Cellphone: Object Philosophy - Research Paper Example

Cellphone: Object Philosophy I. Introduction The work at hand presents the historical importance and theoretical importance of the cellphone. This object possesses a cultural worth because it has become the fundamental way of connecting people especially in the age of modern technology and fast-pace progression of innovative communication process. Cellphone changes everyone’s life and it is the main point of this paper to provide the relevant information linked to the cultural worth of this object by considering its historical importance and theoretical importance. Furthermore, upon the presentation of this information, the proponent also presents the main idea that makes an argument for both the historical and theoretical importance of the cellphone. With this, it is a fundamental claim of the work at hand that cellphone is remarkably changing our lives right from the moment of its inception. II. Cellphone and its historical importance In the beginning, there was no sophisticated way to communicate. Everyone was dependent on the actual personal communication in order to convey the message. In long distances, sending letter via mail delivered by a postman was one of the ways to keep everyone connected. It took days or hours to travel the message and reach the receiver. Communication like this continued, until the industry discovered the first telephone. This technology was the first inspiration of the discovery of cellphones which can sustain a wireless communication even in long distances, a way beyond what a telephone can do. At some point, this may be impossible from the start, but the discovery of Michael Faraday of space conducting electricity was the basic foundation of the cellphone technology. Faraday believed that it is possible for the electricity signal to travel in space, as he discovered that the compass was reacting to electricity even if there was no direct line connecting them, and that phenomenon led to the concept of electromagnetism (490). By then, electromagnetic force was not yet discovered, or the interaction between electricity and magnetism was not yet fully unraveled. What was the common idea about electricity at this time was that it is a force or power that travels on the line making a light bulb to shine, and electronic devices to function. In order for it to be effectively used, electricity must therefore follow a path. Little was known by then that electricity may probably react with magnetism in space. Following the idea of Faraday concerning the space or atmosphere as a potential conductor of energy, Doctor Mahlon Loomis was the first to communicate via wireless atmosphere (Oracle ThinkQuest Library). Loomis used the atmosphere as the conductor to help transmit and receive messages and with this discovery he received price and award. On the other hand, the research study of Loomis was not only viewed as a scientific genius and had to stop in that level, but as a potential business opportunity. One man who adhered to the importance of this technological breakthrough was Martin Copper and came up with Motorola, the first project that tried to elaborate the idea of Loomis and come up with a more promising technological output. As the research project progressed, the first cellphone in the human history was made in Chicago in 1977, and that was after four years of thorough research studies and scientific investigations (Shahi and Greco 20). There have been various changes on the way each of the people receives and sends messages every day in a more dynamic way. This happens because of the birth of mobile phones or cellphones that further ignite a busier lifestyle of everybody. Considering the point that one can now receive a message from somebody at any time, compared from the past that it will take longer to receive a message from someone from far away, the way we receive information has been one of the greatest leaps of advancement of the humanity. Such technological advancement at first was just a sole product of the human imagination, but nobody would expect, except Faraday and Loomis that the advancement of technological communication would be possible to achieve. This therefore presents us the point that there is still a great chance to discover something more and it is not impossible to do so, as how the way things have turned out at present with the cellphone technology. People with cellphone can easily have access to the Internet wherever they are. It means access to another technology with cellphone. To cite an instance, today, people can withdraw from their bank accounts or transfer money via Internet by the aid of their cellphones that are built-in to connect to the Internet. It is clear that there was an evolution of the cellphone’s function and it is not just solely for communication purposes, but other relevant activities are linked to it. For instance, the advanced features of cellphones today are built-in with cameras that will take images and videos for added convenience especially in cases when there is a need to document information. In other words, they have become vital in playing other vital functionality of other human technologies, making it a complex machine that can initiate more than one function simultaneously. From the start the features of cellphones are not exactly what they are today. The first ever built one was very huge and not that compact and complex in its feature. However, the remarkable look of cellphone today marks the technological advancement and even showcasing the integration of other functions of objects into one. This means cellphone is a remarkable depiction of how the society grows into more complex activities every day that there is a need to combine other functions of technologies with it, revealing the very nature of the human activities at present. This in particular is the concrete technological importance of cellphone. However, there is other important idea for consideration aside from this importance linked to a cellphone. Here where its abstract or philosophical importance comes in, which generally is its theoretical importance. III. Cellphone and its theoretical importance With the innovation in communication and as already stated, receiving messages is just a form of technological advancement. However, there is other much more meaningful information other than this, and that is the theoretical importance of the cellphone technology. With the presence of cellphones, one of the greatest changes in the society is everybody’s lifestyle. Everyone can have a cellphone and with the linked privacy to it, personal engagement