I Can See Youuuu!!!

Another great way to stay connected with family and friends is through video chat. This is not a relatively new concept, but there have been advancements over the last few years that have made this an extremely easy way to stay in touch. With video chat, you can see who you are talking to, where they are, what they are doing, etc. It is nice to be able to feel closer to someone when you talk to them, rather than just hearing their voice. Skype changed the face and idea of video chat and has become extremely popular since it was introduced. You cannot only video chat, but you are also able to make phone calls around the world through your internet connection. This has been a lifesaver to many parents, children, and friends who have a hard time being away from each other due to college, studying abroad, vacations, etc. The newest advancement in this realm of telecommunications is that the new iPhone 4 allows you to Skype...from your cell phone! With advancements like these, it is a wonder how anyone can lose touch with family and friends anymore.

Social Networking

As sad as it is to admit, Facebook is definitely one of the main ways that I stay connected with my friends. In fact, the two weeks of August that we have to get rid of our Facebook pages for sorority rush seem to be unbearable. Social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have become staples in our vocabulary and lives. Things that we have gone so many years without have quickly become an important part of our everyday lives. I don't know about you, but when I wake up in the morning, checking my Facebook is always one of the first things I do. Even as I'm writing this I felt the need to check my Facebook for any updates...that has to be a problem. According to a recent study done by The Nielsen Company, the average user of social networking sites spends 66% more time on them than a year ago--the most time of which is spent on (yep, you guessed it!) Facebook. This is not surprising though, because Facebook has offered us thousands of ways to stay entertained and/or distracted, such as applications and games like Farmville. But mostly it is a way to stay connected with people by messaging, writing on each other's walls, Facebook chatting (which is the new version of the antiquated AIM), and checking/updating statuses. Although it began as a site for college students, people of every age have begun to jump on the Facebook bandwagon. My grandmother even has a profile now, and I am starting to think that looking and commenting on all of my pictures is becoming one of her favorite pasttimes! According to an article by the Huffington Post about interesting Facebook facts, 400 million people log onto their profile at least once a month, half of which log on at least once a day!

Although it looks like Facebook is going to be sticking around for the long haul, other social networking sites keep people connected with everything that they do. Twitter quickly advanced from a site for business professionals to keep updated on to a site for everyone, especially celebrities. Twitter has increased in popularity, especially because you can send "tweets" directly from your phone. Twitter users update their followers with their daily activities, so you always know what your friends and family are up to. This is a great way to connect with people, but I personally think Twitter would have been better off remaining a social networking site for businesses because I honestly don't care what my friends are doing every second of the day. I'm sure a lot of Twitter users would disagree with me, but hey, it's my blog!

Can You Hear Me Now??

I don't know about you, but I feel like I can't go anywhere or do anything without my trusty cell phone in hand. I think cell phones are used by our society more than anything to stay connected with each other. And they honestly should not even be called phones anymore. Let's be honest, most of us text, check our Email, check our Facebooks, and update our Twitter accounts more than we actually make phone calls on it. Recent studies have even shown that texting is beginning to replace talking. According to a 2008 national survey done by CTIA and HarrisInteractive, 57% of teens view their cell phone as the key to their social life, and 47% of teens said that their lives would be worsened or would actually end if they no longer had the option to text. Cell phones are capable of pretty much anything that can be done on the computer--maybe even more in some cases--especially with the introduction of the iPhone a few years back. It doesn't seem like that long ago that it was a huge when my dad got a "car phone" installed for work, or when Zach Morris, from Saved by the Bell, would carry around that huge cellular telephone,which was actually larger than any of my landline house phones.

Over the last twenty years, cell phones have transformed from bulky phones carried in your car in case of emergency to mini computers that make you feel naked or incomplete if you lose it or leave it at home for the day! Some families now only use cell phones to stay connected--my dad's house included-- because they don't have a landline at all anymore, instead, solely rely on cell phones. According to the 2009 Nielsen ratings, 21% of American homes are cell phone only homes, and the number continues to increase each year. The fact is that landlines are becoming obsolete due to the genius cell phone.

My question is--are computers next? We are now able to stay connected through Email, social networking sites, video chat--just to name a few!-- all through our phones. According to the Pew Internet Project, 83% of adults in America have cell phones, and of those, 35% have accessed the wireless internet through their phones. It is obvious that cell phones are taking over and are becoming (if they aren't already) the number one way for people to stay connected.

Importance of Technology

At the beginning of the month, I spent a week at my grandparents' summer home in Virginia. It is a tiny place called Gwynn's Island on the Chesapeake, which is wonderful, except for the fact that there is no cell service or internet. I am sure the people that live there year-round have these luxuries, which have quickly become necessities to our generation, but that is not the case for my grandparents who are only there a few months out of the year. I felt like I was in elementary school all over again trying to remember my friends' numbers in order to call them from the landline. (I, of course, did not bring my charger with me, knowing that I would not have service--REAL smart). I literally had to drive over an hour to the closest Starbucks to do my homework assignment for my online class. I realized I am so dependent on technology that I felt like a part of me was actually missing just because I couldn't roll over in the morning and grab my phone to check my text messages, Facebook, Email, etc. Why are these things so important to me? I definitely take my phone and computer for granted, because I didn't even realize how much I used them to stay in touch with the world, until I didn't have access to them. The point of this blog is to touch on how much we as a society depend on technology to communicate, and in fact, to live our daily lives.