iPhone Apps for the Needy

Being a foreign student both in high school and college in the U.S is not a simple task. Writing papers for classes and finding the right words to express my thoughts are always a struggle. However, since I got my iPhone, I do have a portable translator with me at all times. Thanks to the Hebrew Translator app, when I get stuck mid-sentence or when I come across an unfamiliar word during class, I have an immediate access to an answer.
Other than being a useful translator for foreigners, iPhone apps can be great “life-savers” to other groups in society. For example, an innovative application came out this month which helps drivers or bikers to find parking spots in big cities in the U.S and also gives them information about the parking space, the fee and the detailed timing of when the spot becomes free. This iPhone app is mostly used by tourists who are new to the city and not familiar with the city rules.
In addition to the hopeless newcomers, physically disabled people utilize multiple iPhone apps in order to perform their daily activities. A brand new app is now available for the blind which recognizes currency bills using the camera application on the iPhone and audio to announce the worth of the bill. Now, instead of folding bills in a certain way, blind iPhone users can simply rely on this magnificent technology to determine the bills’ values.
While people criticize the constant usage of smartphones and the negative consequences they have on future generations, some of us forget about the potential benefits they have on some groups in our society. Once again, the great power we have in our hands called “Technology” needs to be treated with a lot of care and be used with caution and reasoning.

Cancer From...Phones?

Today, everything seems to be labeled as carcinogenic because researchers haven’t found any conclusive evidence on the source of cancer in humans. Cell phones now fall in the category of questionable carcinogens. Additionally, studies have shown that brain activity changes with the frequent use of cell phones. Is this a rational fear, or should we just not worry about the possible adverse health effects of cell phones because of how uncertain they are and how dependent society is on cell phones today?

An article on aolnews.com discusses some of the adverse effects of cell phones and whether it is cause for concern, using multiple studies as a basis. There was a recently-published study done over 10 years in 13 different countries, called the “Interphone Study”, which evaluated the relationship between cell phones and brain tumors. The study found no correlation between cell phone use and brain tumors. Another study was published last month that called “Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism”. This study evaluated the effects of cell phone signals on brain processes. The study found an increase in brain glucose metabolism as a result of cell phone use, but scientists are unsure of the clinical significance of this discovery. This study is further discussed in an article in the health section of cnn.com, as well as other inconclusive studies related to this topic.

Since so many studies have inconclusive results regarding the relationship between cell phone use and brain-related health problems, what is the answer? Are cell phones harmful to our health? We may never know, but you have to decide this: since there are correlations between cell phone use and some brain functions, do you think that the possible unhealthy outcomes outweigh the benefits of using cell phones? I don’t believe that society as a whole can decide to stop using cell phones because we are so dependent on them now. Many researchers believe that using an earpiece solves the problem; maybe that is the answer.

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Can You Hear Me Now?

When walking down the street, you notice a woman pacing in circles while jabbing her phone in the air in a frustrated manner trying to get a signal. Then you sit down in at your favorite coffee shop, and the man at the adjacent table is yelling, “Can you hear me now?!” At this point you wonder: why does a dropped call or lack of phone service disorient us so much? Well the simple answer is: we are constantly connected and are dependent on our phones to survive.

I am one of those people who gets easily frustrated when my phone isn’t working correctly and I feel the pressing need to contact someone. Maybe we feel like a more important person when we get a lot of phone calls; we feel as if we are needed. Don’t you notice how famous and important people don’t get excited at the prospect of a phone call from someone, especially a fan? I definitely don’t receive very many calls or text messages in a day, and when my phone begins to vibrate, I am on top of it. When someone wants to talk to you or might have a question that you can answer, it feels nice. This creates a dependence on phones, and when they don’t work for us, we feel distraught.

This feeling of loss when technology doesn’t work is common in other areas of our lives too. If the Internet doesn’t work for example, I become very uncomfortable without the ability to check my e-mails. The same may go for Facebook, MySpace, or any other online communication device. This discomfort and feeling of loss indicates a dependence on constant connectivity to technology. So if we are wondering whether constant connectivity is a bane or boon, it might help to decide whether being disconnected is a bane or boon. At this stage in society, wouldn’t disconnection to technology disrupt our lives and livelihoods far more than the banes of constant connectivity?

