Mobile Phones: Changing the Way Society Interacts - Term Paper Example

Mobile Phones: Changing the Way Society Interacts Abstract Cell phone technology has and will continue to transform our lives as we have instant communication at our fingertips anytime, from almost anywhere. From children using or misusing cell phones to the concerns over environmental issues of cell phone disposal and more and more cell towers cropping up over the landscape, cell phones have sparked many a study and a good number of debates about their usefulness or their dangers to health and social well being. For better or for worse, cell phones are here to stay and they appear to be becoming more and more sophisticated, capable of relaying photo and video images almost instantaneously as well as keeping their user updated on current news and weather. Soon cell phones could replace ATM machines, as they can be programmed with a chip containing electronic cash. How far can the technology go? And how will it affect us? Introduction The advent of mobile and cellular phone technology enabled business and families to communicate more efficiently; no longer did the person on the road have to search for a working pay phone to make a call, only to find out that their change was wasted on an answering machine or answering service informing the caller that the person they were seeking was away at a meeting. No longer did mobile people have to stop and call back from yet another pay phone, jostling for a parking space in order to use it. In the beginning, mobile phone technology made life much easier. Within the space of two decades, however, cell phone use has become a nightmare for some societies. This essay will explore the history of telephony communications, how these communications have evolved, and the impact of the technology on society, for better or for worse. As consumers of cellular technology have invented new needs, cell phone companies have added much more than simple calling features to cell phones, and the trend of cellular and wireless telephony becoming more than simple communication is not likely to slow down any time soon. How is it changing us? Where are the limits? And are we communicating better than before, or simply in a different way? The History of Mobile Technology Once the wired telephone system was established and people were able to communicate over long distances, the luxury of privacy was firmly in place. While many people saved money by having a “party line,” which was the shared cost of several residences using one phone line. The benefit was a lower rate for telephone service, but the drawback was having to wait to use the phone if another residence was using it. The party line system caused its own problems as people became impatient with their co-users, especially if long-winded users tied the line up for a long period of time. In early widespread use of telephones, one dialed the operator if there was an emergency. The operator acted as a dispatcher and notified authorities. In business, telephone operators answered incoming calls and operated a switchboard to connect the caller with the person in the office. As more sophisticated equipment was developed, switching networks made operators obsolete. Long distance calls were still a costly issue, and the deregulation of telephone service allowed other companies to develop lower long distance rates via dial-around programs, involving dialing a number to bypass the main service and enter the long distance service. This was cost-saving yet cumbersome. Yet the presence of dial around services forced long distance companies to lower their rates even further. In the 1980’s, prepaid phone cards were introduced in Europe; this eliminated the need for carrying change. Within a period of a few years, nearly all payphones required a card rather than coins. During this same period of time, mobile phone services for the general public were beginning to be made available. The term “mobile phone” meant exactly that; this was a wireless technology made available for automobiles, powered by the car’s battery via a jack plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter. Range was limited, and the phone itself was not cordless. In businesses and residences, cordless phones began to emerge, as consumers enjoyed being able to carry on a phone conversation without being tied to the desk or wall. Cordless phones brought about more productivity and freedom of movement to users. The problem with cordless phones is the very small range they have from the base. The cell phone was soon to follow. In 1987, there were fewer than 100,000 mobile phone users in the United States (Thomas A. Wikle, 2002). When cellular technology began to develop and evolve, the focus on metropolitan business people expanded into residential users, and the explosion of cellular telephony’s evolution began. The Advent Of Cell Phones In the early1980’s, mobile phones replaced radio-phones. The early mobile phones were analog, and the British discovered that a fairly low-cost scanner could eavesdrop on callers. Another problem that presented itself both in the United Kingdom and the United States with the analog phones was off-air capturing of a handset’s details to be used for charging calls to someone else’s account (MobileShop.org web site, n.d.). Changing Communication The proliferation of cell phone of cell phone usage has trigged an unprecedented number of studies ranging from