Networked by Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman explains our ever changing world when it comes to technology and socialization. The authors go on to enlighten the reader of the ways these networks can expand a users social life.
At the beginning of the book a story is told about Peter and Trudy, couple that experienced a medical scare in 2007, they reached out via e-mail to their friends and family explaining the situation. Before they knew it strangers were contacting them because someone else contacted them, lending support to the family. They got medical advise from doctors, support from strangers that had similar experiences, and of course the support from their loved ones who were always just an e-mail away. Peter and Trudy had social networking experience and reaching out that way only seemed natural and even necessary. “An environment that spawns more social liberation also demands more social effort when people have desires or problems they want solved. This is where technology is especially useful.” (Rainie, Wellman 9) How many people can say they have tweeted or updated their facebook status asking a question or asking for advise hoping someone in their social network would have the perfect answer?
Before the Internet revolution there was a mobile revolution and Rainie and Wellman discuss the beginnings and current ideas when it comes to mobile devices and what they have turned into. When mobile devices first came out, not many people owned them, they were not compact or convenient to use. Now, our mobile devices are just another version of our networked connection to the world. Everyone uses their phone to make phone calls or send text messages, but now with smart phones we can connect with social media, e-mail, phone calls, and texting. A majority of us have smart phones, which have ‘apps’ on them such as twitter and facebook, connecting us to the world. One of the most connected ‘apps’ we use is twitter, twitter can connect you to anyone whether they are famous or just your friend from high school. Like we have experienced in class, twitter was a great way to reach out to the authors of the books we were assigned. One of my books authors, Berry Wellman even retweeted me when I mentioned that I was reading Networked. Because of our mobile devices we are constantly connected to the world no matter where we are, we can even be connected on airplanes, the only time we are “unconnected” is when we are sleeping. We are still connected because people can still reach us as we sleep, its pretty unbelievable.
One of the chapters explains a day in a connected life, the day of Maya Collum starts at 8am and ends at 1am and mentions every interaction she has face to face with another person or digitally. The first thing she does it check on the events for the day and her e-mail, she starts her day digitally (109). I feel like we can all relate to this chapter about living a connected life and I find that very interesting. You don’t realize how connected you are because it’s such a normal part of our life. I realize it when my Internet goes down like it is now, I am still connected with my phone, but I am so used to being connected by both my computer and my cell phone it some how becomes inconvenient to only be connected with my cell phone. We are so used to being connected in many ways that some times I call my dad just to tell him to check his e-mail because I sent him something a couple days ago.
Networked families are a new kind of family, parents are texting their kids while they are in the same house telling them that dinner is ready, babies cries are calmed down by playing a game on their parents cell phone, and kids are kept busy with a tablet where they can play and watch movies. “The Telus Canadian and Technology survey found that 58% of Canadian children have started using the internet by age seven, 23% before they have entered kindergarten at age five, and by age ten 84% are on the internet, using it for at least four hours per week.” (158). What will family Internet use be like in 10 years? We connect to our families and to the outside world mainly though the Internet now. My grandmother does not have a computer; I don’t think she has ever felt the need for one. She is the only family member I still make phone calls to other than my parents occasionally.
We have networked friends, family and coworkers and this book discusses all of the aspects and how they affect your life. How does being a networked individual affect you?
Bibliography
Wellman , Barry and Lee Rainie . Networked . Cambridge: The MIT Press , n.d.
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