THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE

Today, the computers and other communication technologies are explosion.

Communication technology links us to events to persons we may never meet face-
to-face from around the world such as Internet.

A. Technology and Human Communication

How often we use technology to communicate? We may text-message friends
about homework, e-mail our family to tell them the latest news. In the web
site, many people online continues to increase. Young people are the most
frequent users of the Internet. Consider these statistics:
The rate of Internet usage in Latin America/ Carribean went up 660%
between 2000 and 2008
The rate of Internet usage in Middle East went up 1.176% between
2000 and 2008
By the end of 2009, half of the worlds population will be using cell
phones. Africa alone will add 265 million subscribers by 2012.
Over 77% of Swedens population spends time online. This is the
highest usage rate in the world

Five Aspects of culture and technology:

Increased information about peoples and cultures

Through communication technologies like the World Wide Web, people
also have access to increasing amounts of information about what is
happening in their own and other countries.
Increased contact with people who are different from us
Internet /e-mail allows us to have pen pals from different cultures and to
carry on discussions with these people in virtual chat rooms and on
discussion boards. Unlike face-to-face communication, mediated
communication filters out important nonverbal cues.
Increased contact with people who are similar to us who can provide
communities of support
 you can participate in chat rooms or discussion boards with people who
share your interests and opinions like turn to Internet groups for support
and community. For example, international students can stay in touch with
their local communities.
Identity, culture, and technology
Identity on the Internet not only is potentially fragmented but also
involves more choice and management issues than in face-to-face
interaction. Many identity cues individuals use to figure out how to
communicate with other such as age, gender, and ethnicity are filtered out
on the Internet. When you send an e-mail for instance or chat room, you
can choose whether to reveal certain aspects of your identity. The
recipients wont know if you are male or female, young or old.
Differential access to communication technology