Electronic Communication and Society

Electronic Communication and Society In today's world, it is very difficult to go anywhere without seeing the impact that technology has had on societies everywhere. From homes to schools to the workplace, the impact of technology has been tremendous. Everything from appliances to machines, from phones to cars, everything has become and still is becoming more modernized in ways people would never have imagined ten years ago. The same can be said for computers and communication technology. Currently, it is very rare to find someone that does not have a cellular phone or a computer. Cell phones have become a standard for people of all ages. From school-aged children to the elderly, almost everyone owns one. In the same sense, just about every household has a computer and some even have two or more. In fact, they have become so common that the more surprising statistic is the number of people who do not own one. Along with computers comes e-mail. It seems like e-mail and other forms of electronic communication have basically taken over. It is as though nearly everyone uses this type of communication in school or at home or work. With the progress of computers and the internet, more and more people have become introduced to e-mail and instant messaging systems, though instant messaging is mainly used by the younger generations. "E-mail is fast, inexpensive, manageable, easy to use, and uniquely personal. It is already established as an important communications tool, often surpassing the telephone for many forms of business and personal interaction"(Roberts 4). These reasons probably explain why it is so popular among people today. The thing even more remarkable than how popular the internet has become would have to be the speed at which it did it. It has caught on faster than any other form of technology including television and radio. "Willy Gissen, an account supervisor at Levin Public Relations in White Plains, New York, observes that it took

Cited: "Another big pile of emails. The horror! The horror!." The Guardian. 4 Jan 2001. 18 Apr 2006. . Danet, Brenda. Cyberpl@y Communicating Online. Oxford: Berg, 2001. Ishii, Kumi "The Human Side of the Digital Divide: Media Experience as the Border of Communication Satisfaction E." Journal of Technical Writing & Communication 35.4 (2005): 385-402. Leonard, Andrew. "We 've Got Mail—Always." Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum Behrens, Laurence. Ninth Edition. New York: Pearson Education, 2005. 240-243. Lindsey, Jim Email Interview 19 Apr 2006. Meadow, Charles T. Ink into Bits. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press Inc., 1998. Riney, Judith N. Email Interview 20 Apr 2006. Roberts, Stevan, et al. Internet Direct Mail: The Complete Guide to Successful E-Mail Marketing Campaigns. Chicago: NTC Business Books, 2001. "Save That Thought." The Guardian. 26 Jun 2003. 19 Apr 2006. . Star, Susan L., ed. The Cultures of Computing. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, 1995.