Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Cell Phone...
Happy Birthday to you!
When I heard that the first cell phone call was made 40 years ago
last week on April 3rd, the first thing I thought about was how rapidly
these addictive devices have changed over the decades. Which cell phone
did you make your first phone call on? Did it look like a brick or were
you among the first who got a cool flip phone?
My
estimation is that the cell phone was initially intended to be a simple
device that we could use to contact others when we're not home or in an
emergency, perhaps.
Somehow, these marvelous devices have transformed us into distant
zombies who are dependent on obsessive texting, impersonal communication
and networking – to the point where our phone is like a body part from
which we can’t tear ourselves away! Is that what Marty Cooper, a
Motorola engineer who made the first cell phone call in 1973, felt when
he made that call?
I doubt it...
I got my first cell phone – a bulky Nokia – in 1999 and I only had 60
minutes to use each month with free nights and weekends (from 9 p.m. to
7 a.m., of course).
I think the phones in those days were free but, before that, many of
them cost a few hundred dollars and barely held a charge.
I was able to
afford a cell phone bill after I started my first real job, which was in
the city and – I feel old saying this – I didn't know anyone who used
text messaging (even though I've read that it already existed in some
form). Therefore, neither myself nor any of my co-workers were tied to
our gadgets. We were simply on the telephone all day – actually talking.
Unfortunately, you could forget about using your cell phone in an
emergency back in the days – there were so many “dead zones” and no one
knew if it was because of their phone or service carrier. However, after
the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, I noticed a lot more cell phone
companies updating their service coverage areas and cell towers became
more prominent, improving connections. Subsequently, wireless
communication became more popular.
Now
that we're all fabulously wireless, all we've become is more and more
attached to our cell phones. But we're not using them for their original
purpose. I have to admit, I was hooked on the non-conversational use of
a cell phone after I sent my first text message in 2005. At first, I
just sent text messages to let someone know where I was...Like many, I
used texts to shoot someone a note, an important address or reminder.
Soon, text messaging was used in lieu of a real conversation – and
those old cell phones with a numbers-only keypad weren’t enough.
Communication was slowly demoted from our mouth to our fingers.
Yes, we text messaged on those long flip phones, pressing down two or
three times to finish one word. Our next phone, though, probably had a
slide out or on-screen keyboard – whether we were using a Blackberry or
some other type of SmartPhone. As time progressed, our mobile devices
were e-mail friendly, so not only did we stop calling and texting, we
started sending e-mails to our loved ones in the middle of the street.
Nowadays, when you're at a meeting or conference, everyone's on their
cell phone – taking “notes,” checking e-mails and confirming
information on their digital calendars. Sometimes, asking someone for
information means they have to open their iPhone. I try not to be on my
cell phone, networking or texting, while I'm at a community function.
But, like everyone else, I've sadly succumbed to the availability of
the “silent conversations” made possible by advanced technology.
Let's get real! While we should be thankful to have everything at our
fingertips in one device, we're not grateful that we still have the
ability to punch someone's number into our phone and ask them “How you
doin'?”
So, here's to another 40 years of not using our cell phones for their original intent. Well played consumers...well played.
http://www.canarsiecourier.com/news/2013-04-11/Telling_It_Like_It_Is/Telling_It_Like_It_Is.html
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