There is no escaping the web.
I find this statement absolutely true. Unless, by chance, you find yourself on some remote island, with no internet access whatsoever. But that’s beside the point. I’m talking about here and now, in our culture. It seems next to impossible to get away from the internet. I’m not even sure if it is possible. One reason is because of our advancements in technology, particularly smart phones, which allow for internet access virtually anywhere.
In her article, Adriana De Souza e Silva, discusses hybrid spaces and mobile devices. I’m going to focus on page 758 where she describes hybrid spaces as being the space between the physical and digital world, mobile spaces. It is in this hybrid space where the lines are blurred between physical and digital worlds. Mobile devices are a cause of these hybrid spaces, cell phones being the top device. Cell phones are now portable microcomputers, and in some countries, voice communication is no longer the top priority use of a cell phone. It is due to the popularity in devices like smart phones that people are ‘always on’ the web, giving rise to these previously mentioned hybrid spaces.
Nowadays it is rare to see people without a cell phone. But really what are they mainly using it for?? I rarely see people ‘talking’ on the phone. They are either text messaging, emailing, or surfing the web… on their phone! My boyfriend is constantly on his iPhone, looking at Best Buy ads, engadget news, or CNN updates. When it is so easy to carry these things with you wherever you are, it makes hybrid spaces very applicable to our everyday lives. Take for example Facebook. I am a part of that community, yet I don’t have to be on a computer to have access to it. I can check my updates on any smartphone or even on my Zune HD. The ability for me to access the web without having to go ‘get online’ but merely pulling out a phone, music player or laptop, makes the distinction between physical and digital spaces almost invisible.
lol at being stranded on an island... there's always satellite or having a smack wireless card to suck it from your neighboring islands.
ReplyDeleteEven staying off technology for a month would be a really interesting and difficult personal experiment... I would have to quit my job... I would have to quit school... and I wouldn't hear about recreational things to do such as parties or get togethers, nor have any digital recreation like dinking around on beatport.com... whoa. that would be tough.
It's weird how my brother and I do things online like we would if we were in the same room. The last time I visited him we had a discussion about American Psycho and we looked up all sorts of trivia about it on google and ended up searching for pictures of cute monkey-faced celebrities (Kourtney Kardashian and Eva Longoria, I'm pointing at you).
ReplyDeleteJust now, my brother just texted me to ask about some of the imagery on Dexter's opening/ending credits that he watched on Netflix's instant download, and I quickly did a lookup on the ending credits since I skip them normally. Youtube had the ending credits, and I also found a few articles about the opening credits that I skimmed while I was waiting for him to reply. All of this happened within a space of a few minutes, and through our phones.
Interesting thought, Michelle. It makes me feel like a really big "nerd!" Nowadays, if I don't have a smart phone and use it religiously I am considered to be completely off. And, actually, I don't use my phone. In fact, it's one of the biggest complaints I get from ppl who try to get in contact with me. I use it so little that I actually haven't paid my plan this month and am not particularly concerned about it, aside from wondering what I would do if my car broke down on the highway. With my luck, someone I know would probably pull over.
ReplyDeletegood post & comments; keep it up, group.
ReplyDelete