Kelly Rauh: E-Mail: Major Gain for Those With Hearing Loss (1700+ words)

E-mail is one of this generation’s best communication tools for hearing-impaired adults. This essay shows how e-mail offers tremendous freedom and reduces stress for those who struggle to understand spoken conversation, in addition to its numerous unique benefits enjoyed by those with perfect hearing. As one who is acutely hard of hearing, lip reads, and shies away from frustrating phone conversations, I have personal experience capitalizing on the advantages provided by e-mail.

From: and To:

Internet communication originated between huge computer terminals conveying typed words to readers, but it has matured into much more. Electronic messages built on the post office mail qualities of read-only text that traveled across space, from a single sender, to one or more receivers. Electronic mail imitated the telegraph and telephone characteristics of nearly immediate delivery and the possibility of almost real-time responses. E-mail combined the brevity of a business memo with the duplication and permanent nature of photocopies.

Today, e-mail has evolved into a medium routinely used by millions worldwide as an often-preferred, home and business communications channel. It has grown beyond its predecessors’ capabilities, encompassing mobile access via wireless technology (along with cell phones), and the inclusion of photos, graphics, audio and video information. E‑mail offers unique screening options, convenient sorting, prioritizing, filing and retrieval capabilities not feasible with earlier media. Transmitting large files of data instantly with no use of paper, ink, postage, copiers, or added labor are amazing advancements.

Did You Know?

One of the most technologically influential early e-mail users was hard of hearing.

Vinton Cerf, co-developer of the Internet, has a severe hearing loss. Surrounded by the whirring fans of computers, Cerf had a hard time hearing technical information over the phone and found e-mail communication “a relief” (Myers, 2000).

Could Cerf have imagined how widespread this phenomenon would become?

E-mail is the most commonly used category of current U.S. online activities. According to the December 2008 survey by Pew Research Center, “74% of American adults use the Internet,” and 91% of those individuals report using e-mail regularly (Pew, 2009).

A significant portion of the U.S. population has hearing loss. Based on federal data and published research, Gallaudet University (2009) estimates,

If everyone who has any kind of ‘trouble’ with their hearing is included, then ... 37 to 140 out of every 1,000 people in the United States have some kind of hearing loss, with a large share being at least 65 years old.”

Since many who are hard of hearing are also over 65, they commonly experience arthritis in their fingers, or Parkinson’s hand tremors. One specific benefit of e-mail is that “typing is less painful and easier to read than unsteady handwriting” (Dugan, 2002).

Courtesy and Privacy

The noiseless quality of e-mail is a courtesy to household members sleeping nearby (Burgstahler, 2008) and co-workers in close proximity. It’s a polite alternative to cell phone calls in public places--restaurants, stores, and waiting rooms--both for keeping personal matters confidential, and for allowing forced listeners nearby to enjoy fewer distractions. This is a particular advantage for anyone who speaks with a louder-than-average volume (in person and, more often, over the phone), whether due to hearing challenges or merely an annoying habit.

E-mail affords privacy over answering machines and online voicemail that play back recorded verbal messages to all within hearing range. Message privacy can be a special challenge for those using amplified (“hearing booster”) phones, speakerphone features, or cell phones with the volume set high. E-mail offers a discreet solution for those incoming communiqués, as well as the receiver’s outgoing responses.

Triumphing Over Background Noise

E-mail enables communication in noisy environments. Unlike using cell phones, landlines and pay phones, background interference doesn’t frustrate correspondents reading or composing online messages. For anyone with hearing loss, this benefit greatly reduces stress, especially those employed in busy office environments or living with multiple children. E-mail brings freedom: there’s no more asking to repeat (Dugan, 2002), and it can be understood completely without any strain (Myers, 2000).

Archival Qualities

E-mailers have access to any correspondence they don’t delete. In business, this provides verification of precise wording used, motivating a higher standard of clarity and professionalism. Filed volleys are often valuable in solving misunderstandings. We’re able to forward previous notes as clarification--as long as we use great discretion and seek permission before passing along another’s words. In personal relationships, notes we consider “keepers” are convenient for re-reading.

The “save” feature for composed e-mail messages offers unique benefits, too. When we wait to cool off before sending emotional responses, we can review and retract words we might later regret. This is a rare asset not shared by face-to-face interaction, phoning, or even hand-written letters which might seem to be too much trouble to re-do.

Mass Mailings

A major asset of e-mail is simultaneous distribution to multiple recipients, but this frequently gets abused Those receiving prolific forwarded Internet clips face a challenge to tactfully let senders know personal limits, or just keep deleting that friendly spam. Yet, e-mail is the most time-efficient channel for advising family and friends of hospital updates, funeral arrangements, and other time-sensitive announcements. It lessens emotional drain when e-mail spares senders the need to repeat dramatic or heart-wrenching details. These advantages are magnified for hearing-impaired individuals on both ends of such communications. E-mail reduces anxiety created by the desire to pass along accurate information, and respond appropriately, when others are in distress.

Meeting Challenges

The capability of some e-mail programs, such as iCal and Outlook, to arrange meetings with multiple parties is a tremendous time saver. As users post appointments and available hours to a laptop or desktop, their blocked-out segments can be viewed (minus details) on schedulers’ computer screens. An initial invitation for a specific date and time--shown as without conflict for all--can be accepted, declined, or set as “tentative” by each person responding. Once everyone accepts the time, a single keystroke adds it to each individual’s calendar with no further reminder system required. If users have enabled alarms, they will even be prompted before the meeting begins.

Keeping in Sync

Synchronization of e-mail accounts between several hardware devices offers another organizing convenience. Several services, like Apple’s Mobile Me, use the Internet as a “cloud” of storage space for information in personal files including e-mail messages, address books, contact lists, and personalized calendars. Subscribers set up shared channels to either manually (when desired) or automatically (continuously) synchronize information between home and office desktops, laptops, iPods or iPhones. Reminder alarms can be set on any device to keep the owner on time for every appointment and task. As a bonus for those who cannot hear audible reminders, iPhones can be set to vibrate, and other devices can flash visual cues on their screens.

