Staying connected.  It seems to be the buzz phrase today amongst almost everybody.  You don’t have to go far to see the plethora of smart phones riding the hips of our general populace.  The assortment of rings, chimes, buzzes and other assorted ring tones are becoming ubiquitous in our society.

The question is, “what’s it doing to us”?  With the increasing “creep” of these mobile technologies into our society, what’s it mean to the workplace and to the way people interact?  Has it become too intrusive with expectations getting a bit out of whack for when we are “available.”  How will our workplaces in the future change if people are expected to be available “24/7”?  How is our work changing us, if we let these technologies creep into our personal space to simply catch up on the work you might face “Monday morning?”  Staying connected might not be the panacea we had once thought it to be.

Keep in mind much of this might be a “generational thing.”  Younger people in their teens, 20’s and early 30’s have certainly embraced this technology to inter-relate with others of their own generation.  The moments of waiting by the telephone have been replaced by a text, tweet or Facebook correspondence.  In fact “staying connected” is almost an extensions of consciousness, within this generation versus a privacy issue.

That said, I think presently “privacy issues” remain a very important aspect of this new communication.  From my perspective, online privacy is all about what you allow to happen.  Needless to say, not everybody sees it that way, or is even aware of it.  So it is a moving target moving forward.  For young people still reading this, keep it in mind.  Our new world of tweets, fried-ing and online profiles live forever.

For myself, I find the new world of “staying connected” a wonderful professional world for getting things done.  The connectivity of the internet and the Twitter experience has helped me.  As an early adapter of computer technology, I’ve been on the ground floor and on the way up ever since.  However, as I look ahead, I think the fusion of connectivity, social media, smart phones and other media devices has it limits.  There is a big difference between using the technology effectively and having the technology follow you around in an additive way.  We all have lives.  Let’s go climb a mountain and have fun today!

I say that because I think some of us are missing out on that world around us centred on “fresh air.”  Case in point, I had a friend of mine tell me about his experience of sending his kids out of the house for the afternoon.  His kids, constantly connected and online were driving him a bit crazy.  In his day, summer afternoons in Ontario were spent outside, having fun, interacting with other kids and exploring.  So he told the kids to get outside, not allowing them to come back in for a few hours.

The result was telling.  The kids were very upset, in fact didn’t know what to do outside, were very bored and wanted to come back inside to get their devices and stay connected.  I guess this is 2010.

It is what it is.  I dunno.  I think there is a balance.  That’s one reason why I don’t have a smart phone.  I don’t think I want to be that connected.  For instance, I’m a fairly heavy Twitter user, but I don’t want to tweet from a smart phone.  I don’t need to.  You can also show your location now while you tweet, but why would I want to do that?  Finding the “sweet spot” of staying connected continues to challenge.

In many ways this is like challenging a Tsunami with a bucket.  Simply put, the technology is here and it’ll only continue.  Keep in mind a big limitation to this technology in Canada is its cost.  Here smart phones whether it is a Blackberry or an iPhone are exorbitantly expensive, easily into the $100/month category.  Compare that to other countries and it’s off the chart.  It’s extortion at best and it limits the penetration of “staying connected” in the great White North.

The future will be more of the same, and more.  The key for technology companies is to mesh their inventions with human nature and provide it at a cost, which makes sense.  The key for users will be to use it effectively, but at the same time, have a life, get some fresh air.  There is a whole world out there, off line.  Skeptical, believe me, it’s true.