Week 2 - Communication and Me Task: My experience with new communication technologies...

I personally come into contact with new communication technologies every single day. Each morning I wake to the sound of my iPhone's alarm. It is one of the most remarkable technologies in the world. It has the power to transmit text messages, make phone calls, schedule dates and even surf the web and it is the size of a human hand. It is the only thing I can use to keep in contact with my family on the other side of Australia and those down south. 

I have only recently purchased the iPhone, but I have been using the internet and mobile phones for a long time now. From what I can recall my first memory of using the internet was in grade 4, we were in the computer lab and we were shown how to open a webpage and go to Google. Since then, I have been using the internet and mobile phones, they have been part of my life for over 8 years. 

I am quite protective of my details and I always try to put as little information online as possible. I have the maximum security settings on my Facebook account and I don't accept or add people I don't personally know. I believe that certain companies that use people's information are suspicious. They may be using the information for statistical analysis, but there may also be an ulterior motive, because after all information is power. 

The influences of my family and job aspirations influenced me to purchase an iPhone. As a journalist, the applications and functions of an iPhone are a necessity to work in the field. In addition, almost all of my friends and family members have iPhones, so it made the decision of buying one much easier. The television advertisements and online advertisements also contributed to my interest in this technology. 

As previously mentioned I do not have anyone on the internet that I have not met, I may know some people through friends, but I know that they are real people. I do not have any random people that I communicate with for safety reasons. I believe that if you know them in person you get to see for yourself their gender, their skin type, know their name and hair colour. However, online anyone can write anything and say they are anywhere. It is not the same as seeing someone face to face, it is more truthful to talk to a person face to face rather than over the net, because responses can't be changed and you can get to really know people in person.