Intro to Digital Age

I found a few blogs and articles on cell phones and mobile communications particularly interesting this week.  These articles demonstrated the incredible ways mobile communication devices are changing the world around us.  The first blog that caught my attention was about Quick Response (QR) codes.  I did not know what a QR code was until I read the article.  Basically, QR codes connect you directly to an internet address without the need for a keyboard.  A mobile phone can read the code, similar to the way a cashier scans a bar code, and automatically connect to a website.  That site may have specific advertisements or promotions for consumers who used the QR code. Northwest Airlines is currently running an ad campaign in Japan based on QR code.  The codes are used on billboard signs, essentially providing a link between print and online media.  People passing by the sign can take a picture of the code on their mobile phones that read the code and connect to the site.  It’s an amazing new concept to me.  A code that provides the link between print and online media is huge – not just for the advertising industry.  It could be beneficial to all kinds of industry; for example, tourism.  Imagine visiting a city and being guided on a tour by QR codes.  On your own time and without a tour group to check in with, you could use your mobile phone to read codes located throughout the city, providing information on everything from the history of the city to where to go for lunch.  It will be exciting to see how this develops, particularly in the U.S. where popular mobile phones, as far as I know, are not yet equipped with QR readers.

Another article I found interesting was from November 2005 about the first ever text message referendum in Britain.  The idea was to encourage political participation, particularly among young people who favored that type of communication.  This is another example of mobile communication devices being used to form smart mobs.  Rheingold gave the example in Smart Mobs of “People Power II” in Manilla.  Another example of SMS used in political matters was the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, mentioned in the article.  The referendum in the Welsh campaign did not have legal status, but it did give people the opportunity to let their voices be heard.  A smart mob holds tremendous power, as Rheingold discussed in Smart Mobs.  I wonder when we will see something similar to these campaigns in the U.S.  Perhaps we already have.  American Idol uses mobile phones and text messaging to let people vote, and has shown tremendous success.  I would say it is an example of a smart mob in action.

A recent PEW research study on technology and media use in the U.S. described cell phones as “the communications swiss army knife.”  I think this is a good description.  We no longer use cell phones to simply call a friend or family member.  According to the study, 35% of cell phones owners use their phones to send and receive text messages.  An additional 13% would like to be able to.  Users are taking pictures, playing games, accessing and searching the internet, sending and receiving email, instant messaging, playing music, recording video, accessing maps, and watching TV programs – all on their phones.  With the younger demographic growing up using mobile phones and all their capabilities, it appears use will to continue to grow and expand.  I recently read an article stating cell phones have had the most impact on the world in the last 25 years than any other technology.  I think this is a valid argument.  Mobile communication devices have influenced politics (examples above), created celebrities (American Idol), changed the television and entertainment industries, and eliminated in many areas the use of landlines.  There is no doubt mobile phones will be a big part of our lives in the future, if not already.  

I found the first few chapters of Rheingold’s Smart Mobs very interesting.  The author described mobile communications and its implications for the future - something he referred to as ”the next social revolution.”  The topic was interesting to me because of the way mobile communications has already changed societies around the world.  Rheingold gave specific examples of how mobile communication devices helped people coordinate actions with others nearby and around the world.  One example was the “People Power II” smart mobs in Manila who organized demonstrations through text messaging via cell phones, overthrowing the presidency in 2001.  Mobile communication has enabled people to act together collectively in a way that was never before possible.  It is a convergence of wireless technology and social communication that has the potential to improve life and also, unfortunately, to degrade it.  The cooperative effort of a group of people holds tremendous possibility for the good of society, but as Rheingold points out, “it can also be nasty if the people who cooperate share pernicious goals.”  I happen to be an optimistic, so my view of mobile communication and the future is one where groups and societies are able to work together for the common good more often than reasons for harm.

 One example of this is the group World Wide Help.  The group was started by several people interested in keeping the world up-to-date on Tsunami relief effort through modern communication technologies.  The SEA-EAT blog is part of this group, informing the world on resources, aid, donations, and volunteer efforts.  As a result of the actions of this group, missing people have been found, aid has been provided to villages, and volunteers have learned ways to help. This is just one example of the way in which smart mobs can be beneficial to society.

An interesting point that was brought up by Rheingold is the subject of privacy in this new social revolution.   As a result of being able to communicate with another individual, one will have to be willing to give up personal information of his or her own.  The tools that enable sharing of personal information will also transmit that information to others in the group.  This sharing of information creates a social network, strengthening the system.  However, it also leaves a “trail of electronic breadcrumbs,” as Rheingold describes it – similar to the way magnetic strips on credit card store information today.  I’m sure there is a lot of information about me that I think is private available on the Internet today.  I don’t feel comfortable about it, but it seems that mobile technologies will move us closer to limited privacy in the future.  An extreme example that Rheingold provided was a website that allows fans to stalk celebrities in real time.  Clearly, privacy is already an issue with smart mobs.

The idea of smart mobs - social networks formed through the use of mobile communications has had a slow start in the United States.  That’s not to say, though, that it will never catch on.  While young Americans are not texting nearly as much as teenagers in Japan, the use of instant messaging has steadily increased.  As the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported, 62% of internet users ages 18-27 were IM users in 2004.  I’m sure that number has increased in only the last two years.  Cell phones are now designed to not only place a call, but to surf the internet, get directions to a location, download music and videos, and text message.  I just saw a commercial yesterday for the latest razr phone available through Sprint.  This is just another example of ways in which the United States is slowly catching up with the rest of the mobile world.