Guest Blog

Here is a guest blog from someone my class to mix things up and provide a different perspective: With the perpetual march of innovation, a common observation about technology today might note the increased demand, in many societies, for speed and efficiency. In the words of the character Brooks Hatlen from The Shawshank Redemption after he concludes a prison term spanning multiple decades: "The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry." In the field of communications, this is especially relevant. It is rather obvious that over time, methods of communication have become faster - the age of electronics has guaranteed that. Now however, we've begun to see a different trend: not just faster, but shorter. To be sure, communicating with shorter messages is just another way to speed things up, but there are larger implications. The most well known example of this is text messaging. The use of brief text messages to replace phone calls has lead to some interesting trends, most notably, the development of shorthand slang in a wide variety of languages. This has sparked a debate between those who believe it to be harmful and those who scoff at such claims. I will not comment on how texting may be shaping people's approaches to writing itself, but I do believe that it reflects an ongoing trend in social interactions: many now prioritize brevity and speed over quality in their day-to-day online interactions. A very relevant example of this is microblogging (no, it's not always Twitter). Here's what this post might look like if I were looking to be as brief as a Tweet: "Life's so fast; technology just keeps on picking up the pace. #whatsthehurry." For my purposes, a "post" like this is utterly inane. It illustrates a newer breed of "blogging" that caters to the needs of those who want rapidfire feedback; acting much more like a social networking service than a "traditional" blog. The website "tumblr.com" directly states in its information section that it is "to web blogging what text messages are to email." Twitter advertises itself as the "fastest, simplest way to stay close to everything you care about." On the whole, the need for speed is perhaps explained best by the basic economising problem: infinite wants that are constrained by limited resources. The resource in this case is time. Mottos like "live life to its fullest" and "you only live once" reflect cultures which focus on getting as much done as possible within the time given. It's interesting then, that this mentality can be seen so clearly in the way we choose to communicate.