the danger of brain tumors or cancer from too much use to social sciences assessing how and when people use their cell phones. As cell phones and calling programs have become more affordable, and as more networks have become available globally, even children have their own cell phones. In a world that is now communicating at breakneck speed, it seems that societal values have changed in regard to communication; conversely, it is possible that human nature is simply revealing itself in a different manner with the use of cell phones in public. In Japan, the cell phone is called the keitai and the Japanese youth are highly dependant on it for daily communication. One article states that as many as 97.8% of college students and 78.8% of high school students in Japan own cell phones. Also, more young adults make use of the “mobile web” than do their older counterparts (Mizuko Ito, 2003). According to Ito’s report, to leave your cell phone at home or allow the batteries to run down is considered a failed attempt at contact and is considered a social taboo among Japanese young adults. As video phones have progressed, more Japanese bloggers post their entire blogs via the cell phone (Ito). As in other societies, older Japanese people complain of the bad manners exhibited by younger cell phone users, such as answering the phone at mealtime or on public transportation. An MIT survey in 2004 found that cell phones topped the list of indispensable but annoying gadgets used daily in the U.S. (Ryan Kim, 27 February 2006). Numerous articles have been written complaining of the bad manners of cell phone users talking loudly in public places such as coffee houses and restaurants, airports and other public transport terminals, movie theaters, concerts, and many other places where private conversations used to be private. If we look at the United States as a nation that values its individual space and privacy, it is rather surprising that people will carry on private conversations in public, seemingly oblivious to the number of people around them. According to Ryan Kim’s article in the San Francisco chronicle, 47% of Bay Area cell phone users have declared themselves inseparable from their cell phones. In a separate international survey by the BBDO advertising agency, 59% of American respondents stated that they would not think of lending their cell phone to a friend for a day. A study by mobile industry tracker Telephia found that that Americans average 13 hours a month of usage, where young adults age 18 – 22 use their phones up to 22 hours per month. In terms of children using cell phones, this has become both a parent’s breath of relief and nightmare; where it was once thought that the child or young person would have easy access to family in case they needed help, the frivolous usage of cell phones have prompted parents to turn for help in terms of whether or not to use withdrawal of the cell phone as punishment. While this may be surprising, it is not so surprising when considering that current cell phones are multitasking devices, now featuring digital cameras, Internet access, MP3 playing and gaming. Where only twenty years ago it was advised for teens not to have a television in their room to prevent withdrawal from family time, this advice moved to the computer and now to the more advanced cell phones. Use of this technology by teens and children opens up the same concerns as computers do, such as access to porn and predators as well as other dangers (Bob Sullivan, 2004). Advice for proper use of cell phones is available; adults might also want to follow these suggestions, based upon the results of surveys regarding annoying cell phone habits. Some basic suggestions from the Wired Safety website are: ▪ Keep calls short and don't advertise your phone. ▪ Try and send a text instead of calling. ▪ Set your phone to vibrate, not ring. ▪ Talk normally, there is no need to shout down your phone. ▪ Don't text and walk, if you are looking at the phone you are not looking where you are going. Text messaging became the rage when made available in the U.S.; on campus or public transport, intimate conversations take place via text messaging when talking out loud is difficult. On some campuses, cell phones have been prohibited in classes because of text messaging during classes, which disrupt exams and interfere in the teaching process. Text messaging has brought about an entire new form of an abbreviated language. To cut keypad entry time when using text messaging and to achieve quicker exchange, users make the most of a now fairly universal set of codes that were first found in chat rooms and have transferred to text messaging. Some examples include: OMG = Oh my God; PPL = people; G2G = Got to go; RME = Rolling my eyes. Most abbreviations are arranged according to the first letter of each word, or phonetically abbreviated, such as GR8 = Great (Henrico County Public Schools Staff Development Website, 2003). Pausing to reflect whether or not this new behavior is truly different, it cannot be categorically stated that it is so very different from the past. In campuses of yesterday, notes were passed back and forth, written by hand, and passed from the writer to the recipient. Crib sheets have been provided to cheat on exams. Codes of one form or another have been a part of written communication since the days of the ancients, and abbreviated text was used in telegrams and telegraphs. What has changed is speed of