The Jim McGuigan reading on mobile phones
I've just read his views on the sociology of the mobile phone and I completely agree with most of what he said.
The reading is a few years old and he mentions the "fad on picture messaging", and I whole heartedly agree. I don't think it ever really did take off. I never got into it majorly. I mean sure, sometimes I take a picture but it wouldn't be more than 10 times a year, and thats a fairly accurate amount. I mean the quality of pictures on a mobile has never been, and never will be that great.
He mentioned how mobiles were changing how young people were interacting with eachother and how the mobile can break down barriers ie// shyness etc. It is true, but what is the point in breaking down barriers (via texting) if those barriers are going to be up when people meet up in person? It just seems like it gives those who are socially inept more of an opportunity to dodge face to face relations.
Mobiles have made it a lot easier to plan, but they have also taken away our ability to have privacy and personal space. While I personally screen my calls and hardly ever answer my phone, many people don't. I work for a market research firm and we've started calling mobile phones if there are no land lines and for some reason it feels that much more intrusive like its not right to contact someone on their mobile and yet that is the purpose of mobile phones. It's a very odd situation. Mobiles also make dating very annoying. Lets think about this right. 10 years ago if you had a date and it went well you wouldn't wait by your mobile, you wouldn't expect them to contact you straight away if they had a good time and you wouldn't constantly be checking to see if they had texted you. Yes texting is very quick (especially if you are using predictive) but whatever happened to thinking someone may actually have a life?!
I love my mobile. A while ago I had a mobile die to liquid damage and I felt naked. I felt lost without it and had to buy a mobile the very next day. I now have a back up one just in case. isn't that sad? Isn't it sad that we live in a day and age where we are so attached to our mobiles and as Jim says in his article, that it becomes a part of our body.
On the other side of the story, mobiles give us privacy that we just don't have with land lines. there is less chance of someone else answering a call meant for you and there is more chance you can keep your conversations private (because of texting rather than having to phone).
I think thats all I really want to say on the matter of mobiles other than that I really want us to get the Iphone over here. Okay okay so vodafone have said no to it but what about telecom? (I had a dream the other night and even though I only owned it for about 20 seconds in a fantasy world it was awesome) Vodafone aren't the only network and telecom could certainally improve their reputation if they were to support it on the network.
Computers suck! Okay for the last while my lap top has taken about half an hour to load a simple programme such as microsoft word and its fricken annoying to put it politely. Don't use net cafes in the city and don't use your ipod in them. You will get a virus and it will stuff up your computer. I'm probably going to have to buy a new one.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
The reading is a few years old and he mentions the "fad on picture messaging", and I whole heartedly agree. I don't think it ever really did take off. I never got into it majorly. I mean sure, sometimes I take a picture but it wouldn't be more than 10 times a year, and thats a fairly accurate amount. I mean the quality of pictures on a mobile has never been, and never will be that great.
He mentioned how mobiles were changing how young people were interacting with eachother and how the mobile can break down barriers ie// shyness etc. It is true, but what is the point in breaking down barriers (via texting) if those barriers are going to be up when people meet up in person? It just seems like it gives those who are socially inept more of an opportunity to dodge face to face relations.
Mobiles have made it a lot easier to plan, but they have also taken away our ability to have privacy and personal space. While I personally screen my calls and hardly ever answer my phone, many people don't. I work for a market research firm and we've started calling mobile phones if there are no land lines and for some reason it feels that much more intrusive like its not right to contact someone on their mobile and yet that is the purpose of mobile phones. It's a very odd situation. Mobiles also make dating very annoying. Lets think about this right. 10 years ago if you had a date and it went well you wouldn't wait by your mobile, you wouldn't expect them to contact you straight away if they had a good time and you wouldn't constantly be checking to see if they had texted you. Yes texting is very quick (especially if you are using predictive) but whatever happened to thinking someone may actually have a life?!
I love my mobile. A while ago I had a mobile die to liquid damage and I felt naked. I felt lost without it and had to buy a mobile the very next day. I now have a back up one just in case. isn't that sad? Isn't it sad that we live in a day and age where we are so attached to our mobiles and as Jim says in his article, that it becomes a part of our body.
On the other side of the story, mobiles give us privacy that we just don't have with land lines. there is less chance of someone else answering a call meant for you and there is more chance you can keep your conversations private (because of texting rather than having to phone).
I think thats all I really want to say on the matter of mobiles other than that I really want us to get the Iphone over here. Okay okay so vodafone have said no to it but what about telecom? (I had a dream the other night and even though I only owned it for about 20 seconds in a fantasy world it was awesome) Vodafone aren't the only network and telecom could certainally improve their reputation if they were to support it on the network.
Computers suck! Okay for the last while my lap top has taken about half an hour to load a simple programme such as microsoft word and its fricken annoying to put it politely. Don't use net cafes in the city and don't use your ipod in them. You will get a virus and it will stuff up your computer. I'm probably going to have to buy a new one.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
posted by liz shaw at 1:05 AM
1 Comments:
Just so you know... you can apparently get iPhones now from parallel imported, they have been unlocked, are set up for the vodafone network, and have a 12 month guarantee. Apparently.
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