If you think that cell phone usage is getting out of hand, this cartoon just may confirm it. (click on the picture to go to the original page)
I think most of us feel that if we lose our cell phone, the entire day is ruined. It is true_the cell phone has many uses. We use them for everything from simply talking, to texting, to conducting business matters, to using the Internet and much more. They are definitely handy systems for most of our transactions. An article by Sandy Berger pretty much sums it up.
Cell Phone Usage
by Sandy Berger
Cell phones are becoming an integral part of our daily lives. It is no surprise that a groundbreaking study just released says mobile technology has permanently changed the way we work, live, and love. Commissioned by Motorola, this new behavioral study took researchers to nine cities worldwide from New York to London. Using a combination of personal interviews, field studies, and observation, the study identified a variety of behaviors that demonstrate the dramatic impact cell phones are having on the way people interact.
The study found cell phones give people a newfound personal power, enabling unprecedented mobility and allowing them to conduct their business on the go. Interesting enough, gender differences can be found in phone use. Women see their cell phone as a means of expression and social communication, while males tend to use it as an interactive toy. Some men view the cell phone as a status symbol - competing with other males for the most high tech toy and even using the cell phone to seduce the opposite sex. The study found two types of cell phone users- "innies,” who use their phones discreetly, and "outies,” who are louder and less concerned with the people around them.
The report, titled On the Mobile, has labeled today’s teenagers “The Thumb Generation.” Cell phones are often used by the younger generation to send text messages by typing with their thumbs on the phone’s keypad. Believe it or not, this has had a profound effect on the way teenagers use their thumbs. Thumb dexterity has improved so much that some teenagers now point and even ring doorbells with their thumb instead of their forefinger. The use of these two-way text messaging devices has also resulted in "generation text," a language of abbreviations that is understood by the young all over the world.
Yet cell phones are not just for the young. The cell phone has made long distance communications easy. GSM phones that place calls worldwide have turned the universe into a global village. They are helping people from all generations cross cultural and physical borders. Mobile technology, specifically the use of cell phones, has become an internal part of today’s life all around the globe.
