Trash smartphones to reduce information load, says commentator

In the last post, I talked about how the constraints of smartphone screen size led to innovations in reading and writing. This time, I am going to expand the issue and talk about how it affects information load.

As we all know, the screen size of smartphones, though becoming larger and larger, is generally much smaller than desktops. Take Blogger as an example (see Image1-1). In its mobile version, only the main contents are shown. This is friendly in the way that it ensures the navigation bars, as less important information, would not take too much of the space and therefore discourage readers to read the main contents. Yet, with the deletion of sidebars (especially archive), it disables readers from applying "selection filters", which means readers are not allowed to choose what they want to read intuitively. They basically have to click on each post, which is quite inconvenient.

Image 1-1: Screenshots of Blogger blogs in its
mobile (left) and desktop (right) version

Therefore some people consider that information tends to be more disorganized in smartphones. Indeed, there is less flexibility in the layout design when it comes to smartphones, as in the examples below, all kinds of information, such as videos, news, ads and radio, is presented in a single column. To illustrate, news and videos are shown on the same page for Apple Daily (see Image 1-2), but unfortunately videos occupy most of the prominent spaces (right in the middle), which means readers will need to scroll down for a while if they want to read the text format news instead. And there is no 'news menu bar' for BBC News, which means readers are unable to skip particular sections quickly. Moreover, breaking news would be shown promptly on screen in a form of pop-up, which might disrupt the reading process should readers are reading the other news. Furthermore, for both portals, advertisements are shown towards the bottom of page, which unavoidably block some of the contents.

Image 1-2: Screenshots of mobile app version of
Apple Daily (left) and BBC News (right)

Image 1-3: Screenshot of BBC News in desktop version, where
information could be presented in various columns

My Digital Life

Digital life is real, though sometimes annoying. 

Frankly, logging into Facebook is one of my daily activities, especially when I'm waiting. I respond to friends' posts, event invitations, and sometimes participate in group meetings. I write status irregularly,  message close friends often, and share interesting stuff sometimes. I only respond when I want to, and share when I feel like to.

I'd say Facebook is very addictive. Sometimes it just takes away my time, even if I've reminded myself not to stay on the page for too long. It's so addictive in the way that we're like waiting for messages from our beloved ones. I'm replying to a post, and as soon as I'm done, some new posts (from your best friends, or someone you don't know why you are so interested in following him) pop out. It's providing NEW information round-the-clock. And should I always want to be the first to know about the news, I've got to stay online all the time.

That's why I find digital life sometimes annoying. Having taken the course for almost two months, there are  two most important things I've learnt: reflection and adaptation. Writing out about my feelings (that's what you're reading now!) encourages systematic thinking, which makes reflections deeper. And now, I know I must adapt to the fact that digital life might intrude in our personal lives. I'm optimistic with it though, with the help of browser extensions. I can read only posts of specific friends, unfollow anyone by a click, and get rid of the real-time updates (at top right corner) by installing Unannoying Facebook. When Facebook has its layouts changed again to enhance its addictive potentials, I will seek help from these extensions. Things change, and I'd adapt. That's what new media is like. And that's just life.

Why New Media Writing Matters

To me, there are both pragmatic and personal reasons of learning about writing for new media.

On the practical side, new media writing is turning to be a popular trend, with ever-increasing number of participants. Among the newer participants are the government and business companies, who see new media as an increasingly important promotion platform. It is undeniable that new media is an extension of the real world. With smartphones, tablets and notebooks, we are just constantly connected to the Internet. Technology just allows us to stay unplugged. In this sense, if we aspire to contribute meaningfully to the new media community, and gain meaningful rewards from it (such as making money for online business companies, or getting his works published for aspiring authors), it is necessary to know how language works in this context by active participation, which means responding to others' contents, and creating our own. As time goes by, one would manage to grasp a good idea of what new media writing is, and why it matters.

On the personal side, new media writing is the way I connect to my friends, no matter the intimate ones or just acquaintances. As a busy student who works part-time and studies at the same time, it is quite difficult for me to fully devote myself to the real social life. New and social media is therefore a good solution for me, though not the best. When I read about friends' feedbacks on my posts, I feel like I am not lonely. I feel like they understand me what I am doing, and this feeling is stronger when they move a step forward to message me or even call me, just to know further how am I doing.

Image: tipspad.com

After all, writing improves our language. For me, no matter how busy I am, I would squeeze time updating about myself in a meaningful way - I don't want to be considered an annoying user, right? :) 

Our Time is Precious: Why Constraints Create Innovations?

Image: Koko Pang

Travelling time is made "shorter", if not busier, with the help of smartphones and touchscreen tablets. This is because our habits have been changing rapidly ever since the smartphone wave. It virtually makes everything mobile. To illustrate, many of us might be one of those whose head faces down on the screen - facebooking, reading blogs, e-books, news, checking email or whatever - when travelling to and from work. And, when we are commuting, what we look for primarily, especially after long hours of work and school, is probably relaxation - something more entertaining that makes you laugh at it, feel better, or just distract yourself from the densely packed areas. 

What short travelling time implies

This trend might have virtually redefined the way we read in the context of new media. In Hong Kong, as overall travelling time is short because of its excellent public transport system (and that we need to drop off at interchange stations very often if we travel by MTR), Hongkongers usually find themselves more comfortable to read and create contents that are presented in a concise way. My observation is, people do make use of their travelling time to respond to friends' photos and statuses, or even upload photos and write about themselves, as this is something more inconvenient to do when they are at work or school. The common thing about these contents is that they all take little time to read. In other words, as smartphones penetrate, an instant reading culture is emerging far more quickly than most of us expect, which in part redefines the way we write in new media.

Moreover, with the constraint of smartphone screen size, it is generally more comfortable to read pictures than texts. Here my assumption is: more people own smartphones than tablets. If we read texts on a smartphone, even if we turn the phone horizontal, quite often we have to enlarge the texts, and keep scrolling left and right in order to see the missing parts. It is much friendlier to browse pictures, however, because switching to the right landscape accordingly would solve everything. And, given relaxation is among our primary reasons of engaging ourselves in new media, the form of contents, unlike traditional media, has to be tailor-made to suit the needs of new media audiences. 

What constraints mean