Friday, December 17, 2010

Mobile Technology

Mobile technology has changed our society in many ways. From changing how we communicate to the laws that get made and the privacy problems that occur. Mobile technology is a completely different game then it was even just a few years ago. You are now able to do so many things in the palm of your hand. With the way the mobile technology is growing, it’s not even near the end of coming up with new ideas and gadgets.
Our culture has become so obsessed with mobile technology. I don’t think half the people in America would be able to go a day without having their cell phone. It’s how we stay connected with others and it’s an easy way to access our email and get the current news instantly. According to bloghub.com “It has made getting a hold of each other easier because people always have their phones, day and night.” Bloghub.com also states that “a major con to the advance in mobile technology is that this generation is becoming severely introverted. “ Texting is a great way for fast communication, but it is taking away the personal part of a conversation. There is no way to show emotion and it makes it hard to share your thoughts and feelings.
The mobile technology industry is good for the suffering hurt economy. The market on mobile devices is very competitive. According to ezinearticles.com/cell-phones, “cell phones are an important contributor to the economy in third world developing countries.” On articlesbase.com/cell-phone-articles it states, “because of the struggling economy, people are no longer buying the new gadgets with just any price tag. The new gadgets may come with advance technology, but they still need to have a reasonable price for them to be able to sell.” On the other hand according to USA Today, “45% of American teens ages 12-19 have a cell phone, and 37% of those teens use text messaging.” This can’t be hurting the economy too badly. So all in all, cell phones have both a positive and negative impact on the economy.
You may think that having a cell phone and your own number is a safe thing, but in reality it’s really not. USA today says, “with today’s advancements in technology, it’s extremely easy for someone to tap in on your cell phone conversations and eavesdrop. It only takes 2 minutes for someone to install the software, which can then record your calls and monitor your text messages.” What’s more creepy is people being able to locate you and your phone all the time. Anyone can log onto the website that tracks your phone like a GPS and all the victim has to do is respond and confirm to one simple text message. From then on, the person locating you can track your every move, step-by-step. Another form of cell phone privacy invasion is the personal information that was left on your old portable phone. Privacyrights.org says that, “if you ever decide to donate, sell or even just trash your phone, you need to be aware that even if you deleted your information, it may not be permanently deleted. You should always make sure personal contacts, notes or pictures are deleted and the SIM card is removed.” Infrmit.com reminds us that, “most people forget that a mobile phone is a mini computer and getting a virus on your mobile device is possible and is more common then you think.”
Next mobile technology and the law. The most common cell phone law that comes to mind is the driving while talking on the phone and while texting. According to ghsa.org, “the MN highway traffic safety laws prohibit anyone under the age of 18 to talk on cell phones while their driving and everyone is prohibited to text while driving.” Quoted on drivinglaws.org, “ a violation cost of texting while driving can be all the up to three hundred dollars and is a primary offense law.” Everyone claims they can multi-task, but who can really be composing a text while keeping their focus on the road. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reported that between the years 2005 and 2007, 15% of all fatalities were caused by technology distractions while driving. That was 240 deaths and 1,163 serious life-altering injuries.
Mobile technology has changed so much throughout the years. So many great advancements have been made and there is no clear sign of when such advancements will slow down. The cons of mobile technology have been shown through culture, by being able to stay connected with the ones you love and care about, to what it has done for developing third world countries. Even though most people wouldn’t be able to go through a normal day without their mobile devices, there are still some cons to this type of technology. For example, how much of a distraction it is in everyday life and especially while driving. Another part of this technology that could be looked negatively upon is the privacy aspect. You never know who will be able to tap into your phone and who is listening to your conversations or reading your texts. Even with all the pros and cons, there is no doubt that new and advanced technology will keep coming and give us more to explore!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

11/23 Free Writing

I really enjoyed watching the movie Julie and Julia because it helped me understand why people use blogs as much as they do and how much of an impact it can have one someones life. I think that it was really cool that Julie did her blog for a whole year on how her goals for getting all of the recipes done on time was going. On a different note, the link on the home blogspot page about people getting fired from their jobs because of things that they have posted on their blogs, I thought was interesting. I didn't know that so many people out there really do get in trouble with work because what is posted on their blog. I'm guessing it works the same way with other social websites like facebook or anything else. My opinion on people getting fired for have pictures on their blog or talking about their personal life is that if it doesn' t seem like it's going to bother someone, then why does it matter. For example from the link, the girl named Ellen that was a flight attendent for Delta who got fired from her job because she and some other co-workers had posted some pictures on the blog in their uniforms. It didn't say how the photos were inapproiate so in my point of view i'm guessing that the pictures really weren't that bad. I guess it's just another way that people need to be careful what they post on the internet!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

11/18 Social Media Free Writing

I found a lot of things interesting in this social media video. The biggest shocker to me was the statistic 1 in every 8 couples meets through a social network. It also never occurred to me how fast things like ipod applications, social networks like facebook and twitter and websites like wikipedia and hulu developed. I think that it would be weird for me to live in a world without facebook, wikipedia and search engines like google. Especially since google is practically a life saver when I'm struggling with homework. Another fact that I found extremely shocking is that if you were paid $1 for every time an article gets posted on wikipedia, you would make about $156 an hour. That's crazy to think about. I think that social networks are becoming so popular because it's an easy way to connect with people that you rarely get to see. Or in my case, I'm so busy with school and my job that if I can hop on facebook for even 15 minutes I can catch up with friends. The statistic that I found interesting is the one that compared the amount watched on Hulu to the amount recorded and then watched on TVO of DVR. I thought that the amount of people that would record and then watch later would have been a lot higher. But apparently Hulu is a lot more popular then I thought it was. I also found it intriguing that the statistic that people listen more to peers then to advertisements. This has a lot to do with social networking!!