For all of the talk about how wireless telephony brings people closer together, it has the opposite effect too. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Yes, wireless services enable people to connect more than ever. Whether it’s a stranded driver calling for roadside assistance or two skiers setting up plans to meet for lunch at the ski lodge, wireless services have made it easier for people to connect with one another. Today there are data applications designed to really hook people up-from the intimacy of dating services to the masses of smart mobs.
On the business side, wireless telephony allows people to connect when they’re outside the office and/or the country. The downside to wireless telephony’s immediacy is that employers can find employees anytime, anywhere. (Dropped calls are sometimes welcomed in these instances.)
But just as wireless connects people, it can isolate them too. How many arguments do you think have been avoided because the passenger in the car was staring into her handset playing Marbles 2 or some other game instead of back-seat driving? An exit missed on the turnpike? No harm done as long as the know-it-all next to you doesn’t notice while you backtrack.
And think of all the “drunk and disorderlies” avoided because young guns are playing video poker on their wireless handsets instead of venturing out to play real poker. And in an extension of wireless video poker, one innovative company is offering virtual strip poker via wireless. The company press release said the game is in good taste, of course.
Now, take virtual girlfriend (please!). This application, available in Asian markets, allows people to interact with computer-animated women via the handset. Instead of having to date real-live, pain-in-the-neck, aren’t-always-perfect women, men can wine and dine these virtual women. If it seems difficult to find something positive in this application, just imagine the guy interested in virtual dating actually going out with your daughter. And if a married man wants to have an affair, perhaps having one with a virtual girlfriend is the better option-although she should not get more flowers than your wife, gentlemen!
