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of the population in the U.K. and U.S. are regular internet users. Although the internet offers endless possibilities Americans spend over half of their time online on social network sites, gaming, emailing and instant messaging. [10] Furthermore, Gauntlett…

with their children and the technology that they have. Devices[edit | edit source]The 21st century has seen the advent of a new way for people to stay constantly connected. In the 1990s, the internet was far more primitive than it is in 2015. Broadband capabilities and the introduction of wifi technology has allowed internet users to connect around the world - internet users are now constantly connected globally. As they are now so embedded in their day to day lives, people may begin to feel frustrated without their devices. Certain people suffer from 'FOMO' (fear of missing out) and often become stressed and agitated if they cannot get the information, or make the connection needed at that particular time.

The introduction of mobile technology has revolutionized the way in which people interact with each other to the point where it is now difficult for people to imagine their lives without it. 'Always on culture' revolves around the concept that people are always tethered to the network, and it is mobile technology which has allowed this to happen. Mobile devices have now transcended the function of a basic telephone. For example, they are additionally utilised as cameras, calculators and video games. Most notably, however, modern mobile devices feature wireless internet which has, in some ways, acted as the catalyst for the 'Always-on' culture. Now, if an individual owns a handheld device or a laptop / personal computer, they are never truly offline. Tablet computers have also seen a large surge in popularity (devices similar to smart phones, but on a larger scale). Sonia Livingston suggest that 'we can no longer imagine living our daily lives - at leisure or at work, with family or friends without media and communication technologies. Nor would we want to'. [17] Sherry Turkle and the Disadvantages of Being Connected[edit | edit source]Sherry Turkle has explained the impact that our "Always-on" culture has had on today's society, and how it is forming a world of people who rely on technology to be sociable. In her book "Alone Together"[18] she speaks about always-on culture and its negative impact on our society. “We are all cyborgs now,” [19] she states as we are constantly connected to one another electronically, and we feel uncomfortable when we are not. In the way we play video games and how we present ourselves on social media we live secondary lives. “Simple pleasures bring compulsions which [can] take me [us] by surprise,” [20] our attraction to a life online may be surprising, but it is understandable. The impressionistic values of our online identity – our online representation, narrative and realism – can all be portrayed selectively, however we like. Our identity can be edited and deleted. However our addiction to this identity impacts our real identity. People are so attached to mobile phones and computers that they are marked absent - departed from a face-to-face, human social life - and without them we are anxious and alone. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Sherry_Turkle.jpg/220px-Sherry_Turkle.jpg Sherry Turkle
Turkle, in her subsequent TED Talk "Connected, but Alone?"[21], spoke about today’s adolescents. Children are being brought up with parents who text and the dinner table then leave the house to socialise, i.e., sit with their friends on their phones, not talking. She says, “adolescents need face to face experience,” and it’s difficult to disagree. This is the way the world is going, the social culture it has become – to be connected all of the time and communicate through screens, but, it is not healthy. Today’s adolescents, Turkle stated, prefer texting to having a conversation because, “[conversation] takes place in real time, and you can’t control what you’re going to say”. Children being brought up who would “rather text than talk” are missing out on a valuable life lesson. To have such clean and editable and deletable social lives [...]

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