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Cell phone Waves on Brain Activity

Cell phones have become an integral part of our modern culture. An ever-increasing portion of the population owns and uses cellphones on a daily, if not hourly, basis. In the recent New York Times article “Cell phone Use Tied to Changes in Brain Activity”, researches found that less than an hour of cellphone use can speed up brain activity in the areas closest to the antenna. This increase in activity has not yet been shown to have a negative impact on the brain or the affected individual’s overall health.

While no concrete data has been collected to indicate that cellphone use is a health hazard, scientists are worried about the long-term effects of prolonged cell phone use. This recent study has shown that the low-level radiation emitted by cellphones does affect brain function, and that studies dealing with the long-term affects of cellphone are needed to properly assess the potential risks of cellphone use.

While I am not quite ready to stop using my cellphone altogether I am worried about these findings and their potential consequences. I am very interested to see what researchers are able to find regarding the long-term effects of cellphone use.

A Bittersweet Boon

To be honest, the subject of rape and sexual assaults make me greatly uncomfortable. The fact that I'm writing a post about an instance of rape surprises me to no end. But the reality of it is that these things happen all over the world, even in the most progressive and forward thinking societies. And unfortunately the small town of Cleveland, Texas, with a population of about 9,000, was no exception.

According to a New York Times article, a total of eighteen local males have been charged with participating in the gang rape of a young, eleven-year-old girl. The males range from players on the local high school basketball team, to middle school students, to previous felons, etc. What basically happened is that the victim, who had a history of hanging around older children - according to one interviewee- accepted a ride from a nineteen-year-old man who then kidnapped her and took her to a location where several other men were waiting for them.

There are, however, a few redeeming points to this story:

1. The victim walked away with her life and is attending school in a different district.
2. The perpetrators, or at least a great many of them, have been detained.

What makes this story remarkable is the way in which the crime was brought to light and the wrongdoers identified. Several (I'm using plural though it may have, in fact, merely been one person) of the individuals who were present at the time of the assault had taken video on their cellphones. This video circulated around the town, even permeating the elementary school. In fact, it was one of the girls in the elementary school who brought the video to the attention of a teacher as it included her classmate. I applaud this child who stepped forward and did the right thing at her young age, when dozens of others who had either witnessed the crime itself or heard about it later did nothing. Needless to say, it will be a long time before this little town recovers from these shocking events.

I came across this incredibly dimwitted poll as I was looking for an appropriate image for this post and thought I would include it to share with you all how ignorant some people can be: Poll: Is the 11 year old girl from Cleveland, Texas to blame for being gang raped?

For Love or Cell Phones

I believe that cell phones destroy relationships.

A couple I know built their relationship on the love of cooking and bus driving. They spent most of their time involved in various activities that did not involve electronics and were almost always together. This togetherness helped their relationship grow and they were one of the closest and most functional couples I've ever known; however, this changed once they made the decision to both get an iPhone. The first argument erupted even before the new phones were purchased. More arguments followed until their new phones arrived; however, things did not get better. They stopped arguing but, the also stopped talking. Instead of sharing and preparing a meal together, they were transfixed on their iPhones. They used their phones for the simplest tasks and preferred the company of an electronic device to each other. I don't know if this will ultimately be the ruin of their relationship but, I do know that it isn't helping them grow closer.

I do admit that cell phones are useful tools in long distance relationships; however, I do think that the overuse of this technology may very easily lead to the downfall of relationships. My boyfriend and I have gone through this same struggle. We decided to downgrade our phones so that they might only serve their basic purpose. I believe that this has helped our relationship and may do so for many others as well.

The Phone Space

Even though the topic of our seminar is such a current issue, one of the most insightful descriptions of how people adapt to constant connectivity I read during the course of my research came from a study published in 2000. The paper is "Life in the Real-time City: Mobile Telephones and Urban Metabolism" by Anthony Townsend. It examines the effects of increasing mobile phone usage on urban dynamics. Although it was largely speculative, one observation Townsend made has proven to be extremely accurate, even today:

"Individuals live in this phone-space. They can never let it go, because it is their primary link to the temporally, spatially fragmented network of friends and colleagues they have created for themselves. It has become their new umbilical cord..." (94).

