The Learning Begins

After getting through the first few chapters of the reading...it's easy to see that I will be learning a lot more then I originally envisioned. The first chapter of the book "Smart Mobs" focuses on mobile phones and the popularity it's been recieving in countries outside of the United States. It's amazing to find out that there is a whole culture out there who use text messaging in a totally different way then we do in America. It's almost like we take the technology for granted.

I guess it makes sense that mobile phone use in other countries is much higher and has some different innovative uses. I didn't think about it before, but when Reinghold explains how in certain countries it's not as common to have a computer in your home as it is in America. There are other factors such as privacy from parents or wanting to fit in with your friends, but I never considered using a phone as much as I use my computer.

Maybe it's because I don't have a great phone and my attempts at surfing the web with it haven't been greatly succesful, but it amazes me how big a thing like text messaging (or SMS as it's called in other countries) can really get. It brings up the question of whether this technology is hurting or helping social interactions. Some may say that it is an easy way to communicate and that they ARE being social when they are just typing words into a mobile phone. It's easy to see how involved the people who are part of the "thumb tribes" in their practice when the author states that when introduced to certain people, they raise their head for a quick second to be polite and then just dive right back into their mobile phone world.

What intrigued me the most about the chapter titled "Shibuya Epiphany" was the topic of internet/cyber villages. A completely connected community that could help make things much easier in the future (at least in the field of communication). While we may be a little while away from that type of technological leap...it's an interesting idea and will play a big role in the future.

That's it for now....i'll be back to post responses to other parts of this chapter as well as the next one.