Ideas and strategies to communicate better have always been at the heart of conversations about innovation. From as early as humanity can remember, ways of communicating have always been important discussions. How could we easily talk to someone who is too far to visit every minute of the day? With more innovative ways of communicating come consequences. However, a big question many innovators and even sociologists ask is: do the pros represent the cons? How has society adapted to this new form of communication? Has it been a positive or negative impact? Whatever the answers may be, one thing is true: cell phones have made a huge impact on society and what it means to own one since the moment they came out. People who had the money rushed to pick up the first mobile device.
In April 3, 1973, Motorola created the first cell phone and mass produced the first handheld mobile cell phone that allowed for consumers to be able to use a phone without being bound to a specific area. These models were considered to be the Zero Generation phones because they were the first of their kind. This was the start of a revolution. As time went on, phones started to become more popular and accessible. They weren’t as expensive as they were before, meaning anyone could own a mobile device. However, it was clear that these phones were solely meant for communicating via talking.
It was not until 1992 when the first text message was sent. This was called an SMS, meaning short message service. According to Mashable, the first person to send an SMS was “Neil Papworth, a former developer at Sema Group Telecoms. Mobile phones didn’t have keyboards at the time, so Papworth had to type the message on a PC. Papworth’s text — “Merry Christmas” — was successfully sent to Richard Jarvis at Vodafone”. SMS wasn’t originally meant for communication between one person and another, and it was not available on mobile phones before 1992. In 1997, Nokia was the first phone company to produce a phone with a full keyboard to assist people who wanted to use SMS. Today, six billion texts are sent everyday in the United States alone. As texting became more popular, society adjusted. History, however, has always showed us that people want more than what they have. So phone companies had to think ahead to stay profitable and relevant.
In 2003, 3G internet speed was created and it allowed people to browse the internet- although, it wasn’t cheap and free as most have it now. This was considered a pioneer for smartphones because of the accessibility to quicker internet connections almost everywhere you go. Having faster internet service allowed for quicker ways of communication, and it became a vital part of creating mobile internet. Even though phones were now adapting to this faster internet speed, most were forgetting that mobile phones needed to have a more modern look for users to adapt more effectively.
2007 was the year that Apple, formerly known as Macintosh, produced the very first iPhone. The asking price was $499, which now would be equivalent to about $615. This was the start of touch screen smart phones. Apple became the inspiration for all touch screens that would soon become popular.
Cell phones, like any other technological advancements, has its benefits and drawbacks. Global communications are now possible. Before people only had the option of buying calling cards, but now there are free apps that (with the help of internet) one can communicate with another from all the way across the globe. Even if internet isn’t accessible to someone, purchasing plans to talk to someone in a specific country are usually available depending on the phone company. More and more people are finding it easier to communicate with people who live far away from them, making it even easier to travel around the world and live in a foreign country without having to worry that communication with family and friends will be difficult. Another benefit would be the ability to make real and lasting relationships/friendships with people you have yet to meet physically. A drawback of that, of course, would be the phenomenon called “catfishing” where according to Urban Dictionary is when a “fake or stolen online identity created or used for the purposes of beginning a deceptive relationship”. There is a show called Catfish that is dedicated to finding out if online relationships have been real or fake and a waste of time. Here is the website of Nev Schulman, creator of Catfish http://www.nevschulman.com/catfish.
One more benefit would be that individuals around the world are able to create content based off of various subjects such as health and fitness, lifestyle, fashion, and even comedy. Creating a business has become easier because of networking, and there are even careers based off of being able to analyze the logistics of social media trends. Billie Eilish, a famous indie-pop singer, recalls how she started her singing career off of a popular app called Soundcloud (www.wmagazine.com/story/billie-eilish-new-ep/amp).
Despite these amazing accomplishments thanks to what phones have been able to give us, cell phones have been proven to be the cause of many health detriments. Cell phones have been known to cause cancer and be harmful to the environment, especially as they become more and more popular. Blue light that is emitted from cell phones are also harmful to our eyes, the light can permanently damage the retina. Also using a phone right before bed messes up your body’s natural circadian rhythm. This means that you feel more tired in the morning because it was harder for you to fall asleep the night before. The blue light doesn’t just affect one’s retina, but it also affects the amount of melatonin (a sleep hormone) produced at night.
As much as society has become more technology advanced in such a short time, the pace at which we are going at is concerning. Cell phones are the new reality and have been for a very long time. Without cell phones, we feel overwhelmed and lost- like we’re missing a very important body part. With cell phones, we still feel overwhelmed. I believe that it’s up to the individual to decide if owning a cell phone (or multiple cell phones) have been detrimental to their own life. Right now, cell phones are amazing but they also have a lot of downsides. As for the world as a whole, I believe that we need to slow down on all the technological advancements and be more appreciative of what we have.
Sources Cited:
https://twigby.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115010624828-What-s-the-difference-between-SMS-and-MMS-
https://www.thehits.co.nz/lifestyle/this-is-why-you-shouldnt-use-your-phone-before-bed/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/phone-may-be-damaging-your-eyes
https://www.delivra.com/product/sms-text-messaging/
https://mashable.com/2012/09/21/text-messaging-history/
http://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/2007?amount=499
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=catfish
https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet#q1
1 comments
You mentioned, “Apple – formerly known as Macintosh”. This is not true. One of Apple’s products is the Macintosh, but they were always just called Apple from the start. Also, global communications was possible before cellphones. We had traditional phones as well as email before we had cellphones, so it’s important to not place too much emphasis on cellphones allowing this. Cellphones did enable us to be more connected because we are mobile with all of these things, but it’s not the main reason. Good that you mention that having too much technology can be unhealthy for us – this is an important part of our existence.