College Without Cell Phones
As I made plans with my friends this weekend to go to Mexico we were reminded that our cell phones would not work while there. This changed our planning style completely. We were forced to know exact details and be very careful about how we went down there and made sure we stayed together.
While dealing with this sitaution it made me wonder what college would have been like 30 years ago without the convenience of cell phones. How things would have been different; for better, or worse. I asked my Dad about his experience and he said that it was very hard to keep in contact with people. All you had was their room number, and often with the busy college life people were unable to reach on another on it.
I read an article by Zachary Pallister which comented on the insanity that cell phones bring into our lives. He spoke about how "home is no longer a place where we are away from our work and social lives". Although most of us might not see the never ending social life as a problem, I myself feel that I am way too reliant on my phone. Without it I feel disconnected from the world. I feel as if I will miss out without the ability to reach other people, as well as being reached by them. If you understand how I feel and would like to read Pallister's article about our reliance on phones you can check out his article at http://my.highschooljournalism.org/tx/sanantonio/rrhs/article.cfm?eid=1055&aid=14284. I find this topic extremeley relevant and worth understanding, I hope you will too.
While dealing with this sitaution it made me wonder what college would have been like 30 years ago without the convenience of cell phones. How things would have been different; for better, or worse. I asked my Dad about his experience and he said that it was very hard to keep in contact with people. All you had was their room number, and often with the busy college life people were unable to reach on another on it.
I read an article by Zachary Pallister which comented on the insanity that cell phones bring into our lives. He spoke about how "home is no longer a place where we are away from our work and social lives". Although most of us might not see the never ending social life as a problem, I myself feel that I am way too reliant on my phone. Without it I feel disconnected from the world. I feel as if I will miss out without the ability to reach other people, as well as being reached by them. If you understand how I feel and would like to read Pallister's article about our reliance on phones you can check out his article at http://my.highschooljournalism.org/tx/sanantonio/rrhs/article.cfm?eid=1055&aid=14284. I find this topic extremeley relevant and worth understanding, I hope you will too.
posted by Kristin Wittenberg at 9:52 PM
17 Comments:
I totally agree. I can even remember in the first few years of high school when I was what seemed like the only person who didnt have a cell phone. I felt completely disconnected. Now I college it is worse. During those times when you dont have a cell phone, whether im in a different country or my phone isnt working, there is a big feeling of being totally disconnected from your peers. There is always the question of "what if i need to get in touch with this person?" Cell phones are the tool that helps people do this. The guy that wrote the article, i do not agree. Cell phones can actually help organize our lives and add a feeling of assurance.
Thats interesting. Makes you realize how much people rely on cell phones. When I try and go out with my girlfriend, she is almost always late. Without a cell phone I would be forced to sit and wait for her to finish getting ready, but now i just tell her to call me when she wants me to go and pick her up and that eliminates the waiting.
Really interesting post. Cell phones are probably lowering our societal tolerance for being alone, not knowing where others are, etc. I think cell phones definitely enable a different kind of interconnectedness and interdependence than my generation and earlier expects. Is the flip side of that, that people don't know how to be alone, are always trying to improve their situation and are never satisfied, as the author suggests? I don't know but the social impacts of cell phones are definitely worth considering.
I couldn't agree with you more. I used to not have a cell phone and felt totally out of the loop. Now, if I forget my cell phone even for a few hours I go crazy. I feel like I'm missing an arm or something. The invention of the cell phone has definately added insanity to life as we know it. Our professional lives, social lives, and home lives are all combined into one with a cell phone. It must of been so hard for our parents and the generations before them to need to get a hold of some one and not be able too. I'm very proud of your blog!
I completely agree. I think I would die without my cell phone. I actually didn't get one until a little over a year ago so I was basically the only person without one in my entire high school. That does create a feeling of insecurity in some ways I think. Anytime that I am without my cell phone now, I am constantly worrying about it. I hate missing calls and my cell phone is the main way that I keep in touch with people besides the internet. The two most important gadgets in my life are definitely my cell phone and my computer. How did we ever survive without those things?
