Digital Life
- CHAT OR NEXT (Turkle)
Sherry Turkle describes an encounter with Chatroulette. What do you think? Is this typical of today’s Digitech culture? How do you see the developments in the near future?
Technology plays a vital role in the realization of goals and objectives in the modern society. Through technology, communication has undergone critical change in relation to the effectiveness and efficiencies. Modes of communications are easy and unique in operation and execution of instructions. I think technology enhances the ability of individuals to communicate and keep in touch in numerous occasions than the era before adoption and implementation of interactive methods such as video calling, facebook, twitter, and Chatroulette. The encounter of Turkle in relation to Chatroulette is a reflection of the state in which the society is as an outcome of the introduction or embracement of technology in the execution of roles and responsibilities. I also think that technology determines the way individuals think and behave in the modern society from the fact that people spend most of their time on the technical innovations. This is an illustration of the demanding nature of technology in shaping and transforming the lives of individuals within the society with the aim of enhancing modes of communication across the globe (Turkle, 2011).
This encounter with Chatroulette is an illustration of the typical modern Digitech Culture. The society adopts and implements the innovative aspects of technology to enjoy unique and easier modes of achieving their daily and long-term objectives and goals. Technology in return plays a vital role in shaping the nature of lives of the individuals within the society. Technology is responsible for most of the actions taken by individuals in the current society. Technology has the power to affect and change relationships at both intrapersonal and interpersonal communication levels. The application of technology enables human beings to adopt numerous identities thus a reflection of how human beings manage and thrill in the role-playing of the unique versions of themselves. Members of the society have the opportunity to choose their favorite communication methods and agents in the process of obtaining quality and effective interaction process. This is crucial to survival in the Digitech life, in that, technology has become part of human existence thus the controlling aspect of technical innovations (Turkle, 2011).
In relation to the current state of technology, there is no indication of returning to the pre-technology era. This is an indication that there is room for the advancement in the communication system that would involve adoption and implementation of numerous portable gargets to enhance interaction among individuals. With the inventions of twitter, Skype, and facebook taking the leading role in transforming the way individuals view and react to life, there are indications of further means to enhance connections between individuals. These developments would continue to transform and shape the lives of individuals with the aim of enhancing the quality and effectiveness of responsibilities and role execution. Technology would also be involved significantly in other sectors as developments would be made to enhance education system. In the future, there will be an increase in the number of classes conducted on the internet. This would replace the traditional classrooms as a student would have the opportunity to share and learn about concepts through new technologies (Turkle, 2011).
- HOW DID HE DO IT? (Isaacson). Apple’s success with i-devices, such as iMac, iPod, iPhone, iTunes, iPad, is credited to Steve Jobs. How did he do it? What would you have done?
Steve Jobs is one of the valuable minds in the 21st century and would be remembered for the vital role in relation to enhancing the technology in the modern society. The transformation of Apple business entity was crucial to the achievement of the organization in the previous and modern context. Through his commitment and visionary characteristics, Steve Jobs managed to enhance the total revenues, image, and competitive level of the business entity in the essence of Apple. The turning point in enhancing the performance of the company was the radical change in the mode of production and distribution by the organization (Isaacson, 2011). Steve Jobs saw no need in continuing with the similar production levels of the company thus decided on the transformation of the manufacturing of four types of computers.
This reflects the development of focus in the manufacturing and distribution of the computers with the aim of obtaining competitive advantage within the market and industry. Another element that enhanced the performance of Steve Jobs is the interaction with the employees in a more professional manner. The company had yearly retreats to evaluate the performance and develop new goals for the approaching campaign of the financial year. Through commitment and ruthlessness, Steve Jobs had the opportunity of reaching and connecting with the employees. All the employees knew their expectations and roles thus improvement in revenues and profit levels at the end of the financial. Adoption of achievable short-term and long-term goals and objectives were also crucial to the achievement of the current state of the business entity in the modern technological market and industry. Steve Jobs transformed the company through adoption and implementation of workable strategies through extensive evaluation of their competitors with the market and industry. This was vital for the reconstructions of the new plans with the aim of obtaining long-term goals and targets (Isaacson, 2011).
