Odds are, you’ve probably been challenged with the philosophical question, “Which one of your five core senses could you do without?” (You know, sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste). In reality, if you had to give up one, you would be at a handicap as compared to the rest of society.
A similar concept can also apply to electronic communication. With our texting, internet surfing, blogging, YouTube postings, Facebook updates and twittering, branding our personalities and re-branding others, there are some definite repercussions on our intellect, personalities and behavior compared to what might have existed 10 or more years ago without these technological advancements.
As an interesting, non-scientific research project, I ask you to choose one of the following handicaps that you would be most comfortable living without as it relates to electronic communication/social media. Post your selection here and MSI will post a final tally in a few weeks.
A. No more txting 4 me.
Rules/Regs: In addition to never texting anyone, you also can’t view any text messages sent to you. Texting in general is disabled on your phone. It’s all back to actual conversations and face-to-face interactions for you. Might be a good idea to stock up on some mints…
B. I will log-off my email for life.
Rules/Regs: Whether for professional or personal use, your email accounts will be permanently frozen. While having to leave your desk to walk down the hall to communicate to co-workers could add to your “friendly-factor” around the office and add a few thousand more steps to your pedometer, how would your communication with your clients or vendors change? Also, a trip to the post office is in order, you’re going to need some stamps!
C. I will “unfriend” Facebook forever.
Rules/Regs: No more logging on for your daily fix, scouting for past classmates or former loves, telling your network of friends that you prefer wheat bread over white bread or taking a quiz that proves you are the champion at recognizing “Movies from the 80s”. Your newsfeed ends now, my non-Facebook-friend. And you can’t even change your status update to “MIA.”   Â
D. I will turn the channel on YouTube to Never.
Rules/Regs: When everyone else in the free world is talking about the clip of a guy losing an arm to an alligator or a news anchor going postal on camera, you have to just hope it appears on the evening news or there is a still shot in the newspaper the next morning. You can no longer experience immediate gratification when it comes to wanting to watch videos of puppies sleeping. You are not allowed to look at YouTube, or open any links sent to you of videos on YouTube. YouWhat? That’s right – it’s no longer in your vocabulary.
E. I have Googled my last Google.
Rules/Regs: Never again can you use Google or any other internet search engine to instantly find out whether a peanut is a nut or a legume (and I’m not telling), get a recipe for any type of macaroon you could possibly be craving, find a map with the location of your dinner date or even zoom in on a photo of your house taken by the amazing Google Earth satellites. You may just want to answer the door the next time the Encyclopedia Britannica salesperson comes knocking…
Tags: Brian Arnold, Electronic Communication, msi, Research, social media
This is tough but if I had to live without one, I would have to say YouTube would be the one to go…
With all the options you give me, I have one question. How is this fair? To give up something so near and dear to my everyday life. How will we survive without any? But in all fairness to the survey, I would give up YouTube.
This is rather cruel – all are necessary for my survival – both personally and professionally – yet if I had to lose one… YouTube it is
I can easily give up YouTube—No need to be on there that often since you can get the jist of a popular video just by someone talking about it and if its really popular, AC360 is sure to add it to their newscast. There is no way I would be able to give up texting, or email or most importantly….Facebook!
I’d say ta-ta to texting. It would probably save me a couple bucks on my cell phone bill.
I agree with MollyB. I would give up texting. (Especially since people can get e-mail on their phone now, why not just send an e-mail as a text. That’s FREE…)
I’m killing Facebook – oh wait, I never joined… maybe because I feel it will be all encompassing. It’ll be always waiting for me – like my two dogs staring at me, waiting for their dinner. And I’d probably end up upsetting someone because I didn’t respond to them or befriend them. And then there’s the two teen kids who say I’m not the right demographic and they don’t want their parents on their list. I tried to explain to them that I invented the Internet.
YouTube could be killed too. It’s not as addicting or “necessary” as the other mediums are (or could be).
Linkedln is already nagging me too much!
What’s the future and revenue model for all these “social” sites and networks? I smell another shake out in about 5 years.
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=136388 (thanks Molly!)
YouTube would definitely get the boot.
I could never give up texting.. then I would have to talk to people on the phone again
I could say good-bye to Facebook if I had to give it up right now. In a few more weeks, I will be completely hooked on FB, I am still in the check it one-a-week stage. Great Blog Brian — interesting topic.
I would give up blogs.