It's almost getting out of hand. It must happen at least once a day. You're sitting in lecture, trying to focus on what the professor is telling you, absently copying notes when RINNGGGGG. It's the shrill cry of a cell phone. Your attention is immediately and helplessly seized from anthropology to that piercing beeping. The professor might abruptly stop in mid-sentence while the culprit sheepishly answers the phone or turns the bell off. You know what I'm talking about.
In the information age, it has become something of a sin to be out of touch, even when in class. Cell phones and pagers are proliferating and sneaking into places like rabbits. Everyone has one and/or the other. You can't leave home without them because they're such a great convenience.
But do we really need them? The initial answer is, "Of course! What if there's some emergency?" Sure, that's perfectly plausible. Given that argument, everyone should be laden with these wonderful technologies. But let's be honest here, how many cell phone conversations are bona fide emergencies? I'm sure you can count them on one hand. Most college students don't even keep their phones on all the time, thus all but nullifying the in-case-of-emergency justification.
Let's face it. Cell phones are a luxury. Which is fine, because America right now is very luxury-oriented. The economy (for now, at least) is doing very well, allowing industries of indulgence to flourish. Technology has also been advancing by leaps and bounds at a time. Soon, we are told, there will be phones on your wristwatch. You'll be able to check your e-mail on the commuter train. You'll never be out of touch again! Isn't that great?
Not so fast. As technology speeds ahead like a runaway train and people are able to communicate easier and cheaper, a few things are getting trampled on in the process. Like individual freedom. Independence. Simple peace and quiet. Instead of making a decision for yourself, maybe you'll call somebody. If you're bored doing homework, call your boyfriend. And it's not just cell phones, the Internet also plays a big part in our growing interdependence. It's been relentlessly and repeatedly drilled into our heads to reach out and touch someone whenever you feel like it. repeatedly drilled into our heads to reach out and touch someone whenever you feel like it. It seems that necessity is no longer the mother of invention, it's dead-beat dad, commercialism, has kidnapped it and skipped town. No wonder everyone has cell phones these days: we've been masterfully brainwashed into thinking we need them. The cellular telephone industry has ballooned into a billion-dollar industry, with millions of potential customers in our country alone. They've successfully preyed on our human penchant for gadgets and exploited it to turn a tidy profit.
So do we really need to check e-mail on the train? Of course not; we can wait. Do you really need to call your significant other whenever your heart desires? No, you don't. Patience, as we are rarely told in this instant gratification-oriented culture, is still a virtue. It's great that you can call anyone anywhere anytime you want these days, but I think I'll just turn my phone bell off at night from now on.
What do you think? Mail me
© 1998 Chris Campbell. All rights reserved.
