I've had my HTC Incredible DROID phone now for a solid month and I can say it has been nicely integrated into my daily routine. I've found so many awesome uses for it, from live radar maps to watch for showers at sporting events to personal finance apps that help me budget my money. The most interesting thing I've found about having that much power is actually in how often I use it to help other people.
For example, I went to the mall yesterday to buy a new shirt. While waiting in line to be checked out, a girl and her mom were talking to the other cashier. I couldn't help but overhear she wanted a particular shirt in a size and color that the local retail branch did not have in stock. The clerk checked all the other stores inventories and found the nearest branch that carried the shirt was a four hour drive North of here, but it could be shipped to their branch in two weeks, for a price.
Before she agreed to pay the fine I asked if I could help and after busting out the DROID, I scanned the barcode to do a quick search. I found it for sale in the size and color she wanted for less than the retail store and with a quicker turn around than two weeks. In the end the event wasn't that significant because she only saved a few dollars and she could have just waited the two weeks, but I think it's interesting how the technology influenced the situation.
Under normal circumstances I would have probably just ignored the situation but I felt an almost moral obligation to help them simply because I knew how convenient it would be for me. In summary, I believe having this technology caused a shift in my social behavior in the form of an alignment change from chaotic neutral to chaotic good. So I began to wonder if anyone else had started noticing social behavioral patterns as a result of mobile technologies.
CHAOTIC GOOD:
adj. Alignment
as defined by Gary Gygax
To the chaotic good individual, freedom and independence are most important to life and happiness. The ethos views this freedom as the only means by which each creature can achieve true satisfaction and happiness. Law, order, social forms, and anything else which tends to restrict or abridge individual freedom is wrong and each individual is capable of achieving self-realization and prosperity through himself, herself, or itself.
While looking into it I found this video on TED, (which is a really excellent site you have not checked it out yet). In the video Renny Gleeson discusses basically how cell phones have created a "culture of availability". In the video he argues that because mobile technologies create an opportunity to constantly be available to communicate, people are basically getting drunk on information and developing anti-social behaviors. In relative terms to my situation mobile technologies tend to breed chaotic evil tendencies in people.
Chaotic Evil
adj. Alignment
as defined by Gary Gygax
The chaotic evil creature holds that individual freedom is important, and that other individuals and their freedoms are unimportant if they cannot be held by the individuals through their own strength and merit. Thus law and order tends to promote not individuals but groups, and groups suppress individual volition and success.
Many businesses have also started taking note of the influence in social behaviors and are developing ways to increase spending trends. It just goes to show how important technology has become in our society and that we should be more aware of what opportunities it can provide for us as individuals.
Until next time,
-Joshua
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