The Land of Hypercommunication

Wireless technology keeps the Finnish in constant communication

Technology is a family affair

The Nygard family-dad, mom and two daughters-lives north of Helsinki in Vanda. Hasse Nygard, the father, said he wouldn't call his family typical when it comes to technology use. On one hand, they rely on cell phones; on the other, they are much bigger computer and high-speed Internet users.

"We aren't following the masses," Hasse said. "It's not according to what our neighbors do; it's according to what you need."

Daughter Annina frequently does her college homework on a laptop and daughter Maria, who studies in Austria, uses one, too. Everyone has a cell phone and mother Lenita has two: one for work and one for personal use.

Hasse said he used to read e-mail on the phone but abandoned that because of the cost. Still, the phone is useful for other things. When presenting slide shows on his laptop at client offices, he uses the phone to click to the next image.

Face-to-face talk remains key

The cell phone rules the workplace in Finland with very few offices having landlines. That's the situation at Mr.Goodliving, a mobile-game developer in Helsinki. To communicate, game developers have several options for keeping in touch. From immediate to not-so-important, they use shouting, instant messaging, e-mail and a database program used for tracking deadlines.

For the most part, though the managers say as much as they use technology, it is not the key to communicating. Talking in person is always best. In fact, Mr.Goodliving introduced a solution recently-a red leather couch. Snug in the back corner of a workspace, the couch is a favorite meeting place. With wireless Internet access, the employees can work there with laptops.

"We try to meet regularly face-to-face as much as possible," said lead game designer Harri Granhom. "[That way] we can take care of many things at once."

Vocabulary Focus

Abandon (v) to stop doing an activity before you have finished it

Snug (adj) giving feelings of warmth, comfort and protection or fitting closely

Discussion Question

‘Two people are chatting through QQ, though they are in the same office, only five meters far away.' Maybe it's a joke, but it's common. Is that a sickness of society?

Extra Exercise