The Pager

Chayenne McPherson

May 11, 2019

MCS 244 – Communication in Society

Prof. Brucker-Cohen

Final

Call Me, Beep Me If You Want to Reach Me:

From the beginning of human history, the communication infrastructures set up between long distances had always been a challenge for both senders and receivers. Through the variety of systems set in place, the goal of creating an expansive network of connectivity was one that followed in close succession of innovations of the early 1900’s and historical events such as both World War I and World War II. In the technological era of communication today, technology has found itself more advanced than ever. The concept of having access to limitless resources within the palm of one’s hand is part of the many joys that few would experience however for some, it can be overwhelming. With a highly competitive market for the “Next Big Thing,” in cell phone technology, we often lose the nuances of what the main purpose of a cell phone is: to telephonically communicate. Constantly looking towards the future for the answers, innovators of the past had come to the realization: the simpler the design, the better functioning. By design, many of the devices that exist in this market emulate and often include the features of pre-existing devices. Of the innumerable methods of communication that exist today however, the device that served as the link between two generations is the pager.

The pager is one of the very few devices prior to the cell phone that is closely remembered by those across multiple generations. Known also as the beeper, the pager can be considered a direct antecedent of the cellphone. Unlike the cellphone of today, however, the pager had not immediately taken off in the global market. The first patented pager technology was perfected by engineer Alfred “Al” Gross. Growing up with a technological prowess as a teenager of the early 20thcentury, the world had succumbed to war, and distance. Despite many other methods used to communicate slowly becoming obsolete, Gross came to the realization that they could not communicate the way that they used to and that being able to communicate was a right for all. As a young engineer, Gross had an understanding of the need for making telecommunications faster, more succinct, and accessible. Seeing as though he also held the patents for the first battery-operated calculator, the cordless phone, the walkie-talkie and the Citizen’s Band (CB) radio, the concept of the beeper was born and added to his extensive resume of life-changing technology. While there were earlier versions of the beeper in the 1920s used by the Detroit Police Department, the first appearance most common form of it was used was exclusively in New York City’s Jewish Hospital in the 1940s. By 1956, paging technology began to gain traction in professions such as medicine and emergency responders (such as firefighters and emergency room nurses to get in touch with different physicians and doctors.) It was not until the mid-1970’s that Motorola was the first company to globally and commercially distribute the pager. By 1994, beepers had reached its peak with 61 million in use globally, maintaining its popularity as one of the primary means of instant communication until the early 21stcentury. Today despite the global overall shift towards the cell phone, industries such as hospitality, nuclear plant management, rare bird watchers, and emergency responders still use the pager as their primary source of communication between one another as well as their respective bases.

Coming in different configurations, this small device was one of the first portable devices that expanded the world’s telecommunications network. Two variations of the pager included the one-way (users are able to receive messages but had to respond with a phone call) and two-way (users are able to receive and send messages on the same device) pagers. Working hand in hand with the landline (and later, the earlier models of the cell phone), the pager used similar technology as the radio. The deciding factor that sets pager radios apart from radio broadcast is how far radio waves emitted by a pager are capable of reaching also known as limited range and wide-area. Using a small radio-type of a receiver, limited range paging is normally used in Hospitals in cases of emergency or during your visit to your favorite restaurant with a wait. Comparatively, wide-area paging is similar to national radio broadcasts that can go greater distances than the limited-range pager. This pager is the one frequently depicted in movies with a post-apocalyptic theme. With the use of radio waves, it allows for messages to get through in places that cell phone signals cannot normally reach.

Physically, the pager allowed for many to be contacted away from home or the office. Instant communication became possible with the advent of the pager. With many shorthand codes developed through numeric systems and later incorporating the alphabet. Seemingly more difficult to operate, beepers have proven themselves more reliable. In her ThoughtCo article “When Pagers and Beepers Were All the Rage”, Mary Bellis explains the advantage of beeper connectivity over the cellphone by explaining:

“… [T]oday’s smartphone technologies can’t compete with the reliability of the paging network. A cell phone is only as good as the cellular or Wi-Fi network off of which it operates, so even the best networks still have dead zones and poor in-building coverage.

While the telephone allowed for those further away to gain and remain in contact with one another, the pager added the novelty of convenience with its ability to relay a message from sender to receivers without having the receiver immediately pick up the phone.

