There was a time when we could go on with our work without any hindrance. There was a time you had to be at the desk to be on FaceBook well orkut some days ago.

I remember the first  mobile some time in early 2000, I had was the Motorola almost the size of the Cordless phone that we had, the closest resemblance is the second one in the pic, the yellow monochrome screen would flash the number of the person calling in digital font if you can understand what I mean.

The cost was also not that cheap some 16 rupees for incoming and outgoing at double the cost. As days passed by, our regional brand Aircel made the first move making the incoming free and everyone followed suit.

The internet story was happening alongside with dial-up and other ISDN and things like that and the early social was orkut and some hi5 and some myspace et al. There were some other Indian sites with forgettable names. So we would wait for the evening to check what is happening to the orkut scraps as they we called and wait for some testimonials sometimes.

The times went fast literally in case of internet adoption it had overtaken all the media, the tv, the land phone etc… The mobile phones especially the smart fancy & most advanced with internet connections were sought after and did cost a bomb; not to forget the Apple series iPhone making it a way of life.

But all this changed when the Indian smart phone manufacturers like Micromax and Karbonn started it with a price that could be afforded by the large set of population and that’s when the Facebook and twitter came inbuilt and well the life has not been same again for the Indian population.

I am also lucky to be a part of that population who had access to a decent feature phone and upgraded to a smart Blackberry out of corporate style and then ofcourse to the Android next. All those times I have been connected 24/7 to internet and FB and twitter.

There was this innate urge to check them out, literally every now and then when there is a beep saying there is a message somewhere on one of those apps. On a personal  level it has closed the time gap in being in touch. I know what my friends are upto, the twitter timelines and what to expect that day at the news night.

You will have the best of the updated news and the most important things being discussed. You will feel as if you would have lost a part of yourself if you don’t carry the phone with you. There were times when you missed the phone at home and then felt as if you have lost yourself and get back. Its become a part of you, whether you are working or even when you go for a walk. You need it along with you.

Especially the social going mobile is the biggest thing that happened in this  century and the fact is that the next generation would be introduced to the social on mobile and to think we were all a part of the web based Facebook generation. I personally am a big fan of the same. The acquisition of Instagram and later Whatsapp by Facebook is a pointer to mobile first thinking by everyone. (you can read my blog on the same clicking on the names)

That being connected and being engaged got a new paradigm shift with the advent of social on mobile. There is a new generation of millennial  who are hooked to the mobile phone and everything is happening out there.

I would be missing out if the video and the messengers are not mentioned apart from the usual social. The songs then the videos from YouTube or any other player has come to be a part of the content consumption so much so that we don’t know how much of video content we are viewing.

As I am keying I have been served ads on an app named “Hotstar” promising to give all the tv content across the mobile screens. The mobile has for once and all changed the way we are, and the way we think perhaps the way we live.

Just take a look at this report and the future is going to be mobile all the way. “India — the world’s second largest Facebook audience – will surpass 100 million mobile phone Facebook users for the first time this year and by 2017, will have more mobile Facebook users than the US,” eMarketer said.

The above is a part of the report that appeared on Jan 22nd 2015 in the Economic Times, well not so long ago.

As we speak we have seen how social is an integral part of politics today with the result of AAP making a big win. We know both the victors in 2014 and now did use social to a great extent and ofcourse with precision that was characteristic of both the winners.

The mobile will today make the internet accessible to the most rural part of the country. And thanks to Mark Zuckerberg, the Founder of Facebook he has initiated internet.org in India today to give free access to internet in some states.

I am sure we can go on and on on how mobile has impacted us so much. I leave you with one small incident, a young techie had taught his mom to use a feature phone especially on how to text. Mom sent a message promptly the next noon asking – did you have lunch?

So much for bringing the family together even with a text. Imagine a Skype call or the voice on Viber or IMO. I am a happy go lucky guy simply because I got to study these and live these as a part of my job! What more can one ask for.

On the professional side there has been a big change with the apps and tools which help you and make things at ease. So you have all those things at the touch of a button or say a swipe or a tap.

Definitely as a professional in digital and internet of things and personally I am sure the mobile is a way of life going forward and ask me, the bandwidth and internet story has only just begun with the mobile enabling it  and making it happen all the way!

“I am participating in the #SMWBangalore activity at BlogAdda in association with Social Media Week Bangalore“

Senthilkumar R