Quick, Convenient and Cost Efficient

E-mail boasts nearly instant delivery, round-the-clock access every day of the year, and the convenience of reading and responding at your most convenient moment (in all time zones). It eliminates “phone tag” (Dugan, 2002), and reduces disruptive phone calls (Myers, 2000). E-mail is less expensive than long-distance calls. Since managers often write their own e-mailed memos, and have staff use online calendar planning, e-mail saves secretaries’ salaries for other tasks. It lowers costs for postage, envelopes, letterhead, plain paper, copier toner, and printer cartridges. In addition, e-mail has replaced teletypewriters for many deaf TTY users.

E-mail Shortcomings

Often, by creating minor disasters, we learn when e-mail is not the best media choice. Anything a person does not want forwarded, or backed up by their employer’s computer system, should not be e-mailed (Alred, et al., 2006). Misunderstandings occur when word choice can be interpreted in more than one way. While telephone conversations between uninhibited speakers sharing a clear connection do add voice inflection, pacing, and pauses, no one can read lips over the phone.

Face-to-face meetings are far superior for immediate, interactive exchanges: personal relationship dilemmas, group brainstorming, complex issue discussions, and interviews. E-mail is inadequate for interchanges that need the enhancement of body language, facial expressions, and gestures to build rapport, rapidly modify plans or theories, or understand live demonstrations. The most personal, confidential, and cyber-sensitive messages at work are better handled “live,” behind closed doors. For the hearing challenged, opportunity to lip read and view captioned or subtitled audio media is vital.

The more informal nature of e-mail is typically viewed as less honoring to recipients than hand-written notes of thanks, condolence, and congratulations; emotionally charged announcements; love letters and poems. Mailed, printed invitations prevail for weddings, major celebrations and gatherings, in both personal and business situations. Although electronic greeting cards (e-cards) linked via e-mail offer sound and motion, they are undeliverable via servers with certain size or attachment restrictions (such as to addressees at corporations and colleges). Recipients lacking required playback software can be confounded. E-cards also convey less individual care than computer-generated (or even purchased) greeting cards hand-signed by senders.

Further Impacts: Ethics and Responsibility

For many, the importance of careful attention to word choice and diverse connotations has been heightened by the text-only, spontaneous, multiple-reader nature of e‑mail. Users must consider which thoughts--appropriate to a single reader--need to be deleted, tempered, or clarified before pressing “reply to all.” Ethical concerns have widened due to e-mail’s forwarding option and the convenience of cut-and-paste text copying. Medical and financial privacy, copyright infringements, and personal loyalties are among issues requiring closer scrutiny since the onset of widespread e-mail usage. E‑mail’s opportunity to include hyperlinks to web pages gives authors added responsibility to check sources before circulating broken links, out-of-date information, and products or content they do not wish to promote.

Conclusion and Predictions

The Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University (WebAIM, 2009) claims, “The Internet is one of the best things that ever happened to people with disabilities.” I agree, and further claim e-mail is one of the best things that ever happened to people with hearing loss.

I predict, as our generation ages, experiencing more loss of hearing, e-mail will steadily supplant telephones as a top communication choice. Until a superior medium develops beyond e-mail, our offspring--who are often computer-literate from early childhood--may be more willing to socially admit hearing loss as they age, and will be quicker to embrace the advantages of e-mail. This next generation will likely witness further reduced dominance of telephones--with the exception of iPhone types that can also access e-mail.

Bibliography

Alred, Gerald J., Brusaw, Charles T., and Walter, Oliu E. Handbook of Technical Writing. (Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006), 166.

Burgstahler, Sheryl, Corrigan, Bill, and Joan McCarter. "Making Distance Learning Courses Accessible to Students and Instructors With Disabilities: A Case Study." Internet & Higher Education 7, no. 3 (July 2004): 233-246. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed Jan. 25, 2009).

Dugan, Marcia B. Living with Hearing Loss. (Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press, 2002), 128-131.

Gallaudet University. Graduate School and Professional Programs. “Demographics: Deaf.” http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Demographics/deaf-US.php (accessed Jan. 25, 2009).
Myers, David G. A Quiet World. (London: Yale University Press, 2000), 161.

Pew Research Center. “Internet Activities.” Pew Internet & American Life Project. Jan. 07, 2009.

http://www.pewinternet.org/trends/Internet_Activities_Jan_07_2009.htm

WebAIM. “Introduction to Web Accessibility.” Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University. http://www.webaim.org/intro/#intro (accessed Jan. 25, 2009).

I'll Take Instant...Messaging That Is

Sheila Newsom
DTC 375
Dr. Jason Farman
Word count: 757

Researcher’s at Microsoft, one of the leaders in the technology field, proclaim that, “[i]nstant messaging (IM) has grown rapidly to involve millions of users spanning a variety of platforms.” (Czerwinski, Cutrell, Horvitz). They further say, “[t]he benefits of [IM] are numerous, including the ability to know when personal contacts are available, nearly instantaneous communication, and the ability to carry on several informal conversations at once.” (Czerwinski, Cutrell, Horvitz). Given my busy lifestyle IM allows the benefits of an email with the immediacy of a phone call all out of the comfort of a laptop.

IM is a combination of two forms of communication: email, and telephone. The aspects of an email contain no on the spot reaction, versus the aspects of a phone call where the response is immediate. Instant messaging is distinctive in that, at any given time one could feasibly hold an IM conversation with a classmate, a parent, a college/boss, and a friend living in Japan simultaneously. This medium allows for an office to hold its scheduled meeting even on a snow day. If a company has offices in different states they can have weekly meetings without paying for travel expenses. File sharing on instant messaging is similar to attaching a file in an email in that the file goes to the recipient. With instant messaging you have the option of saving files in a file sharing folder that the participants in the instant message have access to. Except that after composing and sending an email, there is a waiting period. Your message goes into cyberspace and uses principles similar to when a text is sent. The receiver has a choice; respond now, or wait until a more convenient time. In this age of immediacy, one might have several instant messages going at once, all while checking their personal email, reading a blog posting, and playing Word Path on Facebook. It is this instant response that makes IM individual and with IM the thought is that there is no waiting phase.

