Connected is an Understatement

Infinite is the number of opportunities I have to be connected to the internet or to somebody else virtually. 10 years ago that number was in the single digits. With the introduction of Wi-Fi, iPads, 3G, and especially iPhones it's almost impossible to be alone or out of touch.

After reading An Introduction to New Media and Cybercultures by Pramod K. Nayar (Ch. 6), I am overwhelmed at how advanced the world I live in is. Granted, I use all of these technologies daily. I'm always talking to somebody, and it's not always face to face, but I never realized how much I relied on virtual communication. Let's talk about some of the obvious ones: 

Texting: We are a texting culture. It's a life saver when you have a question to ask a somebody in the real world in a meeting but don't want to be confused with leaving rudely. Or when you have a quick question that requires a yes or no answer, but don't want to get stuck in a long, drawn-out phone conversation. It adds to that instantaneous gratification concept that has become the norm in recent years. The downfall to texting is that you lose the "in-person" connection and the ability to not misunderstand what the other is saying to you. For this reason, we have developed emoticons as visual cues as to how to decode a short, less than a sentence, message. 

No, Our society is not slipping backwards. I promise. 

Email: This is a slightly old way of communicating. It is still useful and used on the daily, but it's not as quick as texting. Email allows you to send lengthy messages to numerous people. However, you must be sitting at your computer or have enabled notifications on your phone in order for this form of communication to be instant. For this reason, it's less popular with the younger generation. 

G-Chatting/Facebook Chatting: The newer, more exclusive, version of AIM. You must be logged on to your preferred interface in order to receive messages. It's like texting but only with the computer or as long as the necessary app is downloaded on your phone. If you phone even does the whole app thing, if not, more power to you. 

Useful is as useful does.

Skype: Skype is free to chat one on one, but if a video conference is your goal then it costs you. The concept is that Skype is a downloadable program for your computer than utilizes your webcam and microphone to allow video chatting. It's useful for friends and family that live overseas but don't have the capabilities for international phone calls or texting. Skype minimizes the physical distance as long as you are physically close to your laptop. 

Facetime: Is an upgrade from Skype. Depending on your cellular network, you can video call anywhere there is a cell signal. Facetime minimizes the physical distance even more by eliminating the need for a computer. 

The internet has no physical limits or space that it resides in. It is simply a limitless magnitude of information that we can coexist inside. The internet is meant to be an extension of our physical lives. Instead, it has become a place where we can alternatively live a life without limits.