Can society adapt to this new kind of technology

The trend of wearable technology is still very new, but it has already come under attack. The new Google Glasses allow people to take pictures and recordings wherever they are and it can all be controlled through voice. Some are concerned about the security risks and invasion of privacy this can create. John F. O’Rourke and Patrick Soon of Inside Council state “Ours is soon to become a culture of cameras where citizens will be constantly surrounded by devices that can record at the blink of an eye … literally!” With so many people able to record without even moving it is difficult to know who is watching. Even with the issues this new technology brings it can still provide a great benefit to people. The physically impaired who may have difficulty moving their arms can now have access to the internet and better interact with their surroundings by taking pictures and videos. All of this can be done without moving, providing these people with a better sense of confidence and independence. This type of hands free technology can also be extremely beneficial to emergency response teams. Effortlessly, they are given the ability to view maps and routes to their destination as well as quickly send information to other team members. All of this can be accomplished while using their hands for other important tasks. “Such improved communication will improve firefighter safety, and it may help save lives. Paramedics, for example, will be able to show a doctor in a distant emergency room the extent of a victim’s lacerations, burns or bullet wounds.” (O’Rourke, Soon).

Technology is becoming more and more integrated into our lives. According to Steve Mann of the MIT Technology Review “These devices are not simply pieces of clothing or a variation on conventional eye wear. They have profound effects on how we see, understand, and remember the world.” Times are changing and although this technology may seem scary to some it has to many benefits to be ignored.  Like most new cutting edge technology on the market there are always security measures to consider, but there are often protocols and safety measures that can be put in place without hindering the growth of this new technology. Society has adapted to large technological changes before, and we will be able to do so again.

Products like Google Glass and Smart Watches are only the beginning

Technology is always changing and evolving. In the beginning, a computer took up the space of an entire room, but today it can be small enough to fit in a pair of glasses.  Going beyond even the size and portability of tablets and smart phones, technology has reached a phase where it can actually be worn. Although relatively new, products like the Google Glass are already gaining a lot of interest. With this new technology a person can take pictures, record videos, send messages and even use the internet.  All of this can be done without lifting a finger as the Google Glass has voice controls. Google Glass is not the only wearable technology product hitting the market. Samsung has recently announced a release of smart watches. The watches have a large amount of fitness-focused apps such as heart rate monitors, pedometers, and sleep and stress trackers. (Baig). It will also posses common apps such as cameras and music players.  According to Edward Baig of USA TODAY “One thing that’s evident is that the smartwatch category, and for that matter the whole wearable computing space, continues to explode, but this is still very ripe territory.” The wearable technology trend is only just beginning and will most likely continue to grow over the next few years. Some companies are even focusing more on the fashion aspect of wearable technology.

During this year’s Social Media Week there was a wearable tech fashion show. The show displayed several innovative styles of wearable technology such as LED umbrellas, traceable handbags, and 3-D printed nails. (Saiidi). There is also a new company called Cuff which produces wearable objects that can act as remotes for smart devices or even send out distress signals. (Wingfield). Nick Wingfield of The New York Times states “A woman who encounters a threatening situation on the street or elsewhere can press her finger to a Cuff bracelet on her wrist, which will then send an electronic distress signal to one or more people she has authorized through the Cuff app to receive those messages.” Although not as advanced as the smart watches or glasses, these products still represent the rising trend of wearable technology. This type of technology is still in its early stages but in a few years it can become a regular part of everyday life for most people.

The conference focuses on the challenges of a constantly connected world

The 2014 social media week has begun and this year will focus on how people are always connected. Social media week is a worldwide event that brings people together to discuss and share new trends and the best practices in technology and social media. It allows thousands of people to come together and use their collective knowledge and experience in order to move technology forward and benefit the world in a way that would not be possible individually. According to Craig Hepburn of Nokia “Social Media Week is more than an event; it’s a movement. Such an innovative event that taps into the human networks of people across the world and encourages sharing and best practice will move us forward faster and more effectively than traditional event silos.”  The event will have many themes aimed at understanding and improving how the world is connected.

One of those themes is the meaning of now today.  There is so much technology in the world and so many different forms of social media that people have instant access to enormous amounts of information. Although it is easily available most of it is not needed, at least not to every specific person. People use smart phones, tablets, and computers and they read emails, texts, and posts. Sifting through all this information can be distracting and time-consuming.  This theme will try to solve the problem of  “How can we find and embrace the technologies that lead us to have more time and focus, not less?” (socialmediaweek.org). It will also try to help define the difference between immediately available information and urgent information.

Another theme is the two sides of technology. This will focus on “preserve humanness — meaning the ability to listen, empathize, engage, focus and be present in the moment”. (socialmedia.org). It is very easy to get lost in the splendor of technology and ignore the real world around us. People can communicate over social media and receive almost all the information they need online nearly eliminating the need for face-to-face interaction. This theme will try to help people to really live in the moment and remain truly engaged in their lives despite the distraction of technology. There are many other themes as well that will all serve to help the world progress forward in terms of social media and technology.

Experts will come together to change the world of social media

This year social media week will feature many important speakers from the world of social media and technology. All of these people from all over the world will come together to combine their skill and expertise to try and help find solutions to some of the issues of a constantly connected world. One of these speakers is Robin Chase the co-founder of Zipcar. Right after creating her company, Chase realized that she had made an error in pricing. The price she charged as a daily rental rate was too low to be able to sustain the business. Instead of secretly raising the price up or doing nothing and letting her business die she decided to make the decision to admit her mistake to her customers before raising the price to a proper level. “But you have to be honest when things aren’t going right, and you have to fix them as quickly as you can. These were key issues for us that we had to solve or die. Had we not increased the rates, I’m not sure that we could ever have reached profitability.” (Quittner).