One might argue that instant messaging is an extension of the chat room, and the same may continue the argument that both are filled with the face of anonymity and veiled with deceit. For current communication techniques the IM is specific to those you invite or who have invited you. The façade of anonymity behind IM may seem appealing to some, while others view IM as a transparent form of contact. Given that much of our face to face communication is non-verbal, IM does lose some aspects of clarity. IM can have real world social implications that crate ‘real’ meaning, humor, and distinction within cyberspace. Even emotional reactions can be felt through IM in the form of acronyms, like LOL, ROTFL, and LMAO. Furthermore thoughts can be expressed once through IM and they do no have to be further explained, since IM is in readable form and can be reread. Ultimately there is no need to ask a question multiple times as could happen with a phone call, and again in the age of immediacy this appeals greatly.

Last week a fellow classmate and I were brainstorming over IM about an assignment, which led to file sharing and ultimately further collaboration on additional assignments. We were able to accomplish several tasks in one IM; out of that situation decisions were made, and projects finished. Given the same situation in a phone call, the conversation would have been longer as we would have read our assignments to each other, rather than opening the file and reading it ourselves.

The contexts in which IM is appropriate are limitless. One can IM with their mother, spouse, or boss, although the tone of the conversation will be specific to each. In particular when IM with a boss or coworker one would not use a smiley face emoticon, or acronyms, but it would be applicable when IM with a person who is in your close circle.

Social Networking site such as Facebook and Myspace have their own applications of IM, and these same principles are used by companies today with their own IM in specific workplace networks. IM has moved past the original technology of a combining a phone call and an email in that it was originally used only in social contexts, but has moved passed this thought into the corporate world who are now using this technology to facilitate work productivity in day to day operations. IM has morphed into something beyond its original idea of connection and today is seen as a time management tool.

Works cited

Czerwinski, Cutrell, Horvitz. (n.d.) Instant Messaging: Effects of Relevance and Timing. Retreived January 24, 2009 from, Microsoft http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/cutrell/HCI2k%20Instant%20Messaging.pdf

Email and it's Impact in the work place

Jared Thomas
DTC_375
1/23/09

Emails impact to the workplace

What’s the first thing you do when you get to work? Check your email. The introduction of this technology has revolutionized the work place. Email has changed the way we communicate with family, friends, co-workers, and clients alike. I am going to explore how email is changing the way we communicate in a work environment. There are several advantages and disadvantage to using this technology in the work place. In this essay I will go over the affects it has and how we use this technology.
The affects that email has on the way people communicate is a double edge sword. On the positive side email allows for short and concise communication between co-workers. There is nothing worse than when you go down the hall to communicate a message to a co-worker and you get pinned down by them or other people on the way interrupting your production. Another and one of the biggest advantages to email is traceability. What I mean by this is that every message you send out you have the ability to save and document it to cover your tail. I can’t tell you how many times people have come to me and said “I did not receive the email”, so then I have to go back and pull up the date and time I sent it to them so there is no more discussion on the issue and we can get back to the business at hand. Another advantage is the efficiency of email, I can send the same message to 1000 different people with the push of a button, this ensures that everyone gets the same exact message and also saves a tremendous amount of time it would take to call or send out a letter. These are just a couple of examples on how email affects business communication in a good way.
On the down side emails are making the work place much more un-personal for a number of reasons. First, email has allowed people in the work place to rely on a technology to communicate their message and has taken away the responsibility of the individual. This is doing two things; one is that instead of people making sure their message was conveyed to an individual, they simply keep their sent messages. This intern supplies a electronic paper trail allowing them to cover them self by having proof that they sent you the communication so if anyone was to question why ‘so and so’ did not get the message the person can simply state “well I sent it to him on this date” taking the onus off of him. Secondly it is slowly replacing the personal aspect of the work place. For example, many people will send an email to a co-worker who is just down the hall instead of getting out their chair and walking over there to communicate their message. A third disadvantage to email is the amount of storage that is required to archive all of the sent mail, it is said that email traffic should “double between 2005 and 2009, going from 64.9 million to 2 billion messages per day” (Martin, 1). Can you imagine 2 billion messages a day? People have become so dependent on this form of communication it’s hard to believe how we ever functioned without it.
Besides the above mentioned advantages to using emails over other technologies, another one is how simple this technology is. Anyone from your grandma to a 6 year old is able to email. We live in a ‘stay connected’ world now, what I mean by this is that technology has allowed us to stay connected 24/7. With cell phones like Blackberry or the Apple I-phone people are able to check their email anytime they want. This is especially true for the working person; he is able to remain in contact with his office any day of the week. This has several advantages in a working environment. You are now able to leave work and not miss a thing when it comes to communication. You could be anywhere from in a business meeting to on the golf course communicating and staying in the loop. This is amazing technology. Even though these devices have other applications, their main use is to check and produce email and text messages from anywhere.
Today’s world is all about speed. How fast can we communicate with other people? This is very evident in the way we use emails and now text messaging as the primary way to communicate. We have progressed in the business world from hand writing a letter and mailing it, using a type writer and mailing it, to a word processor for memos and faxing it, computer and email, cell phone email. This progression could not have taken place without the previous medium. We as a culture are constantly trying to improve and speed up the communication process, each new step towards better technology is reliant on previous mediums that are similar but not quite the same thing. As we keep advancing to bigger and better technologies one has to wonder how we can keep improving on what we already have.
From a business stand point the advantages that email provides; traceability, reliability, connectivity, and productivity far outweigh the disadvantages. Employers are trying to maximize the time that employees are able to be productive at work. Email has saved immeasurable amount of time in the working environment. So at the current time email is the best form of communication technology in business.
Works Cited
Martin, Nicole, “Keep Your Eyes on the Enterprise: Emails, Wikis, Blogs, and Corporate Risk.”. Econtent. Vol. 30.6 (2002), p54-59.

Communication For A Fast Paced World

Adam Roll
DTC 375
Dr. Jason Farman
Word Count: 942

Communication For A Fast Paced World

On a daily basis, millions of people engage in a form of communication. Cell phones are a simple way to stay in contact with friends and loved ones. It has been a big benefactor for business purposes as well. Within the emergence of the cell phone, it wasn’t long before text messaging rapidly spread and become the fad in communication. In the fast paced world we live in today, text messaging is emerged as a new way of communication that is utilized on a daily basis due to its simplistic, strait to the point form. Here I will discuss the effects it has on communication, how it pays ‘homage’ to older media as Marshal Mcluhan would say, and how it is utilized by myself.