delivery. Where before it could take days to receive a message, it is now almost instantaneous. It could be said that more thoughts are being exchanged quicker due to text messaging. There does not seem to be a limit of text messaging for sensitive material; complex number codes and other forms of encryption can be used with text messaging to relay a secret message from one person to another. Consequences Of Mobile Phones In spite of the cell (mobile) phone being the most life-altering invention in recent history (and it is still in its infancy), there is a dark side to cell phone use. Cell phones make crimes easier to commit and photos easier to shoot. Robbers carrying cell phones can keep their accomplices informed regarding the progress of the robbery and a getaway location, predators can send threatening text messages to others, and ordinary people can wreak havoc while text messaging or talking on their cell phones while driving (The New Atlantis Journal Of Technology and Society, 2006, p. 132). An interesting new development in Portland, Oregon throws the race card back into already heated racial issues; The Willamette Week Online featured an article regarding the potential targeting of a proposed new cell phone tax on minorities. The article states that Blacks use almost twice as many cell phone minutes per month as whites (Ian Demsky, 2006). The provoking question was raised about Black and Hispanic minorities in the Portland area being forced to pay more for their cell phone service while already earning nearly half the annual income of the 80% white population of the metropolis. The opinions of the public heat up when issues regarding Internet and cell phone taxes appear. An example is in the aforementioned article; one reader replied that: “This story ‘proves’ the old maxim about liars and figures. More worrisome, it ignores fundamental facts in favor of sensationalizing a non-issue. The cell phone tax is supposed to address (in part) the revenue loss from people dropping land line service (which Portland taxes) in favor of cell phones (which aren't currently taxed). The fact is, fewer minorities have land line services (they are more transient, have worse credit, lower incomes, etc.), thus, they are the most likely to DODGE the current landline tax. As a result, whites with cell phones will be taxed TWICE as much as minorities under the new tax (once for the land line and again for their cell). Your headline should read "Whites To Be Taxed Twice for Phone Service" or "Taxman Finally Cometh for Minority Phone Users." Posted by "Mike Warwick" | Wed, March 1 2006 (Extracted from Willamette Week Online). While looking at the dark side of cell phones, it is important to balance the focus on cell phones with human nature. In a nation as divided as the United States has become, the cell phone is actually a red herring. To demonstrate this, it must be considered that racial, economic, environmental, religious and political issues have been raging back and forth for years. The consequences of cell phones seem to add more fuel to the fire, as will be discussed. One environmental issue regarding cell phones has to do with disposal of them. On Wisconsin State Representative Spencer Black’s web site, he cautions against the wanton disposal of cell phones. This site brings up the point reemphasizing our disposable society; according to Black’s statistics, 130 million cell phones are discarded every year, making up about 65,000 tons of waste (Spencer Black web site, n.d.). Environmental concerns are the dangerous toxins that cell phones contain, such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and other ecological hazardous materials. Due to the average use of a cell phone being only 18 months before being replaced by an upgraded model or acquirement of a new phone with a different wireless server, the number of cell phones discarded is likely to do nothing but rise (Black). A possible solution called for by concerned organizations is the donation of old cell phones to lower income people or to third world countries. While this is unlikely to solve the problem of discarded cell phones and their toxic contents finding their way into landfills, it is another form of problem solving that encourages dialogue between government and environmental groups. Another consequence of cell phone use that has become a bone of contention with landowners and rural communities is regarding cell towers cluttering up the landscape. In metropolitan areas cell towers blend in with other antennas and beacons at airports; cell towers in rural areas are sorely visible and out of place. Many communities such as Overland Park in Kansas, and the cities of Daly City and Sonoma California have pushed forward ordinances to require cell tower applicants to simulate the presence of the tower using a crane or similar temporary device to enable residents to view the esthetic impact before the application is approved. Other creative communication has involved disguising the tower by incorporating it with an existing water tower, for example (Wikle). Other creative thinking has seen companies negotiating with churches to hide a cell tower inside of a church steeple, or with city officials to place a cell tower within a clock tower. Other innovative camouflage methods have been installing artificial pine trees to hide the towers, or even painting the towers to better blend in with the landscape (Widle). The Future Of