Assignment B - Mobile Strategy and Psychology

Mobile devices have become an integral part of our daily lives and provide more than their 'non-smart' predecessors ever could, but at what cost? We hear about traffic accidents being caused by drivers who use them without a hands free device while driving but I would argue this is only a small sliver of their use in our daily lives. They do more good than bad when the bigger picture is taken into account.


I was recently travelling to Edmonton and decided to use this day as a “tracking and monitoring” day. It was more eventful than I imagined at first but having that smartphone at my side did help me get through all that happened and safely to my destination.

When I looked at the stats from my day it showed the following:

• I communicated with a total of 7 people throughout the day via my mobile device.
• There were a total of 8 occasions, or sessions, in which I responded or engaged in work related topics through the day.
• There were 17 sessions of engagement with family throughout the day. These involved several messages sent back and forth, as well as social media engagement.
• I did access some video via Facebook and You Tube on one occasion and did look at some photos in some posts.

In looking at the profile of mobile use for the day, is showed that outside of checking on details of the trip to Edmonton, it allowed me to tie up some loose ends before I departed, both for personal and work purposes. I was able to set up my day and part of the week ahead by touching base with others to ensure they weren’t stuck while I was gone. Co-workers knew that I would have a phone by my side even though I would be away at training and if something important came along they could call me.

Keeping in touch with friends and family is a very important part of having a mobile device for me and is the source of ‘joy’ I get from having it. Since purchasing a smartphone several years ago I certainly notice a great difference in my ability to keep track of what is going on in the lives of others via Facebook, Twitter, email, text, and BBM messages. While I do engage with them more often now, I find our communication by telephone happens less and it feels less personal than an old fashioned telephone call. Even though my smartphone plan includes free calls within Canada, many friends and family tend to use text messages because of their low cost and ease of use. Although my device is Skype enabled, the costs of data can be a deterrent for use if there is no WiFi connection available. (Graphic - Mobile Phone Usage - source:  dontgetcaught.biz | Pinterest)

Does this one-day snapshot of mobile device use give a true picture of how I normally use it? I would have to say the day outlined is busier than usual for me. I do work in an office setting during the week and most people either come and see me, send me an email or call my office number. My mobile device mainly comes into play when I am away and is used for short messages about non-work related topics or for urgent matters which usually come in the form of a telephone call.

Tracking my use on this busier than usual day was interesting and did show the value of having a device, particularly a smartphone, in keeping the wheels of life turning. There were a couple of occasions where I was conscious of others in using it. I turned the volume off while eating in the restaurant so I wouldn’t ruin the meals of others sitting nearby.

Perhaps tracking use on this day was a testament to how mobile devices can add to one’s productivity. It would be hard to argue that I didn’t get much use out of it. In fact, I was thinking use of Google maps on the way to the hotel helped my focus on the icy roads and less looking for road signs.

Would I go back to life without a smartphone after looking at this day? Even though I was one of those people who held out on the decision to purchase a smartphone until about five years ago now that I have one I don’t think I could go back. The personal and work value it provides me is worth the cost of having it.Can I go without using my mobile device? Absolutely! There are occasions on weekends when I limit the number of times I check my phone. Sometimes it only gets checked once, proving I am not yet “mobile addicted” but am well on my way down that path.


What did I do on the phone - a breakdown


The following is a tracking log of my mobile usage for Sunday, November 3, 2014. I was preparing to leave for Edmonton for the two day n-class session and was wrapping up some loose ends at work and planning for the drive in to my hotel.

Mobile Use at Home

10:15 am – Checked Facebook and Twitter to see if any posts had been made on personal or work accounts. Although I viewed a few posts I didn’t post anything.

10:20 am – Looked at my email accounts from work and home to see if anything was up. There was nothing new in either account from the night before.

10:47 am - I made a telephone call from home to Telus to ensure my cellular bill payment had gone through. I recently switched to a monthly payment that goes out directly from my bank account.

11:00 am – When looking on my phone I noticed a text message from a contracted graphic artist doing some work for a work project. She had a question that I couldn’t answer so I texted a co-worker to get in contact with her with a response.

11:05 am – Sent a text message to our IT Tech to ask him about installing Firefox on the laptop I had. I wanted to ensure I wasn’t stuck in Edmonton. Yahtzhee! It worked. I do have some weird virus checker program now but he can fix that on Wednesday.

12:00 pm – I looked in my email to get an email confirmation from the hotel and an address link to Google Maps. Clicked on the link and started the navigation feature on the phone to guide me to the hotel.

Mobile in the Vehicle

12:00 pm to 2:00 pm – I listened to the navigator on the phone to get me to where I was going. Decided to stop and shop a bit. I knew the phone would take me back on track to the hotel even though I was taking a different way to places I knew the location for.

3:00 pm – Sent a text message home to let my wife know I arrived safely. The roads were quite icy on the way and she worries when I drive on bad roads.

4:00 pm – I jumped in the vehicle to go to the hotel. I re-engaged the Google navigator to give me directions. I turned down the radio in my vehicle so I was able to hear the voice directions on the navigator without having to look at the phone.

4:30 pm – When I arrived at the hotel I pulled up the confirmation email and gave the confirmation number to the front desk. I was checked-in without any trouble.

4:45 pm – I was just about to park in a stall in the parkade when my phone started ringing. I left it go to voicemail. Then it started ringing again. I was safely situated so I answered. It was my wife checking that I made it all right. I said I would call her back because I was just trying to park (big truck, small parkade).

Hotel

5:00 pm – I arrived in my room when I sent another text to my wife saying I was in the room and checked in. She filled me in on the Grey Cup happenings with several text messages.

5:30 pm – I went downstairs to the restaurant for supper. It was Chops in the Sutton Plaza. I realized there was no mobile service so I searched for a WiFi network and found that the restaurant had one. I asked the server for the password and it got me in.

5:40 pm – Received a few text messages from home with updates about the kids driving my wife crazy. Sympathized with her but could offer no help. My wife tried calling but there was no wireless service in the restaurant. Sent a text back advising this.

5:50 pm – Heard back from our IT guy and chatted back and forth. Not work related but I had time during the meal.

6:00 pm – Notice a message in my Blackberry App (BBM) from my brother. My nephew is getting married in Vegas this May. He was asking if I was going. I replied that I was. Then I notice a BBM invite from my nephew. I accepted it.

6:30 pm – I received a message back from my nephew about his wedding. He asked me to reply to the email address with an RSVP.

7:00 pm – I sent off an email to the address he had set up for replies to come back. Then I sent a BBM message that the email was sent. We chatted a bit via BBM and were able to catch up a bit.

8:55 pm – Took a break from studying to watch a YouTube video my brother had posted on Facebook. Checked out some photos of my cousin’s Christmas tree and weighed in on a questions he posed.

9:00 pm – I called home to say goodnight.