For this post I will be discussing "What technology do you use to 'stay in touch' and why?"
The ways in which we stay in touch are many and include obvious things such as postal mail, telephone (land line and cell), texting, email, Skype, Facebook, blogs, photo sharing sites, and more. Many of us today use a combination of these to keep in touch with one another. I would wager that the younger generation leans towards using Facebook, texting, and email as their main ways to keeping touch but for many these technologies have not yet taken hold.
As for me, I am almost purely digital. I keep in touch with my family and friends via Facebook, communicate with instructors and classmates via email. I do use the phone to talk to family and friends, but mainly just family these days. I text when I need info, and planning meetups usually involves a Facebook invite and maybe a text as a reminder. Skype has started to become common enough that I do on occasion use that, but it seems as if most people have not yet embraced the idea of video chat.
Looking at how this has evolved over the past 15 years or so of my life is pretty incredible. I am just old enough that cell phones weren't really affordable or widely used until I was a senior in High School and I still remember the days of 32.6 baud modems. I dialed into AOL every day after school from 9th grade until we got cable internet when I was in 11th. This period of my life completely changed my communication style. I went from always having to either call someone or go directly to their house to simply emailing or texting them. No longer did I write notes to friends, I simply sent IMs. And once webcams became available I remember chatting with people across the country for the first time and being amazed.
For me, digital communication is what I am comfortable with. I feel safe and confident behind a keyboard. I feel more able to express myself and I am able to keep track of things as well. I am a very unorganized person "offline", but on my computer I know right where everything is and how to find it if I don't. It is a matter of interest, convenience, and maybe a little because I hate making phone calls. And a lot because my handwriting is terrible.
Just about everyone has responded in the same way--we all use our smartphones the most. Me, I use my smartphone for the same reasons as you. But, I like how you talk about how you have not fully embraced applications like Skype on your smartphone because neither have I. I realize I can do that but it seems a bit excessive. I think skype on a smartphone is better to use when you are traveling or "in the field" so as to where you can't have your laptop on you at all times.
ReplyDelete-Mike Hershberger-
I liked how you stated how incredibly fast technology is growing, and I couldn't agree more. Like you stated, when I was in middle school I started using IM, and now look how far things have progressed. I also don't use Skype to its full potential, partially because my phone is a bit older and doesn't have that option. However, my smartphone is still my most important form of technology to stay in touch.
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