The very nature of technology means that the way we use
phones, computers and other devices to communicate is always changing. New
products are developed and others fall by the wayside to make room for these
new forms of technology. In recent years in particular, the face of
communication technology has changed dramatically, with more big changes to
come in the near future.
Firstly, landlines are experiencing a downward
trend. With most people now operating a mobile phone, landlines are becoming
somewhat redundant. The whole idea of a mobile is that it is carried around
with you, so many people prefer not to bother calling a landline, as this is
only suitable if you’re positive that the person you’re calling is at home.
You’re far more likely to get hold of someone if you call them on their mobile,
as they will pick up your call wherever they are.
Mobiles themselves have also changed vastly. No
longer are they just for phonecalls and texts; they are now effectively
mini-computers, allowing their owners to send emails, engage in social
networking and manage their day to day tasks online. Standard mobile phones are
still popular, but with the number of smartphones sold increasing quarter by
quarter, this might not be the case for much longer as the price of smartphones
comes down and the extra functionality is integrated into all new models as
standard.
The emergence of VoIP services also means that
we are now using the internet to speak to one another more and more. This can
be in the form of VoIP phones, which run over the internet rather than using a traditional phone line, and VoIP apps and online services such as Skype. These allow
people to talk over the web for free, or to pay for credit to use the internet
to call a phone.
Generally, we’re using the internet more and
more to talk. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are showing
no signs of losing popularity, and very often birthday wishes are posted on a
friend’s Facebook wall rather than written in a card, and news is shared in the
form of a tweet or status update rather than written in a note. Information can
be shared quickly and efficiently with many people, making it easy to stay in
touch with people you might not see often or live close to.
In the coming years, we can expect to see
smartphones acquire even more complex functions and possibly for landlines to
become obsolete, or at least relegated to the bottom of our communicative pile.