Our cellphones ,Ourselves

Cellphones have become a neccessity for many people throughout the world.Today's cellphones are not only capable of placing and receiving phone calls but storing data ,taking pictures and can even be used as walkie talkies ,when cellphones first arrives in the market they were bulky ,expensive ,early cellphones could only be used in certain locations and not others ."As cellphones improved and became simple to use their importance increased "(Rosen,7) .Cellphones are the perfect way to stay connected to others and provide the user with a sense of security ."First generation cellphones were called luggables'' rather than ''portables'' ,they were often compared to bricks ,only the wealthiest people owned them,but all this changed in the 1990's ,when cellphones became cheaper ,smaller and more readily avaliable" (Rosen ,11)."In countries where cell phone use is still limited to the wealthy having a cellphone is a symbol of wealth and prestige ,but to the rest of the world cellphones have become a technology for the masses ". (Rosen,13)
Why do people use cellphones? The most frequently used reason is convenience.Allot of cellphone users report that owning a cellphone makes them feel safer . Individuals use their cellphones to call for assistance when their car breaks down , popular culture endorses this image of cell-phone-as -life -line ."Many parents have reponded to this perceived need for personal security by purchasing cellphones for their children"
.(Rosen,18) what you never used to expect ,but must now endure is a stranger arguing about how much he does indeed owe to his landlord, .I've heard the details of bussiness deals .We are no longer overhearing ,which implies accidently stumbling upon a situation where two people are talking in presumed privacy .Now we are all simply hearing ,the result is a world where social space is overtaken by anonymous ,unavoidable background noise ."In the past cellphone users ,men and woman have been stabbed ,escorted off airlines ,pepper-sprayed in movie theaters ,ejected from concert halls as a result of bad behavior on their cell phones "(Rosen,10). Writting about the impact of cellphone technology in The Mail and guardian in 2002 ,James Meek noted that,with modertate horror ,that cellphones now encourage British people to do what "British people are not allowed to do : invite strangers ,spontaneously ,into our personal worlds ."We let everyone know what our accent is ,what we do for a living ,what we do in our non-working hours" (Rosen,3) .
In the event of an emergency,having a cellphone can allow people to reach you quickly and can possibly save lives ."Modern cellphones are capable of internet access ,sending and receiving photo's and files and some cellphones are equipped with GPS technology ,allowing for use in most locations around the world and allowing the cellphone to be found or the user located in the event of loss or emergency" .(Rosen,4) "Finding a dependable service provider is no longer an issue for cellphone users ,the importance of cellphones goes way beyond the ability to make or receive a call" (Rosen ,18) .Cellphone users can instantly send data to the home or office ,check the important email ,use their cellphones as a calender and store photo's which can be easily transfered to a laptop computer or PC.The avaliable options gives users the choice of purchasing a basic cellphone to use simply for making calls ,or choosing a complex ,technologicaly advanced cellphone that can perform alot of tasks,the increasing importance of cellphones has made almost a neccessity for most people .The importance of cellphones has increased the competition in the wireless service provider industry ,making cellphones very affordable and user friendly ,cellphones have become almost a status symbol in addition to the conveniance and security that comes from owning them ."We live in a cellular generation there is no way of escaping them,they are eveywhere ,at the movies ,restuarants" (Rosen,9) .It seems like everywhere you turn there is giggling ,gasping and gossiping . Cellphones provide us with a new ,but not neccessarily superior means of communication with eachother.They encourage talk, not conversation ,they link us to those we know ,but remove us from strangers who surround us in the public space.No matter where you live or what you do in all likelihood you will eventually find yourself unwillingly listening to someone elses cellphone conversation ."Today more people have cellphones than fixed telephone lines ,there are more than one billion cellphone users in the worldwide,but if this ubiquitous technology is now a normal part of our lives ,our adjustment to it has not been without consequences ,we are rapidly approaching a tipping point with this technology "(Rosen,11). How has it changed our behaviour ?what new rules ought we to impose on it's use? but most importantly how has the wireless telephone encouraged us to connect individually, but disconnect socially ,ceding ,in the process ,much that was civil and civilized about the use of public space ?We are strenthening and increasing our interactions with the people we already know at the expense of those who we do not ."The result according to Kenneth gergen ,is ''the erosion of face- to -face community ,a coherent and centered sense of self ,moral bearings ,depth of relationship ,and the uprooting of meaning fom material context :such as the dangers of absent presence" (Rosen,5) .

Nation wide cellphones still frequently interrupt movie screenings ,theater performances and concerts,wireless technology is booming so quickly and wireless phones have become so popular ,the rules on wireless etiquette is still evolving , one could say that we are in the midst of a period of adjustments ."We still have the memory of the old social rules which remind us to be courteous towards others ,especially in enviroments which are confined ,but it is clear from the way most people on cellphones behave in public spaces that cellphone technology itself has disrupted our ability to insist on the enforcement of social rules".(Rosen,7)

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