Cellular phones have a major impact on
our lives and the way that we perform every day tasks. Many of these changes
are apparent, while others we may not even be aware of. Cell phones have
brought a whole new meaning to the term multitasking. Twenty years ago, it was
not possible to talk to the office while you were at the grocery store picking
up some necessary items. You could never have had a three-way business
conference while you were fixing dinner or been able to deal with a business
client from home while caring for a sick child. Cell phones have enabled us to
do various tasks all at the same time.
Cell phones have also enabled families
to keep in closer touch with each other. Children can contact you if they have
missed their ride form soccer practice and your spouse can call while he is
stuck in traffic to let you know that he is going to be late for supper.
Teenagers are able to call to ask permission to go somewhere, and with GPS
features that are now available on some cell phones, you are able to check to
make sure that they are where they are suppose to be.
Many of these advantages we do not even
notice. Have you ever arrived at the grocery store and realized that you have
forgotten your grocery list? The first thing you would probably do is to call
home and have one of your children read the list off to you. In the same situation
in past years, you may have forgotten things or have had to drive all the way
back home to get it. If your car breaks down, you automatically call for help
instead of having to walk to find a pay phone. Cell phones have certainly made
our lives much more convenient.
Cell phones have also changed the
way that people interact with each other. When we call someone, we are actually
calling the person and not a place. This enables us to be more spontaneous when
making plans as you rarely get a busy signal and unlike a land line telephone,
someone is always home. Cell phones also enable us to call if we are going to
be late for an appointment, although this has led to cell phone users running
late more often than those who do not have cell phones. These users seem to
have adopted the attitude that appointment times are not concrete and use their
cell phones to renegotiate their arrival time.
One of the greatest disadvantages
of the cellular phone is the fact that we do not talk to strangers when traveling
anymore. In the past, several people waiting for a bus would engage in a
conversation while they were waiting. People who traveled the same routes every
day might develop friendships along the way. This situation does not happen
anymore. Today when people are waiting for a bus, they just pull out their cell
phones and speak with old friends, missing out on the opportunity to make new
ones. In large cities, many people do not know their neighbors, even though
they may have lived in the same neighborhood for years. As a society, we are
beginning to lose the face-to-face contact that was such an important part of
our lives in the past.
Cell phones are a great asset in
aiding in our every day lives. You should remember, however, to hang up every
once in a while and pay attention to the world around you.
