monkey see, monkey do serves as a personal blog and creative outlet for
instant messaging
i’ve been really curious about “sms” and “im” as a communications tool, perhaps in part because i haven’t been a big user of either. i’m trying to use them more just to understand the use models and advantages. researcher stefana broadbent published an ethnology study of mobile phone, sms, and im uses in switzerland recently that had some super interesting findings, namely:
- sms is “for intimacy, emotions, and efficiency. Only the most intimate sphere of friends and family are contacted by SMS, and the content of the messages is often related to ‘grooming’ and emotional exchanges.”
- im and voip are “the continuous channels”, “users open an instant messaging channel for the day and then just keep it open in the background while they do other activities; they multitask — and step in and out of a conversation.”
- 80% of mobile phone conversations are only with four or five people.
four or five people? i guess if you’re generally coordinating with family or friends it is a small circle, but wow that seems like a small number. and i’m starting to see how im chats can be left open all day and become a short dialog of questions and answers and ongoing conversations, but that’s new for me. i used to think there had to be a specific purpose for each message and response and rarely thought of one. they seemed more interruptive.
i think the xanga (and now myspace) ‘comments’ feature need to be considered a separate form of communication to this study. because they’re persistent like a blog but short and conversational like im. they form a new class of im-like communication but one that peers in a social group can see as well. like hallway conversations that others can at least partially gather to whom one is talking with. that’s a really useful piece of social information that you don’t get with point to point communications like im or a phone. comments in blogs are perhaps similar in that they tell you who is reading and relating to the person publishing, but comments on xanga and myspace seem much more conversational.
all this is really interesting to me. communication in person, like at school or at work, allows peers to see who is hanging out with and maintaining connections with whom. most of our online communication lacks that, except for blog comments and now myspace comments. but are there other examples of online communication that helps people exchange or share that important social information?
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13. August 2006 at 9:30 pm :
Hm, I have four or five friends that I have on speed dial.
Lots of my less-technologically inclined friends know how to receive a text message but can’t (or won’t be bothered to learn how) respond. Which is alright too, sometimes it’s nice knowing I can reach out to someone far away without any expectation of a return. Though I’m learning more and more - I’m less likely to reply to international sms’s - more costly and the time difference.. I’ve found with those type of pings, I can usually respond within the weekend - though there is not much depth to those type of messages.
technology is a mixed bag. we have more choices to communicate and it can be addictive. constantly learning my boundaries
14. August 2006 at 11:56 pm :
I question if all these technologies are supporting deeper communication or allowing people to cocoon themselves further. It seems to me that people are a little less comfortable just being by themselves or being present in the environment they are in. Everyone is on the phone or texting all the time and it seems to me that people are less comfortable walking on the street, or eating in a restaurant, or being on public transit alone without having the distraction and comfort-zone barrier of their phone. I was walking down the street tonight and I was making a call and I realized that I felt less safe because I was less able to sense my surroundings while I was on the phone, even though I got the phone to feel more safe. Interesting!~
15. August 2006 at 10:30 am :
I agree with Cheryl. People seem to use technology to separate themselves socially, for safety. It’s a culturally acceptable way of separating themselves. Sort-of like smoking in public or being a workaholic. I wonder sometimes why those people ever leave their house/work. It’s probably actually better for your social life that you don’t use those methods of socializing.
23. August 2006 at 8:52 am :
Maybe it’s not whether technology is “good” or “bad” but whether you use it to open yourself up further to the world or whether you use it to shut down your heart from others. I don’t know, I tend toward the luddite realm myself (NO CAR OR CELL PHONE!).