Text messaging has emerged as a new form of communication due to the fast paced world we live in today and has changed the way we communicate. We live in a world where we want instant results now, cutting out all the nonsense, pre-chatter and getting strait to the point. Text messaging does just that. Picture this, you want to wish your friend Happy Birthday but you are busy, perhaps in a meeting, you don’t have time to call your friend and chat for 5 minutes, so you text him Happy Birthday. It takes seconds to do. Text messaging is faster, it is more discrete and for some, an easier platform to communicate with, rather than a cell phone. Fore example, lets look at the last election, “More than 2.9 million text messages were said to have been sent out on that particular occasion. The Obama campaign has never really released the size of its mobile database, but the Biden announcement goes down in history as the largest mobile marketing push by text, at least to date.” (Mickey Alam Khan, Parra 11) As you can see text messaging was taken advantage of in the last elections and may have contributed to President Obama’s success.

Although text messaging is a new form of communication that is used on a daily basis it is not always the most appropriate platform to communicate with. For example, you do not want to use text messaging in cases such as: fights between two people or while operating a moving vehicle. The purpose for this is it is dry and emotionless, therefore sometimes difficult for the recipient to interpret mood or tone of the conversation. You may say something that can be taken wrong and ruin your relationship. In the case of operating a moving vehicle, it can prove to be deadly.

Text messaging, as McLuhan would say, pays ‘homage’ to older media. Text messaging formed a new name for itself as a form of communication. It is true, where we’re at today in this technology advanced world, is due to all the technological advancements that have came before it. Communication started at one point in time as hand written letters, then to the telegraph, and eventually transformed into the advancement we have today. Cell phones are a wireless form of communication that we can take with us on the go. Text messaging is an advancement that grew off of the cell phone which is needed for our world we live in today. As Bolt and Grusin states, “Media function as objects within the world--within systems of linguistic, cultural, social, and economic exchange. Media are hybrids in Latour’s sense and are therefore real for the cultures that create and use them.” (Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin, pg. 58) This goes the same for text messaging, it only exists because we as a society have a need for it.

I use text messaging on a daily basis for several purposes. For me, in certain circumstances, it is cheaper and less time consuming to send a text message to my friends and loved ones than making a phone call. It’s not that I am trying to avoid engaging in a conversation with them, its just that I am a very busy individual and it’s sometimes more convenient to send a text. At other times, I utilize the technology of text messaging because I am out of minutes and its simply cheaper than going over in minutes. One of the greatest things about text messaging in my opinion is that it can be done more discretely without interrupting anyone around you. Another example of the use of text messaging in my life would be for work. The prior position I held was a Managment position. It was not uncommon for me to receive text messages from employees and other superiors. Sometimes they were simple questions, and other times they were informative. On occasion, I would even be called into work through a text message. For me, text messaging has become an necessity, I use it on a daily basis in order to keep in contact with friends, family and even work, with little interruption or time consumption in my busiest moments.

Text messaging is great technology that has advanced due to specific cultural needs. Text messaging is a simple way to stay in contact with friends and loved ones when time is of the essence. It is best said by McLuhann when he states, “media as extensions of our senses institute new ratios, not only among our private senses, but among themselves when they interact among themselves.” (Marshal McLuhan, pg 152) It goes the same for text messaging, the cell phone becomes one with our senses. As you know, there are many ways of staying in contact with the world, some are more personal than text messaging, but it gets the job done.





Bibliography



Remediation, Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin, “Understanding New Media” http://www.jasonfarman.com/dtc375_sp09/Remediation2.pdf, 2000,

Mickey Alam Khan, Mobile Marketer, A victory for Obama, a victory for mobile, Novmber 5, 2008, Parra, 11. http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/editorials/2049.html

Essential, Marshal McLuhan, edited by Eric McLuhan and Frank Zingrone, 1995, http://www.jasonfarman.com/dtc375_sp09/McLuhan1.pdf

Text Messaging: Bittersweet Efficiency

Josh Colby

DTC 375

Jason Farman

1.27.09

Word Count: 1,191

Text messaging: Bittersweet Efficiency

Interestingly enough, no matter what anyone writing on the topic of text messaging or many other convenient and efficient types of communication from email to social networking websites in my generation, whether it is an argument for or against the medium, chances are that they are themselves entrenched in its use. All of that to say that while I can objectively look at a communication medium such as text messaging and criticize it for its many qualities that attract my concern for what it is doing and has done to our society, we use it. I use it. It is widespread and the only real feasible tech that increasingly efficient yet less personal media like texting can give way to is I believe techs that become increasingly more efficient as it amplifies its own pros and cons.

As mentioned in the introduction, among the very efficient technologies that allow us instant and fast communication with one another, I chose text messaging. This is because that, of the several media that allow us to communicate, texting is one of the widely used by me and I believe among those in my generation. While I’m sure I would check my Facebook on and send email and use the internet on a phone if it had those capabilities within a reasonable price, the reality is that I don’t and plenty of people are in the same boat as me. However, texting is very simple, basically being very short and informal email messages, and a good texting plan doesn’t cost very much relatively speaking. So again, since it is widely used compared to the more pricey alternatives of cell phone communication, this is a good platform to explore the ins and outs of the medium as pertaining to why people use it and its effects on those that use it, and perhaps where it is taking us.

First off, the most obvious point I need to clarify is that it’s not just the fact that it [texting] is cheaper to use than other media that makes it so widely used. Texting in many ways is a phenomenon to me because of its enigmatic nature. It is a very compelling medium. The why behind that statement can be argued I’m sure by using multiple theories about what make people tick, but I’m going to stick with security. Many may not really notice it as they use texting but as a medium, texting rarely encroaches upon ones sense of security, personal space, boundaries, etc. Text message communicating leaves you to interpret based on sight alone, i.e. in seeing the text. You cannot interpret someone’s body language, disposition, or tone; information that we normally would have if talking to someone in person and in hearing their voice. I notice that because of this, people have a lot more balls to say certain things over text than in person because that sense of security is left intact. To say certain things in an in person setting or even over the phone would leave you vulnerable to others reactions. Seeing these reactions and hearing the sound of them is much more personal and intimate compared to just texting something to someone. I think that this is probably the strongest reason behind the avid use of the technology.

