Main issues with new communication technology

I remember way back when my aunt got her first iPhone. Her boyfriend at that time had brought it back from China and gave it to her for Christmas. When she opened it she said; "Thank you" followed by; "What is it?" No one of us had heard of the iPhone yet, and little did we know that it would get to us all.

Today I also have an iPhone. But for a long while there, I did not. And I remember how annoyed and irritated I was with my aunt. I was picking her up at the mall this one time, and had not seen her in a while. Her head was all down in that iPhone the whole trip back. Still remember it to this day. 

Then my sister got one and the same thing happen there. So every time I was hanging around with my sister and my aunt. They were both sitting there with their cool Smartphones, and I was yelling; "talk to me, talk to me - I am right here" - and then I decided to get one too. 

So now, every time we meet, we just sit there. We are in the same room, not talking. Just checking in on Facebook or playing words with friends, or draw something. I kind of miss those days when you sat around a table and played a board game without interruptions. Now you can play the same board game, only you each have your own Smartphone to play on. 

So you can say that people get less social, but then again easier to contact. People bring their iPhones, iPads and other Smartphone’s wherever they go. So if you send someone an email, they should not have problem with answering right away. On the other hand, people may also expect you to always answer, and that may be overwhelming sometimes. Like if you want to be left alone for example. You could always turn your device off, but you still feel like people would not be pleased by not being able to reach you.

I was very pleased that we had all the new communication technologies last year. July 22, 2011. When there was a bombing in Norway, followed by shooting. People were calling each other making sure everyone was okay. Someone made a group on Facebook, saying people should put their names in, to let others know they were ok. I believe I was not the only one happy with being able to contact people that easily. 

So even though it is a bit sad that people do not talk as much directly to each other anymore, the new communication technologies still have some good sides. Like being able to reach someone when it is life and death matter. 

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Out with the old, in with the new

What is old, what is new? When I was young I used to be on mIRC, for me that would be like today’s Facebook in a way. You did not have all the same features that you have on Facebook. But for me mIRC was a social place online back then. That was where I went after school, and I enjoyed it. Talking to my friends and playing games.

You had the different channels and different friends. You did not have a profile or a wall like you do on Facebook. You had your nickname, and the little information you would give out. Facebook have the chat feature, which made me leave all other communication chats. I hardly use MSN messenger anymore. The only other chat than Facebook I use is Skype, but only because I now live in Australia and I want to see my family back in Norway.

So mIRC is no longer what it used to be. The social network I used to have is long gone. I think it is a bit sad, that something you had for a long time, would just be forgotten when something new comes along. There was a long way from mIRC to Facebook though. I went through MSN messenger and MySpace before ending up at Facebook. So mIRC is more like an online chatting program then a social network such as Facebook, and could maybe be compared more to MSN messenger. But then again, in messenger you usually only chat with one other person, and on mIRC you talked to more people. So I would conclude this with that mIRC was what Facebook is today, for me anyway.

So what is the difference between the old and the new? I believe that Facebook is doing more to change with the time, so that people will not leave. As I wrote in my previous post about how Facebook changes all the time, I think they do this do keep Facebook going. I am excited to see how long Facebook will be around, and if it would be replaced and if so, what it would be replaced with. Has it already happened?

Why does Facebook change?

I remember joining Facebook in October 2006, a few months after it was opened for all public. A friend of mine from England told me about it. Where I came from no one had heard of Facebook yet, so for the first month or so I had very few friends. But after around three months, more and more people had joined, and I had many friends. I also got in touch with people I had not seen or spoken to in a really long time. People I used to have on Myspace or other social networks, and people I used to go to school with. 

I really liked the one feature Facebook had in the beginning. The one where you put in information on where you first met your friends, how long you had known them for, and so on. I remember how furious I got when they took it away, I still miss it. But it seems like I am the only one. I don’t think that changing things on social networks is a good idea. If you first have made something, that is really good. I think you should be careful before changing it. Asking the “people” what they think is would be a better idea. Facebook have done a lot of changes in the almost six years I have been on there. The most resent one was the “Timeline”. I still do not have that. It was said that if you did not change it yourself, that your Facebook would be automatically changed to the timeline feature on a specific date. That did not happen. I still have the old Facebook, although it is not really the old Facebook. The very first facebook I was introduced to. 

I think some of the changes they do are good. Other hanges they did, before the Timeline was introduced they had some features where you could see your status from a year before, and one where it just said “previous updates”. This came and went away before you knew it. Maybe they should make it in a way where the people could decide on what their Facebook page would be like. What features to have, and how their page would look like. 

I have been told that if you first change your profile to the Timeline, you can never go back. Everyone else has the Timeline, and asks me why I do not have it. I will probably follow the rest of the people at some point, but I am a person who does not like things to be decided for me. And I am not that found of changes, at least not if I enjoy things like they are. Changes can be good, and changes can be for the worse, but I guess Facebook is evolving so that people will not lose interest. Maybe they felt like they had to do some changes so that Google Plus would not come and take over. Google Plus did not take over. Not yet at least, and at least not for me. I have very few friends there, and as the looks of it, they will not join any time soon. So Facebook is still the only social network I check every day. After getting my iPhone I was very fond of the feature where you could “check in” places. I use that quite often. 

So in one way I do like some of the changes they do, but I still wish that you as a user could have more say in it.

About me

Hello there! 

If you have stumbled on to this blog you might like to know who I am and what I do. The name is Sandra, as the title already tells you. I am 26 years old and I come from Norway.

I was born and raised in a town called Drammen, which - although I have moved away - will always be my hometown. Now, I live in the Gold Coast in Australia where I am currently studying a Bachelor of Arts at Griffith University. I have just finished my first week, and I am certain I have made the right choice.

One of my first assignments in one of my classes is to make a blog, which brings me here. It is not my first time making a blog as I already have one in Norwegian to keep my family and friends back home updated on my life here in Australia.

Before coming to Australia I worked for four years as a substitute teacher at a primary school in Norway. I would consider becoming a full time teacher later on, as I enjoyed teaching very much.

I am very pleased to be able to do my degree in Australia as you might already know that I come from a country which has very long and cold winters. So, to get to study in a great, warm and friendly country is just the right thing for me.

I have only been at Griffith University for one week, but I already know I will enjoy it.

kangaroo & me anno 2004

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