 The consequences of phonesEver since the invention of the telegraph and the telephone in the 1830’s and 40’s, people have used technology that is based on electricity to communicate over distances. This technology developed relatively slowly for more than one hundred years. Then, with the development of electronics, new devices and technologies were constructed and developed, such as electronic computers starting in the 1940’s, cell phones starting in the 1970’s, and the internet starting in the 1990’s. The application of these technologies to communications led, in the last few years, to a dramatic and ever accelerating change in the way people view and use communication devices. This change is taking society by storm. Today people use computers, tablets, and smartphones not only to communicate with one another but also for knowledge, information, and entertainment. As a result, such devices and technologies have become extremely popular and are extensively used by a great number of people of all ages. The development of the modern communication means is arguably one of the greatest achievements of our time.

Unfortunately, with this advance technology come many accompanying consequences. Many experts are continuously expressing fears that this new technology might be dangerous in many different and, in some cases, not easily recognizable ways. The dangers can range from potentially harmful effects of the radiation used for wireless transmissions to the effects of more complex new communications realities on social skills and behaviors of individuals or groups of people. However, if there are so many risks, why does society continue to cellphones at such an accelerated rate?

The extent to which communication technology is used today is really amazing. “Out of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones” (Wang). It is estimated that 95% of Americans own cell phones (Mountjoy). Further, it seems that the new technology weighs more heavily on the younger generations. Today it is not uncommon to see a toddler play with an Ipad or a ten-year-old who owns an Iphone.  However, the age group that is affected the most is that of teenagers and young adults. 

This is well documented in many studies. For example, in one of them it is stated that “Studies reported in the Journal of Behavioral Sciences show that young adults send an average of 109.5 text messages daily and check their cell phones an average of 60 times a day” (Mountjoy). In another study (Lepp) we find that “college students report using their phone for nearly five hours per day, with the highest users being on the device almost constantly”, and they also “report using their phones in nearly every conceivable situation, including during class, while studying, during meals, while driving, at the movies, in the bathroom, and during sex.” Such results show that cell phones have already become an essential necessity in the lives of many young people. They have created a new form of addiction. Indeed, it has been reported on CNN (Wallace) that fifty percent of teens consider themselves “addicted” to their cell phones. 

Naturally, such findings bring up the very important question as to whether this is a harmless addiction or not. The benefits are clear. Cell phones give us the power of interconnectedness. We are able to reach each other from any place at any time and communicate. “Unlike previous communications systems, where we were bound to a certain location, use of mobile telephone means that we need not be at a specific station, node, of geographical location to receive information” (Ling). 

Cell phones make us feel safer, as many emergencies can be handled much more efficiently with the assistance of cell phones. We can quickly and from any place call for an ambulance, the police, or the fire department. Also, cell phones can be combined with tracking devices allowing us to know continuously the whereabouts of loved ones that may need some extra protection such as children or the elderly. This is important because it gives these people the opportunity to participate in activities from which they would had been excluded from in the past out of fears for their safety. We loosen their physical ties because their virtual ties are more strongly connected than ever. 

But the benefits of safety, is only the beginning, “cell phones now allow users to surf the internet, update social networking sites, play video games, stream movies and sporting events, make and share photographs and videos, and complete many additional functions using specially designed software applications (apps)” (Lepp). It is certainly true that this technology is changing today’s society in a profound way. “Forget letters and phone calls. Texts are the currency of modern conversation -- and mobile Internet searches are the way to solve disputes of fact or trivia. Dating apps search suitors by location, and mobile maps ensure we app-enabled super humans can't get lost, as long as there's a wireless signal” (Sutter).  From the outside looking in it appears that society has solved all of its problems.

However, have we truly solved all of our troubles, or have we created new obstacles? Many studies show that for every aid that cell phones offer us there is a negative side effect accompanying it. The problems seem to stem from the fact that the use of the new communication technology creates a kind of virtual reality in which the participants are compelled to act in ways that are contrary to the modus operandi people have used for at least the thousands of years of recorded history. In this new reality, people try to reach, connect, and interact with as many distant friends as possible. In the process, they weaken their ability to communicate with the people who are physically close to them and don’t need a cell phone to be reached. 

Today, when a group of friends gather together they want to connect with one another, but, at the same time, they feel the need to multitask. Instead of interacting with those in the room with them, they use their capability to connect with other people who are not present. When we reach out to others via technology, we feel that we have a connection and as if they are in the room with us. We are able to simulate real emotions through constant text messaging; however, this can actually be damaging to our real relationships. Despite those feelings of closeness, we are truly alone outside of our virtual screens.

It is no longer unusual for a group of people to sit in the same room and be so engaged with the screens in front of them that they miss out on the company of those around them. People working in business offices feel as if they no longer have coworkers. This is because each employee would rather be playing on their Blackberries than reaching out to the person down the hall.  Instead of asking someone for their help or opinion it is more convenient to shoot them an email rather than ask their opinion face to face. We are content spending our free time distracting ourselves with virtual friends and games on our phones.

In modern society text messaging is rapidly becoming the most dominant form of communication. However, is not the best way to form relationships. The reason that this mode of communication is so popular is our ability to control, edit, and present ourselves as the person we want to be. When we send a text message we portray the image of ourselves that we want society to recognize us as. We are able to control each of our words and carefully edit and re-edit our messages in an effort to project an image of ourselves. This is easy to do over text, but is not as simple to do when we communicate face to face. We are not able to stop and think, type the words, then rephrase the parts we don’t like. We are willing to sacrifice our true personalities in pursuit of becoming someone we want to be. (Turkle)

The change in the way in which people communicate with one another has most severely affected the younger generations. Millennials and generation Z are growing up in a society that is becoming increasingly accustomed to communicating from behind a screen.  In this environment, they do not have the opportunity to develop social skills that was basic knowledge to previous generations. Instead they rely on technology to communicate for them. This has caused a rapid change in the social norms of communication. Sherry Turkle, a Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses the acute changes in society. She discusses a conversation that she had with a young man.  The boy stated, “Someday,” he said “someday, but certainly not now, I would like to learn how to have a real conversation.” This statement exemplifies the generational shift in communication which has greatly impacted our younger generations.

