Cell phones are on my list of Things I Don't Like. I haven't become a fan of this technology. How did we ever manage in the days when people weren't available twenty-four/seven? Before cell phones, how many life-changing phone calls did people miss over the one hundred plus years since Alexander Graham Bell said those immortal words to Mr. Watson? We managed, but not any more!
Do we even turn off the devices now? I am fearful on the roads due to distracted drivers texting or talking on these phones? What message is so important you put your own and others' lives in danger? Then again, people continue to drink and drive and that danger has been known for decades. The self driving car may be the only solution.
Convenience is the key. It's not necessary to find a public phone or a phone booth since you take the cell with you. It is easily accessible and can be the connection to a world of knowledge via the internet. There is no need to wonder about anything for very long. Our need for instant answers and instant communication drives many of us.
I bought my first cell phone about ten years ago when I travelled regularly over the highway in Newfoundland to visit my mother. The phone was for emergencies and I only turned it on whilst on the road. Even today, it is rarely on and when it is, I forget to turn it off. When I need it again, it's dead. This phone is not a priority.
Conversely, there is a new app which encourages users to stay off their cell phones, to speak to others rather than tune them out. Someone is making money by timing how long we are not using our phones. I wonder if children raised today will have issues with absentee parents who were physically present but on their phones?
Meanwhile, my issues with cell phones continue. Is there an app for that?