so what does this all mean?

Expanding technologies are really bringing us together (hence the title of my blog). We started out with nothing, added a "simple" technology with a telephone, then progressed all the way to being able to look and talk to someone in real time through the computer. And each technology which has initially been created, continues to get more advanced as well, for example the expansion of cell phone qualities. In the busy times which are today, when people are constantly working, in school, and moving, it is often hard to stay connected. And with life being so short, we need to be able to get connected at any moment. There is no telling what will be coming next as far as communication goes but for now I think it is safe to say long ditance relationships/friendships etc are now possible with these expanding technologies. They all bring us a little bit closer to one another.

Skype

The major final technology which I think is ultimately going to be relatively hard to surpass is Skype. Skype takes connecting to a whole new level. It is video chatting through the internet. Now, not only can you talk to people anywhere over the world for free, but you can see them too. When one of my best friends got drafted to the New York Redbulls soccer team and I was devestated cause obviously he had to move to New York, but when my old laptop died and I got a new one, I got one with a camera in it and I can now talk and see him whenever I want along with alot of my family members who live in other states, and other friends who have moved away. It adds a whole new element of connection. Seeing someone makes you feel so much more connected. You can "exchange files and documents while conferencing" as well so if you have something you want someone to proof read, or a photo you want to share you can do so. You can participate in "public chats" to in order to communicate with anyone anywhere for fun. This is obviously only if you are comfortable and of course you must remain very careful if venturing into this area of skype. My friend has skype as well and she used it to talk to her friends while they were studying abroad overseas. It isn't even necessary to have a computer with a camera. You can buy webcams and microphones and convert any regular computer or lab top to a skype computer. It is just wonderful how close we can remain to people even when so far away

http://skype.software.informer.com/3.0/

Twitter

Twitter is a whole new phenomenon which took the world by storm a couple years ago with its release in 2006. For those of you who are unaware what twitter is, the essential purpose is to post pictures or 100 or so characters or less about where you are and what you are doing every minute of the day. I think what contributed to its popularity however was the fact that celebrities caught on to the twitter phase and opened up their own accounts. Instead of just seeing what your friends were doing, you can "follow" almost anyone you want. Twitters also recently have begun posting contests and games through twitter which allow fans to win concert tickets, backstage passes and all sorts of things a fan would never normally have access to. There are so many resources to make sure you get the most of your twitter account as well. Twitterlocal.net finds twitters near your location. Twitterholic.com pulls up all the most popular people being followed. Whoshouldifollow.com gives you a list of users who have a similiar name as you, interests, or friends in common. It is actually a little frightening in my opinion how much information you can now get through here. There is a way of course to make it private which helps some but for those unaware how to do so there "tweets" get sent all through the internet for anyone to view. If it were not for the high celebrity appeal I am not sure Twitter would last. People feeling as if they can talk to celebrities, hoping they will respond keeps them hooked. When they see a latest post from their celebrity crush or just one fo their favorites it makes them feel, even for a second that they are connected in some way. It is a sad world we live in where that can actually make someones day, talking to a person who essentially is just like them but has this stigma attached to them like they are some sort of God. But in another sense it is kinda cool that those who feel that way do have access and connection to these people they otherwise would not have. In any case, for those using Twitter for their family and friends it is and even more step by step connection they can have with them, as now they can know what they are doing at every moment of the day. Just another new communication technology which is bringing us all together.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/may/08/socialnetworking.twitter

social networks

The next in the line of communication technologies was Myspace and Facebook. These took AIM to a whole new level. Now, not only coud you communicate with people quickly through private messages, you could post comments back and forth between one another and allow others to see it as well. You could update and be updated with recent pictures and recent thoughts. What was also so awesome was that you could get updates on all of your friends at once all on one page. You could now connect with people you hadnt seen in years. I know personally, I am facebook friends with so many people from elementary school that I just recently reconnected with. Actually, My roommate of 2 years I had gone to middle school with, but did not go to high school with. When I moved up here, I was on facebook one night and saw that she also went to Florida State. I sent her a comment, we went to lunch and have been roommates ever since. It is amazing the connections people can get and make through these social networks. It has also helped eliminate some of the stresses of meeting up with people for group projects. Lots of people now create groups on facebook that allow them to communicate with their group members without having to try and coordinate a time that everyone can meet in their busy schedules, they instead just comment and communicate through facebook when they can. It also allows you to connect with family as so many of my cousins and even aunts and uncles have facebook. It allows us to keep up with each others lives without having to make a phone call. Life gets so busy we sometimes forget to tell people we love them or ask how their doing. Facebook cures this. It has become so large, a movie is actually about to be released about it in October. "Facebook's press site says their are more than 400 million active users." Now, not only can you communicate with people just through Facebook on the computer, you can even do it on the go with applications, or subscribing your phone onto Facebook so that you can receive and send messages and comments. In any case, Myspace and Facebook added a whole new level to communicaton and connection with family and friends.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/19/facebook-movie-poster/

and we continue to communicate...

After the cell phones, I think the next real connection that was made was with the invention of aim. AOL Instant Messenger was the cool thing to do when I was in middle and high school. I remember staying up so late talking to all my friends on the it. It was better then phones, because you could just say you were working on homework or something and your parents would never know the difference as long as you had some other window you could pull up to disguise the chatting. Not to mention, you could get everyone into one giant group, or could have multiple conversations at one time. The amazing thing too, was that everyone would admit so much more since they didnt have to actually speak them. Aim was how I got my first boyfriend. Talking over the internet was just so much more comfortable for everyone to really express themselves. It was also great because you could communicate with people who lived states away, or even in another country and not have to worry about crazy long distance fees. This was the next real step in comunication. "The debut of AIM in 1997 became a turning point for the industry as thousands of largely young, tech-savy users leaped at the opportunity to share instant messenges with each other." And we would only continue to get closer and closer.


http://im.about.com/od/imbasics/a/imhistory_3.htm

new technologies, bringing people together

If you really want to trace is back from the beginning, new communication technologies really began with the invention of the cell phone. "In 1973, Martin Cooper, a scientist working for Motorola successfully made the first ever cell phone call using a portable handset." This was merely the beginning. "By 1987 there were over one million cell phone users in the US alone." The creation of the cell phone expanded communication drastically. Now, people could talk to anyone at anytime regardless of where they were or where the person they wanted to reach was. We were given the chance to really connect with one another. Now there isn't usually a person you can find who doesn't own a cell phone. In fact, home phones are now things of the past as people find it pointless to pay for two seperate phone lines, when they are usually much easier to get ahold of on their cell phones.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-Of-Cell-Phones---How-Did-The-Cell-Phone-Come-About?&id=215985