I love this quote because it is a great figurative representation of how people become dependent on constant connectivity. They pick it up for the convenience or the novelty, but then they restructure their lives around it. Most of us got cell phones in high school so that our parents could keep track of us. Now, however, many of our social interactions would not be possible if our friends were unable to contact us at any time through our cell phones. This is the phenomenon to which Townsend refers. Our communications either occur in, or would not be possible without, the "phone space."

The "phone space" is becoming even more pervasive with the introduction of Smart Phones, which allow us to be constantly connected not only by text message and phone call, but also through the Internet. This evolving "phone space" is the root of many of the issues we have discussed throughout the quarter. Doing homework on our iPhones is just the beginning.

Cell Phones and Health Concerns

I rely on my cell phone to get me through my day. I depend on it to wake me up in the morning, to remind me of any meetings or appointments that day, to keep me connected to my friends and family, and to be able to search the web at any moment. Have you ever heard of the saying, “too much of a good thing is bad”? Well apparently my cell phone, which is responsible for keeping me sane, is actually having negative effects on my health.

The National Institutes of Health has conducted research showing that the radiation emitted from only an hour use of cell phones is correlated to a person’s overall health. When talking on a cell phone, the part of the brain that is closest to the phone’s antenna has an increased consumption of glucose, or sugar. Even though scientists have stated that there is no known biological evidence to explain how the nonionizing radiation, which are weak energy waves emitted by cell phones, could potentially cause cancer, scientists remain concerned about whether the repeated stimulation of the brain from cell phones is having negative effects. Scientists believe that the increase in glucose production could be linked to the creation of free radicals, molecules, which in excess could be harmful to one’s health by damaging cells.

The NIH study does not tell us whether this increased brain activity from the use of cell phones is detrimental or even beneficial. The results from this study, however, should make us cautious about the over-use of cell phones. With regards to my personal addiction to my cell phone, I need to know if I am affecting my health. Imagine our generation in 15 years suffering from health problems because we abused today’s technology.

The benefits of technology should not out weigh the negative side effects. When technology tells a person to jump, instead of asking “why?”, they ask “how high?”. I feel that our society adapted to a technology dependent life, without first considering the detriments of technology. Now that many of us rely on technology to get us through the day, it will be hard to limit the use of cell phones, but we must think about the long term effects, instead of the benefits of technology today.

New Distractions on the Road

Since it is illegal to talk on the cell phone without a headset, car companies are now developing features that appeal to those who need to feel constantly connected. Ford cars now have an “in car-connectivity” feature called Ford Sync, which allows the driver to sync up to apps, and play songs on your iPod. It can even read Twitter feeds and your text messages. Ford Sync is voiced activated, which means you can tell Ford Sync to respond to your text messages from a list of 10 prewritten responses. You can even order Ford Sync to find a restaurant that you are craving.

These features sound ideal to the average person, but surely these features will distract the driver. Yes, the driver is prevented from looking down at his or her phone to reply to a text message, but being this connected to technology must be a distraction to the driver. This distraction makes the driver unable to fully concentrate on the road because they are thinking about which text message response they should choose to send or listening to Twitter feeds. I think that these features are putting drivers in danger of getting into accidents.

An App to Help You Unplug

Usually, technology-related apps exist to hook users into spending as much time as possible absorbed in the digital world. Now, from an organization called Reboot, there is an app that does just the opposite. Called the Sabbath Manifesto, this app posts on Facebook and Twitter that the user is partaking in a technology-free day. Lest the user forget, Sabbath Manifesto sends multiple text messages throughout the day prior to the day of unplugging.

As one might guess based on the app’s name, the organization that created Sabbath Manifesto (Reboot) is a Jewish organization. Some followers of the Jewish faith routinely unplug themselves for a full 25 hours. A Reboot spokesperson said that “while the group isn’t anti-technology, it hopes people will consider logging off more often.”

