…or was it the ‘door chime’ from Next Gen?
What can I say, I’m like that. Majel Barrett’s voice saying “Incoming Transmission” for my GMail notification and the ‘door chime’ from Star Trek the Next Generation for my TXTMSG chime. Would you expect anything less (also note the Lexx background in this article)?
I work in front of a computer all day. I have a T-Mobile G1 I carry with me everywhere. I have a MacBook and a Dell Inspiron (a few years old though) at home. Connectivity is important to me. At home for communication, entertainment, news, and the occasional work reasoning. On the road for the same. TXT/PIC messages, calendar appointments, contacts, pictures, music, internet…and I think the G1 has a phone app somewhere in it too.
Whenever possible I check/update MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, LiveJournal and occasionally check out another cool site I came across recently. Do I feel fatigued by this? No, actually I find it nice to have access to so much information and technologies. But I guess I would given that I am classified as a “Digital Collaborator”.
You are a Digital Collaborator
If you are a Digital Collaborator, you use information technology to work with and share your creations with others. You are enthusiastic about how ICTs help you connect with others and confident in your ability to manage digital devices and information. For you, the digital commons can be a camp, a lab, or a theater group – places to gather with others to develop something new.
I discovered this by taking a quiz by John Horrigan of Pew Internet titled: What Kind Of Tech User Are You?
I was made aware of this quiz via CNN and their article “Do You Suffer From Internet Fatigue?” in which they have an interview with Mr. Horrigan himself.
Do you ever get sick of your phone ringing? What about Facebook fatigue? Does Twitter sometimes give you stress headaches, making you occasionally wish you could just yank the plug on your online life?
Well, you’re not alone, according to a recent report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, a nonprofit research group in Washington.
The report, written by John Horrigan, the project’s associate director of research, says 7 percent of Americans use the Internet as their primary means of social communication and also feel conflicted about that fact.
According to the article, many people feel a bit overwhelmed and conflicted about the technology they have access to. Feeling like some of these pieces of technology are becoming obligations to being connected and available to others. Some get a sensation that they cannot quit…this connectivity. That they would miss out on something important or that others would worry as to why they haven’t been updating.
Heck, I even sent out frequent updates during my hospital stay just in case. In that way I guess I can relate in at least a small way, the feeling of always needing my battery charged and to be available. But also since I have a kid to take care of I always justify it that way, such as if the daycare needs to get in touch with me.
The interview is an interesting exchange about the project, how technology is viewed by different social types, and a few interesting statistics such as the fact that 14 percent of adults don’t have a cell phone or internet access. Definitely worth hopping over for a read and may be interesting to take the quiz mentioned as well.
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