Sunday, February 27, 2011

Cell Phone Etiquette

At the beginning of this quarter I was quite surprised to see a section of information that was in many professor’s syllabi.  It was a section on classroom etiquette and it was almost entirely about the use of cell phones in class.  It made me realize how bad people’s manners are with respect to cell phone usage.  For example, I find it very strange that people use their cell phones during dinner.  Growing up, my family would always get together for dinner and we would not be allowed to do anything during that time other than eat and converse.  Even now when I come home, I cannot have my cell phone out at the table.  This ‘training’ has caused me to find it very strange when people will pull out their cell phones during dinner and sit there and talk to someone else when they are surrounded by a group of friends that they could talk to instead.   It also bothers me when I’m having a conversation with somebody and their phone will ring and they will drop our conversation to have this texting conversation with someone else, and then they say, “Sorry about that, what were we talking about again?” I find it funny that they apologize, knowing that it is somewhat bad, and then will continue to do it.


A google search for cell phone etiquette provides some very good information that everyone should follow.  I agree with almost all of the points they mention, and I think that most people will, but I know that very few people will actually follow them.  Scrolling through the list, I say to myself, “yeah, I don’t do that and I don’t do that and I don’t do that…. I’m pretty good about all this, but I KNOW that some of that is an error in my ‘self-reporting.’ I would really like it if there was a way for someone to follow my usages and see how good my cell phone etiquette actually is. I think MANY people would be surprised by their results. It might actually be a way for people to realize their behavior and do something about their poor etiquette.

See this article for some interesting rules to live by:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/26/cell-phone-etiquette-15-r_n_514927.html

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Realizing the Social Dependence on Cell phones

When you leave for the morning, what do you make sure that you have with you?  I check three things.  My keys, my access card, and my phone. I would never leave my room without these three items in my pocket.  There are many others who are just like me.

 As the technology that drives cell phones have developed in recent years, so has the software that runs on them.  This combination has significantly increased our social dependence on cell phones, especially for young adults and business men and women.  Can you imagine your life without a cell phone?

According to a survey conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), 88% of adolescents between 15 and 18 posses a mobile phone and 40% of those between 13 and 15 use cell phones.  This is double the number of users in 2002.  We are in the midst of an explosion of growth in the adaptation of cell phones.  Not only are more people using cell phones, but new phones have astounding capabilities.  Three years ago, Apple introduced the App store for mobile devices and it now carries over 400,000 unique applications.  Since its introduction, over 10 billion apps have been downloaded.  With mobile internet becoming a reality, the internet surfing habits of people have changed.  Mobile users have found great convenience and time saving in accessing internet through their mobile phones.  People are no longer using cell phones to make calls, instead they are replacing computers.  Business people no longer have to lug computers around, wait for boot times, or stay attached to a power cord or Wi-Fi hotspot.  They can conduct business on the go with complete transparency that they are not at the office.  Cell phones have dramatically influenced the manner in which business is conducted.

Young adults have jumped on the smart phone bandwagon, enticed by being able to instantly see updates and contact anyone at anytime from anywhere.  Although I do enjoy being able to be connected all the time, having a smart phone is a great tool.  I can look up information as soon as I ask a question, get out of a traffic jam, manage my finances, and entertain myself while waiting in lines.  I feel like it adds efficiency to my life. 

I think there are others who are more addicted to their cell phones than I am.  In an interview with a fellow student, I found an extreme to the addiction to cell phones.  She said, “I rely on my mobile phone too much.  I don't dare turn it off.  If it is powered off, I'm very uneasy to cut connections with others unless there's a tool that can replace the mobile phone, it's impossible for me to leave it.”  She carries it with her wherever she goes, keeping it powered for 24 hours a day.  It’s close at hand when she sleeps and it’s at quick reach at any time.  I think many of my fellow college students are in the same boat.  According to another survey, 80% of college students have “mobile phone dependency syndrome.”  Among them, 48% are serious cases who compulsively check and touch their phone every several minutes.  The obsession can cause people to imagine the phone ringing or vibrating even when it does not.  The survey also concluded that teenagers who excessively use their cell phones are more prone to abnormalities like disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress, and fatigue.

ASSOCHAM’s survey reveals that teenagers in metropolitan areas consider cell phones a ‘must-have’ item.  People’s lives and health are literally changing because of cell phone overuse.  Mobile phones have changed how business is conducted.  Many people who own a cell phone can’t imagine leaving home without it.  Is there a dependence on cell phones in our society?  Maybe not across the entirety of society, but as our generation ages, dependency across all age groups is inevitable.

Here is a visual of the explosion in growth over the past few years.


Here is a survey conducted to find out what is important from a phone.



See the following articles for more information-



Saturday, January 29, 2011

Technology and Social Interaction

In recent years, there has been a huge explosion of devices that allow us to connect to the internet while on the go.  There has also been a significant increase the number of hours spent online and the number of social network sites to go to.  This all has combined to create a time where internet users are at an all time high.  With so much time spent on the internet, face-to-face contact with people has decreased.  Using this reasoning, I feel that technology has had a negative impact on face-to-face interaction because it has decreased the importance of it.

I believe that the internet is a great way to keep in touch with old friends that live far enough away that it is impossible to meet face-to-face and it is a good way to be introduced to people in your area that have similar interests, including dating sites.  As for message boards and online gaming, I think that the internet is a good place to meet people as well because you can find so many people that will have similar interests to you by expanding your horizon to all internet users.  And face-to-face interaction with these people is not necessary because you have a relationship with them solely for online interactions and discussions.