One may note the irony inherent in using a smartphone app to facilitate a day of technological abstinence. However, for many, responding to a cell phone’s beep is as automatic as to a friend’s greeting. By using this platform to advocate unplugging, Reboot is approaching people within their comfort zone, which may make them more likely to follow through. In addition, by informing the user’s Facebook friends and Twitter followers, Sabbath Manifesto makes the user more accountable for his or her adherence.

It is more difficult to measure how many people are not using a particular service than to measure how many are. However, Reboot claims that last year millions partook in the National Day of Unplugging. This year, it is scheduled for March 4-5. Will you participate?

Constantly Connected Cellphone Use: Brain or Boom?

Are cell phones safe? There is a long-standing debate about whether or not extensive cell phone use is possibly related to rare brain tumors, though many major medical groups have concluded that cell phones are safe. As technology progresses and cell phones become small portable computers that we find ourselves constantly connected to, it's important to ask ourselves, has a decision really been made on this issue?

According to a recent New York Times article,

"Researchers [from the National Institutes of Health] tested 47 people by placing a cellphone at each ear. After 50 minutes, brain scans showed increased consumption of glucose, or sugar, in areas of the brain near the activated phone."

The article also discloses that this study is among the first to discover that weak radio-frequency signals from cellphones have the potential to alter brain activity. It remains unclear whether these signals have beneficial or detrimental implications, but the point is that cellphone use is affecting the brain. One theory about how an artificial increase in brain glucose metabolism could be harmful is that it could potentially act as a catalyst for the creation of molecules called free radicals, which can damage healthy cells. Another theory is that repeated stimulation by electromagnetic radiation could cause an inflammatory response, which studies suggest can cause health problems, including cancer. Therefore, these theories suggest that extensive cell phone use may be more detrimental than beneficial.

In truth, there are everyday situations in which the overstimulation of the brain, as provided by cellphone use, may play a role.

Besides possible connections between cellphone use and health problems as significant as cancer, there may also be connections between overstimulation of the brain and sleep disturbance. It is believed we do not get restful sleep when lights are left on (even small power lights on devices), or when our cell phones are resting by our head as we [attempt to] sleep. Effects may not always be negative, though, as Dr. Volkow, an interviewee in the same New York Times article, explains that future research may show that the electromagnetic waves emitted from cellphones could be used to therapeutically stimulate the brain.

Ultimately, more research needs to be conducted in order to make a decision on whether or not constant connectivity, as it pertains to cellphone use, detrimentally affects the brain. Personally, I feel that while artificial increase in brain glucose isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's also not a good thing. Will I use my cellphone any less? No. Will I opt for the impersonal means of text messaging? No way! However, I feel more aware now of how much time I spend talking/listening directly on or from my cellphone. It's frightening to think that something that we are so dependent on may potentially be harmful for us. What exactly are we doing to ourselves when we employ the use of such technology? Even scarier is the thought that an entire generation is glued to their devices, with children being introduced to cellphone technology at a younger age than the previous generation. OUR MINDS ARE BEING ALTERED-LITERALLY! For the time being, those of us who remain skeptical about cellphone use not negatively affecting the brain are advised to use a headset or earpiece every now and then to alleviate concern. Thankfully, I rely heavily on my headset, though I hope that research in a few years won't show that headsets cause brain damage. So it remains to be seen whether relying heavily on such technology is "brainy," or if it causes for a mental/physical "boom" with negative implications. What do you think?

When the digital divide and the rural-urban divide align

We talked at one point during this quarter about who is "left out" when they are not constantly connected--either because they choose not to be--or because they have no opportunity to be. For the former category, I suggested the elderly as an example because they may not be willing to invest the time to learn new skills, to master new technology. Plus, we should remember that it is more difficult "for an old dog to learn new tricks."

Now, a front-page story in today's New York Times reminds us of a group who would like to be connected, but who don't have a choice. The headline is "Digital Age is Slow to Arrive in Rural America." In it, journalist Kim Severson reports from Coffeeville, Alabama, population 563, in non-metropolitan Clarke County, where only half of residents have access to the broadband that so many of us take for granted. The story focuses on Coffeeville, but it is essentially about the Obama Administration's plan to "wire" the nation for broadband and close the digital divide--with a special focus on unserved and underserved communities--many of them rural. More than $7 billion in stimulus funding was earmarked for this effort. Severson summarizes the situation:

In rural America, only 60 percent of households use broadband Internet service, according to a report released Thursday by the Department of Commerce. That is 10 percent less than urban households. Over all, 28 percent of Americans do not use the Internet at all.

