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Telephones (Other)
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| Connected | 76% | 808 votes | Total: 1068 votes | |
| Isolated | 24% | 260 votes |
Connected
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Add to FavoritesI wonder if the answer does not depend on your age group.
I can (ahem) remember a time where there was no such thing as cell phones. Today, because of the advent of cell phones, I can say without doubt, that I am more connected than when cell phones were not available.
Firstly, I can travel alone by car or fly overseas and keep my family updated with my progress. I have not had trouble along the road, but I don't feel worried about driving large distances because I can call for help if something happens. Also, I have often phoned to get directions when on my way somewhere and getting lost. I can describe to the person how I have travelled, and where I am at that exact moment and then get pretty precise directions either forward or back to where I went wrong. Absolutely invaluable when going to meetings.
Years ago my husband went to Germany for a conference and I was to join him a week later for vacation. My very first flight out was delayed by about three hours, throwing all my connections out. The airline rebooked my trip, but I then arrived at my final destination at midnight instead of three in the afternoon. What followed is a long story. Suffice to say none of the faxes sent to him by the airlines to alert him to my changed itinerary ever arrived, and we only finally met up the next afternoon, after I had slept curled up in an impossible chair at the airport and hubby had been looking all over the place and failing to find out where I was. We would have been spared all that anxiety, worry and money for taxis if we had cell phones way back then.
Secondly, the SMS function on a cell phone is just marvellous for everyday communication. My mother can send me short notes without taking up my time chattering on the land line (sorry but sometimes it's true). I can send my husband notes at work without disturbing him at meetings or whatever, because the message is there for him to read at his convenience, regardless of whether he is at his computer (until recently a major drawback of email). I do not have to rely on a secretary delivering messages, which means I can send personal stuff, and I don't have to try and try again on a land line until he answers.
Thirdly, I can be almost anywhere and talk to or SMS friends and family. At the turn of the century we celebrated by going with a few close friends to a fishing village on the West Coast of South Africa, inside the restricted diamond mining area. Glorious days, and a night with millions of stars at midnight when 1999 changed to 2000. And, although we were alone, we could share that moment with everybody we cared about via SMS.
ON THE OTHER HAND..
It is quite amusing to see teenagers and young adults walking in malls and sitting in restaurants with their friends and family, not talking to anybody in their group but busily writing messages or chattering on the cell phone. I once watched a young man meeting a young woman for lunch at the table next to mine. She was talking on the cell phone when he arrived and let him kiss her on the one cheek while the other was pressed to the phone. They ordered, ate, and he left, without her speaking one word to him - all of her conversation was on the cell. How pathetic.
Learn more about this author, Santi Meintjes.
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Isolated
On any given day, either in a crowd on the street or a group on a train, most people will be busy with their cell-phones. Some people struggle to text their thoughts to a friend on the tiny keypads while others are clocking in sixty words per minute, and with just one flexible thumb. You can access your email and the Internet via your cell phone, click a picture of that cute, little dog and play a number of games. Then there's the chatty Cathy, who manages to walk at incredibly high speeds dialing, chatting and text messaging without even missing a beat.
While cell phones keep us in touch with the ones we are using it to communicate with, they tend to shut us out from the outside world. The most fantastic sunset could be calling it night just ahead, and we don't even notice it. We don't really live in the world around us, but in the world of our cell phones. When we're out and about we don't interact with other people or even notice that they're there. Many breathtaking views and noteworthy sights are forsaken.
A dear friend could be waving us down with flags and whistles and we stand there, pointing our cell phones in different directions in search of a better signal. We may be able to stay in touch with loved ones, provided we have enough bars, but what about the fantastic person sitting right beside you that may be looking to buy the kind of software your company creates? Perhaps your perfect match is toe-to-toe with you on the bus, but you're too busy checking your emails for new crush alerts from your dating site.
Cell phone addiction can ironically interfere with your social life and relationships. Call waiting is offensive enough on a regular phone, but it's even more annoying when you're having lunch with a friend who is engrossed in one conversation after another with someone else. Nothing is worse than being on a date that spends more time on the cell phone than with you, or hearing that soft vibration coming from a jacket pocket. It sets the mood for suspicion.
The convenience of cell phones is undisputable, but moderation in their use can go a long way, especially for young people who grew up on cell phones. They are missing out on the art of communicating with real people in the world around them.
Learn more about this author, Stacia Elizabeth Whitbeck.
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