|
The central idea of cell phones is that you should be connected to almost everyone and everything at all times.The trouble is that cell phones assault your peace of mind no matter what you do.If you turn them off,why have one?You just irritate anyone who might call.If youre on and no one calls,youre irrelevant,unloved or both.If everyone calls,youre a basket case. As with other triumphs of the mass market,cell phones reached a point when people forget what it was like before they existed.NO one remembers life before cars,.TVs,air conditioners,jets,credit cards,mircrowave ovens and ATM cards.So,too,now with cell phones.Anyone without one will soon be classified as an eccentric or member of the underclass. Look at the numbers,In1985 there were 340,213 cell-phone users.By year-end 2003 there were 159 million.Ihad once assumed that age or hearing loss would immunize most of the over-60 population against cell phones.Wrong.Among those 60 to 69,cell phone ownership is almost as high as among 18-to 24-year-olds,though lower than among 30-to 49-year-olds,according to a recent survery from the Pew Research Center.Even among those 80 and older,ownership is 32 percent. Of course,cell phones have productive uses.For those constanly on the road,theyre a bonus.The same is true for critical workers needed zt a moments notice.Otherwise,benefits seem gloomy. They make driving more dangerous,though how much so is unclear.Then, theres sheer nuisance.Private conversations have gone public.Weve all been subjected to someone elses sales meeting,dinner reservation,family argument and dating problem.In2003 cell phone conversations totaled 830 billion minutes,reckons CTIA.That about 75 times greater than in 1991 and almost 50 hours for every man,woman and chidren in America.How valuable is all this chitchat?The average conversation lasts two-and-a-half to three minutes.Surely many could be postponed or forgotten. | 
