In the past, no one was talking or texting on a mobile phone in a restaurant, no one was looking on a mobile phone while crossing a road and no one was on a phone while driving. Today, mobile media has become ubiquitous in our society and it is recognized as a necessity instead of a convenience.
Can we survive in a
world without mobile phone and devices? Puretalk (2014) mentioned that people
may not be able to handle the world without mobile phones. Media devices bring
benefit to us. For instance, the use of WAZE and Google Maps application on the
mobile media are actually helpful in order to provide direction for us. At the
same time, it also guides us to reach our destinations in the shortest time.
Mobile media is useful when we are in case of emergency. Although we at different places, we still able to reach our friends, family or people who we want to connect with mobile phones and ask for help. Unintentionally, it saves our time. For example, teachers and lecturer may not always be in the office due to many reasons but they are connected to students and colleagues through mobile media. Students still able to contact with their teachers or lecturers through email or various types of social media.
Mobile media is useful when we are in case of emergency. Although we at different places, we still able to reach our friends, family or people who we want to connect with mobile phones and ask for help. Unintentionally, it saves our time. For example, teachers and lecturer may not always be in the office due to many reasons but they are connected to students and colleagues through mobile media. Students still able to contact with their teachers or lecturers through email or various types of social media.
In addition, we get the
latest news and updates with the use of mobile devices. If we are living the
world without the mobile media with the Internet, then we have to wait the
printed newspaper on the next day then only we can know what was happened
yesterday.
Grotewohl (2015) stated
that technologies give us access to the virtual world in an exchange with the
precious moments from the world we live in. For example, parents are still
busying replying email when they are out of office, they scarify their personal
and family life in order to ensure their “efficiency and productivity”.
Initially, technologies were designed to make our life easier. However, Shapiro
(2009) claimed that technologies do not make our lives easier, instead, it only
makes our tasks easier than before. Nowadays, people engage in mobile media
anytime and anywhere. Nevertheless, being in the real world and the virtual
world at once means we do not belong to anywhere.
Moreover, mobile media
are diminishing the society’s ability to communicate and interact face-to-face.
Drago (2015) stated that people use mobile media as a crutch and hide behind of
it when interact and communicate with others.
Our ability to face-to-face talk and interact with others is impeded by
the technologies. Hence, it negatively influences the human face-to-face
interactions and the quality of the conversations.
In the age of speed
growing of advanced technologies, we have to recognize and admit that human
life is changing quickly as well. Today, most of our life is like a slideshow
machine of news feeds, online videos, photos, and texts. Is there any time left
to exist as ourselves? Hence, everyone should decide their limitation and set a
boundary in relation to mobile media usage.
References
Drago, E. (2015). The effect of technology on
face-to-face interactions. The Elon
Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 6(1), 13-19.
Grotewohl, T. (2015). I went 16 months without a cell phone and my life was so much better.
Retrieved from http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/life-without-phone-ive-learned/683367/
Shapiro, J. (2009). A digital myth: Technology does not make life easier. Retrieved
from http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/a-digital-myth-technology-make-life-easier/136533/
Puretalk. (2014). Could you survive a world without cell phones? Retrieved from https://www.puretalkusa.com/blog/could-you-survive-a-world-without-cell-phones/
Yes, agreed. People nowadays prefer to talk to their phone, play with their phone and even don't care about the people besides them. Me, myself, I already set a policy which my best friend should keep their phone in their beg when we are having our lunch, dinner, hang out or what so ever. I just want them to socialize with people, don't be a anti-social person. But, if they are alone in their room, yes, I dont mind.
ReplyDeleteActually we can control the usage of mobile phone, but how and when is depends on ourselves. Some people like to give so many excuse; I'm waiting some call from my family, I'm busy etc. But actually, they are not depending on the phone, they are addicted to the phone, thats why phone is very important in their daily life..
Personally, besides phone, I'm prefer more on socialize with people around me. I hope I'm not too depends on the mobile phone so much, because sometimes it can bring so many problem to me.. Thats only my opinion. DON'ANGRY yea...
Dear Noraini, thank you for your reply and comments. I felt surprised when I heard your sharing about your rules and policies on mobile usage, at the same time, I feel it is a good practice to make sure our life is not controlled by the Internet. Yes, I agreed with you. Face-to-face interaction is far more interesting when compared with online interaction. In my opinion, through face-to-face interaction, we can see, feel and identify the true feelings and emotions of others. Hence, it does help us to improve and maintain relationships in our life.
DeleteHehehe, nothing is impossible. You should try it also. And feel the freedom.
DeleteDear Sok Fern,
ReplyDeleteIndeed, mobile phone did play an important role in our life nowadays. We depend on it in our life as it have any application that we can use by having just a mobile phone. We can use it to surfing Internet, play games, watch drama,
and more. However, we should know the limit of it, we cannot just rely on it and ignore the wonderful communication that we have with our friends and family. More wonderful things besides mobile phone are waiting for us to explore.
Dear Jia Chi, thank you for your reply and opinion regards the usage of mobile phone. As you mentioned before, people easily ignore the wonderful and amazing of the real world especially we are addicted to the mobile phone with the Internet. So, we shall take oneself off from the screens and participate into the real world in order to enjoy the beauty of the world.