Big deal though, right? You can do that over email. However, that sense of security matched with the faced paced efficiency of texting compared to having to log on to an email account potentially at a computer that you have to boot up is bar none. Granted, they have email over the phone which is nice, but texting is still widely used because it’s just faster. I can have a conversation with five people all at once, or I can hide behind the impersonality of the medium if I want to say something that should left to a more personal setting all without breaching my security that much. If someone isn’t into it because for security reasons, people still use it all the time for its efficiency. I could take care of an order of business in one text rather than a short phone call or meeting all without seeming rude. Excellent. These benefits however are not without their consequences.

This a generalization, but I believe that if everyone were to boil down their greatest priorities in life down to only a couple or a few things, at the top of the list would be the relationships in their life, e.g. their family, friends, etc. Texting and similar media allow communication with all of these people, but it has begun to sacrifice the personal touch to many of these relationships that generates some of the greatest feelings of gratification in life. Not that it has compromised them altogether, but as the newer generations are growing into this technology more than any other generations before it, I think that impersonal media like this dumb down certain important personal social skills. What if someone develops their personal relationships with people over texting more than in person? This actually happens. Let’s say you meet someone in a chat room, you exchange numbers, and then start getting to know each other more over text. Let’s also say that you’re a teen. What happens when you meet this person for the first time? Granted, it could work, but also you could come to realize that this person you’ve been chatting with might not even be the person they thought they were.

Texting allows you to miss someone’s physical style of communicating and their personality is almost completely lost in translation as well. Certain things should just be done more in person or by actually hearing someone’s voice rather than over an impersonal media. There is SO much room for misinterpreting the content portrayed through the medium that it can create something false in the minds of those who use it in the place of a more intimate way of relating to each other.

All of this is to say that this medium, while coming out other media like email, has become a medium all in its own because of its widespread use, efficiency, and effects that come with it. So much more can be done through this medium with so many contacts, yet while using you become less acquainted with the present and in being personal with people. It’s not to say that we are doomed, but it’s not teaching us a good lesson in relationship. Ever tried talking someone while they are texting? Some are getting very good at it, but it still is irritating at times. It’s like they’re not being personal when you are trying to be. They are in another moment when they should be in that one with you.

This medium is here to stay. I will continue to use it because almost everyone I know except for the especially “out-of-touch” people. It is incredibly efficient and convenient to use, and because of that it fits perfectly in this culture. I wonder though what the next generation will be like socially because of many technologies just like text messaging.

Text Messaging Craze

Denise Garner

DTC 375: Language, Texts & Technology

Dr. Jason Farman

Tuesday 27th, Jan. 2009

Word count: 770

Text Messaging Craze

Experts say that technology has added new layers to our understanding of what means to be literate. In fact, technology has put new emphasis on reading and writing, according to experts. For instance, cell phones have twice as many features as are necessary. Cell phones are a handy tool. It is not uncommon if we hear those cell phones ring different tunes altering the user of a new message or if we see people with the case of their phones matching the color of their attire. That common saying may have some truth, but cell phones are not the only communication device the media enjoys. For many people, text messaging has become the most popular up coming new fad in town because it has created a new form of condensed communication that fits with the pace of our current generation of the information age.

First of all, people enjoy communicating in text messaging, you see this especially in young teens. Text messaging is a whole new language all of its own. This is what makes it so unique. Also, it affects the way people communicate through ownership. For instance, in younger teens, it gives them a sense of stability and makes them feel more confident in themselves. People fully utilize text messaging with their friends, boyfriend, or girlfriend as their main form of communicating similar to email or talking on their cell phones. Since this seems to be all fun and games now a days, "as I argue here, in what context is it appropriate or inappropriate to use text messaging? It is very inappropriate to use this technology in the classroom. Not only this, but it can also distract the person next to you as well as loosing important information notes from your instructor that you are going to utilize on your test. One more to consider is that, it poses a potential danger while driving and accidents have happened from the cause. Some are more alert to the beep then to watch that traffic signal. Rule: don’t text and drive." http//memberslycos.co.uk/arbee222/doxhmtl

Second of all, text massagers are down to earth people of an ordinary household. Unlike cell phones, text messaging doesn’t make loud annoying rings. In fact, it just makes a funny noise. It generally makes a quiet existence. Text messaging also doesn’t have restrictions unlike cell phones when communicating. Although text messaging can rack up a bill if you don’t keep track, people must make provisions for this. As a last resort, of course, an unlimited text messaging plan is a good idea to consider that fits the pace.

Thirdly, another communication that fit’s the pace of our generation is that "having our phone subscribed to the Globe, in fact, it has become the new status symbol and seldom do we see people without their phones glued to their fingers text messaging in some form or another. For example, teenagers elsewhere in the world have been texting furiously for years, using the cheap technology to evade government controls on dating in Saudi Arabia and to foment revolution in the Philippines. Now that texting has exploded in America, it’s regarded as one of the current teen generation’s inexplicable behaviors, like text messaging." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/05/19AR2007051901284.htdyn/content/article/2007/05/19AR2007051901284.ht

Further more, communicating via text messaging most attractive feature is a fast learning
communication. Text messaging doesn’t have to be that image of keeping up with the pace of the information age. Just think of it as the old school, for example, going back to short hand. Texting is quick, painless procedure. Text messaging also takes care of how we might be afraid to communicate in person if we want to apologize to someone. In everyday use, text messaging can become a creative tool of communication. For instance, just look how many abbreviations you can choose from just to know how to communicate in text messaging form of content. You can Google the word abbreviation of text messaging and you come up with over a 1000 words from A- Z, or just go to the store and get a small version on a poster so you can understand what the generation age is talking about. There it is again, going back to the latest fad of communication with short hand.

In conclusion, last but not least, the development of text messaging through the new communication that fits the pace of our current generation of information age has truly become the new talk of the town.

Work Cited
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/19/AR2007051901284.ht
2. http//memberslycos.co.uk/arbee222/dox.hmtl

Blog Wars: A New Hope

James Makki
DTC 375 Essay #1
Word Count: 1511

In 1839 when Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the adage of, “the pen is mightier then the sword,” he was observing how power was being measured in the changing world. Information can change the variables in any equation. Where a sword can cut flesh, a word can assassinate characters. For ages the voice of the common man was hindered by the limitations of technology. Printed word and broadcasting were a craft monitored by wealth and industry. In today’s world, the ability to have our voices heard is easier then ever. One of the new outlets to challenge older media and give a channel to the common man’s voice is the blog.