Cell Phones Cell phones have quickly evolved from a convenient way to have communication access to family, work and friends to being multitasking, all-in-one time saving devices. South Korea has led the way into the use of cell phones for using the cell phone to conduct purchase transactions (CBS News, 2004). In Japan, a cell phone was developed with an embedded computer chip that can be filled with electronic cash. In order to fill the chip with cash, a special machine has to be available to charge up the chip. Placing the phone in the machine and inserting the money encrypts the phone with electronic cash. One only needs to wave the phone within a few inches of a sensor associated with the item to be purchased, and the transaction takes place. This is convenient for vending machines; it also works in restaurants and other businesses equipped with the device for receiving electronic payments from the “wallet phones” (CBS). The down side to the wallet phone is if you lose it. The chip is just like cash, and if you lose the phone, you’ve also lost the amount of electronic cash it is carrying. While the server can lock the phone rendering it useless to anyone else, you are still out the amount of money you invested when charging the chip with electronic cash. The future of cell phones seems to have a “sky’s the limit” potential. While Japan seems to be leading the way in the versatility of cell phone use, it is soon to catch up in the United States. The potential for cell phones to conduct most of our daily business from paying the dry cleaner to buying airline tickets, it isn’t too much of a stretch to see cell phones replacing ATM machines. They could also possibly be used in casinos in place of chips and coins, with payment being doled out in filling the chip with more electronic cash units. Using the wallet phone to pay at the Laundromat would be another everyday use, as well as using it to gain entry into the cinema or theater. Paying at the gas pump could also be made easier. One consideration as a possible pitfall of this new technology could be, of course, the device being misplaced or stolen. Again, pickpocketing behavior will simply have a new style. Conclusion Cell phone technology has made communication faster and easier. It is a time saving device that has made our lives more efficient, especially in circumstances of being able to call a friend while on the way to their house to get directions if lost, being able to summon help if a mishap or emergency occurs, and being able to keep track of family members. Yet human nature is what it is, and cell phones have simply made it easier for us to save more time and energy when needing to make a call while on the road. For all of the complaints about rude cell phone users and statistics of car accidents caused by cell phone owners talking or texting while driving, cell phones have a promising future among us as we continue to incorporate them into our lives. Sociologists will likely be very busy analyzing the impact of this new and burgeoning technology and the impact it has on families and communities as we complete transactions without it even necessary to look at the seller. The way we are communicating is changing, and it seems that more people use cell phones for talking directly to one person while in the midst of many others, as if they were face to face. It is impossible to tell where cell phone technology will eventually take us, but with the device’s ability to do more and more such as downloading weather, news and television programming, it seems that we will continue to be able to conduct our favorite entertainment activities using a cell phone without the need of switching on a television or arguing over the remote. We are only seeing the beginning of this incredible technology. Works Cited Black, Spencer. “Call Wasting.” State Representative Spencer Black 77th Assembly District web site. N.d., 16 April 2006 http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm77/news/columns/Call%20Wasting.htm “Cell (mobile) phone safety.” Wired Safety. Wired Kids, Inc. 2004, 13 April 2006 http://www.wiredsafety.org/safety/chat_safety/phone_safety/sms7.html Demsky, Ian. “Cell Division.” The Willamette Week Online. 1 March 2006, 14 April 2006 http://www.wweek.com/editorial/3217/7282/ Ito, Mizuko. “A New Set of Social Rules for a Newly Wireless Society.” Japan Media Review. 14 February 2003, 17 April 2006 http://www.ojr.org/japan/wireless/1043770650.php Kim, Ryan. “The world's a cell-phone stage: The device is upending social rules and creating a new culture.” San Francisco Chronicle. 27 February 2006, 12 April 2006 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/27/BUG2IHECTO1.DTL “Text Messaging Abbreviations.” Staff Development Online. Henrico County Public Schools. 2003, 14 April 2006 http://staffdev.henrico.k12.va.us/parents/im.html “History: Cellular.” The Mobile Phone User’s Guide. Mobile Shop Web Site (UK). N.d., 12 April 2006 http://www.mobileshop.org/history/cellular.htm “Notes & Briefs.” The New Atlantis: A Journal Of Technology and Society. Number 11, Winter 2006, p. 132. Sullivan, Bob. “Cell phones and kids: Do they mix?” MSNBC Web site. 20 August 2004, 12 April 2006 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5671445/ Wilke, Thomas A. “Cellular Tower Proliferation In the United States.” ­ The Geographical Review. Volume: 92. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2002. Page Number: 45+. Read More