Everyone is on. On their phone, on the computer, on Twitter, on Facebook, the list goes on. If someone was to ask you right now, how many hours do you spend online? Could you answer? So many aspects of life are spent on something electronic. Alarms are now on phones, as well as books. Truly, there is an app for everything! Whether it is checking your Fitbit, updating your status, or reading the most recent news, technology leads to new things that only further the always-on lifestyle.
Danah Boyd in The Social Media Reader relates being always-on to all media. It does not mean you have to be on the internet, just simply being connected to the network means you are “on.” By being connected to the network, it allows anything to reach the user at anytime. Almost all platforms of social media have the ability to reach you at anytime as long as you are on the network. It is all about the approach that one takes in the virtual world. Yes, having specific tools to assist you will help, but the approach taken to use the tools is what separates the always-on lifestyle to those who are not. (Mandiberg, Ch. 6). However, having an always-on lifestyle is not a negative aspect, Technology opens doors for people. Doors that lead to new innovations, new collaborations, and new possibilities. With so many opportunities to absorb technology, people are left concerned they are missing other equally important things.
The fear of missing out, a fear most people have. Actually, so many people have it, there is a popular hashtag for it! #FOMO has many posts about products, advertising the hottest new things to have. By posting products and must-haves to Instagram, people are able to reach the group that finds it important. Boyd offers that technology gives posters the ability to post something for the people who find it relevant (Mandiberg, Ch. 6). When companies post a photo on Instagram, it allows people who are interested or follow that company to instantly see what they are advertising. Thus, it allows all of the always-on individuals to see it at the touch of their fingertips.
With all this talk of being always-on, there is also a concern with the way society is leaning. Everything in life needs a balance, and if we’re always on technology, when will we enjoy what is actually going on in life? While it does lead to new possibilities, we need not to forget that picking up an old-fashioned book or newspaper is still good for the soul.
The authors of Spreadable Media discuss many aspects of the changes as people continue to gravitate to spending more time in the virtual world, a term they call spreadability. Not spreadable as in what you do to your peanut butter on toast, but that media can continue to be spread by multiple people and expand the horizons of the always emerging media world. Having spreadable media allows the users to have open-ended participations. While it might be hard to track, it allows the participants to customize it for exactly their community. For instance, Snoop Dogg has 5 million followers, which he has shared 17 thousand pictures with. As his fan base comments tagging other people in it, that media is spreading. Like a wildfire in fact! Every time it is shared with someone else, a new dimension is added. A new comment, an opinion based off of the photo, or a question. All of which are ways of spreading the media.
The authors of Spreadable Media discuss many aspects of the changes as people continue to gravitate to spending more time in the virtual world, a term they call spreadability. Not spreadable as in what you do to your peanut butter on toast, but that media can continue to be spread by multiple people and expand the horizons of the always emerging media world. Having spreadable media allows the users to have open-ended participations. While it might be hard to track, it allows the participants to customize it for exactly their community. For instance, Snoop Dogg has 5 million followers, which he has shared 17 thousand pictures with. As his fan base comments tagging other people in it, that media is spreading. Like a wildfire in fact! Every time it is shared with someone else, a new dimension is added. A new comment, an opinion based off of the photo, or a question. All of which are ways of spreading the media.
Always being on the media and spreading it is inevitable. In fact, it should not be avoided in today’s day and time. Although, as with anything a balance is a must. So, next time you are spreading the media, don’t forget, it is important to smell the flowers, not just post them!
Works Cited
Jenkins, Henry, Sam Ford, and Joshua Green. Spreadable Media: Creating Value and Meaning in a Networked Culture. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Mandiberg, Michael. The Social Media Reader. New York: New York UP, 2012. Print.
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