It was the inception of the internet—a tool originally created for academic and military functions—that would inevitably breathe new life into old media. The internet has given society better, faster access to the content we desire. Only little more then a decade ago, an individual would wait for the newspaper to arrive in the morning, or wait for a televised broadcast to begin, to receive their feed of the news and/or entertainment. With the internet the data is out there, from multiple websites, the second someone wants it. Popular news websites such as CNN, MSNBC and Yahoo! News were becoming routine, just as the newspaper and 6 o’clock news were in days prior. Today, after dealing with the delivery of the media, we’re beginning to see a shift in the source of where the media itself is coming from.

Enter the BLOG.

The term ‘blog’ is shorthand for the word weblog, assembled from the words ‘web’ (internet) and ‘log’ (diary). The encompassing term used for all of the blogs on the internet is the ‘blogosphere’. When the blogosphere emerged into existence, a little after 1999 when Blogger.com was founded, the concept was new and attractive.[1] For the most part blogs were used in academia and for personal expression. The idea was pleasing. We, as a culture, could become more interactive online through these new technologies, and people were signing up. Teachers were pleased at the prospect of students using technologies such a blog since it would get them writing more often, and more importantly, for reasons other then having assignments due.

With students becoming more assimilated into the internet culture and being more interactive, there were those who would question the validity of the content being produced. There of course detractors who called the concept ‘risky’ because there was no academic or libel requirements to starting a blog. Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, Principal Chris Lehmann (who is a supporter of new media) said, “The kids know the technology. What they don't often know is how the technology can change them as students. Just because they understand Facebook doesn't mean they understand how to be a better student of English or history.”[2]

This is not slow the movement down, whatsoever. It only took a few short years before the concept took off. People were sharing ideas, views, complaints and common interests with others all across the globe. Information barriers were being broken down rapidly. As of December of 07, Technorati, a popular website that sifts through the content of blogs across the internet, was collecting data from over 112 million blogs.[3] With so many users maintaining a blog, a plethora of new information erupted on the internet and was changing where users got their media.

It was clearly time for a change. Multi-billion dollar news empires process their information as a product, so there is a natural loss in credibility. The situation fairs no better in the entertainment sector. Large studios will no longer take chances with movies, video games and music. High production values come with high price tags. Failure to move product after investing so much money into it spells disaster on the bottom line. Close market research and branded sociologists expend excessive resources to find out what sells and what might be risky, never straying from what they predict to be successful. The end products are usually formulaic and predictable.

One of the most amazing aspects of blogging is that the media can be fresh and innovative since the users demanding experiences are simply creating that which they wish to see. When someone creates a blog article they aren’t inherently trying to fill a demand created by market analysis. They are creating content they care about and feel like-minded individuals would care to read. J.D. Lasica of USC Annenberg journalism said, “Weblogging will drive a powerful new form of amateur journalism as millions of [4]Net users — young people especially — take on the role of columnist, reporter, analyst and publisher while fashioning their own personal broadcasting networks.”

Now comes the new paradigm and the challenges associated with it; does it cost millions of dollars to create compelling content? Does it require fancystudios with models delivering headlines to draw in viewers? Does money increase the accuracy and validity in receiving news? After witnessing the success in blogging, one could definitively say no; people only need to be engaged with the experience for it to catch on.

Word of mouth, or rather, forwarding of email/links, is again the most dominating form of advertising. Hugh Hewitt, in his 2005 book on the topic, says that “People’s attentions are up for grabs. Trust is being transferred. It up to you or your business—or your faith or family—depending upon the trust in you, your institution, or your product.”[5] People are finding it harder to trust traditional media outlets since they have for years and rather then getting innovative new mediums, they’ve gotten the same repackaged material laced up with shiny new gimmicks.

Viral videos are a rampant example of this concept. People pick up on a piece of content, post it to their website and watch the hits skyrocket. Link sharing sites (and a blogger’s best friend) such as Digg.com, Reddit.com and stumbleupon.com have redefined the way users can gain access to engaging content.

The age is gone where ‘hard luck’ stories are not as valid as they once were; if you have a dream, create something from scratch, and put it on the internet, people will generally see it, then pick it apart or praise it appropriately. If you are a witty, entertaining writer, and you put together a blog to showcase your abilities, you can have viewers see your talents with minimal advertising.

If you are able to do something amazing, there is now a wide audience out there just waiting to find out. Judson Laipply, an inspirational speaker, created a little dance number to end his shows with. He called it the “Evolution of Dance.” He recorded his performance and leaked it onto the internet where the buzz began. He did something amazing; the difference is talk of his performance didn’t become idle chit-chat to be forgotten by the few who witnessed it. Bloggers started snatching copies of his dance routine and spread his performance like wildfire. His dance number hit the internet where everyone got to have a good look at it. In 3 years time that video has over 111,291,545 views—compare that to any other media put out 3 years ago.

These days, blogging is faring better then ever thought possible. In the 2000 election, it would have been absurd to think the jargon of internet panelists would have any influence on the nature of the political machine. These days, with the creation of political blog feed sites such as the Huffington Post, many people are choosing to get political viewpoints from just as many guest contributors as they are political pundits.

No longer does a writer need permission to be published. They a writer can be anywhere, viewing nearly any event, and be ready to give commentary. Blogs are out there being updated on a constant basis from mobile phones, laptops, anything. Viewpoints you would never hear before are now as loud as ever. Vanessa Farguharson, who speaks about new trends in live blogging, say “Now, some will argue that this trend, which has risen in popularity over the past year, is better suited to important events that aren't covered live on television due to either legal restraints or lack of broad-based interest.”[6]

Literacy is a powerful tool. As technology has made advancements the common man, more then anyone, has become the beneficiary. There is never a reason to feel isolated, regardless of the views you may have. Blogging is a juggernaut, there is no question. As humans spiral through the 21^st, the crack rifting under the traditional media outlets will eventually become a chasm. There is a very real possibility that media outlets could administer their own death sentences, ala the music industry, unless they foresee these changes coming and take appropriate measures. With the power blogging gives us, if society can’t be placated by media, we’ll make the changes ourselves and create another obsolete conglomerate empire.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, I am afraid the days of the pen are gone. In this new digital age, the keyboard is now mightier then the pen.

