Cell Phones: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The prevalence of cubicleular telephone call up shouts in American culture shouldnt come as much of a surprise to anyone. Cell phone use has risen In the united States from about 91,000 users 985 to In 2007 and n 2009 was somewhere In the neighborhood of 280,000,000, which means that approximately 90% of Americans own cell phones. And Americans arna the only ones. check to a February 2010 article on www. Cobwebs. Com, there are approximately 4. 6 billion cell phone subscriptions worldwide and that number is expected to surpass five billion by the end of the year.I had to wonder, what are the advantages and disadvantages of 90% of Americans (New York Times, May 13, 2010) and nearly 85% of the worlds race using cell phones? I figure there had to be quite a few advantages for so some people to have cell phones, so I asked around. The number one answer I found was the convenience. Peoples ability to be reached at all times, able to reach others at all times, and how debased com munication with others has become. Cant reach someone by phone? Send a text. Text meanss are delivered almost Instantaneously and theres no need to eave a message and Walt for a call back anymore.Many others cited having a cell phone In case of emergency. According to Pew Internet, In 2006, 74% of cell phone users report using their cell phones in emergency situations. While cell phone bills are usually non lower than landlines bills alone, the long distance cost is significantly less for cell phone users. Long distance costs are included in the everyplaceall minute usage for most cell phone subscriptions, whereas many landlines providers charge by the minute for long distance calls. As cell phone technology advances, so o the tools available to cell phone users.A growing number of users report using their phones for such things as listening to music, checking email, keeping their routine calendars, making grocery lists, and even keeping track of daily calorie intake. (New Yor k Times, May 13, 2010). There are many organizational tools available on the new generation of sweet phones as well as many different navigational tools. GAPS locators In phones are subscribed to by many parents of underage cell phone users. Cell phones can also be utilise as cameras and video recorders and those photos and ideas are easily emailed to others or uploaded to sites such as Twitter and Faceable.Entertainment is even making the list of advantages to having a cell phone these days. As I mentioned previously, users can listen to music on their cell phones, but it doesnt stop there. Technology has advanced so much that users can now overhear television shows and movies on their phones. So it seems I was correct about how many advantages must be out there, but what about the downside? The very first theory I had was about the ban on cell phones in schools and what a huge disruption cell phones must be In the classroom. That issue Is and part of the larger issue of the w idespread distraction cell phones cause.Everywhere you go you see cell phones In use In the coffee shop, the movie theater, the grocery store, even church, and bit driving. Going back to the cost of cell phones, while heavy long distance users may notice a relief in their long distance landlines. There are costs for air time usage, text message usage, broadband usage, music purchases, games purchases, and app purchases, not to mention the dreaded over-the-hill costs. Some cell phone companies charge as much as sixty cents per minute or every minute of air time over your allotted plan.Add that to long contracts and hefty fees for canceling contracts and cell phones become quite an expensive venture. The ever-increasing technology is adding to these costs as well. Newer, smarter phones released every few months are of course attractive(a) to users, but on top of the cost of upgrading phones on a regular basis is the added cost of the service providers data package. In order to util ize these newer smart phones, the data package is a requirement and on average costs something like an additional $30 ere month. Aside from financial adjoin, what about health impact?There seems to be quite a bit of worry over the radio frequency radiation given off by cell phones and cell phone towers. There is much argument about whether or not this sort of radiation is of any real concern, but according to www. Contemporaries. Com, there are many very serious health concerns to think about. There are reports that cell phone use can cause disturbances in sleep and concentration, fatigue, and headache. According to a BBC News report (wry. News. BBC. Co. UK), Cell phones image key brain cells and could trigger the early onset of Alchemists disease Researchers have found that radiation from cell phone handsets damages areas of the brain associated with learning, memory and movement. Reports linking cell phones to sterility in men, eye tissue damage, and increased chances of depress ion and cancer have also been published. In researching the negative effects of cell phones, I happened across some even more sinister effects. Take setting the act of sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages, photos, or images via cell phone, computer, or other chital device.These messages, photos, and images are then often being further disseminated through email and internet-based social networking websites well beyond their original intended recipients. (wry. Mass. Gob) There have been hundreds of reported cases of setting a handful of those cases involving suicide and/or sex offense criminal charges such as child pornography in the cases involving high school students. According to www. Masc.. Com, 39% of high schools students admit to sending these types of messages and 48% say theyve received them.Another very stark habit Americans have developed is talking on their cell phone while driving. Muff have four times the risk of being in a crash if youre on the phone while driving. (www. Unfathomable. Com) Whats even scarier are the results of a Car and Driver Magazine study that found testing while driving is much worse than driving while intoxicated. The results of this study showed that unimpaired, it took the test driver . 54 seconds to brake when indicated to do so. Add four feet to that time for lawfully drunk drivers, thirty six feet for drivers reading email and events feet for drivers reading a text. Http//www. Zinc. Com/id/31 545004/site/ 14081 545). According too report by the National precaution Council, 28% of accidents involve talking or testing on cell phones. I couldnt help but notice that the risks seem to outweigh the benefits considerably, but I also admit that Im still addicted to my cell phone. There has been their use elsewhere and I think there needs to be much more, although, Im not certain how feasible that would be to accomplish. At any rate, we all make our own choices and we all need to make smarter choi ces about our cell phone use.