by Jessica Freeman

The uses of technology for social and professional reasons, and some dos and don’ts!

Technology is a wonderful tool, both for professional and social reasons. That’s undeniable. But just like any other good thing in life, its use must be moderated in terms of how often it’s used and the purpose for which it’s used.

Checking your cellphone while chatting with friends is simply irritating. Taking personal calls when serving a customer is unacceptable. Using social media to vent racist or homophobic or xenophobic thoughts is abhorrent, and may in fact constitute an offence if it amounts to a hate crime. But there are plenty of benefits. Here are some:

Communicating when late

Letting someone know that you’re going to be late is not quite as good as being on time, but it’s a lot less rude than making them wait. WhatsApp, SMS, email, even Facebook are all possible ways of sending an “I’m running late” message, and a phone call is even better.

Increasing your awareness of the world

Some people may only use sites like Facebook for posting selfies and cat videos. But if you choose who to follow, you can often get access to the news around you by the reposts of others. You don’t always need to follow those of your own ideological persuasion: finding out what the other side is thinking broadens your awareness of the world around you.

Studying online

Being able to access almost any course online, many for free, to improve the mind or upskill with a view to a career change, is revolutionary. There are so many courses, of such excellent standards, available online through several portals. Of course, studying online has both drawbacks and advantages but, if it’s for you, you can study a wide range of courses. Here is a screen print of what areas you can study from just one university: The Open University in Australia.

If you have a niche field of study, there is a surprising number of online courses fully paid for. The WorldQuant university is a non-for-profit online university whose “mission is to make education globally accessible and to prepare capable students for distinguished careers in research, trading, and technology in both emerging and established markets.” Tuition is completely free for every student.

If you’d just like to improve your writing skills, you can make use of paid sites such as Australian Writings, or similar. The professional writers who review your work can give you invaluable tips on how to take your documentsforward to an acceptable standard of academic writing.

Finding work

Getting a first job or finding one after having been laid off is daunting and dispiriting. Many jobs that are advertised already have a person in mind, and the advert is just there for procedural reasons. One way of increasing your professional circle is through LinkedIn.com. What is good about this platform is that the users themselves enforce the restriction on work related issues and comments, so it does not degenerate into a personal, sociable forum. Connecting with people in your field by way of a personal introduction is far more likely to get you a job than cold calling with a CV.

Remote working

Have computer, can work – anywhere, and with anyone! Working on projects around the world with people not even in your time zone is a wonder of technology. Skype has made it possible to chat online, meet on video, see documents being edited in real time… Incredible.

Social activism through petitions

The internet is also a tool to bring change to the world. Petitions can be signed online, and can have an impact on social change. It doesn’t matter whether you want something local to change (e.g. better streetlights in your area at night) or something fundamental (like the resignation of your president), sites like http://www.change.org/ make it possible.

Another example is bringing people in conflict together. Facebook has many pages such as Israelis and Palestinians for Peace, where people from both sides and from around the world can link up for a common shared goal of peace.

Exposing an abusive partner

This may be rather controversial but there may be a place for outing abusive partners on forums like Facebook. Posting photos of yourself bruised or beaten by a partner can stop the partner in his or her tracks, as they are “outed”, and “named and shamed”. Of course, it is possible that the allegation is not true, so best to read it with caution.

Some rules for using technology:

Those were just some brief uses of technology in our professional and social lives, for work, social activism, ongoing education… Now to some of the rules when using technology.

No hate speech – ever

The internet and social media are not places to publicly whip up sentiment against a race, a religion, or a sexual orientation, to name some. Having access to the internet does not give you a right to say whatever you want. You are limited by human rights laws.

NO CAPITALS

WHEN YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS, PEOPLE READ IT AS SHOUTING. ESPECIALLY IF IT IS A LONG PARAGRAPH. YOU CAN PUT A HEADING IN CAPITALS, BUT NOT MORE!

No reactive posts

Don’t respond immediately to emails or sms messages that have hurt your feelings or made you angry. Knee jerk responses often inflame a situation. Think about it, sit with your feelings, and ask advice if necessary, before you respond.

Tone of voice is important

Because we often use abbreviated language when writing sms messages or other forms of technology, we can sound brusque or even rude. Emoticons can help the reader to understand your tone. These are appropriate in social situations, but not when writing to a work colleague. It’s best not to abbreviate when dealing with colleagues.

Keep your offline activities offline

We’ve all heard stories of people being fired or not getting the job because the employer saw something offensive or inappropriate on Facebook. Be aware… and be very wary of what you post.

Keep your voice down

When talking on your cellphone, keep your voice down. It used to be that we were only able to speak on the phone in our own homes or offices: now the phone is a free for all. But it’s just polite to keep your voice down.

Switch off when inappropriate

‘Nuff said. You know when that is.

You may use technology for all of the above, or just a few. If you’d like to expand your knowledge about its uses, you may want to click on some of the links in the article.

Jessica Freeman is a freelance writer. She is interested in traveling and online learning. She enjoys writing on education, technology innovations, and blogging tendencies. Find out more about Jessica’s work by visiting her student blog. You can also follow her on Facebook and Google+.