REAL TIME ADDS VALUE
Remember the last time you went to a concert or show? Let’s
assume you have one friend who would have enjoyed the show
but wasn’t able to attend: The longer you wait to tell him about
it the less you will remember and the less emotion you will feel
about the event. As time passes, you’ll have a reduced ability to
recall the event details.
Now imagine that you could share images, sounds, and
your thoughts in text in almost real time. Ever watched a live
TV show? The value of sharing events while the event is occurring
is apparent on TV. Wireless multimedia messages won’t be
TV, but they will be more like a short commercial—images,
sounds, and text combined to communicate with detail,
efficiency, and emotion and to allow the person on the other end
to better understand you. 223

SPEED INFLUENCES THE VOLUME OF COMMUNICATION

The speed of our communication process influences the
amount of things we want to communicate. Real-time communications
allow us to share things while they still have relevance.
Human communication is often about human
experiences—things that somehow impact our five senses.
Even intense experiences eventually fade from our memory.
Communication of these experiences is best right after the
event, or ideally, during the event.
When was the last time you took pictures? Birthday party?
Vacation? Wedding? Pictures are usually taken at high-emotion
events so that we can capture the moment and remember it
later. How fun is it to share these kinds of photos with friends
soon after you take them? Many of us can’t wait to share our
pictures as soon as we get them. Trouble is, the longer you
wait, the less fun it usually is to share. As Wireless Internet
devices enable users to capture and transmit images, sound,
and other data the frequency of communication will increase.