Another speaker is Anil Dash, the CEO of ThinkUp. Last year Dash performed an experiment where on his twitter account he would only retweet posts that were from women. He wanted to really try and understand the kind of messages that he was supporting and augmenting by sharing them again on his account. In addition to helping the female voice on twitter gain more attention he gained a surprising insight. “One thing that has happened, and I’m not sure if it’s attributable to my change in retweet behavior, is that I’ve been in far more conversations with women, and especially with women of color, on Twitter in the past year. That’s led to me following more women, and has caused a radical shift in how I perceive my time on Twitter.” (Waldman). Whether they have overcome past obstacles or are continuing to break new ground all of the speakers at this years social media week have contributed to the state of technology and social media today. Their knowledge and experience will help to move the world forward and better the way people interact over social media.

Is communicating through social media as meaningful as communicating face-to-face

Valentine’s day is coming up and should be a time to celebrate close relationships or even make new ones. Social media has allowed people to form many great relationships and brought together those who would have otherwise never met, but it may have also caused relationships to become less intimate. With so many different ways to interact though texting or online, face-to-face contact has become a much less common practice. It is much easier to simply send messages back and forth than to coordinate and actual meet up. There is no need to even leave the house or pressure to look nice for a partner when all they will see are words. According to Margie Warrell of Forbes “Nothing can ever replace the good old fashioned in-person conversations — where we cannot hide behind our screens and devices — in building truly meaningful rewarding and sustaining genuine (and often less than picture perfect) relationships.” There is far more to a conversation than just words. Face-to-face a person can experience tone of voice and body language. They can really get a feel for the emotion of what the other person is saying. So much is left out when all a person gets to experience are words.

It is also easier to hide in social media. There is no awkward silence to force a quick response and no need to confront real issues. It’s hard to just leave from a person sitting right in front of you, but it is simple to avoid sending another message. The other person could still be hurt, but over the internet one can more easily pretend they are not since they don’t have to see it.  Spending so much time talking over social media also reduces our ability to have real in person conversations. “The time we spend socializing online not only discourages face-to-face communication, but it also undermines our confidence at engaging in real conversations with real people about the real problems and issues that thread through our lives.” (Warrell). It may be easier to have a conversation over social media where people feel safer, but with the effort of a real conversation also comes meaning. A face-to-face talk is much more intimate and meaningful than one over the internet. Social media can still be very helpful to connect people, but nothing can replace an in person meeting.

Images and posts about the city of Sochi have caused concern for the Olympics

The Winter Olympics have only just begun and thanks to social media nearly every detail about it is available to the public. During the Olympics of past years spectators have only been exposed to whatever information was broadcast on television. They saw ceremonies and coverage of the sporting events, but little else. Now in the days of social media there is a much larger amount of information available. The conditions of the host city of Sochi have become a huge topic for this years games. According to Luke Villapaz of The International Business Times “many were greeted with unfinished hotel rooms, undrinkable tap water and even stray dogs waiting for them in the rooms. Unfortunately that was only the half of it. A look at the surrounding cityscape shows multiple pieces of infrastructure and buildings still under construction, including hotels, shopping centers and roads.”

Normally people outside of the city would never know about this since it probably would not have been broadcasted.  Now with social media it is extremely easy for an athlete or reporter to upload a photo or angry message and have it be seen by thousands. With so many people having easy access to the internet through their computers or phones it would be nearly impossible to prevent this kind of information from leaking out.  All of this information is instantly available and accessible to a huge audience.  It is also very easy to exaggerate things over the internet. One negative message from a popular athlete could create a storm of anger from their fans. A journalist who has one unpleasant experience could put a negative spin on everything he reports. “…if journalists aren’t well fed and well housed, if you lose their luggage or don’t give them places to file, they get cranky — and that affects the coverage.” (Kurtz).  Regardless of how much a source may decide to stretch the truth or what their original intentions were, thousands of people will see what they write and each one will make their own assumptions from it. The conditions in Sochi may not be as bad as some people say, but a bad image has already been put out in the public’s minds and that is what will stay with them.

People thousands of miles apart can still stay connected

Olympic athletes have fans from all over the world. During the games they usually only get direct exposure to the fans in the crowd who go out to see the events. Now thanks to social media athletes and fans can become even closer, despite being thousands of miles apart. Fans can use social media to instantly send messages and encouragement to their favorite competitors. McDonalds has even made it so athletes can wear their favorite messages. “It’s the Golden Arches’ “Cheers to Sochi” campaign, in which fans use social media or an official website to send messages to specific athletes, who can then select and print out the supportive statements on ribbons. Fans can also send messages to specific teams.” (Wyshynski.) The athletes can keep these messages forever as a permanent reminder of their fans love and support. Social media makes it possible for these people to connect and impact each other’s lives in a great way. The athletes can also use it to show their appreciation. “Each message is tagged with a fan’s email address or Twitter handle, adding another layer of interactivity to this innovation.” (Wyshynski) Both athletes and fans have instant access to each other and can easily share their thoughts and feelings without even being in the same country. This interaction also helps the athletes to keep connected to the outside world. All of their training and competing leaves little time for visiting with friends and family. Social media allows them to easily stay in touch and maintain social relationships even through the intensity of the Olympics. Everything they do can easily be shared with friends fans because of social media. According to Kayla Hedman of The Huffington Post “When Olympic coverage seeps from your television and NBC apps to your Facebook Newsfeed, the nine-hour delay from Sochi, Russia dissipates, and the action is brought into your home in real time.” Everyone can be connected through social media. Young fans that would never be able to see their favorite athlete in person can still speak directly to them and athletes can easily share their love and appreciation to all of their fans. Without social media none of that would be possible.