---

[1] Jared Conley “Where the Heck did Blogs Come From?” EZine Articles. Oct 02, 2008.

[2] Ramaswami, Rama “The Prose (And Some Cons, Too) Of Blogging” T.H.E. Journal Nov 2008. Vol. 35 Issue 11, Pages 20-25

[3] Helmond, Anne “How Many Blogs are Out There? Is Someone Still Counting?” The Blog Herald. Feb 11, 2008.

[4] Lasica, J.D. “Blogging as a form of journalism” USC Annenberg Online. May 05, 2001

[5] Hewitt, Hugh “BLOG: Understanding the Information Reformation” Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2005

[6] Farguharson, Vanessa “Live Blogging Equivalent of Eating Fast Food” The Vancouver Sun Jan 03, 2009 Page E.1

Digital Photography Evolution

Ben Oliver
DTC 375: Language, Texts & Technology
Dr. Farman
Jan. 27, 2009
Word Count: 807

Symbols have evolved. Simple doodles produced by the Michelangelo of the age using charcoal or squashed berries have, over time, turned into art and pictures and photos and more. In this manner of evolution I believe these simple symbols have become even more descriptive and less complex in design and at the same time have actually evolved full circle.

The symbols most of us relate to as being ancient are typically pictographs. More elaborate information could be shared by grouping several pictographs together and so the evolution began. At least for this example and in the simplest terms, visual representation eventually evolved into art then photography and then digital photography.

Unknown to many, digital photography is a compilation of symbols and is unique in many ways. Pictures can be produced, reproduced, shared, sent, or stored as easily as snapping the picture itself. This has lead to a different style of communication. A person may not know the name of a certain part for fixing his/her car however a simple picture of the part taken on a cell phone can prevent any misunderstandings and help identify the proper part at the local auto parts supply house. Ever try and buy a bag of bolts at the hardware store? You are typically directed to write down all the pertinent information with a nonexistent pen. Instead, use your phone to take a picture of the barcode. All these photos can be recalled at no cost and shared with whoever requires the information.

As with most new technologies digital photography was expensive in the beginning and limited to use by professionals with a specific need. Digital photography has evolved beyond the level of professional and prosumer. It has become communication for the masses. Special people, places and moments are captured without the slightest hesitation, instantly. Conversations typically start out with “Guess what happened last weekend” and somewhere in the middle the phrase “Wait, I think I have some pictures on my phone.” is injected. In fact many people don’t even have time to tell the story and simply direct you to their site on the web containing the pictures while they dash off possibly to take more pictures.

Digital photographs are not a replacement of another form of communication but more an enhancement like a flashlight in a cave. You could fumble around with words and descriptions that may describe something specific only to you but a photograph is more likely to mean the same thing to a higher percentage of an audience.

I choose to use this form of communication because of the return on investment. It is simple, cheap and reduces the opportunities for misunderstanding when trying to convey ideas. One of the largest returns on investment for me has been time. Meeting times have been reduced by injecting a digital representation into presentations. Concepts have been more readily received and quickly decided on. Even delays at the check-out line have been reduced, especially if you have the forethought to check your merchandise for the UPC symbol. If it does not have one, you better snap a picture of the one on the display to present to the cashier later.

Digital photography is teetering on the line of paying homage to analog photography while at the same time spinning off on its own. Animations are now produced completely digitally. Classic movies and animations are “digitally enhanced”. Movies are still very much a homogenous blend of digital and analog photography particularly for special effects, at least when initially created. Eventually productions are captured in a digital format to be reproduced en masse.

Not only does the ease of use or return on investment make digital photography appealing to folks with good intentions but it attracts the not so good folks as well. A crook may not be able to remember all the information on your check or credit card as he looks over your shoulder but you can bet his phone can, easy, quiet, and cheap. Simple invasion of privacy with digital video is almost commonplace in the news.

So how have we come full circle with symbols? How have we evolved from charcoal to art to photography to digital photography and back? In my opinion they all have a message or story to tell or it’s not communication. We have made a leap from a complex analog organic medium of many symbols to an electronic, digital, basic medium of two symbols that can be arranged to represent anything we can imagine. The symbols are either “ON” or “OFF” or 1 or 0 (zero).

Do you know what the following says?

0000000000000000000000000
0111110111110111110100000
0100000100010100010100000
0100000100010100010100000
0100000100010100010100000
0100000100010100010100000
0111110111110111110111110
0000000000000000000000000

Hint: Connect the ones to see what this is a picture of.