A meaningful relationship requires more than online interactions.  A meaningful relationship is more than an occasional online chat.  I believe that for a meaningful relationship to exist, face-to-face contact is a necessity.  You cannot truly know how someone feels online like how you can tell in person.  And sometimes, there is nothing quite like holding someone- an impossibility with a pure online relationship.  I feel like by engaging in online relationships we are sacrificing some personal relationships but overall adding to the number of relationships we engage in.  I believe that the time spent on online relationships should be kept to a minimum in order to maximize the time spent on personal relationships.  However, I feel like technology has significantly aided people in long distance relationships allowing them to get as much out of online communication as they can. 

I like the idea of going to a real place in order to interact with people, like a real life Facebook, but then I realize that I’m sitting in one right now.  Go figure.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Social Networking and Privacy

Throughout high school, my parents always warned me about the dangers associated with social networking sites.  I still had a MySpace early in high school, and I created a Facebook my junior year, but I never spent much time on them.  In fact, I spent much more time playing video games than on these sites.  Now, I only use Facebook, and I deleted my MySpace account shortly after creating a Facebook because almost none of my friends were using it anymore.  Now, I check my Facebook daily, and occasionally post something rather than just glance at my feed for a few seconds.  But this never amounts to more than a few minutes.  I use Facebook relatively little compared to texting or calling people, which usually amounts to 1-3 hours per day.

I feel that the cultural move towards social networking and constant access is not a negative trend.  Networking is a very convenient way for groups of people to communicate and to keep in touch with a wide range of people from around the world.  I might not call or email and old friends, but I would certainly post something on their wall.  However, I feel that the loss of privacy that can sometimes be associated with these activities is a negative trend.  I do not like that Facebook has an option to show the world exactly where you are, or for potential employers to look at pictures of what you did last weekend.  This entanglement of our personal lives and technology can allow us to be more connected but we have to watch out for who’s reading what we’re doing. I am very careful about this.  I have never posted or texted anything that I regretted because I always think about who my audience is before I publish something.  This is the major reason as to why I mostly look at my feed on Facebook rather than post something.  I do worry about my privacy when it comes to these new technologies, and that is why I always manage my privacy settings and give good passwords to all my accounts.  I feel that social networks can have huge advantages as long as people are careful and truly understand what they are doing when they use them.

My Media Diet


§  Thursday, Jan  13th
o   2 hours online (majority of time was research for the weekend trip, but rest was Facebook (10 min))
o   Skype (2 hours)
o   Phone
§  Checking email ( 5 min)
§  Texting (30 min)
§  Racing game (1 hour)
§  Calling friends (5 min)
o   Pandora radio
§  Friday, Jan 14th
o   2.5 hours online (most of the time was spent on homework. Again, 10 min on Facebook)
o   3 hours watching a  thriller movie
o   1 hour playing video games
o   Phone
§  Checking email ( 5 min)
§  Texting (20 min)
§  Racing game (30 min)
§  Calling family (15 min)
o   Pandora Radio
§  Saturday, Jan 16th
o   1 hour online (just wasting time, 10 min on Facebook, and the rest on YouTube)
o   5 hours watching movies (comedy and action)
o   Phone
§  Checking email ( 5 min)
§  Texting (40 min)
§  Racing game (2 hours)
§  Calling family and friends (40 min)
§  Sunday, Jan 17th
o   5 min online (quick visit to Facebook)
o   Phone
§  Checking email ( 5 min)
§  Texting (30 min)
§  Monday, Jan 18th
o   4 hours online (2 hours doing homework, 1 hour on eBay, 10 min on Facebook and the rest wasting time.)
o   30 min watching comedy TV on Hulu
o   Phone
§  Checking email ( 5 min)
§  Texting (10 min)
§  Racing game (1 hour)
§  Calling  friends (52 min)
o   Pandora Radio

     After looking at my media consumption for the past five days, I have noticed several patterns. First of all, I do very similar things every day.  I use my phone A LOT. I use my phone to check my email, go on Facebook, text, call friends and family, play games, and listen to music. I rarely check my email or go on Facebook from a real computer.  However, I use a computer to do my homework, as all but one of my classes post assignments and readings online, and this makes up the majority of my time online.  The entirety of the reading I’ve done over the past five days was for school. I realized that the rest of the day that I am not in class, working out, or on my phone, I am with my friends, going on trips, going out to dinner, or watching movies and TV.  That being said, I feel like some of this data is slightly skewed from normalcy as it was a long holiday weekend.

     My media diet shows that I am always “connected.” I always have my phone on me and I am always notified if someone tries to contact me, whether it is via email, text, or call. Because of this, I never check sites without knowing that something is already there waiting for me. I feel like this has decreased the amount of time that I spend online.  However, I feel like I spend a comparatively equal amount of time accessing the media compared to other people my age. Since this is the case, I feel that American society as a whole is moving towards being online all the time.  I think that all electronic devices will soon have access to the internet, and as my generation ages, the percentage of society who spends more than 6 hours a day connected to the media will shoot way up. I am comfortable with my level of media consumption.  Almost all consumption is communicating with friends or doing schoolwork, and both of these are very important to me. I feel that the various technologies I use make it easier to do both of these more effectively.  My social location highly influences my consumption though; since I’m in college, my immersion in friends, activities, and school work pushes me to be online more. I fell like my life has a good balance between being ‘connected’ with friends and actually spending time with friends and this exercise was really the first time I’ve put any thought to my electronic versus in person interactions and I’m happy with the results.
Interesting data from Google web history.  This is data from my desktop for the past 12 months.


Intro

Hello. My name is John Mark Kreikebaum.  This blog is for part of a class at Santa Clara University. I will be exploring how cell phones have progressed and advanced in recent years.  I might explore the following questions in addition to other required posts.

Has society developed a social dependence on cell phones?
What are the cultural implications of this dependence?
Have cell phones changed dating and relationships?
Are there other benefits of this progression and widespread adaptation of cell phones?

Enjoy!