DeleteThank you so much Sok Fern. I personally wish that I can go back to the life without mobile media. I think I am getting more stressful and more depressed sometimes when I have mobile phone. In addition, I think I will have a more valuable time with people around me. I miss the moments I have with my family members, friends because there was less distractions and multi-tasking. Now, we are getting more tense to complete many things at once. Anyway, I know how important the mobile phone is today and I really hope that I will not get addicted to it.
ReplyDeleteDear Esther, thank you for your feedback and opinion. I agreed with you because I am having the same feelings too. Due to existence of the mobile media, we watch TV while we are eating, we keep refresh our Facebook and Instagram's home page when we are waiting for transport, we reply email when answering phone. Sometimes, it is really tiring. Undeniable, mobile phone brings uncountable benefits for us but it also interrupted our life in many ways. However, it is a necessity for everyone of us in the 21st century. Therefore, we have to control our Internet consumption and not to be a digital addict. All the best to you!
DeleteHi Sok Fern, thank you for sharing. I think it is scary how we allow technology to really "take over" our lives in so many aspect, that our handphone sometimes become more important than our wallet. Opening my Whatsapp everyday is like a phobia to me nowadays. It is like without Whatsapp, I can't work and everyone else can't work. Not to mention how we get so angry when people do not read our messages instantly, or do not reply when they " blue tick" our message. It is really an irony.
ReplyDeleteBalance is always the key to enjoy the best of both world.
Dear Joyce, thank you for your opinion and feedback. Yes, it is so true. Today, we are so dependent on mobile phone to keep contact with others. As long as we are still online, there will be non-stop calls and messages from the social media such as WhatsApp and Wechat.
DeleteTo achieve balance is hard, but we never know if we never try. All the best for all of us!
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ReplyDeleteDear Sok Fern,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this kind of interesting topic to discuss. For me, mobile phone nowadays showing that how fast we can update and how fast we can "break" our rules in daily routine activities. situations that i think its really make me really "depress" when i see there's a lot of group whats app then in that particular group not actually make sense or empty talking about certain issues. so, i'm stand for not addicted for this kind of technology and changing my rules and also principle as the student and so on. make it valuable and useful how to used it. Thank you.
Dear Ruzimah, thank you for your opinion and feedback. It is undeniable about the overwhelming online communication with using various types of mobile media in our daily life. We are the one who control the usage and consumption of mobile media. Hence, we shall be aware of our usage and consumption in order to create a well-balanced life.
DeleteThanks Sok Fern for the infos. I agreed with the fact that mobile media are diminishing the society’s ability to communicate and interact physically. I would like to add that excessive use of mobile media too led to diminished English proficiency especially among students. Although a high level of proficiency in English isn't a true measure of someone's intelligence, it matters most in examination rooms and workplace circumstances involving the reporting or relaying of important information. Being articulate and not boring people with the use of unnecessary expressions and words drives communication smoother and faster.
ReplyDeleteIt also helps a lot with decision-making processes which essentially reduces costs.
Thus, try to communicate physically more and not become a victim of 'mobile-phone English'.
Dear Patrick, thank you for your comment and feedback. Not only English proficiency, people also get lost in their ability to communicate with their native language such as Chinese. I have a friend who often use broken Chinese because it is trendy on the Internet nowadays. Due to the intention to keep in line with the latest trend, people diminished their ability to communicate in a proper and correct way. However, some of the people claimed that all these words were made just for fun only and it is not affecting their formal communication with others in their lives.
DeleteSo, question to be pondered. Will online communication slowly becomes a barrier for people to communicate properly and effectively in the society?
Perkara pertama yang saya fikirkan atau dahulukan ialah telefon bimbit. Hal ini demikian kerana saya perlu berhubung dengan keluarga dan rakan setiap hari untuk mengetahui info semasa. Bagi saya telefon bimbit sesuatu yang perlu ada dan sangat penting dalam kehidupan. Sejujurnya saya sendiri tidak tahu jika saya terlalu bergantung atau ketagih. Saya cuma menganggap telefon bimbit mahupun mobile media adalah perkara biasa yang perlu ada pada masa ini.
ReplyDeleteDear Jasmine, thank you for your sharing and opinion. Yes, it is true about mobile media is a necessary today and has become an integral part of all of life. To avoid digital addiction, we have to be aware of the usage of mobile media.
DeleteIt's me again, Sok Fern.
ReplyDeleteIn my own opinion, the world without mobile device would more harmony. I am always have face to face communication with people but not through mobile phone. Mobile phone break the long distance and we contact the others anytime and anywhere. However, sometimes we ignore the people around you when we only focus on mobile phone. I do have this experience. We also need to manage our interpersonal relation in reality at the same time we use internet. Have you ever image to have a life without mobile device?
Hi Jessie, thank you for your reply and feedback. So far, I can't imagine a life with the absence of mobile devices. Although I notice the harms of mobile media, I am still very rely on it in my everyday life. Maybe I should try to participate in a detox campaign to start my life without mobile devices. :)
Delete