In Clarke County, the situation is even worse. Half of the county's residents cannot easily engage in e-commerce, consult their physician online, participate in online banking, upload family photos to Facebook, or make an appointment with a public official. With cell phone service also lacking in many parts of the county, they also cannot receive emergency alerts. Severson tells us that the only computer many Coffeeville students ever touch is at school. For many residents, it is at the library.

Severson's story quotes Brian Depew of the Center for Rural Affairs, who likens broadband to electricity early last century, when the federal government made a huge investment in rural electrification to level the playing field for rural people and places and bring them a critical service.

“You often hear people talk about broadband from a business development perspective, but it’s much more significant than that ... . This is about whether rural communities are going to participate in our democratic society. If you don’t have effective broadband, you are cut out of things that are really core to who we are as a country.”

The story is a good reminder of the myriad ways we have come to rely on being constantly connected, ways not available to rural residents because the digital divide all too often does align along the rural-urban axis. Read a related post on Legal Ruralism here.

View a map of the places with broadband access here.

"Free" App

"I am Rich"
 Cell Phone App

In 2007, Apple launched the first iPhone.Since then, iPhone apps have flooded the market, and  now occupy every tidbit of our free time. Apps come in all shapes and sizes: potentially for men, women, children, and even pets. There was even the short-lived and ridiculous  $1000 "I am Rich" iPhone app that uselessly

displayed a glowing red jewel on the iPhone screen. 

After the angry outcry of a gullible customer revealed the worthlessness of this application, Apple swiftly took action to end the public outrage (the money was returned to the customer, and the app was no longer available for sale). Oddly enough, this app received the patronage of only 8 "curious aristocrats" before being taken down. Although nothing can compare to the function-less-ness of the "I am Rich" app, an outlandishnew app is creating outrage among parents. 

A Washington Post article published Tuesday, featured free iPhone apps geared toward children that are utilizing subversive tactics to charge users. After downloading these free apps and playing the games, the children are prompted whilst playing to buy in-game upgrades or special content. These purchases are then charged to the accounts of their parents, often unknowingly (purchases are password "protected").  This article raises an important question  about the role of parental monitoring in technology consumption.

These iPhone apps, downloaded onto the parents' phone,are often given to the child to play with as a type of "babysitter." Although the concept of preoccupying a child with another task is not new, the recent phenomenon of creating applications specifically tailored to a younger audience is. This trend has gained momentum, as seen in blogs such as the "Touchscreen Preschool Games" blog which reviews the latest iPhone apps released for young children.However, unlike physical babysitters which receive thorough background checks or undergo intensive interviews, parents conduct a cursory examination at best, when downloading these iPhone apps.

So, should parents be more vigilant or should companies clearly publish their hidden charges? 

Although I feel parents ought to monitor the iPhone apps to which they expose their children, I do agree these subversive business practices are exploiting parents. Children are not able to comprehend fully the consequences of in-game purchases and the $99 charges "for items such as barrels of Smurfberries." These companies capitalize on a child's inability to discern the real-world consequences of their actions as they play these games, scamming parents.Nonetheless, this story ought to serve as a wake-up call to parents who allow their children unmonitored and often unrestricted use of these types of technologies.

However, I have noticed a growing trend among social technology users who attempt to shirk responsibility. The realm of social technology has become a fast-paced world in which the users' sense of self dominates. iPhone apps I have downloaded are exploitative, charging me through my children; Facebook is phishing for my publicly posted "personal" information; Google is tracking my search history. While these feelings of persecution are, to some extent, cause for worry, how much do our feelings of being 'ripped-off' or invaded result from our own decision to download these applications and visit these websites? 

 Before jumping to conclusions, caving into public pressure and buying into the delusions of persecution, we must recall that we may have started it by exposing ourselves to this technology in the first place.   

