We are living in a generation where digital technology is at an all-time high. Its swift transformation throughout the last decade has domesticated society, leaving us with no other choice with the exception of how to adapt and utilize these technologies on a regular basis. Perhaps because of luck, I was born directly into this new generation and have always found it relatively easy using these new technologies. It is not that I was born directly into the smartphone age however, as flip cell phones and desktop computers were the basis of our society at that time. Flash forward to now where most, if not our entire day consists of looking at a screen of some sort, whether it would be a smartphone, laptop, or television. With my experience to previous technologies before this generation, I adapted relatively quickly to the new major technologies that has ever since consumed my lifestyle.
Beginning with the obvious, one form of new technology I use many times within just one hour of the day is my iPhone 7. My first iPhone was the 5s that I got for Christmas about three and a half years ago before finally switching to a newer one last September. Like many other forms of new technology, I adapted to it and had very little trouble doing so. It was that Christmas night where the iPhone 5s transformed the ways I regularly communicate with others and just how my overall lifestyle works. The impact my 5s had on my life back then is the same, if not even more prevalent with the 7 I have currently. The 7 almost automatically places me into this enormous participatory culture to converge with whoever I want to at any time or place of the day. I can text, Snapchat, tweet or Facebook with multiple people at one time for a couple minutes, or in some cases, a couple hours. Not only do I interact in this fashion, but if I want to Google search someone or something, I can do it within 10 seconds with the power in the palm of my hand. In short summary, my iPhone 7 essentially controls almost all aspects of my life and how I manage it. That is unless I am communicating with others in-person, attending class or an event, or driving. Even then, however, I still sometimes check my social media or something else on my iPhone in most of these cases, except while I’m driving, of course.
Some people argue that new technologies are making us lonelier than ever because of the amount of people who are extremely engaged to their smartphones. To a degree, that is arguably true especially if someone does not have many go-to contacts or networks. However, with the amount of people using smartphones nowadays and the number of apps to go with them makes it almost impossible to not have at least a few go-to contacts, unless if someone does not have a smartphone at all. Someone who does not personally communicate with more than 10 to 15 people, like me, probably still have go-to apps that gets them engaged in a very large, interconnected universe. However, if I am in a close distance with my roommates, new technologies make us less lonely because I could find something very fascinating on my Facebook app and either show it or explain it to one or all my roommates to hopefully generate a conversation.
As I mentioned in the introduction, I was basically born into computers and have been all too familiar with them ever since I first used one. In my younger days when gigantic desktop computers were the norm, I would primarily use one to play games on it until Facebook and Twitter became a huge deal. For a long time, I would check my Facebook or Twitter on a slimmer desktop computer or laptop because I did not have an iPhone at that point in time. That obviously changed at the very second I got an iPhone. Nowadays, I use my laptop for mainly school-related purposes, whether it would be writing a paper, reading an article, emailing a source, or checking my grades. My laptop altogether has come in handy for me on multiple occasions and has helped me pass all my classes.
Laptops are basically the only way to successfully get through college. While most exams take place in class, almost, if not every single course requires me to write papers which usually amount to a good chunk of my overall grade. If I decide to go to the library, I guarantee you my laptop will be with me. If I go to a study session, there is a good chance I will bring my laptop with me. I am not saying it is bad with how laptops are changing college, but it is just the way it is which again goes back to how new technologies have domesticated our society. Some classes even have online exams for various reasons at the professor’s discretion, and maybe in the future all exams will be online. Whatever happens, it all goes back to how these new technologies, and in this case, computers, have effectively domesticated society and college.
I am a huge sports fan, and because of that passion I am hoping to be a sports writer or broadcaster in the future. When I am watching sports, basically all new forms of technology are used to display the game. The most commonly used platform for watching sports is still the TV, but that norm is gradually drifting away from the TV to our smartphones and other smaller devices. For me, I primarily use the TV simply because it is the easiest way to catch and engage with the action. However, if I miss a game or highlight from that game, I can check YouTube where that highlight will most likely be for me to catch up on. If I am a passenger in the car and a Bucks game is on, I am intrigued every time to check the live stream on my phone at the expense of my data usage simply for the visual entertainment of the action. The radio is somewhat helpful for me, but I do not visually know what is going on besides the score, which is obviously the most important part. However, I still like to see what is going on, whether it would be on the TV or live stream. The sports world in general is only getting larger now because of the aforementioned way new technologies are expanding their platforms for sports games to be presented on. Some people are concerned about why a lot of sports games ratings have been decreasing for the last few years, but one big reason why that is the case is because of how many technological platforms sports games are available on currently. Of course there are many other factors why sports ratings are going down, but new technological expansion is a major reason why. All of this goes to show of the various forms of new technology of how sports games are being presented to us on a regular basis and how it is rapidly changing the way we interact with sports.