summary

Overall, although my blog has been critical about how cell phones have a negative impact on us, our society and the way that we live, I still think they are more beneficial than not. In a world like ours, convenience and accessibility are key in order to be efficient and successful. Cell phones allow all of the above.

The days of having to have access to a computer, television, radio, nearby bank or anything else that used to be utilized day to day are long gone. Our cell phones are the reasons for this because we have all of those things and much more in the palm of our hands as a result of the cell phones that are so techonology advanced, i.e. the I-phone or Blackberry devices.

People may think that relying on cell phones is a bad thing. So what? If it helps make our lives run smoother and faster, that is all that matters.

can't live with them, can't function without them

Cell phones can be difficult to live with because of how we allow cell phones to take over our lives as I have discussed in the blogs prior to this one. On the other hand, it would being practically impossible to go day to day without them - at least happily anyway.

People enjoy what I like to call 'being in the know'. Being in the know means that they are up to date about what is going in the world, in the lives of their friends, family and anyone else that is thought to be important. Although cell phones stop us from communicating with one another, I can honestly say that there are times where I would not know what is going on outside of my own little personal world if it weren't for the Blackberry applications I have available to me that allow me to check the news, weather, stock information and other things that would typically gather from a newspaper or a television.

So although cell phones take away from the good things in life like spending times with the ones you love, would you be willing to sacrifice living without them? I don't think I would.

privacy? get real.

In today's world, it seems like I can access anything from the tip of my fingers, whether it is on a computer keyboard or the tiny keys on my Blackberry - almost nothing is out of reach. Now, this is strange if you stop to think about it because I am just a 19 year old junior in college, why on earth would i have access to any and everything under the sun? Three words: lack of privacy. It used to be easy to contact people without worrying - not anymore.

With landlines, there is not much information that is attainable outside of a voice message or the rare and infrequent wire tapping. Cell phones are an entirely different story. Because of the capabilities that phones have from text messaging to internet and email to banking and much more, there is a lot more of a reason to be precautious and worry about the privacy aspect. So much of our lives are transmitted via cell phones from passwords to business deals to account information and it makes you wonder is it really worth it? Just how private is the communication that takes place in the land of cell phones?

Sure, there are ways to deter people from being 'creepers' and looking into your life via cell phones but there is only so much that a password or special lock or code can do on a phone. A techy could easily crack the code and make your information accessible. It almost makes me want to go back to an old school thick, black Nokia brick type of phone with the green backlight where you can dial out and receive calls, none of the extra stuff. Then I think of giving up my Blackberry Curve, BBM, email, browsing capabilities, banking, navigation and more...I think I will take my chances with a creative password.

life ruiners?

First off, I think I should define what a 'life ruiner' is. I use this phrase often. In my mind, a 'life ruiner' is something or someone that takes control over your life and pulls away from the freedom you have. It takes up time, effort, energy and pulls you away from the things and people that are the most important. I will use it in a sentence..."Annie, you spend 3 hours a day on Facebook - I swear that thing is a life ruiner!" Now, it is a life ruiner because Annie could be doing much more fun and exciting things with her day during the summer instead of spending it on Facebook.

With that being said, I believe that cell phones can be life ruiners - that is, if you allow them to be. In our society, we let our cell phones take over our lives. I will admit, I am one of those 'keep your cell phone glued to your hand to make sure that you do not miss a call, email, text or bbm' types. My question is when and how did we reach that place? When did it become necessary to always be able to contact others or to be contacted?

In one sense, I understand completely. Cell phones can provide a sense of security. I know that my parents love that I have a cell phone because it means that I can be reached at any time of the day or night and vice versa. I know the world today is changing and you will often hear parents say that it is just 'not the same or as safe' as when they were growing up. Even so, it makes you wonder how they functioned in the 60s, 70s, and 80s without having cell phones glued to their hand, pocket or the inside of their bags.

This is where cell phones become life ruiners. People much rather just contact someone on their cell phone to communicate even when it is not necessary. Example: 3 days ago, my mother text messaged me. She was in her bedroom, I was in my own room. Now, I may have given her the benefit of the doubt if she was injured or sick - she wasn't. Maybe I would be understanding if we had a two story house and she had had a long day - not the case. I live in a basic 3 bedroom, 2 bath, one story house. When did we become so lazy and reliant on technology that we cannot even walk from room to room in a house to talk to the person face to face.

Another case of this is handling messy situations. I have noticed that as I get older, people seem to have weaker and weaker communication skills. They struggle to form sentences when confronted with an issue face to face. This is because people use technology in sticky situations to avoid the sometimes awkward face to face confrontation. I think it is a cop out to text message someone saying that you won't be able to attend a dinner date or to bbm a partner to say that you do not think it is working out. Because of this, I think that cell phones are life ruiners, especially if you allow them to be your primary way of communication when it does not have to be.

transformation to an industrial society

Listening to the segment on NPR last week about cell phones helped me put into perspective just how lost I would be without my cell phone. I think this statement would be even stronger if I ever lived outide of the U.S.

As it is, I am extremely relient on my phone as a constant line of communication to family, friends, coworkers, etc. via talking, text messaging, email and BBM (Blackberry Messenger, which is similar to AIM - AOL Instant Messenger). I also use my phone to go online and for simple banking. If I lived outside the U.S. and was somehow forced to not have a bank on every corner or a common meeting place like Starbucks on every block, I could see myself handling the bulk of my business from my phone - especially with the high costs of the other types of technology that exist, i.e. laptops.

We currently live in a society that is technology driven - and even that is an understatement.

introduction

The aspect of technology that I will focus on for this blog is the cell phone. Although I would assume that the overwhelming majority of the population reading this knows what a cell phone is, I will give a brief description anyway.

Wikipedia describes a cell phone as a long-range, electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. In addition to this function, which now seems basic, cell phones are used for text messaging, email, internet, banking, gaming, bluetooth, camera/video recording, MP3 player, radio, and GPS.