Cell Phones - Absolutely ANTI-Social, in my opinion anyway

I was pretty much an early adopter of a cell phone though few knew. I can remember actually feeling somewhat embarrassed using  it, practically hiding.  For years, in outside sales in NYC I relied on phone booths (remember those?!) on the streets,ducking into hotels or restaurants - to stay in touch with clients and my office.  But phone booths began disappearing on the streets of Manhattan just around the time I my son was born. I vowed to use it only for calling home to check in with his nanny, business when I couldn't find a pay phone, and of course for emergencies only when driving.

So much for history.

My own, and I hope other's, present pet peeves:

1. Safety when using whether walking or in a car
2. Lack of downtime
3. Complete and utterly annoying accessibility
4. Rudeness
5. Less communicating with our family

The hazards of using a cell phone (no, I'm not speaking of brain tumors) are HUGE issues for both the user and the innocent. While there are plenty of tips for better driving while receiving or dialing I've yet to find those suggesting use only if  at a dead stop, in park.

How many times have you: missed a turn, ran a light, backed into a shopper (almost, I hope), drove over a shopper (hope NEVER). Talk about blind spots!

While we walk, talking or dialing are we really paying ANY attention to those we walk with, other pedestrians, curbs, stop lights, potholes - open manholes?

When's the last time you had free, uninterrupted time to just think, talk to yourself? Wherever we are there's no longer the opportunity to tune out the world and have some quiet, peaceful time. The supermarket, gym, commuting, the beach, ... today there's no escaping  ignoring the ring, text, or god forbid, email.  Thank goodness planes are cell-free but I'll bet there's  more Xanax popped on planes now than ever before - and not for fear of flying, for cell phone withdrawal.

And what's happened to those moments to snooze or diffuse on our train or bus commute to/from work? When's the last time you finished an article in the newspaper, a paragraph in your book, a personal thought! without someone else's one-sided, inane conversation disturbing your brief moment of reverie?

For me, one of the best times to have a conversation with the kids used to be when driving. Captive, private moments between activities were a juicy opportunity to find out what they were thinking, doing, thinking of doing. Some of the most entertaining moments were those overhearing the  tweens, teens in the back of the car, oblivious to me. Now they spend most of this precious time texting at lightening speed to their world outside of the car. This at meal time too! No Way! Family time with teenagers is practically non-existent in my home these days now that Jake has "wheels", school, afterschool activities, part-time job, sports... Meal time is sacred. Anything with a battery that rings, vibrates, bleeps and apparently requires immediate attention is left outside the kitchen.

Just yesterday I saw a mom pushing her toddler on a swing - one arm to her ear with her phone. For god sakes, why can't we be present and accounted for in a playground!!

This we call "social networking." I call it anti-social when a friend at GNO sits with iPhone on lap pretending to listen to the table conversation while constantly glancing down for her next text. YUCK!

Personally I think we were better off when we were all  tethered to corded phones safely and privately conversing  in our home or office.

Comments

[Dezi]

Agreed!