Writing actual letters is for the birds

When talking of the most important social/cultural effect of technology all I can think of is, "when is the last time I wrote a real letter?" The internet has made it possible for communication to take place where it was once thought impossible. I am able to connect via webcam to my old flatmate in Germany with the click of two buttons. If someone told me that would be possible 15 years ago, I would laugh. Communication is quicker than ever with text messages, instant messages, webcams etc., and now writing a letter and mailing it seems outdated. We can access almost any information and connect to far away friends instantly with hardly any trouble.

Now with social networks such as facebook and myspace, I no longer need to call or write to old friends to "catch up." I can leave a comment on their wall or send them a message without ever having to pick up a phone or write a letter to be mailed. The time once needed for long distance communication is now ridiculously short. Long distance relationships are surely less stressful because of this, but they are still a dumb idea.

The internet and computers are becoming more common as shown in the article "Digital Divide? It's Still There." There survey found 91 percent of students in nursery school through 12th grade were using computers and 59 percent are using the internet. These statistics blow my mind as I can still remember learning to type type in elementary school on a green screen apple computer and thinking how neat it was. The study found that access and ability to the internet "help improve people's learning, job prospects and daily living." This is an obvious statement as technology has taken over our lives; the next generation is just one step ahead of the older one in it. People are constantly connected to technology and the internet throughout their day and social tasks once done through human communication are now done through a screen (online dating, teleconferences, etc.).

The social aspect of technology is amazing to me but it also causes me to worry. I wonder if some of the people who are constantly on these social networking sites will develop the proper social abilities and intelligence to use in life face-to-face, or will anything even be done face-to-face 10 years from now? I found the article "Social Networking 3.0" to be interesting and quite hilarious (I did not notice the publication date until after I read it) in talking of the developing social networks just 3 years ago. It is amazing how long ago that seems from a technological perspective when all of the mentioned networks were trumped by one that wasn't even listed. I have never even heard of iMeem.

Continuing on with the social and cultural aspect, I find facebook fascinating. I only wish that I had thought of it first. In the article "Facebook Grows Up," the idea of the social graph is explained which is a "mathematical construct that maps the real-life connections between every human on the planet." This sounds scary initially then just plain awesome. I just know that one day I will be looking up the word privacy in the dictionary. It is something we are all going to soon forget about (at least on a community scale). Now I know what all of my friends are doing and they all know about my updates before I even log on. It is a great way for a girlfriend to keep a check on you, it makes cheating nearly impossible.

The article "How Mark Zuckerberg Turned Facebook Into the Web's Hottest Platform," showed me that independent developers still have a use in social networking sites. The idea of the application belonging to them along with the profits, seemed like a noble idea for Zuckerberg to initiate (although I don't care what alcoholic drink I would be). I myself do not have any applications and I do not plan on getting any. Call it my one-man-stand but I have better things to do (like be on facebook).

In answering the question on negative social/cultural effects of technology, I must agree with all those who mentioned hackers and identity theft. Those who use the internet for criminal activities (movie and music downloading doesn't count in my book, question my ethics later) end up ruining things for everyone. I am now afraid to use my credit card online at certain sites because I do not want to receive a bill for a Persian rug I didn't order. Some hackers ruin programs and sites for the users (usually temporarily), start a virus (just a blast), or steal my information (they've already hit me once). None of these things are fun or beneficial so it makes me cautious when doing certain things on the internet.

In conclusion, I feel that the access aspect of cultural/social effects of technology is the most important. I can be constantly connected to my friends and family without hardly lifting a finger. Communication is quick and so is the access to information about almost anything I want. Without this I would be far less productive and probably much more happy (go a week without a cell phone, it is exhilarating). I kid though, access to technology has done nothing but benefit my life and for that I am grateful. I can't even imagine what they will have in another 10 years, I am just hoping for teleportation and a robot to take my dog out down the four flights of stairs.