In the similar case as Steve Jobs, I would transform the manufacturing and distribution channels in order to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness in meeting the targets and objectives of the organization. It is critical for the organization to possess effective and efficient production and distribution channels to enhance the movement of goods and services between consumers and the business entity. I would also adopt and implement reasonable goals and objectives and motivate every employee to work in relation to the achievement of the set targets. This is through retreats, collective adoption of goals, and bonding moments among the employees with the aim of increasing their performance in the market and industry.
This would be essential for the development of a working culture thus an opportunity to move the business entity together. It is also significant to promote professionalism in the execution of roles and responsibilities by the employees towards the achievement of the goals and objectives of the organization. This reflects on the tactic applied by Steve Jobs in that he never tolerated laziness and unprofessional behavior among employees. The outcome of the tactic is exemplary in the achievement of competitive advantage within the market and industry. The organization is one of the most valuable business entities across the globe in relation to segmentation of the manufacturing process. This enables the organization to deal with numerous products such as iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTunes, and iMac. The adoption of numerous products is an illustration of technique that play a critical role in the capturing of the market share by Apple Company (Isaacson, 2011).
- NOT FIFTEEN MINUTES BUT 24/7 FAME (Kirkpatrick). What was your digital life like in the two eras: BF and AF?
Digital Life in the BF Era (Before Facebook)
My digital life before the facebook era was straightforward and unique. I would spend most of time playing games on the internet or purchasing the software and playing on my playing station. Life was private, as I would spend minimal time in achieving fame or adopting numerous identities as forms of interactions or communication modes. I would remember my friends’ birthdays through circling the dates on the calendar or saving the vital dates as reminders on the phone. Birthday wishes were cool as involved more that one line on the wall of a friend. Elements of creativity played vital roles in the development of the cards thus an opportunity to display talents. The expression of ideas was on the literal walls of the bathroom and toilets, and it was fun and unique experience. The modes of communication were expensive in relation to the mobile costs for calling and texting in the process of interaction with friends and relatives. There were no close contacts, as I would go for a month before calling or texting a friend to illustrate on the mutual relationship. Communication modes were affordable for the middle class thus elimination of the low class earners. I would also spend most of my time in playing phone games to pass the time in the sense of embracing technology thus shaping and transforming my life during the BF era.
Digital Life in the AF Era (After Facebook)
This has been a radical transformation of my digital life following the adoption and implementation of facebook technology. The mode of communication is cheap in that I have the opportunity to communicate with my friends and relatives effectively and efficiently. This is through leaving comments at their updates, sending and receiving messages through online chatting, and interacting with the public through updating my status. Everything is no longer private in that I would update my status informing my social connections on the developments in my life (Mezrich, 2010). For instance, it is a normal case to update a status informing my friends and relatives on the essence of taking a shower. In the previous era, I would take the shower privately but now everything under considerable influence of fame.
In this era, I have the ability to adopt numerous identities in the process of interacting with my friends and relatives thus the constant search for fame. Number of friends, likes, comments, and shared activities determine the level of fame in the digital life of the After Facebook era (AF). Having many friends and likes or comments in relation to status updates is admirable in this digital life thus crucial to the identity of the identity of the individual. I also have the opportunity to obtain information that relates to the social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of the society through Facebook (Mezrich, 2010). This is effective and efficient despite the fact that rumors spread exceptionally fast on the internet than in other mediums. I live my life in relation to demands of technology in this era in order to keep up with the developments in the society.
References
Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Mezrich, B. (2010). The accidental billionaires: The founding of Facebook: a tale of sex, money, genius, and betrayal. New York: Anchor Books.
Turkle, S. (2011). Alone Together: Sociable Robots, Digitized Friends, and the Reinvention of Intimacy and Solitude. Basic Books.
