Blog #2: Cell Phones

The invention of the telephone gave the average person the ability to instantaneously communicate with someone who wasn’t right next to them for the first time ever. Since then, the accessibility of this technology has increased quite a bit, although the basis for it hasn’t changed much at all. Nowadays, almost everyone carries a cell phone with them at all times. This little device not only allows people to call and text others who aren’t with them, but it also acts as a computer, giving users access to the internet whenever they want it.

According to class lecture, the modern telephone network operates, at its base level, the same way as it did in the past. It has simply been built upon to create what we have today. Cell phones are able to connect to this network through the different cell towers that cover certain areas. These towers then transmit the calls to where they need to go using three different telephone company types. Each type manages the calls based on the range between the caller and the recipient.

Cell phones have allowed people to connect with others all over the world whenever they need to. They have also, as mentioned before, given users access to the internet while on-the-go. Both of these things show that these devices have provided huge benefits to society, however some fear that having such quick access to these devices has damaged our face-to-face interactions with other people. 

One problem that many people point out is that some appear to be glued to their phones, rarely looking away unless they absolutely need to. This can be a common occurrence, even while spending time with other people. According to a study done by Lynne Kelly, Aimee Miller-Ott and Robert Duran, some people perceive this behavior as offensive and have negative feelings toward it. This is strongest when the other person is “repeatedly looking at the phone or playing a game alone” (Kelly, Miller-Ott, Duran 2019). When someone is paying more attention to their phone than to the person sitting next to them, it can have a very negative impact on how that person feels about the interaction.

Citation:

Kelly, L., Miller-Ott, A., & Duran, R. (n.d.). Phubbing friends: Understanding face threats from, and responses to, friends' cell phone usage through the lens of politeness theory. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01463373.2019.1668443.