WEEK THREE: PART TWO

Write a post about how you use new communication technologies to communicate with your friends and family.

I use facebook to keep in touch with my close friends, by sharing when we should meet up, what they are doing ect. But I also use it to keep in touchwith friends overseas. facebook allows me to view photos of them and keep up-to-date with events they have attended. It is fast and so easy to use. I check it nearly everyday.

I keep in contact with my family through email, text messages, phone calls and skype. My dad is currently overseas and skype is perfect when trying to chat to each other. It is free and you get to see them (via webcam). My mum has only just grasped the concept of text messaging and now she sends me a text every now and then to see how I am.

How long have you been using these communication technologies?

I got my first mobile phone when I was 13 and I probably had an email address at the age of eight. I went to boarding school at a young age and email was a perfect form of communication. I used to look forward to checking my emails in the morning after breakfast to hear how my family was.

What influenced you to start using these particular technologies? How did you find out about them?

My school introduced me to the concept of email. I'm sure my first email address was a school based one. Like I said emails were a big part of my life as it was a fun way to keep in touch with family.

Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?

Yes, privacy is an issue when dealing with technology but I feel that I wouldn't be able to control it. Even though I have my facebook profile on private I'm sure hackers could access anything they wanted whenever they wanted. I think my phone is pretty secure, but how would I even know?

Do you have friends whom you know only from the Internet and have never met in person?

No.

Is this different to people that you know in person?

yes it is, because I only accept 'adds' from people I know and people I want to keep in contact with.

The other side of this might be that you don't use new communication technologies for such trivial things as socialising. Explain why you don't use them. Is it a very conscious choice? Under what circumstances do you think you would consider using them?

I would say that I use communication technology purely for socialising. I also use the Internet and my uni email for uni work but I would say the bulb of my technology use is based on friends and family.