Communicating as a Student: How the Current Generation Compares to the Previous

     

     I’ve recently returned to University after a long Easter break. I used my time off wisely; catching up with mates, watching House of Cards and becoming increasingly creative in my Snapchat videos. The latter got me thinking about the changing way in which students communicate. But it wasn’t until I got back to Uni that I observed the magnitude of this change. A mate said to me just the other day, “The last 5 times I’ve gone out, I’ve organized my plans by sending photos to people”. Now this may not surprise many people. After all, anyone who doesn’t have Whatsapp, iMessage, BBM, Snapchat, or all 4 is a bit socially inept. But the funny thing about this recent social evolution is that only one generation ago things were so, so different.

     

     My Dad recounted how, in his University days (30 years back), he would have to wait in line once every three weeks for over an hour to reach the pay phone in order to contact his parents. By comparison, most students’ parents now have Skype and can check on their children anytime, anywhere. Relentlessly.

     

     For the first few weeks of this year, my housemates and I experienced somewhat of a step back into the past when our Internet didn’t work. We all sat around building better friendships, sharing intimate stories, and playing Backgammon. It was awful. Conversation wore thin and the absence of online entertainment was harrowing.

     

     In a few years time, I don’t doubt that the emerging generations will seriously question how our parents and even ourselves once lived without the internet and today’s technology – how it was actually possible to live without being able to tweet daily or consult Wikipedia for an essay. The idea that the previous generation communicated by letters rather than through email is even today quite a crazy thought. Likewise, it would not surprise me to hear our grandchildren tell their friends, “You know when my Grandad was younger they used to actually cut down trees and wrote on this stuff called paper!?” People will discuss the pre-internet age as if recalling an ancient historical period.

The Democratisation of Professional Photography

Earlier today Newcastle United beat Fulham 1-0, with a last minute goal from Papiss Cissé. The above photograph of the striker celebrating his winning goal was tweeted by @taylorsfistpump after the match. It was subsequently shared through various online platforms, retweeted by numerous celebrities (including Gary Lineker & Cissé himself), and caused the original tweeter to later exclaim, “Since I uploaded that photo I have gained 1,000 followers.” Above all, however, was the fact that the Mail Online used this photo for their official match report – the image captured on a phone was chosen as the principal image for the most popular national news website in the UK over any photographs taken by professional cameramen who were working at the game. And I won’t be surprised to see the same image of Cissé used by numerous printed national newspapers on the shelves tomorrow morning!

 

The photograph of Cissé was taken on an iPhone 5 and drew my attention because, not only am I a Newcastle fan and an admirer of superb action pictures, it got me thinking about the power of smartphones. They allow anyone to take amazing quality photographs and gain the same amount of traction through social media as a professional photographer would get for sitting on an uncomfortable plastic chair by the side of the pitch staring through the camera lens to hopefully obtain one perfect shot which will set him apart from the many other photographers scattered about pitch side – well, now he’s competing with thousands of other ‘professionals’ due to the democratisation of professional photography.

Smartphones are damaging the profession of photography as a legitimate career but they’re giving everyone the chance to be a professional, which is no bad thing. In the past capturing a good photograph meant hard work and skill, but now with the quality of the camera on smartphones and the effects that one can apply to photos, such as Instagram filters or iPhoto editing, anyone can be a professional photographer.

Top 10 Must Have iPhone Apps of 2013

 1. PhotoSynth/Cycloramic – anyone can be a photographer now with an iPhone. These 2 brilliant photo apps allow the user to create 360 degree panoramic pictures by stitching together a number of shots. The Cycloramic app has another cool feature only available for iPhone 5 – it automatically spins your phone to capture a 360 degree photo or video without the user having to touch it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brfr7–6ESc)!

 2. Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest – obvious but essential.

 

 3. Viber – this iOS app allows users to make free calls, send free texts and free photo messages to other Viber users. It’s similar to Skype, except you don’t have to awkwardly stare someone in the face!

 

 4. Evernote – a very popular note-taking platform, which can be installed on all Apple devices and notes will automatically be synced between them. So you can make notes on your iPhone in class and when you get home they will already be available to read on your macbook. Other cool things include a ‘record audio’ function to add audio notes, and the ease with which one can add images, documents & web pages to notes.

 

 5. Fancy – this is basically an app of cool things. Scroll down the never-ending list of amazing goods and beautiful places until your heart’s content. You will never be bored again!

 

 6. Snapchat – the latest craze to be imported from the US. Send free photos & videos, which will disappear forever once viewed; far more amusing than texts! Plus you can edit the messages with text or multi-coloured free-hand pen.

 

 7. Spotify – I highly recommend this app because it essentially means any free music, anywhere. I can listen to, create, and edit my playlists whilst sitting in a lecture or on the bus. Slight negative is that if you want the uninterrupted service then you will have to pay for Spotify Premium; but it’s very cheap and totally worth it!

 

 8. MapMyRun – one of my favourite apps that records your workout, whether it is a run, road cycle, mountain bike or walk, by using GPS route mapping to show the exact speed, distance, and route that you have gone. If you’re looking to get in shape, this is the app to get!

 

 9. Sleep Cycle – this is one recommended to be by many friends. It uses sensors in the iPhone to detect your movements as you sleep and creates a graph displaying how well you slept (e.g. ‘slept quality: 73%, time in bed: 8:09’). It also uses this information to wake you up with a soothing alarm at any time in a half an hour window of your choice when you are at your ‘lightest sleep’ so you wake up feeling fresh and ready for the day!

 10. 8tracks – for those unfamiliar with this popular free music platform, 8tracks labels itself as ‘handcrafted internet radio’ – you can listen to great free music playlists tailored to your music taste. Works brilliantly as an iPhone app – recommended for use in the Gym or whilst travelling.