Always Available – The Culture of Keeping Work at Arms Length
Mobile devices are rarely powered off. They wake us up in the morning and get plugged in at night before the looming 1% battery icon goes black with the rest of the screen. Mobile culture has led to a culture of always being available to communicate, respond and work. The unwritten rule is that if […]
Live Video Streaming Platforms (LVSP) gives me a bit of a TWITCH
What is very popular among teens right now in the online video streaming world? Well, among many LVSP, one is revolutionizing the gaming landscape. However, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this new mobile culture? A survey and study were conducted by Ramirez, Fernandez and Roldan (2021), to explore the benefits and harms, motivations, […]
PolterApps They’re heeere!
Interconnectivty is one of the cornerstones of the convenience and ease of use that characterize mobile apps and mobile devices. However, this characteristic also enables a less savoury aspect of this technology, the so-called surveillance economy. Close monitoring of inter-device/app communication that was ongoing in a typical home, uncovered a huge amount of metadata being […]
Our phones are telling us how to look
The connection between digital media and body image is undeniable. Throughout our development we have been reminded over and over about the negative implications of media on our self-image: there are ample opportunities for comparison; a constant flow of beauty consumer culture; and the denormalization of all but a few body types. If we are […]
Validation Through Digital Numbers
I’m sure most people here are familiar with some form of social media that depends on the use of digital numbers to show engagement. Whether it be likes and follows on Instagram and Twitter, or downvotes and upvotes on Reddit, or comments and shares on Facebook, everyone who has been on some social media platform […]
Alone Together
You have probably experienced it before. You are in an environment with other people, perhaps they are your friends and family, and not a word is spoken. You’re all on your smartphones. MIT professor Sherry Turkle writes about this phenomenon in her book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each […]