iGeneration

That's iGen as in iPhone. And iPad, Touch and Pod.

'i' (as  in 'I') still haven't got any of them. Apart from an iPod of course. I'm not a total dinosaur. And I haven't bought an iPhone because I'm always about to move again (and there are a few issues with responsible ownership and me drowning my current Nokia three times in six months).

On holiday I spent some time with my old friends.  I hasten to add that of course they're not old (they're gorgeous and they read this blog) but they are all late thirty-something women and men and they all have an iPhone... except Simon. He's like me.

It's interesting to see how iPhones are changing the way we interact. This is not scientifically tested of course and I'm not judging. Honestly, I'd quite like to join the iParty too and my kids would love me to.

While holidaying in Tasmania I stayed the night at a friend's holiday home. It's an hour or so from Hobart at the beach near Port Arthur.  I showed you how beautiful it was here. 

I've been going there for a long time. Fifteen years ago none of us had a mobile phone and I think there was no landline either, five years ago we were mostly out of phone range. This time, we girls spent an hour or so online shopping at the kitchen table via the iPhones. I bought a trench coat. It's very nice but I probably didn't need to be browsing online on a Saturday night.

On the same weekend my husband was in Melbourne with his fellow Collingwood fans. He found the same thing with his mates... a lot of diving for the iPhone mid conversation and a bit too much time looking at the top of someone's head as they swoosh through their phone looking for something to show you.

I think we're all just a bit excited about the new technology and haven't quite worked out how to make sure it doesn't dominate. The iPhone images are gorgeous to look at and quite enthralling so who wouldn't want to whip it out for a quick look at every opportunity.

There's a lot of rubbish written and said about this fearful new age.  "Twitter is making us a bunch of twits. Facebook is threatening our privacy. Texting is enlarging thumbs and killing the written language. Gr8."

I don't approve of txt speak but I like social networking. Obviously. I blog and I have blog friends online who I've never met. I write about my children online (carefully). I share what I'm thinking. I treat this as the newspaper column I'd like to have but no one's offered.

I like twitter too. I don't tweet (nothing interesting to say I thought at first) but I am thinking about starting and I already tweet stalk. I often look at my favourite writers/reporters/programs and see what they're chatting about.  I'm referred to a lot of interesting articles via twitter. It's invaluable for a journalist and I should get on board.

I use Facebook. The privacy issue doesn't worry me so much...  and there are a lot of people on my Facebook network that I would have completely lost without it.

I think we just need to learn how to handle the fact that oodles and oodles of stuff is literally in the palm of your hand.

Remember how badly people behaved when they first got mobile phones? Lots of shouting into the phone, taking calls at the dinner table, on the bus and in restaurants. Fifty years on and some still haven't quite mastered the art of television and leave it on when you go to their house to dinner. But I think most of us have learned the rules about mobiles and television. Or we've learned not to get offended.

The rules about iPhones and iPads will follow too. Then we'll have to learn how to properly use the next Cool Big iThing.

I might just buy an iThing.

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The Cartolina app in the image above is just one of the squillions of iPhone apps to covet. Fiona Richards' beautiful card designs to jazz up your messages. I found it here.