Modern Ways to Stay Connected to Friends

Life has changed significantly over the past decade where technology has taken the lead on how we communicate and manage our everyday lives.  Can we imagine how people survived without the use of a mobile phone or iPad?  When you think about it, it was not actually that long ago, and people had to actually talk to each other!  If you look at public transport as a perfect example of this.  When you are on a bus, train or the tube, what are most people doing?   You will normally find that people have their heads down and are doing something on their mobile phones. Whether this be texting, listening to music or browsing social media. 

Whatever it is they are doing; this is very different to what people were doing not that long ago.  Do you remember the days where when people were on public transport, they were reading a book or the local newspaper? This is rarely now seen. Digitalisation and technological advances have taken over and now dominate our lives in every area and this has both positive and negatives. There is a lot of innovation now and how people connect is very different.  Here are some of those ways that people stay connected.

Social Media

Most of the people around the globe are now registered for social media. Probably the most used are ones such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.  These social media sites now dominate a lot of people’s lives and something they are on constantly.  Although there has been a lot of criticism of some of these platforms, they have a lot of benefits in terms of connectivity.   Generally, people will access them from their mobile phones and when doing so they will be able to add things such as videos and photographs.  

There have been some really good stories about people connecting via social media where they could find family or friends that they had not been in touch with for ages. Ultimately by entering the name of someone (or if you know their alias), you are able to then connect with them quickly.  Generally, it is the decision of the other person to “accept” the invitation that will then allow for a level of control around this. In addition to this, most of these platforms will protect security where it is up to the user to share what they want and who they want. This will mean it can be with either friends that are connected to them or the wider community.   Messages can generally be shared amongst everyone of the platform also and sometimes can even do a group chat with multiple users.  

One of the main benefits of these social media platforms is that they do not usually cost anything.   Sometimes there is a small fee that needs to be paid if you “upgrade” and have all the snazzy added extras but on the whole they are free.   The funding for these is normally paid via advertising.  As a result, people will usually experience “pop-up” adverts from time to time where they will have the option to click on it and go to where the advertiser wants it to land (usually a website where you could be prompted to buy something).

Mobile Phone

Phones seem to be a way of life now and people can stay connected everywhere they go.   Even within the household, many people have now got rid of their home phones as they use the landline only for their connectivity for Wi-fi.  Having a mobile phone is now a way of life and the large number of people around the globe are now in possession of this.   

The costs of mobile phones will vary significantly, and you can “rent” the mobile phone rather than own it outright.  This will come with the mobile phone you choose and a package around the number of minutes and data you can use.   The snazzier and more modern the phone you want, the higher the monthly charge.   Usually, you are caught into these contracts for at least 18 months and at the end of it you have a choice to upgrade the phone.

There are other ways to minimise this spend on a phone and save on cash and this would be to have a look at the SIM only deals.  What this really means is that you would purchase a mobile phone of your own (or you could even be gifted one by a friend / family).   With this, you could then look at the various SIM only Deals from Lebara and choose your own minutes and data packages. This is one of the simplest ways to get connected via a mobile phone and with these SIM deals there are no credit checks unlike what is needed for a typical mobile phone contract.  

Once connected on a mobile phone, you can generally keep the same SIM or mobile number for as long as you like making it far easier to connect with people as you can give them these details.   In addition to this, depending on the mobile phone you have, you can then start to download the different apps to improve connectivity with different people.

Video Media 

Although on some of the social media platforms people will be able to use calling and videoing options to connect there are specific other options that are designed specifically for this.  These are not only used in a social way but also are used in business.   During the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions people have been under in terms of local and national lockdowns, these sorts of platforms have taken a massive increase in terms of users.  There have been great examples of connectivity between friends and family through this method where they can have a weekly get-together via a Zoom Call. This has the ability to host a large number of people who can connect via a mobile phone, tablet or computer.  Once connected they can all see and chat with each other.  Imagine families that have not been able to see each other for a long time due to the Covid restrictions or even families who have siblings at the other end of the world.   This is clearly a popular way to them have them connected.  There have been positive reports of people having weekly quiz nights with their friends during the lockdown restrictions where alternatively they would have been potentially out socialising with them at the weekend.  Most video medial platforms are also free for basic use with charges for upgrades available.

Summary

With the world of technology changing our behaviours and how we connect with people, it is far easier to stay in touch with someone.  Forget the days where you had to write a letter or even connect only via face to face – those days are now gone.  Social media is ready to use at the touch of a button and people will be able to connect and potentially see each other for free.  For most of these methods, all you need is the correct level of mobile phone that has this kind of capability.