This has probably happened to you at least once. Your with a friend, enjoying a nice conversation and a Double-Double at Tim Hortons, because thats what we all drink. Everything is going great, THEN, suddenly, a sound as annoying as Ricky Martins music video, damps the mood. You instantly see the shear panic in your friends eyes, as they search helplessly to find the source of this sound. When they finally locate it, the entire establishment breaths a sigh of relief, RICOLA!!!. You, somehow lost in all this chaos, try to find some seedling of normality. You take a sip of coffee and try to wait until your friend is done replying to whatever message he has received from the Western Front. So you wait, drink some more coffee, and during this whole process try to get your friend to talk and pay attention to you, but their eyes are locked on to their cellphones. I'm kidding of course. The real issue is the use and abuse of cellphones. We see examples of it at school, with people texting and sometimes answering calls in class. Things that were once seen as disrespectful, such as answering calls and texting when someone is trying to have a conversation with you, are starting to become the cultural norm.My question to you is, have we both as users of cellphones and advocaters in some sense, gone to far in terms of our reliability on this technology, which many times directs our lives. What of the role of media in all of this? Do they promote this kind of "rebellious" behaviour or is it just a phemona of this freedom induced generation? Has the core purpose of the cellphone being its communication changed or has it been altered to attract a new market like our high tech, on the go society where everything is made to save time and money?
I believe that many people do rely too much on their phones, and i mean way too much, all because whenever there's is a call or a new msg most people stop whatever they are doing, be it writing a new essay for english or driving, and view the phone on "whats new". Rekless as it may be you can't help yourself from being anxious about who called or sent the msg.
ReplyDeleteAs for the media, they could careless because they, the phone company, recieved their money for the product and now its the resposibility of the user to take discresion on the usage. in the end the more advanced technology becomes the less civilized and active people become.
The introduction of communicative tools such as the cell phone has made this younger generation become distanced from the real world. What you see today with people giving priority to their cell phones is just one of its many effects. Another one of its effects is that it in specific situations; it can amplify psychological phenomena, such as the bystander effect.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101117/sc_yblog_thelookout/if-the-science-guy-passes-out-and-nobody-tweets-it-did-it-happen
Bill Nye fainted during one of his lectures at the University of Southern California. The bystander effect was observed, as none of the students rushed to his aid, but another important phenomena occurred; rather than rushing to Bill’s aid, many of the students took out their cell phones and texted or tweeted about the occurrence.
This can be seen as both educational and horrifying. But let’s look at it from an educational perspective; apparently tweeting is now more important than helping a person in dire need. Yes that statement is a generalization, and I know every one who posts on this blog would rush to his aid, but my point is that we can now see through experiences such as the Bill Nye incidence, just the adverse effect that cell phones have on people. As horrifying as this effect may seem, you can rest easy knowing that Bill was alright.
There's nothing wrong with using a cell phone for it does proove very helpful in many occasions but the issue occurs when people pay more attention to the phone than whatever else they are doing, like having a conversation with a close friend or especially driving.
ReplyDeleteSee when I read this, I had to read it again...lol...I didn't get what was going on, but that's irrelevant, point is that i agree that cellphones tend to distract people.
ReplyDeleteThe media's way of endorsing cellphones is, I cant lie, very efficient because they know what the teens( or rather people ) expect from them. If a celebrity has a phone, a person will work their butt of to get it. In this situation I cant say much because I myself don't own a cellphone, but i can speak on the behalf of those that feel neglected when their buddy is on the phone.
In my opinion cellphones have a great power over teens (people) of today.
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ReplyDeletei completely agree with everything "Albo" said. My older sister has a Blackberry, and it is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.
ReplyDeleteeverytime I try telling her a story,i need to pause around 10 times due to her BBM, or Gmail msgs, or txt msgs, or voice msgs that keep coming. It sucks the fun out of the whole story, or takes the importance away of what i am trying to tell her.
People with BB are constantly locked on it, paying no attention what-so-ever to what is going on around them. It is very annoying and i believe that all blackberrys should be CRUSHED, BURNED, AND THROWN FAR FAR AWAY FROM PLANET EARTH!
...
.....ok maybe not... but they definitely have swallowed people into the virtual world.
We got to step out of this mentality that "all teens are cellphone obsessed, text messaging robots". It is not true. I for instance have great control over myself while my phone is on me. I try to make the most of its features to boost my productivity on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteBefore I answer this question, I would like to take some time to look at some of the pros and cons of cell phones in today's society. You gotta remember, technology is fast changing. What's new today, is old news tomorrow.
Disregarding the media, I think we would all agree that cell phones are one of the greatest things that have happened to humanity. Cell phones have changed the way we communicate and view things. They have made the world a more productive place.
Today's cellphones are not even "phones" anymore. They are multi-media devices. We can surf the web on them, take pictures and even play games with outstanding graphics. If I wanted to I could call up some guy in the tight favelas of Rio de Janeiro and ask him to play some COD with me. ( Unrealistic, but with today's cellphones, the sky is the limit).
Cons
Not many at all , in my opinion. Well, according to some people on this post, they cause symptoms of obsessive behavior in young adults. Also, many of you might already know, cell phones are a great way to PROCRASTINATE.
There have also been studies that cellphones lead to brain cancer. ( Which is very debatable).
NOW, I will talk about the topic of media. We just all saw the good and the bad of cell phones. In my opinion I do not think the media is causing teens to be obsessed with their cell phones. I don't know about you, but i haven't seen any Black Berry of Iphone commercials using teen actors in their advertisements. Most if not all ads display features that would boosts overall productivity on a daily basis. It is unfair to bash the media ,( not that they do not deserve a bashing) at least not on the topic of teen cell phone obsession.
The ads do not recommend teens to use black berries. They recommend BBs to be used in the cooperate world.
With all good things there will always be a bad side.
I JUST DON'T THINK IT IS FAIR TO BLAME THE MEDIA JUST BECAUSE SOME IMMATURE DISRESPECTFUL TEEN INDIVIDUAL IS OBSESSED WITH HIS/HER PHONE. I personally speaking am not obsessed with my phone, and I also know many that aren't either.
I believe that our generation is using cell phones a lot. However, i don't believe is the media's faulting that teens use cell phones during class time. However, i think this generation needs to act more responsibly to cell phones, and not disrespect teachers during class time. Technology cannot be stopped; however, it can be properly used. Of course, the media does not say "Oh: you can use your blackberries in the classrooms." The media's responsibility to cell phones is nothing more of advertisements.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sorry guys, I couldn't respond back soon, I was tweeting my sister. I just have to say that for safars comment, you say it isn't fair to blame the media just because some people might use their phones irresponsibly. You could argue that in some respect, it is the media that is showing images and videos, particulary of teenagers, of being free and careless, free from responsibility and the worries of life and one way they can be free and not have to worry about anything is when they are on their phones. Your so busy with what your doing on there, that you don't pay attention to things going on around you. Now I'm not saying the media always does this, but generally fom time to time it will.
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