For Better or for Worse

I have always been obsessed with new technology, and since cell phones have become popular, I have been sucked in to getting a newer and fancier phone each year.  With every phone that I have held in my possession through the years, each one has had a new feature by the next year.  From texting first, to MP3 players, to Wireless Access and finally to my IPhone which takes Internet access to a new level.  As much as cell phones have changed and impacted my life, I only really started noticing my reliance on them within the last couple of years, especially since buying my Iphone.  Though not everyone is as connected to mobile technology as I have been, as Josgrilberg (2008) states, "Even those who are not 'connected' have somehow been touched by the social changes that information and communication technologies promoted- for better or for worse."  For better or for worse.  That is a concept that I wish to explore because although I can admit to a minor obsession with technology, as I grow older I see the impact that being in constant communication can have.  The constant need for technology urks me as I feel that I should not need to rely on something so much even though I do.  With mobile phones it used to be texting and the need for constant communication with my peers.  With the rise of the Iphone and other smart phones, the need for communication and new technology became even greater for me.

Since Smart phones were created as Goggin discusses, the world of mobile technology has been steered away from mere conversations with our peers, to include the whole world, interconnected by the Internet (Goggin 2009).  Smart Phones could now be considered portable and light computers, with many of the same functions.  The downside as a consumer to this, as discussed in christainsblog91, is the growing need for businesses to move their advertising to the mobile world.  If there is a new form of Internet and technology, businesses must capitalize on this, by forcing advertisements onto personal devices.  As if we do not see advertisements enough, we are now being bombarded by them in every form of technology.  Since the Internet is now on our phones, so is the media and the ads that come along with it.  It is a smart idea for businesses but as a consumer and regular citizen, I have to wonder whether the line will ever be drawn or should we just come to accept that advertisements through forms of technology are here to stay.  Here the struggle of 'for better or for worse' comes in to play.  On one hand, we have the incredible power of the Internet in the palm of our hands, on the other, we are forced to be consumers through the advertisements not only placed on television, radio, and magazines but now on our own individual phones as well.

Iphone and smart phone users are not only permanently connected to the Internet, they now have the capability to do 'real life' things easier than ever before. Cell phones started with talking to your peers anywhere you wanted, but Smart phones now have more underlying technology than we could have ever possibly imagined (Walker et. al. 2008).  A video from the early '90s called "Knowledge Navigator", portrayed what Apple predicted technology would come to in the future.  The video shows a touch screen device that organizes dates, to-do lists, reminders and more.  The device did not look far off from the Ipad of today, but had many of the capabilities of an Iphone, a portable device which organizes dates, offers to do lists and reminders.  Even though Apple predicted such a device, they could not have predicted the expansion of mobile communication technology, connecting us wherever we go.  As discussed in Raymond's Blog, the features of Iphones have expanded to give us Apps, every day functions which make daily problems seem simpler.  There is no need to visit the bank anymore, you can just transfer money through an App on your Iphone.  Need a calculator? Look no more, as you can simply use the App on the device that is constantly glued to your side.  We rely on Smart phones now for not only communication, but also simple tasks that we could very easily accomplish without them.  Smart phones make us lazier with pure convenience in the palm of our hands.  For the 'best', they make our lives simpler, for the 'worst', we are becoming increasingly lazy through technology.  Technology will always create a wedge between an easier lifestyle and truly looking out for the best interests of society.

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