Despite many of the great attributes of the pager should it decide to re-enter the mainstream, as an option for communications one of the roadblocks that the pager may face is its dependency on the phone. One of the things that make the cell phone such an innovative tool is its autonomy in access alongside its primary function of a phone. From an economic standpoint, cell phone developers such as Apple have created a vertical monopoly over devices because of their multiple capabilities. While it wasn’t made to compete with the cell phone and to work alongside it, the capabilities of a cell phone thoroughly outweigh those of a beeper. In Rachel Pick’s Vice article, “Why are Pagers Still A Thing?” she goes on to explain the benefits of having cell phones in the field:

“A smartphone would enable the sender to message a whole team of firefighters, medical staff, or emergency responders at the same time. It would offer access to valuable data like maps and medical info, and it could transmit a GPS signal if a first responder were ever in danger and unable to communicate. Also, the pager system can cause “bottlenecks” in hospitals: as WNYC notes, nurse’s stations are frequently slammed by a group of recently-paged doctors all waiting to use the phone, and whatever patients they were tending to are left in the lurch while they wait.”

 

Considering the trend of different technological industries to draw inspiration from past innovations to serve as reference points for new technology, I believe that the pager will find itself center stage in the mainstream once again. Based on the timeline of the pager, many tech companies prime demographic that is the focal points of their advertising (between ages 20-35) have at least come in contact with a beeper once in their lifetime. Providing a sense of nostalgia for many who have had come into contact with it at least once in their lifetime, the reincorporation of the pager into everyday use, allows for the evident addiction to smart devices to curb itself while still allowing for people to maintain contact with the world around them. The reintroduction of the beeper into everyday technology would also revive the need of remembering a number of those who are closest. App concepts for the iPhone such as ContactRot, which focuses on restoring the relationships of those who we have in our contacts while limiting our dependency on the “cloud,” can make the transition from reliance on cloud use to human memory easier. Many objections may arise, as it can seem like a reversion to the “stone ages.” With an update to its appearance and technology within, making it safer for users to send and receive messages safely, pagers will allow for people to find the complexity of simple mediums.

The human story of creating and maintaining connections has been one that has experienced numerous twists and turns. Methods spanning from smoke signals, foot messengers, and carrier pigeons, to the telegraph, two-way radios and the phone, the often-convoluted path that communication technologies feed the fire of innovation Continuously moving, reflecting into the past for inspiration, the two can possibly coexist. The idea of having limitless access to the world without having to leave your home, state or country can come as both a blessing and a curse. In the technological rat race of the various devices available at our disposal, the beeper is aware that it will not compare where it does not compete. Sticking true to its origins of the simple communication method, the pager continues to pave the way for complex yet simple telecommunications technology. Bridging the gap between two generations, the pager has proven itself in design and function to stand the test of time. By merging itself with the modern technology of today

Works Cited 

This Is Why Doctors Still Use Pagers, www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/this-is-why-doctors-still-use-pagers/ar-BBUrHyO.

Bellis, Mary. “When Pagers and Beepers Were All the Rage.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 10 Sept. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/history-of-pagers-and-beepers-1992315.

Benedictus, Leo. “Still Buzzing: the People Using Pagers in 2017.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Feb. 2017, www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2017/feb/21/peope-using-pagers-paramedics-lifeboat-crews-birdwatchers.

Brucker-Cohen, Jonah. “About.” ContactRot, www.contactrot.com/.

“Cell Phone vs Pager.” Diffen, www.diffen.com/difference/Cell_Phone_vs_Pager.

“How Do Radio Pagers Work?” Explain That Stuff, 4 Jan. 2019, www.explainthatstuff.com/howpagerswork.html.

Pick, Rachel. “Why Are Pagers Still a Thing?” Vice, VICE, 12 June 2015, www.vice.com/en_us/article/xyw9zq/why-are-pagers-still-a-thing.

Woo, Elaine. “Al Gross; Invented Pager, Walkie-Talkie and Cordless Phone.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2001, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jan-14-me-12311-story.html.

1 comments

  1. Hi Chey,

    Good work on this paper. One of my former students reinvented the beeper by adding the ability to read Faceboo profile updates on it. See this link: http://www.collab.scrapyardchallenge.com/?p=878

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