The Almighty Mobile: Redefining Culture

The first thing that popped into my mind as I began to write this post is that one day someone will read it with an amused look on their face. One day the smartphone of today will be regarded with nostalgia like the cassette player, the phone box, the Penny Farthing, and the shell suit! Technology is so fast paced that tomorrows dreams will be next years reality. The smartphone has without doubt revolutionised communication, we now have:

• Instant messaging: SMS, Whatsapp, Messenger
• Multiple free call apps: FaceTime, Viper, Skype
• Social Media apps: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter Vine, LinkedIn, WordPress
• Social Media Management apps: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Klout, TweetDec
• Emails

All at the end of our arm (assuming you have your phone in your hand of course!). But its doesn’t stop there because we also have:

• Music: iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music
•  Video: YouTube, Twitter Vine, Media Player, Instagram
• Banking
• File sharing/storage
• Television: Netflix, Sky Go, ITV player, BBC iplayer, Demand 5
• Camera and Video capabilities to a high resolution
• Clocks, Calanders, Calculators, Weather, Notes, Reminders

Evolution

So you have to ask yourself…What don’t we have in this device that fits into the palm of our hand. If you stop to think about it and then think back ten years you are reflecting on something quite astonishing. I called this piece the almighty mobile because in truth it is the most powerful piece of technology on the planet and very few of us are ever apart from our mobile. Take a look at how the telephone has evolved since 1876.

 
As of January 2014 the world population was:

7,095,476,818

The number of mobile subscribers was:

6,572,950,124

That means that 93% of the worlds population subscribes to mobile!

Apps

There are that many apps to choose from in 2014 that PCMag UK felt they had to pick 100 of the best ones to do the selection justice. Their article is well worth a browse because you never know what you are missing, such is the pace of app development. Check out Max Eddy’s, ‘The 100 Best Android Apps of 2014’. I guarantee you will do what I did and download a could of apps that got you just a little bit excited. One of mine was Avast Mobile Security because I have been meaning to get it for a while and its free.

Ecommerce

So other than revolutionise the way we communicate with other people and essentially put a desktops worth of information and functionality into a hand sized slick and trendy device – what else has mobile done for us? One of the biggest trends to stem from mobile is shopping. This also extends to the tablet. The necessity of having a mobile friendly site has grown within the last few years. The more instant the process is for the shopper the more likely they are to reach the checkout. Site speed and accessibility over mobile is crucial to market advantage. I frequently use the apps to browse big stores and I also do my weekly food shop on my mobile. I barely ever set foot in a supermarket which is again just a bizarre reality to someone glimpsing the future just ten years ago. I get my food delivered fresh to my door. The milkman had the right idea just not the range or technological infrastructure to make it to the big time. Ecommerce is clearly going mobile just like everything else so there is a huge opportunity for businesses to really carve a niche by investing in a super accessible site that delivers an optimal user experience.

 Texting

The almighty mobile shows no signs of slowing down with the launch of Apple’s iPhone 6 featuring a shatter-proof screen and waterproof shell. There is one thing the mobile has brought us that the creators may not have expected – text speak! It is like a whole new language and if we are honest some of it alludes us still. So as part of our homage to the mobile device let’s have a look at text lingo:

• ALOL – Actually laughing out loud
• AYSOS – Are you stupid or something
• B4 – Before
• B4N – Bye for now
• BRB – Be right back
• CYL – See you later
• FYM – For your misinformation
• ILU – I love you
• IMHO – In my humble opinion
• IOH – I’m outta here
• KISS – Keep it simple stupid
• LMAO – Laughing my ass off
• LOL – Laughs out loud
• M8 – Mate
• NP – No problem
• OMDB – Over my dead body
• POS – Parents over shoulder
• QT – Cutie

That’s not an extensive list – I expect somebody one day will file to add it to the list of world languages so that future archaeologists and historians have a clue about what the teenage generation were talking about in the 21st century. From the first text:

 The Future

Mobile users have redefined the English language making this piece of technology significant from all others. It has changed the way we correspond, altered our use of language and established itself as a focal point in most of the world’s cultures. If you had coverage then you could take your mobile phone to a deserted island and:

• download and listen to music
• download and play games
• Manage your businesses email, social media, banking, and any other accounts
• Surf the internet and research how to make a hut, build a fire, go fishing, hunt
• Surf the internet and learn how to tap dance, do Kung Fu, build a boat and sail!
• Text, call, email
• Take shots of the island
• Video you on the island
• Watch your favourite TV shows and films
• Pay your bills
• Write an article, a blog, a press release and get them distributed

The mobile phone has changed the world for good and whether we think every aspect of that change is good is a debate that has to come second to the sheer power contained within this modern companion. Like them or hate them they are remarkable without question!