Response: "A Mobile Network Society"

In today's society, technological advances are notably becoming the norm and with each advance come society's need to purchase, contribute, or own that particular object or system. A prime example of this would be the emergence of cell phones; it used to be that a handful of people had them, but now in 2010 it’s hard to find someone without a cell phone. In Manuel Castells', "A Mobile Network Society" essay, he emphasizes the reason behind choices, practices, and values of mobile communication. He explains that the, "practice of mobile communication is connectivity rather than mobility" (Castell 304). I believe that this argument holds true since a vast majority of our population has to remain in constant connection with other people, whether it is with coworkers, classmates, or government officials. I can attest to this principle because once my cell phone dies I feel disconnected with the world, wondering if I missed something important and whether or not it will have an effect on something later on. Basically, being connected is not just limited to your home but anywhere and everywhere which is why this is one of his strongest arguments.
Another strong argument proposed by Castell, is how mobile networking improves, “the chances, opportunities, and reach of interpersonal sociability” (Castell 304). This is especially relevant to the young population since one way to stay connected and meet up at places is through mobile communication, and text messaging. Parents nowadays allow their children to go to the mall by themselves since there way of communicating is through a simple phone call with the child saying, “You can come and pick me up now, where should I meet you?” It seems a bit scary at how young cell phone users have become just by this simple example. My younger sister got her first cell phone when she was ten years old, compared to being fourteen when I first got mine.
In the “Networks of choice” portion of the essay, Castell argues that individuals have the power to add or delete other people when it comes to their personal network. This can also correlate to the social networking site, “Facebook”, where you can add and delete whomever you choose.
However, the essay did have one weak point, which was the “Blurring of the Social Context” section. Personally, I would have suggested more clarification because it was difficult for me to understand. The only argument that I agreed with in this section was how, “people build their own space by simply ignoring others around them” (Castell 306). An example of this is how students are able to block out a professors lecture just by engaging in a simple text message. I am guilty for using this method, not with professors but with my grandmother for when she gives her ridiculous lectures of how I should stop blowing my entire paycheck on sneakers.
The last argument focuses on how wireless networking has “personal value” (Castell 307), and how people will go through great lengths when it comes to wireless networking; even if that means waiting in ludicrous lines just to get an overpriced “IPhone.” In a nutshell, Castell did adequately describe how cell phones are being used in our culture today, despite some minor flaws in the essay. In regards to my own cell phone usage, I use it for communicating wherever need be, whether at home, college, or at work for emergencies. I normally send out more text messages than I make phone calls, but I do set limits for myself so that I can avoid mobile networking trying to interfere with other important things in my life.