For the project on Media Ethnography, I think I will do my project on cell phones, and more specifically, the new "smartphones," which make being unconnected nearly impossible.
I remember when cell phones just came out. I distinctly remember in 1997 when I first saw and used a cell phone. At first, our culture had a huge issue with people being rude on their cell phones. It was a huge debate; whether or not it was rude to stop mid-conversation and say, "excuse me, I have to take this call." It was considered rude to talk on a cell phone in a restaurant, on the bus, or sometimes, in somebody's house. Nowadays, people answer phone calls in the middle of face-to-face conversations, in restaurants, and in lines at the grocery store. It is only now considered semi-rude when you don't hang up when you're interacting with the cashier. People even text, Facebook, email, or look things up on the internet while talking face-to-face with somebody.
Now, with smartphones. you are expected to pick up the phone or call back within a few hours - at the most. You are to respond to a text message within minutes, email back within the day, as well as keep your Facebook status "updated" as you move about your day and tweet about relevant information. As a result, when I forget my phone at home, I feel completely naked and out of touch. It is absolutely amazing that I feel uncomfortable without my cell phone, like I forgot to put on socks that morning or something.
I have found that older people still find it acceptable to not answer the phone or take a couple of days to return phone calls, but even with my twenty-something age group this is simply unacceptable for us. I can't imagine keeping up with the social immediacy that adolescents participate in these days. My 14 year-old nephew updates his Facebook status three times a day and switches his dating status about once a week. He must send and receive 100 texts a day. Whenever I text him, he usually responds in seconds. Even if he's at school, he'll write, "txt latr in scl." What?
The new smartphones combine every bit of connectedness that we subscribe to: phone, music, social networking, email, and text messaging. Once in a while, if I forget my cell phone and get over the initial uncomfortableness, I relish in the fact that I am absolutely unreachable.
I totally agree! I feel so unconnected with the world when I don't have my cell phone, or now my ipod touch with internet access. On the other hand, this does make you make connected with the world in that you actually give full attention to people when speaking with them. I found it particularly interesting that you discuss how its no longer rude to text or make phone calls at restaurants or in conversation, but its still rude to do these during interactions with a cashier.
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