The emergence of Web 2.0, "web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web (Wikipedia)" seems to have given rise to social media. It has created interactivity in which users are not merely passive observers, but instead are able to participate with the websites content. The ability to participate created an engaging attribute to the web and thus provided people with something to do online. When people became participants and producers of a websites content, social media began to thrive.
People are constantly in motion and therefore we need something to keep in touch. An increasing number of people are enabling internet on their phones because that's their main outlet of communication. Even if your on the run, staying connected is not an option, it has become more of a necessity.
"Stay in-the-know wherever you go with wireless access to: status updates, friend requests, photos, wall posts, and messages." Blackberry's ad reveals that although people may be fast-paced and mobile, we never truly become disconnected from our social networking sites (what may now be our main source of social connectivity).
Perhaps this progression towards social media is merely a normal phase of the evolution of communication, such as the movement from the telegraph to the phone. Some people are still weary of social media and have not yet adapted to it. However, I believe that in the long run most people will feel comfortable with the idea and the use of social media, much like other mediums of communication. Maybe next semester the use of twitter will be required for this class and people our age will personally find out what all the hype is about.
Interesting Social Media and Web 2.0 presentation that I found on the web:
Web 2.0 and Social Media
View more presentations from Shantanu Adhicary.
This idea of constantly being connected, "even on the go," is no stranger to people of our generation. However, it really struck me while home for this past Thanksgiving. I recently got a new job that requires me to work from home and I am constantly getting emailed new tasks to do. While at home, I was able to retrieve these emails and complete the tasks at hand. Tasks include creating something in photoshop or fetching something from the internet and emailing it back to my boss. Of course I can do this on my computer with internet access, but there is really no end to working considering that my phone is capable of getting emails, downloading attachments and even attaching new files. I feel as though my work now has the ability to follow me and while it is only part-time and the workload is by no means unmanageable, I can only imagine what it is like for someone with a data phone and a full-time job. When do you STOP working?
ReplyDeleteThere's a new commercial I keep seeing for a new Motorola phone that your post reminded me of. A narrator is talking about how the guy in the commercial with the Moto phone could be connected to these social media such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc., yet in the end the guy just wants to talk to his girlfriend. I thought it was an interesting ad because it showed the way that people want this mass communication in some ways, but in the end the more personal communication is more important to human interaction
ReplyDeleteI think Ben makes a good point, as we become more and more connected. Facilitating collaboration becomes much much easier. However that other drawback that comes into play is the problem of not being able to switch off. Push Email makes me respond to e-mail instantly. Social media with Twitter and Facebook encourage me to stay "connected" perpetually. So the problem arises as how can you switch off in an ever more connected society.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the next generation will even think of switching of as a need, or view the possibility with terror.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is a part of the Social Media class offered next semester.