with this technology is of a high level. However, there is more to this observation. Today, smartphones are the latest innovation of cellphone and everyone can have them, while the features are not only confined within texting or calling, but eventually with other exciting features that ignited possible changes in the society (Berger 134). The actual changes therefore of the society have become evident to the prevailing changes in the features and functions of cellphones. This means cellphones have become a complex machine that is capable of integrating the complex idea of mankind that can become the agent of change. The idea is that the cellphone technology is more than just a piece of technological programs, but a depiction of a complex society. Its complexity reveals that our way of life and thinking must also change. With a fast-paced delivery of messages via cellphone, there can be more things to do leading to the efficiency of human activity as communication is vital to the process of obtaining success within the area of personal development, organizational growth and societal change for good in general. For instance, with cellphones managers can easily get information from subordinates even at a long distance, but still the preservation of centralized decision-making can be preserved. The chain of command will still be in order even there is a substantial geographical space gap. In other words, cellphone leads to the development of thinking that it can substantially stand as a specific technological tool to promote achievement of human goals at the most specific and basic level. This idea will lead us to consider that our way of thinking may possibly result to consider some important thoughts. With cellphone, one may think that the world has become so smaller for us; as such technological advancement is connecting people all around the world. Cellphone technology also contributes to our way of thinking about the way we socialize with others. It has become the portal for the extension of our network way beyond our home, schools, workplace and personal circle of friends. It can virtually connect us together. The power of connection is a great concept to be considered in here. It is a vital idea that leads to our way of thinking that even if there is an idea of distance, there will always be the ultimate way to connect each and every one of us. Such thinking for instance led to the creation of various social networking sites. However, cellphone industry thinks that this will also be the right place where cellphone has to engage itself and be productive all again at the next level. In fact, various smartphones today have built-in programs for social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. With this, people are confident to engage and be part of the virtual social community that eventually is slowly shaping the world. One can easily check a Facebook account everywhere at a Wi-Fi zone, to comment, like and engage in a social communication with friends all around the world. This usually happens in just a couple of seconds and spreading of information can easily become viral across the entire World Wide Web. In other words, aside from the thought linked to the cellphone technology that it has the power to connect people; it can also be a convenient way of training each of us to rely on an instant and fast-paced service for the gratification of human needs, wants and desires. In fact, many people will instantly get grumpy in a slow-moving Internet connection and eventually poor service of the network service provider for cellphones. In other words, cellphones at some point has been changing the human attitude or eventually our way of thinking on how one’s gratification or need should be addressed, instantly. IV. Analysis The work at hand so far considers the two essential things that we can remarkably associate with cellphone, its historical importance and theoretical importance. By studying the above arguments, one can probably deduce the idea that these two essential things are interrelated and working in harmony together to compliment the other. The discovery of cellphone was not an accident or by chance, but it has become the product of human way of thinking to search for more convenience in life. This eventually covers the idea linked to the concept of historical and theoretical importance of cellphone. In other words, by studying how we come up with a complex cellphone technology this far, a substantial idea may probably surface concerning the human way of thinking. Such thinking leads us to pursue the idea that there can be ways of formulating technologies that later will have substantial implications on the human way of life. Not only that. Whatever changes that technology might imply the development of human thinking can be a probable constant reaction that will most probably follow. Although there can be much more argument necessary to prove this claim, what is clear for us this far is that at the most specific level, the development of cellphone is just a means to leap us forward to the world where there is instant gratification of the human needs, wants and even desires. This factual observation is necessary if we want to move further in understanding not only the reason why certain object like cellphone is formulated, but on how it might have changed our way of life. V. Conclusion The work at hand just addressed the two most essential points regarding the cellphone technology that eventually is vital in shaping our modern culture on how the world are connecting people today. These are the historical importance and theoretical importance of the cellphone, which is a technological tool for communication that eventually possesses a cultural worth, because of its fundamental capacity to connect people especially in today’s modern age of technology and a fast-paced progression of innovative communication process. Having said all of the necessary information concerning this, there was a confirmation that cellphone changes everyone’s life, and this paper just provided the relevant information linked to the cultural worth of this object by considering its historical importance and theoretical importance. Works Cited Berger, Arthur Asa. Media and Society: A Critical Perspective. 3rd ed. Lanham, MY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012. Print. Faraday, Michael. Experimental Researches in Electricity, Volume 3. London: Bernard Quaritch, 1855. Print. Shahi, Gurinder, and Joseph Greco. Financing Technology Innovation. Lulu.com, 2008. Print. Oracle ThinkQuest Library. The History of Cell Phones. Web. 6 Nov. 2013. . Read More