Unfortunately, the problem with cell phone usage is not limited to its interfering with the development of the social skills of younger users. Recent studies performed by the University of Illinois have shown a correlation between addictive cell phone behavior of young adults and feelings of anxiety and depression. “With the growth of mobile technology and the accompanying concern about its mental health implications, the researchers wanted to explore the connection between these information and communication technologies and psychological well-being” (Banducci). The use of cell phones for escapism through entertainment, distraction, and human connection is intended by users to be a relax and destress. Instead it has slowly lead them to mental diseases that are not easily curable. These results seem to indicate that even though smart phones are used as a form of escapism, they can actually create more stress. Worse yet, the societal addiction that cell phones have created makes it difficult for people to realize and accept the problem. 

Cell phones have been found to also have a damaging effect on sleep patterns.  It is not unusual for many people, just before they go to bed, to find themselves checking one last email, checking up on one more person, or watching one last video. Before they realize it they have spent hours of the night glued to their phone staring at a small screen and winding their mind up so much that it is nearly impossible to relax in order to go to sleep. Also, many people use cell phones as alarm clocks to wake up in the morning.  This seemingly harmless action adversely affects the way people of all ages, including children, sleep. “Nighttime smartphone and tablet use expose adults and children to artificial light and to high concentrations of blue wavelength light, which is particularly effective at suppressing melatonin and causing delay and disruption to sleep” (Dr. Breus). Also, “A 2008 study funded by major mobile phone makers themselves showed that people exposed to mobile radiation took longer to fall asleep and spent less time in deep sleep” (Hall and Spurlock). This is evidence that demonstrates the harmful effect of cell phones on sleep patterns.

Finally, a potential problem with cell phones is the radiation they emit. Many scientists doubt that this kind of radio radiation, classified as non-ionizing, can cause cancer. Published research results seem to support this view or are inconclusive. However, published preliminary results of a research project by the National Toxicology Program indicate that the radiation emitted by cell phones causes cancer in laboratory animals. Interestingly, in a respond to these findings Otis W. Brawley, M.D., American Cancer Society Chief Medical Officer, stated among other things, “The NTP report linking radiofrequency radiation (RFR) to two types of cancer marks a paradigm shift in our understanding of radiation and cancer risk. The findings are unexpected; we wouldn’t reasonably expect non-ionizing radiation to cause these tumors”(Sampson). This is an example of why study is so important in evaluating cancer risk. It’s interesting to note that early studies on the link between lung cancer and smoking had similar resistance, since theoretical arguments at the time suggested that there could not be a link.

 From what we have stated above we can safely conclude that cell phones are here to stay. The benefits and conveniences they provide are so deeply intertwined with the ways we conduct our daily business that nobody can find an argument strong enough to convince even a small minority of users to go back the simpler lifestyle that was the status quo less than twenty years ago. Yet, there is a great necessity to find ways to eliminate or at least limit some of the major problems that the new technology has created.

It is true that some of these problems can be easily solved. Especially once the users become aware of their existence of potential dangers. If users are aware of the ways cell phones may affect their sleeping patterns, chances are they will make at least some adjustments to improve on the situation. Similarly, the adverse effect of the radiation emitted by cell phones can be minimized by developing some new habits. In fact, the FDA has suggested the following two ways in which users can reduce their exposure to the cell phone radiation. Firstly, Reserve the use of cell phones for shorter conversations or for times when a landline phone is not available. Secondly, use a device with hands-free technology, such as wired headsets, which place more distance between the phone and the head of the user (Center for devices..).

The most serious problems that are created for society by the extensive use of cell phones stems from the fact that cell phones have become very addictive for many of their users. This new type of addiction creates a contradiction. Because the more people communicate at a distance by cell phone the more they lose their ability to interact with other people face to face. This, then, eventually leads to a well-connected society that is ironically completely disconnected.

The problem is aggravated by the fact that you cannot expect an addicted person to give up their habit just by telling them that their behavior is detrimental to them. Therefore, what should society do? Unless technology itself creates a new way or fashion in communications or a new interest that is generally accepted, it is hard to imagine a way by which those who are already addicted to the use of cell phones can be assisted in changing their ways. Of course individuals may change their patterns if important changes occur in their lives, like getting married or getting a job with different requirements. But the addiction to cell phones as a social problem will remain.

However, society has a better chance in preventing new people from getting addicted to the use of cell phones. To achieve this goal a conscientious effort should start early in the lives of young people in the family and the school. They should be encouraged and be provided with more opportunities for face to face interactions with their peers, thus reducing the need for using the cell phone. If enough young people get used to and learn to prefer face to face conversations over using the cell phone, then we may experience a shift in peer pressure towards a more limited use of cell phones communications.

This does not mean that cell phones will become less useful. Their use though will be limited to necessity and helpfulness instead of their normal addictive nature in society’s culture. The reason that society chooses to use phones despite the risk it because the short term gains seem to outweigh the long term threats. However, it is important to monitor cell phone usage to avoid all of the negative consequences that accompany these conveniences. 
