I’m not available right now….
This morning I remembered I hadn’t checked my mobile for three days. Friends are familiar with this syndrome. ‘But I rang you! Or I texted you!’ they exclaim. They soon get to know that the best way to get in touch via e-mail, as long as I’m at home or at work.
But if I’m on holiday I’m pretty much completely off the radar. No BlackBerry, no wifi compatible laptop – usually, no laptop at all – and an increasing disinclination to check my e-mail at public access points. If my hotel has internet access I might log on, and even manage a status update or blog post, but I’m usually off line literally and metaphorically.
I don’t have an iPod either. I listen to ancient cassettes in the car (it’s a pretty ancient car) and CDs in the kitchen. I’ve thought about buying an iPod when planning various holidays and other trips which involve flying, but have always decided against it because I love to read on a long flight – and reading time is precious.
Of course I don’t have a job which involves having to be in touch all the time. Nobody is going to die without immediate access to my expert opinion on research methods or urban regeneration policy. It’s good practice to reply to student queries within a day or so, but I’ll always have my out of office reply on if I’m away. Obviously in a job with short-term deadlines, or involving life and death decisions, it’s more important to keep in touch, as it is also for those doing the double shift of paid work and parenting.
But constant availability isn’t progress, it’s a new form of extending working hours. Capitalism is doing very nicely out of mobile communications in more ways than one. Make sure you use technology rather than letting it use you.
4 comments:
My wife has been known not to turn her mobile phone on for 2 months. Beat that :-)
Well, I have an Australian mobile which I've not used since 2005, but I suppose that doesn't count because that was the last time I was in Oz... but I'm glad I'm not alone!
Yes, capitalism is doing very well out of the extended availability, but it cuts both ways. Employees with mobiles spend an awful lot of time on personal phone calls, either in the office or sneaking outside to the toilet / car park. They have their mobile on permanently so spouse / best friend / mum / the plumber can ring at any time and have long, convoluted conversations. Of course that also helps capitalism by making a dull, boring job bearable.
I think it's more texting during work time that can be a problem nowadays - and of course use of e-mail and the internet. But I remember personal calls have always been a problem, whereever I've worked. And if the job's boring, that's usually down to bad management.
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