Is the Use of Technology Compromising with People's Safety?

“Stop, look, and listen,” are the three safety words I grew up reciting mentally to myself before crossing the street. Today, with technology making its way into our daily lives, the word “listen” is slowly being forgotten as more and more people are using iPods to listen to music while crossing the street. As people are tuning out external sounds from cars, more people are getting involved in car accidents. According to the New York Times article, States’ Lawmakers Turn Attention to the Dangers of Distracted Pedestrians three people have been killed since September as a result of listening to music while crossing the street in New York.

A bill is pending in the New York legislature that wishes to ban the use of distracting electronic devices like iPods and cellular phones while crossing the street. There should not have to be a bill placed in action for people to learn how to be responsible and remember those three words we all learned when we were in kindergarten. “Stop, look, and listen” are three actions that should be common sense to people while crossing the street. If technology is going to distract a runner from “stopping, looking, and listening” before crossing the street, then the runner should be able to make that decision whether or not to use their electronic device. Technology should not be held responsible people's lack of common sense.

Warning: Disconnect!

My mother called on Thursday. Our AT&T bill had jumped up thirty dollars and she wanted to know what  I had been "up to." Like many young Americans, I live in an era of suspended adulthood--my parents still help to pay the bills for tuition, rent, and some living expenses. My fiscal contribution, negligible at best, is the spending money I attempt to save from my campus job.

Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of respecting boundaries as well as fiscal responsibility. That said, knowing I have a limited texting plan, I ought to have remained well within the limit, monitoring my use. I know better. But, I did not; I ended up texting nearly double my limit. Thirty dollars is a small fortune to my near-minimum-wage salary, but for my parents, it is earned easily.  However, I still feel terrible. Yes, my parents bought me a phone and pay for my phone bill, but how many of my minutes or texts were actually spent on them? These days I'm so busy and socially engaged that I'll call my parents at best, once a day, or, more often than less, receive their calls wondering about my health, safety, and school.

Cellphone Usage Alert

Therefore, when I heard about the FCC's proposition to instate mandatory alerts to cellphone overages, I was interested. What better way to monitor cellphone usage than mandatory alerts? As stated in the New York Times articles, users would receive notifications before they reach their plan limit, when they reach their limit, and right after they pass their limit. That way, one could adjust their usage accordingly and anticipate or limit their future use. Sounds great, right?

Well. Not to the phone companies.

The wireless industry’s trade group, C.T.I.A.-The Wireless Association, argues that the F.C.C.’s proposal “violates carriers’ First Amendment protections”; it contends that compelling carriers to provide use alerts is a form of “compelled speech.” So, by this logic, the carriers should be allowed to remain silent while your phone gobbles up data bits beyond your plan’s allocation.

The industry says customers can check their current charges by going to their carrier’s Web site and looking them up — or by sending short codes on their phones or installing apps on their smartphones that can provide a tally of minutes and data use. And if customers don’t remember to check, the carriers can shrug and say, “Not our fault.”

Just great. While I agree cellphone users should be responsible with their own usage, extra reminders to monitor usage would really boost responsibility. Mandatory alerts would serve as a wake-up call when you become too caught up texting or going online on your handheld device. It would prompt you to don that mantle of responsibility, helping you realize whether you should adjust your usage or invest in an alternative texting/data plan (i.e. unlimited data plans). But then, a sickening realization hit me. It would really hurt profits for phone companies if we were responsible about our consumption of social technology.


In class we've discussed benefits and the many detrimental side effects of being constantly connected, but the one aspect we seem to have overlooked, perhaps, because we do not pay the bills, is the fiscal side. We may feel "good" being connected, but somewhere out there are marketers, phone carriers, and internet providers urging us to fall deeper into the abyss of social technology. So, while the FCC and CTIA wrangle this proposal indefinitely, we should start working on responsibly consuming social technology. As for me, please don't text me until next month.

Is Technology Connecting or Disconnecting Families?

