“Wireless World” brings up the discussion of how we, as a society, have become more alert and at the same time burdened with the fear of being unavailable. Before, when things were simple, messages and news were received as often as they could be sent or received. The expectation was very low.
In the case of the Titanic, it made news of how quickly news could travel a brought realization how tragic situations could be changed. While the ship was sinking, there was a case that the call for help was not received just because that near by ship was not available or did not think that maybe something might go wrong that night and stayed “on the line” to make sure. But if that near by ship did hear the call for help, he would have been able to cut down the number of casualties aboard the Titanic.
So if you think about that situation, you realize the guilt that you were right near by, but because you didn’t hear the call, you were in some way “responsible” for some of those deaths. You could have helped prevent something from happening. Who can handle that kind of pressure? No one, but now fear is a common feeling that occurs all the time now.
Is there a reason for us to not know when something happens anymore? Accessibility has become so much more convenient these days. The expectation has drastically changed from being able to handle messages infrequently to being constantly available for everything. Who would have thought that wireless Hot Spots or wireless broadband cards would be a common form of communication. No more excuses!
5 comments:
It's true, we can find out when something happens almost immediately these days. However, there are still times when we aren't available, by our own choice or by situations out of our control. More and more, I hear about people taking "vacations" from their technology- turning off phones, cell phones, computers, wireless devices, and tv's just to get away from the constant pressure of being available to everyone whenever they so choose. There are also some people, mostly older, who simply don't buy the gadgets that connect them to the world day and night. I find myself sometimes worrying about what to do if I forget my cell phone at home, and I have to remind myself, there was a time when I wasn't continually available. There are pay phones for important calls, and I can make it through one day without my precious link to society. My point is, is it always good to be constantly available? I think, given the pressure it puts on society, that it won't be as popular as it looks.
Kellyt- I agree with you in what you said about technological escape and that the pressures of "everyware" could spark a backlash of sorts for the concept of constant availablitiy. But In response to what Ann was saying, how there are no more excuses for not being aware. We have created systems which allow for the most rapid diffusion of ideas and events ever known to man, and as with all technological "improvement", we get the benefits we desire, but not without paying a heavy toll. We are now required to be aware. I say we should be even more aware, but of the consquences and kinetic energy contained within this cauldron of tech and society. Hopefully then we can steer clear of the iceberg.
I completely understand what you're saying here. It's funny, we were just talking about it the other day. A friend didn't have a cellphone, and since we both travel on the bus, whenever we would arrange to meet...we would just say meet here at this time, then wait. But now that he has a cell phone, we call each other a couple times confirming the meeting and leaving time...then a couple more is one is late. I mean, it's nice to have a way of contacting in case an emergency happened, but we rely on it too much sometimes.
It's hard to "take a break from technology". Since cellphones, it's like we're suppose to be in contact with the rest of the world anytime we're not in school or work. So if someone knows your schedule and calls when you're least busy, it's interesting to see how annoyed people get when you don't answer your phone. I guess because we want things done faster instead of first calling the house phone, then it's the cellphone, then if they're really desperate to get in contact you're best friend. It seems it's widely believed that you should never be out of contact with the world.
I agree, no more excuses! Since I am a big fan of technology and a huge supporter of availability, I think that everyone should be “connected to the world” in one way or another. People should have cell phones because accidents and emergencies happen and they are called accidents because you didn’t mean to do them which also means you didn’t expect them. Sure there are pay phones or you could borrow someone elses cell phone, but even though there are pay phones everywhere, there aren’t literally pay phones everywhere. Or the it might not even be an emergency that you have and need to get a hold of someone, it could a relative or friend that needs your help. Then that can link back to the Titanic issue, there was a ship close enough to spare numerous casulties but because there weren’t “connected” they missed the message and did nothing. If something of that sort happened to me where it was a friend or relative who needed my help and I didn’t get their call because I turned off my phone because I didn’t want to be “bothered”, that would leave me with a whole lot of guilt. I guess I’m more of a “rather be safe than sorry” kind of guy.
The ease of being accessible is both a blessing and a curse in today's society. Even before CallerID, we had no way of knowing who called us while we were busy. Now, we can't stop the phone calls and constantly find ourselves trying to shut it off during class. While there are some aspects to our everyday lives that allot us a need to be contactable, many of us find a need to just shut the phone off and enjoy some quiet time. A classic example of "Is technology helping us achieve a means or simply dehumanizing us?" But in the case of Titanic, there are times when direct, instant contact need be available for any given emergency.
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