No Need to Call

Is the telephone, which was, not too long ago, a new technology, becoming obsolete? Land lines have become a technology of the past. Mobile phones stormed in and has recently begun to dominate the market. What will be next?

The telephone, in the past, was used frequently and for long periods of time. A phone conversation, when the technology was new, could last hours. It was something new that connected people at great distances. But now, with mobile phones, smart phones, and tablets, our conversations are becoming shorter. With the ability to text what is on your mind to find out exactly what you need to know without the cloudiness of phone conversations, people have begun to interact less on the phone.

Author of the book Alone Together, Sherry Turkle writes about the fact that teenagers avoid phone calls most of the time. The ability to choose whether to answer or not has given mobile phone users the power to reject calls. People, according to Turkle, only use the phone to keep up with our closest circles, but even that is becoming a habit of the past with texting and social media outlets.

People also complain that a phone call has become to personal. They become apprehensive to say too much or too little, that they might find out something they did not want to know or they themselves may divulge a secret they wanted to keep, but because of the pressures of a live (non text) conversation, significant amounts of information may be shared by accident.

People, teenagers especially, feel that since there are so many ways to express themselves online, there is no need to have long phone conversations. With this social media comes a new identity crisis. The posts and feelings shared through social media sites are only what the user wants to share; very topical. These different identities, or what Pete and Sherry Turkle call the "life mix".

This life mix separates our personal (real) lives from the online (fake) lives. Online lives are easier to manage because you, the user, control the content and decisions which are shared. Our personal lives are much more intimate. Feelings and emotions can be read non verbally in person, and on the phone, voice inflections can be heard. These emotions can not be accurately expressed on the internet.

The pressures on the internet are not nearly as high as in person or on the phone. When IM'ing or texting, it is okay not to respond right away. The user is able to edit his/her posts or responses, but, in person, the pressure is high and the response time is almost immediate. According to Turkle, "A text message might give the impression of spontaneity to its recipient, but teenagers admit they might spend ten minutes editing its opening line to get it just right" (AT 200). This shows that the pressure to respond is high, but there is time to edit your text message or IM.