This week, we watched a brief presentation, “May I Have your Attention Please”, written by Linda stone that provided insight into historical developments of all the madness behind this noise; this feeling of being tied down to our phones and feeling like we constantly have to answer email. According to Linda, “Our truth is we really operate in a noisy world and we try to stay on top of everything.” If I were a member of Linda’s audience during this presentation, I would have been in her “Amen Corner” because I definitely have experienced experienced the noise in my life and feeling this need to divide my attention amongst multiple things just to get things done.
I recently decided that I wanted to take a vacation to get away from all the noise. This noise being the feeling of stress I feel that I have to always be connected or available for people to reach me. The information provided this week, made me reflect on the purchase of my smartphone and how it has affected my life. When I forget my phone sometimes, I feel this sense of freedom and peace that I don’t have to be tied down to respond to anyone nor urgent matters. In March of this year, I finally decided to join the rest of the world and get a smartphone so that I could check email and correspond with family, friends, clients, etc. when I’m away from my computer. I am one of those people that feels as if my quality life is often compromised by technology and it makes me feel enslaved. However on the flipside it does allow me to be more accessible and allows me to multitask in getting things done more efficiently. Also I have to admit my smartphone has become an indispensable part of my life. But I have to wonder is this worth all the “noise”?
Not long ago, Microsoft introduced a new phone on the scene to rival the Iphone, Android, and other smartphones, called the Windows 7 phone. Microsoft 7 phone ads said “It’s time for a phone to save you from your phone”.
In this ad, people are constantly driven to divide their attention between technology and other tasks which is exactly what Linda discusses in detail in the presentation. Microsoft’s intention for producing this phone was to save us from our phones and I definitely applaud them in their efforts.
Now I think, Microsoft may’ve been ahead of it’s self because people with smartphones are enslaved to it and don’t want to spend less time on it, but would like to spend more. However, based on Linda’s presentation and studies, I believe one day this will be the case that we will become so overwhelmed by all the noise of having to be connected that the desire of humanity will grow to yearn for peace by escaping all the noise.
I understand what you are saying and switched to a smart phone when the iPhone first came out. I got the first one the first day it was available after having a Razr with iTunes before that. This being said, I think that Microsoft is trying to show you the quicker load times and how everything is more integrated so you don’t have to multi-task while doing tasks you don’t want to be looking at your phone for, such as showering, playing catch with your son, riding a roller-coaster, etc. Regardless of their attempted message, I agree with you that this commercial is a direct relation to what Linda Stone was saying in her brief but very insightful presentation.
What I find most interesting about the Windows Phone commercial is that it appeals to our sort of implicit knowledge that our technology is intruding into spaces formerly reserved for the social, emotional, familial, etc. Of course, it is really just more of the same, in a different package.
How might you tie the Windows Phone commercial into the end of Stone’s presentation where she identifies the different epochs of information and work?
According to Linda Stone, in the 70s and 80s we were primarily information workers and now we have become knowledge workers. We’ve made a shift from seeking features to ease of use. We were always on and using continuous partial attention. However recently we’ve become so overwhelmed by the noise that we crave protection from all the noise. We are in the time period where we expect products such as phones like Windows 7 to enhance our quality of life and save us from all the noise.
Interesting post. The windows phone 7 commercial really is exemplary of what a lot of phone companies should be dealing with now when trying marketing their smartphones, especially now that this concern that we’re becoming too over-connected is starting to creep into the mainstream. Verizon recently ran a commercial that would always confuse me because the entire thing seemed like a commercial for tampons up until the end of it. To me it seemed like the awkward result of a company trying to find a new selling point for its product/service when the old, reliable selling point of being plugged-in to the network is starting to seem problematic. I could be wrong.
I think that commercial is hilarious (mostly cause it’s true), and I wonder if this phone can actually do what it claims to do. I agree that our need to be constantly connected has tied us to our technology to the exclusion of the real world and the people around us. But, I like to hope that there’s a happy medium, one in which we can feel connected but still find connection in the face to face interaction we have with others as well.