatrooms all over the world on a multitude of servers. With this software, you could download music and videos while chatting with peers. This was different for me than instant messaging because the majority of the users were from around the world with different ways of communicating. I never made friends on this software; I just witnessed and participated in conversations of interest. Mirc also was a language of its own, almost a precursor to current day Twitter with a more script-like language.

Current Digital Culture

As I used my personal computer, I became aware of new websites that were created for personal profiles and chats. I became a member of Myspace and enjoyed creating my own profile that included a music playlist. I never became a member of Facebook.

Smaller is Better

I have witnessed technology becoming more compatible and user-friendly. Desktop computers have shrunk to include laptops, notebook tablets and Apple products. Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Apple have mastered the idea of "Smaller is Better." These companies are also on top of current trends, improving their products every few months. My dad has always been loyal to Dell and my family has had many Dell products including a laptop. I owned the first generation I-Pod by Apple as well as the first generation Microsoft mp3 player. These items are relics in today's market. Apple has released an I-Pad line of skinny handheld devices. They let you do everything your laptop does, but weigh less and are portable.

Witnessing Other Forms of Digital Culture

As a child I was able to witness how digital culture changed transit systems like airport information panels and trains telling you the next stop. I also witnessed hotel room keys becoming digital. When I was young, you got a real key. Today you receive a plastic card that stores information of your stay while opening to your room with a digital reader slot.

 

 

Animatronics and Today's Motion Picture Culture

 

One of the main focuses of digital culture is to entertain us. Amusement parks and cinematography have become one collaborative enterprise that fulfills all our senses.  Rollercosters are more elaborate with digital soundtracks and life-like movement.  Other amusement rides have speed control while incorporating 2D, 3D and even 4D cinematography.  Animatronics are digital computer enhanced robots that make amusement parks more modern and endless on subject matter.  New rides like the World of Harry Potter incorporate interactive motion picture with amazing simulation effects.  These rides transport you into the digital world of movies and imagination.

 

Modern Network and Internet Connections

The idea of wireless electronics has become a huge trend in the last decade.  I have lived through the changing from 56k modem to DSL, network lane-lines (T1 and T2), and currently the new wireless connections.  Wireless lines are way more improved from the 56k modem lines that used your phone service.  These faster lines can handle upwards of a gigabyte per second.

A Helpfull Tool 

New inventions like the thumb drive have made briefcases and data CDs obsolete.  All of your computer files can be put on a portable thumb drive making carrying a handful of file folders a stress of the past.

 

A Few Current Trends

Today the digital app market on the IPhone, IPad, and Android devices has become a major trendsetter.  These softwares can do anything you can think of like GPS, turn on your lights at home, find local restaurants, do mobile banking and more.  On the same note, another current trend is online banking and apps for Turbotax,  Chase Mobile, Bank of America, Starbucks Coffee lingo, just to name a few.
 

 

In the recent decade a digital vocal augmentation called "Auto Tone" has become common among R&B, pop and hip hop artists.  This device lets a singer sound robotic, but the effect is small enough that you can still hear the singer's normal voice.  Just about every artist on the radio these days has used "Auto Tone" for one of their hits.

Conclusion

With the wide variety of tools in the realm of digital culture we are able to connect faster, plain things easier, catch a airplane on time, pay bills online, video chat and remix music to create a fun new track.  Besides just our business uses of digital tools, professional fields have also advanced. Here are some current things happening due to digital and social media: radio stations now use mp3 format to play music without the hassle of changing discs, DJs no longer use vinyl at clubs, industrial factories are using technology to get more products out quicker and more efficiently, setting appointments and conferencing can be done over our smart phones.

Overall I think that cyberspace and digital culture is ever changing. I am amazed at the current state of digital culture and can't wait for what is to come