One of the articles in my literature review from my Masters program research this year uses the term "Multiplicity of Place" to describe the effect that mobile devices are beginning to have on our communication and collaboration. It is like the term "Vu Ja De" describing a place we have never been before. Prior to the global adoption of mobile technology, you had to really work to be in two places at one time. Online was very much separated from Offline in that it took a commitment of time to dial into AOL and wait for you dial up modem to connect. I do in some ways miss that noise the modem made when connecting. It was a sign that something cool was about to begin. But now we connect with such ease. Many apps and websites have settings to "keep me always connected". This vu ja de feeling that we are offline and online at the same time is subtly changing the way we think, learn and relate.
How many times have you experienced this scenario in the past week? You are talking to someone in person and your cell phone rings. You politely tell whoever you were just talking with, to give you just a second to answer the call. You answer the call and while you are dealing with whatever the caller needs you for, your phone buzzes alerting you to a text message. In that moment, your mine is in more than one place. This can be distracting and some would say an enabling of ADD like symptoms. Much of what changes in our lives when new technology is introduced is subtle and goes unnoticed. The changes that really change how we live happen gradually. We all notice when the iPhone 5 is released and when you get one of these devices, you clearly notice but the affect on how we relate is usually under the radar for most of us. When our devices connect to the internet faster, they become increasingly ubiquitous and we notice them less and less as we rely on these "tools" more and more. As Clay Shirky states in his book, "Here Comes Everybody". "Communications tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. The invention of a tool doesn't create change. It has to have been around long enough that most of society is using it. It's when a technology becomes normal, then ubiquitous, and finally so pervasive as to be invisible, that the really profound changes happen, and for young people today, our new social tools have passed normal and are heading to ubiquitous, and invisible is coming." (Shirky pg. 105).
We are at that point in our society where our mobility in communication can be both disruptive and productive at the same time. The effect of multiplicity of place is that we are becoming a society of multi taskers and jugglers of data and relationships. I think that this concept of being in multiple places at one time can be harnessed to propel innovation rather than allow it to be a distraction and annoyance. If we can be in more than one place at at time, then maybe time travel is not that far off.
How many times have you experienced this scenario in the past week? You are talking to someone in person and your cell phone rings. You politely tell whoever you were just talking with, to give you just a second to answer the call. You answer the call and while you are dealing with whatever the caller needs you for, your phone buzzes alerting you to a text message. In that moment, your mine is in more than one place. This can be distracting and some would say an enabling of ADD like symptoms. Much of what changes in our lives when new technology is introduced is subtle and goes unnoticed. The changes that really change how we live happen gradually. We all notice when the iPhone 5 is released and when you get one of these devices, you clearly notice but the affect on how we relate is usually under the radar for most of us. When our devices connect to the internet faster, they become increasingly ubiquitous and we notice them less and less as we rely on these "tools" more and more. As Clay Shirky states in his book, "Here Comes Everybody". "Communications tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. The invention of a tool doesn't create change. It has to have been around long enough that most of society is using it. It's when a technology becomes normal, then ubiquitous, and finally so pervasive as to be invisible, that the really profound changes happen, and for young people today, our new social tools have passed normal and are heading to ubiquitous, and invisible is coming." (Shirky pg. 105).
We are at that point in our society where our mobility in communication can be both disruptive and productive at the same time. The effect of multiplicity of place is that we are becoming a society of multi taskers and jugglers of data and relationships. I think that this concept of being in multiple places at one time can be harnessed to propel innovation rather than allow it to be a distraction and annoyance. If we can be in more than one place at at time, then maybe time travel is not that far off.