Taylor MetelitsPACS 4240P. Sybert11 July, 2014Societal Trends: TechnologySince the birth of the internet, there has been a drastic shift in the way that our culture interacts with the world on a day-to-day basis. This shift has increased in blatancy through the introduction of the cell phone, the laptop, the first Wi-Fi network, and lastly- the ‘smartphone’. The growth of technology from a useful tool to a product of revolutionary design is a societal trend that is self-demonstrative today. More specifically, the epic network of the smartphone, laptop, and tablet in constant sync with one another and in constant connection with the internet pose an entirely new trend in that where people once had to go to great lengths (in retrospect) to learn a new skill, purchase a product, or have a social interaction with a friend, everything is within the quite literal grasp of your hand.The trend of technology creating a “one-stop-shop” network for our culture creates a newexperience with volunteering because the thing that was once considered an expensive cost, time,is now nearly taken out of the transaction. For a volunteer to have access to such an in-depth network means there should be a great influx of volunteers that have a wider range of skill level and abilities. Before, when a volunteer assumed she/he had to be able to commit ‘x’ amount of hours to a volunteer role, she/he can now accomplish those tasks and more with a touch of a screen, or a click of a button. Organizations now have a larger pool to create partnerships with.In regard to the technological trend, volunteer managers could effectively embrace this byjoining the ‘app’ creators and developing their own apps on the App Store, creating their own Mobile Website, and constructing new volunteer roles that include handing off a majority of ‘computer related tasks’ (maintaining FAQ e-mail, tending to the organization’s Facebook page, etc.). By doing this, volunteer-based organizations are meeting the volunteers where they are at in this point during the technological trend, which not only excites the volunteers with the ease of involvement, but aides the organization as