Pioneer's Magnificent Multi-Media Medium Master Piece

Owen Gillespie
DTC 375: Language, Texts, & Technology
January 25, 2009

Pioneer’s Magnificent Multi-Media Medium Masterpiece

Pioneer’s AVIC Z3 has changed and shaped the way entertainment, navigation, and especially communication is used in a vehicle. The AVIC Z3 is the most state of the art piece of equipment a vehicle can be given. It has voice command capabilities, 30 Gigabyte hard drive, Bluetooth hands free communication, XM satellite radio, and the industry’s finest navigation system. Not to mention many more options. Many individuals think that they communicate at the highest level, think again. When you have capabilities of communicating with your vehicle with the same options at a faster rate than at home, you experience a sense of communication technology you could never imagine. Therefore making it a “multi-media master.”
The voice command capabilities of this system are unbelievable. You can ask it or tell it to do anything that pertains to the vehicle. The processor is in its second generation and can understand just about anything you tell it. You have the ability to say simple things like “search” or you can give it complex statements like saying a city name, street name, and address. You can tell it radio, XM, I-pod, Bluetooth, DVD, rear monitor on, or navigation and it will switch to the source that you have chosen. If it doesn’t understand it will ask you questions until it gets you what you want. It has full voice command capabilities over your phone through Bluetooth. You can say “call home” or “call whoever” and it will do so. It is like having a passenger you are telling what to do without having the passenger. I never thought that I would be telling my car what to do.
The thirty gigabyte hard drive is pretty self explanatory. It can store any media that you can import into its library. I have all my music (and some movies) stored into it which can be accessed by song title, author, genre, albums, audio books, compilations, composers, and podcasts (also done through voice command). It also asks if I would like to record any of the media that is inserted into it (whether it is DVD or CD). I have pictures of my daughter, places I’ve been, and things that make me happy stored on it. Between my I-pod and I-phone that are connected to it, I have more memory than my laptop itself. Not to mention, I have a dock for my laptop in the car too.
The Bluetooth aspect of the AVIC Z3 is very important to me as far as communication goes. I can do everything that a normal Bluetooth earpiece does times 10. When someone calls, my music is muted and I have every bit of information I have stored about that person displayed on the screen (home, cell, work, address, e-mail, etc.). At that point, I have the ability to answer or decline, in which case the person’s voice is displayed throughout the vehicles speakers or the music comes back on (if declined). Calling is very similar, I can tell the system to call whoever, and it brings up information about that person and I tell it to call work. Now here is the cool part; when I need access to the internet, I can pull over and use the internet through my phone anywhere I may possibly be. It can be a little slow, but at least I have it. One of the other cool combinations between my phone and the AVIC Z3 is that I have many people’s pictures stored in my phone; therefore I have a picture display of the person I’m talking to for more of a sense of reality.
XM satellite radio has a large variety of media which helps keep me involved with what is going on in the world, entertain me, and also a program to re-route me in the event of road closures and accidents. I spent a lot of time on the road in the past and would jump in the car in the morning and listen to the news. It gave me a sense of reading the paper while I was driving. I also frequently listened to games that I was unable to see in the evenings. XM satellite radio has over 100 channels of music, comedy, talk radio, and much more. So entertainment is endless. To complement all of this, XM offers XM Nav Traffic. This is a program which alerts you to traffic conditions and gives you alternate routes if there may be traffic jams, accidents, or road work.
The final medium that many travelers do not take advantage of is a navigation system. Many “old timers” use the traditional map. There is no problem with maps until you look at when they are printed and realize that they do not match up to the roads, new roads, and altered exits. Highways, interstates, county roads, streets, etc. seem to change and be updated faster than we realize. People move to new housing developments that are simply not on maps. With Pioneer’s navigation system, you get yearly update disks and XM Nav Traffic updates it continuously. With 12 million points of interest and frequent updates, it’s pretty hard to get lost.
In conclusion, this multi-media extravaganza is a medium in which I never thought my life time would never see. I have more resources and fun in my car than I ever thought possible. Imagine being on a long trip in an old station wagon with an eight track player and your children screaming. I was one of those children growing up. Now I see my daughter sitting in the back of my IS300 watching movies (using wireless head phones) and me being able to do more that I do at home at the tone of my voice. Vacation travel is almost better than the vacation. If anyone is interested or has any questions regarding this enjoyable masterpiece, visit http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Products/Navigation/In-Dash/AVIC-Z3.

My Name's Eric Higginbotham...and I've Got an Addiction

The consequences of sliding through the gates of the 21^st century are the constant reliance of our ever important digital media. No longer do we open our once overused desk drawer to grab the mighty pen and pad to write letters and notes. We now have our Blackberries and PDAs holstered and ready for the next task at hand. The instantaneous value that E-mail has is something we may never relinquish. A gamer from Canada can strategize with a gamer in Japan on Xbox Live to stop the Nazi regime in Call of Duty. These communication methods were only a fantasy to many thirty years ago. Food, water and shelter, labeled as essentials, have now been replaced by email, text messaging and MySpace. Today, I, along with many others, I’m sure, cannot exist in this world without the invaluable machine like the all mighty cell phone.

Why wouldn’t one want to invest in such a helpful machine like the cell phone? The cell phone has been a huge asset to many people’s daily lives that almost everyone takes the machine for granted. The cell phone is simply an extension of our bodies. Many don’t sit and marvel over the mechanics of our hands or the wondrous functions of our brains. We just use them and don’t really appreciate the way they work.

Let’s face it; the cell phone has come a long ways from its conception in the early 70s. The functions have advanced from the single action of communicating with another person, much like Zach Morris did in the Saved by the Bell sitcom. Today, we can not only communicate with friends and family instantly, but we can perform many other tasks with our cell phones. We can now take pictures and videos and send them across the world for others to see. I can now contact my sister in Maryland with a touch of a button. I can now see my newborn niece grow up by the uses of the camera feature on our cell phones. I can understand her personality through videos that my sister sends me. I can get to know my family even though they’re thousands of miles away, which is something that I am so very grateful for.

Text messaging has become more and more of a routine for me in the last few years. With the ability to send and receive unlimited text messages for only a small fee, it’s difficult to avoid its addictive effect. Text messaging has worked well because of the fact that it allows me to type something very quickly and send it within seconds. The person receiving the text message can now view what I had sent a few seconds prior whenever he or she has time to view it and can respond whenever they feel is necessary.

The cell phone and text messaging has become my primary way of contacting all my friends and family because of the ability to quickly send and receive messages. I don’t have to wait for someone to pick up the phone like the traditional phone call. I also don’t have to compose a well thought out message to leave on the voice mail. If the recipient doesn’t have voicemail then I don’t have to worry about making several phone calls so that I can get his or hers attention. I don’t have to worry about if they received the message or not. I can see the status of my text message delivery as success or a failure.

Text messaging and all its glory do have some drawbacks though. Within the last few years we’ve seen laws being passed against the use of cell phones while driving. The purpose of this law is simple: keep distractions away from the driver so that they may safely operate a vehicle. People don’t see this law as keeping them safe; rather we tend to see it as a obstacle that we need to get around to function every day. To counter this many people have purchased Bluetooth headsets that allow the driver to carry on a conversation without holding his or her phone. Unfortunately, text messaging is hard to regulate. The fact that you can hide the cell phone while texting, to avoid being spotted by the police, is an obvious advantage of text messengers. Although it puts the driver and other drivers around at risk of being involved in an auto accident.

In conclusion, the cell phone is a very useful way for me to communicate with my family and friends. I don’t see myself without a cell phone for the rest of my life. Without it, unfortunately, I feel as if I may become like a lost puppy dog trying to find his way home. I can’t leave my house unless I’ve got that machine within my grasp. My name is Eric Higginbotham and I’m suffering from the addiction of the cell phone.