During my winter break, my parents and I took a trip to Tuscon, Arizona to visit the rest of our family for the holidays. Over the duration of our stay, it became increasingly apparent to my brother and I that our mother was attached to her cell phone and computer. At one point there was a complete upheaval in our night because the internet stopped working on my mom's computer (then was finally resolved in a forty minute phone conversation with tech support). These events opened my eyes, realizing how technology has dramatically changed our family dynamics. Even my mother, who banned television during the week in our younger years, has now succumbed to technological addiction.

I am just as guilty of these abuses as well. Numerous family adventures and meals came to a halt when I received an important e-mail or urgent phone call from a friend. Each of our technological addictions have completely altered our family interactions; every evening before dinner we converse over the tops of our laptops and at the dinner table all jump at the sound of a text. In a recent phone conversation with my mother, we talked about comments I had made on Facebook, rather than the activities of the day ahead. On the other hand, so many family moments have been shared using picture texts and skype. Using technology in this way, I have been able to witness each milestone in my nephew's young life, while attending college full time 300 miles away. I have seen the benefits and the disadvantages of a technologically savvy family and am curious how electronics impacted other families like ours.

In an article the New York Times published in June 2010, Kord Campbell and his wife were interviewed about Mr. Campell’s addiction to electronics. Brenda Campbell stated, “It seems like he can no longer be fully in the moment” while discussing his struggles with data over stimulation. I can relate to this in my own family interactions. Car rides are no longer a time for discussing the day’s activities, but an opportunity to change your Facebook status and check e-mails. There have also been some great benefits that have come with our smartphones, making our family more connected. We were able to receive hour by hour updates of my nephew opening presents from Oregon. It was very exciting to feel a connection to our family so far away but there were times I felt the constant multimedia messages were taking attention away from quality time spent with those who were present. For these reasons I am torn about whether or not our family has truly benefited from being constantly connected.

-Annie Roach

Is Text Messaging Preventing Intellectual Growth?

Everyday I take the bus to and from class, and everyday more than half the people on the bus are fiddling on their cell phones. I am one of the few who is just sitting on the bus staring out the window. It amazes me that so many people feel this constant pressure always to be connected to other people through text messaging. When I am on the bus, I am surrounded by vibrating cell phones with incoming text messages, which makes it impossible for me to form a single thought. With the average American teenager both sending and receiving 2,272 text messages a month in 2008 according to the Nielsen Company, it is impossible for teenagers to develop an imagination without allowing time to space out and let their minds wonder. When a teenager is given a chance to do nothing, it seems like the first thing they want to do is go on their cell phones and start engaging in a text message conversation instead of allowing time for their brain to process everything that has happened that day.

According to a New York Times article called Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction, researchers have found that the effects of technology are more powerful in teenagers than adults. For instance, teenagers’ brains are still developing and can more easily habituate to multitasking than adults’ brains. Technology makes teenagers less likely to be able to hold their attention on one thing. I think it is important to not get so consumed in technology and the need to always be connected to people. It is important to give yourself down time to form thoughts, opinions, or ideas in order to grow into an intellectual person.

-Christina Breitenbuecher

Talk to the Handsfree

The photo above is a link to a recording of my senior project at UCLA, an interpretive dance about my addiction to my cell phone. The project was based on my senior thesis, titled "Talk To The Handsfree," and expanded upon the ways in which long distance relationships affect our short distance relationships with the people around us.

The first ten seconds of the video was a prank played on the audience. After the curtains opened and shortly before the lights went up, I asked all of the performers to whip out their cell phones to check the time or for text messages and missed calls. Sure enough, one of my professors who had sat in the house with the rest of the audience informed me later on that over half the audience had done the same thing and it took them a few moments to look up from their own phones to see that we were mocking them.

The first section of the performance was a joke about the awkwardness of being in such close proximity to other bodies (i.e. when we are in a crowded elevator). My theory was that we have grown quite bad at socializing with neighbors or making new friends quickly because cell phones and wi-fi allow us to take the comfort of our already-made-friends and family with us wherever we go; whereas before these techological developments, we may have been forced to form new relationships. But then again, perhaps I'm wrong, and we've always been awkward with face to face interactions.

The rest of the project comments on our relationships to and through our cell phones, automated voice messaging and automated responses (i.e. "lol" and "omg"), multi-tasking, being in multiple places at once, and so on. I like to leave room for interpretation of course.