What is a cell phone? Is it a device we use to make calls? Or is it so much more than that? In today’s society, people no longer use their cell phones to make calls. They use it to browse the internet, text, email, check the stock market, store music in the music library, play games…you get the point. Over time, cell phones have evolved from being a chunky gray brick to being a sleek and skinny touch-sensitive device. But which device is better?
The evolution of the cell phone has eroded people’s social skills. Many people resort to texting or emailing rather than picking up the phone and making a call. They let these small devices hold the conversations for them. In the New York Times Idea of the Day blog, some people are making the assertions that phone calls are dead and I have to agree. What happens when you see someone on your caller ID that you don’t want to talk to? You most likely ignore it and will text them later. This is a habit I have often found myself resorting to multiple times a week and I am sure many people are just as guilty.
Cell phones are no longer just phones; they are people’s lifelines. Most people will not leave their house unless their cell phone is in hand. On a daily basis, I bet you can easily spot a handful of people more focused on their cell phone than the people surrounding them. Studies have shown that nearly 50% of teenagers agree that their social life would be over if they were unable to text. Unfortunately, the majority of the time people spend on their cell phones are not for making calls, but rather texting and emailing. You will find many people of older generations asking themselves this question, what has this world come to?
True, our generation will use texting as a life line until the next form of communication come out. Especially for short messages or quick communications. The problem with texting is the next stage of communication. For example, lets say I work for a Engineering firm. At this Engineering firm I am working on the design of a new sky scraper in Dallas. For this project, I am working with a coworker who works on the other side of the country. I have a detailed technical question about a steel beam in the sky scraper that I need to ask my coworker about. Am I going to A. Text my coworker about the steel beam. or B. Call her up. If I choose A, We could be texting back and forth for over a hour before I can get a clear and concise answer on the Steel Beam. If I choose B, it would be a quick 5 to 10 min. call, and I would be back to work. I think most would choose A. I will admit that texting is a great form of communication for quick small bursts of general conversation; however, when it comes to more detailed or critical conversation, a good old phone call is still the most efficient way to relay information.
ReplyDeleteJorge, I couldn't possibly agree more. While drafting this post, I was referring more to the daily use of a phone, not necessarily for business purposes. For personal business, I would think most people would resort to a phone call rather than a text message. In today's society though, I know some people trying to make business plans with people of long distance now use skype as their form of communication. As for a cell phone for daily use, I think people would rather send a quick text than picking up their phone to make a phone call. For example, if you are trying to find out what your friends are doing for the evening you would text them. With texting, you don't run into the risk of having to engage in an unnecessary conversation.
ReplyDeleteI was just talking about this topic during the weekend. This weekend while out with some friends at a restaurant, someone took a photo of the people surrounding the table and I noticed how everyone in the picture was looking down at their phone! We started discussing how people our age don't have any social skills to even be in a social setting without having to look at their phone every minute. Even though our devices are very useful , the technology shouldn't make us socially awkward.
ReplyDeleteLike yourself, I agree that our phones have become glued to our hands. Perhaps that’s because I know few numbers off the top of my head and would be lost otherwise, or not having a phone cuts me off from the world around me. Interestingly enough, my roommate made a comment to the effect that no one calls anyone unless it’s “important”. I suppose he was trying to get to the fact that with text messages you expect instant replies and get answers at your fingertips. In any case, like Jorge had said this may be the thing that the world is hooked on presently, that is until a new invention surfaces the technology world.
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