Communication and Community
Communication methods have had a huge impact in the sense of society and community. In most places across the world people have adapted to using these new non face-to-face methods as communication. Kids now can hold conversations wherever and whenever they want without distributing anyone or anyone knowing. This new fad of text messaging via mobile devices has really caught on much sooner in Finland and Japan then it has in the United States. Since the time of this article was written I think that the United States is caught up in this whole idea of text messaging as another form of communication.
Teens in Japan have taken such a liking to text messaging as a way of private conversations in the home that cannot be over heard by their parents. “Getting a mobile phone grants teenagers a degree of privacy and right of assembly previously unavailable, which they are used to construct a networked alternative space that is available from anywhere they are”( Rheingold 5). Well this has to be true everywhere, especially if you in quiet area or now a no cell phone allowed area, you can easily type away a text mange and wait till you get one back.
Text messaging in Finland is more then teens texting their friends “thinking of you, good night, good morning, or I’m bored”(Rheingold 5). Text messaging has made its way to the business world as employers are now keeping their kanny on all the time. The reason they give is that customers like answers quick and the only way is to leave your phone on. Also a game known as botfighting via SMS, where you try to destroy anthers virtual bot with your kanny and then trash talk the opponent via SMS messaging.
The game is played via location sensing equipment. You will receive a text message from the gaming server in relation to your target, if your weapons are better then you opponents shield then you will win. If they are not you a created a loss.
Text messaging in the United States is just as widely used as a voice call in teens and twenty somethings. I use text messaging all the time, it comes in real handy when your out at night and you couldn’t possibly make a phone call because the music is to loud, but you also do not want to go outside. Typing a text message is perfect. I also will periodicly get text messages from my buddy who is a bartender and he sends out mass SMS messages to everyone in his phonebook. You can handle more then one conversation at once, either that be a SMS message and face-to-face conversation or multiple SMS messages. Text messaging has made its way to interact with TV shows such as American Idol. You can text in your vote and help decide a winner. I have also come across on the late night TV advertisements that you can now hold text message conversations with women, like the ones that you could call “for a good time”.
Mobile phones now make it possible for anyone to be anywhere at anytime, whether they chose to be or not. “Their use shifts community ties from linking people-in-places to linking people wherever they are”(Wellman 55).
Wellman, B. (2005). Community: From neighborhood to network. Communications of the ACM, 48(10), 53-55.
Rheingold, H. (2002). Shibuya epiphany (pp. 1-28). Smart mobs. New York: Perseus.
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