I agree. I went for a few months without a cell phone and it was really hard to keep in touch with people and meet up with people. I was kind of annoyed with my cell phone for a while, because it made me feel like I couldn't be alone, however after taking a break I feel a lot better about that and am grateful for it.
Great blog Kristin! It's stanger how we've become so dependent on our cell phones. Hard to imagine that just a few years ago we had to resort to calling land lines to get a hold of people. The real question is whether our new "digital leashes" are beneficial or restricting our freedom!
As with everyone else that has commented, I would completly agree with you. It is hard for me to leave my house without my cell phone. Not only does it feel like I will end up missing out on what my friends would be doing that day, but it is also acts as a security blanket for me. When I go somewhere, especially if I am driving, having my phone just makes me feel more protected. What if I got a flat tire? Obviously having a cell phone is more convienient and safer than walking to the nearest phone on the road. If I am walking home alone from a friends house at night, I will pull out my phone and call a random person to feel more protected. In reality, talking to someone miles away from me (walking in the dark alone) is not going to serve as much of a safeguard if I am attacked. I guess it's all just a psychological thing.
Cell phones are the key when it comes to keeping in touch with my friends and family at home. I have a pretty long walk from the dorms to the art building, and sometimes I take advantage of the 10 to 15 min walk to have a quick catch up with someone I haven't talked to in awhile. I'm killing two birds with one stone (I catch up with a frien and the walk goes by twice as fast).
People always complain about how their cell phones hold them back and never allow any time for them to be by themselves. I on the other hand, enjoy the fact that people can get a hold of me. For example, if someone calls me while I am at the beach with some friends I can invite them to come along. The more the marrier, right? If I really didn't want to be contacted I could easily leave my phone at home or just turn it off. I do have to mention though, that it is the worst when you don't have your phone for a day (or even a couple of hours) and after you finally get it back there are no new messages or missed calls. ha. But it really isn't a good feeling.
I think I will always enjoy the cell phone just for the basic use of being able to have a conversation with someone. I don't need the games or the email gadgets. I just like the security it provides for me.
yeah pretty much i go into instant depression when i cant find my cell phone or even the battery dies. i always preach that cell phones are rediculous because of the fact that they werent used by our parents...imagine how they lived, free.
I definately agree with everyone else. Whenever I dont have my cell phone, I feel so out of place. Constantly during class, between class, and any time of the day frankly, I am always with my phone in case someone will call me or I need to call someone. Especially in college, we need this. Because we live far away from home (most of us) the only way to keep in contact with anyone from home is our cell phones. Although we are able to have a home telephone wherever we choose to live, its just like at home, we always want to be in contact with someone in case of an emergency, etc. It really makes you realize how dependent you are on thos things that hardly work! At least mine doesn't half the time.
I can't imagine my life without a cell phone. I've relied on my phone so much that when I've lost it, I feel weird. I know that sounds funny that I feel weird without my phone, but I use it all the time. I've asked my dad that the same question. He said when he was in high school he didnt want to be contacted by his parents. He was always with his friends and he figured that if his parents couldnt get a hold of him then he couldnt get in trouble. I agree with feeling disconnected from the world. I get really angry when people don't answer their cell phone calls. I can't imagine my life without a cell phone
I think partly why we are in love with our cell phones is because it gives us a chance to connect with each other in the new world that seems to keep growing and growing at a faster pace. For 50 bucks a month, I can talk, text ,and send pictures to all of my friends and family. I think the dwindling price of the cell phone has allowed for everyone to be able to connect and continue keeping in touch with each other. Less than 10 years ago, you would have spent 50 bucks on your long distance bill alone, and even more if your relatives live out of state. Now, you can talk to just about anyone, anywhere in the US, for 50 bucks or less a month. SWEET.
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