Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The Popular Voice

By Pam Hadder

We are riding the wave of technological change -- no doubt about it. Apple's release of the iPad tablet in 2010 had us all thinking of the impact on how we do business, communicate, and share information. Starry-eyed and hopeful, we considered the ease-of-use and portability and where it could work for us.

And of course, before even purchasing the device, we immediately anticipated the next iPad version -- hoping it has some phone functionality, Skype aside! It was hard not to get a little App-happy if not with the iPad, with the zippy little iPhone, closely tailed by all of the wannabe "smart phones" that flooded the market in its wake.

Social media, combined with smart technologies, has allowed individuals to have their say, interact with others and generate a buzz, with immediacy and in real time. Some of the repercussions have not been positive -- consider crimes recorded and shared; cyber stalking, cyber bullying, over-exposure, and just plain old TMI (too much information); not to mention the annoyances of text-a-lot types on the commute, on the street, at the gym and in business meetings.

As with wine and chocolate, in Facebook, Twitter etc., not everyone has the ability or good judgment to know what defines a reasonable amount -- real addictions have been speedily acknowledged and treatment plans developed for those latched a tad too tightly to social media and their smart devices. And locally, laws were quickly passed to stop drivers from texting and phoning while operating their vehicles.

In the 1960's, Pop Art icon, Andy Warhol, spoke about the future as a time when we all would be "world-famous for 15 minutes" -- but Warhol never envisioned the power and speed of current communication methods, and he never said anything about the quality of our brushes with greatness.

The funny thing is that there still is a contingent that talks about quality, the appetite for quality and such, but as with social media, do the majority of smart-equipped folks have the ability to distinguish the gold from the dross? Or are we just hooked on hearing our own voices, seeing our own faces, and getting our two cents worth in at any cost? Does anyone stop spinning the dial long enough to consider the cost versus the true value? Is sheer volume of interest true value, just because you can measure it? Having a giant pile of something doesn't make it precious or necessary -- or does it?