I remember, as a teenager, leaving the house without any way of my parents contacting me. In fact, there was no way to be in touch with your friends 24/7. If you wanted information, it required a trip to the library and a chat with the librarian.
I’m not saying any of this was bad or good; it was just the way things were. Just as we have cellphones now, we have the convenience of what is offered.
Negative attention on cellphones
There are many things said about the adverse effects of cell phones. “They are bad for society; they create social isolation .”I’ve read cell phones cause emotional issues like depression; they interfere with sleep patterns and cause us to not interact with society.
That may all be well and true, but maybe we should stop focusing on the negatives! Actually, I appreciate what the cell phone allowed me to do during the pandemic. In fact, I may have felt more isolated if I couldn’t have a social hour with my friends over zoom or talk to my Mom over facetime.
Let’s look at the positives
Communication
In the past, when I wanted to communicate with my family, who live in another country, required a long-distance call or a letter. Now I can get online and “see” what is going on in their life. For example, my sister told me they had a lot of snow, and my niece, Christina, posted a photo so I could see what they were talking about.
In fact, I often post photos on social media for my family to see our gorgeous Colorado views.
Another example, recently, I was babysitting my daughter’s baby cat while she was out of town. I sent her photos so she knew how “Boo” was doing on her first trip away from her.
Organization
Cellphones can streamline our lives. You no longer have to miss birthdays, meetings, and social events. For example, I needed to take my cat to the vet to determine why he was pulling out his fur. I pulled out my phone, looked up the best vets, clicked on the number provided on the website, and noted the appointment in my calendar on my cell phone. The day before the appointment, my calendar sent an alert to remind me of the appointment, and on the day of the appointment, the “maps app” guided me to the vet location.
Entertainment
We are no longer tied to what is offered on TV at 7 PM every week. Instead, we have access to our favorite programs no matter where we are. We have music, podcasts, games, and cameras or talk to our friends and families on face time or zoom. In fact, right now, I am alternating between music and a TV show on my cell while I write this article. Cell phones offer an all-in-one portable entertainment device that you can use anywhere – even in the bathroom. HA
Read & access important information
Back before cell phones, if you wanted to find out what was happening in the world, you had to wait for the evening news with Walter Cronkite. Now we have up-to-the-minute news-worthy information at our fingertips.
The news opens our eyes to what is happening in the world, and believe it or not; it still affects us. For example, in Ukraine, we see people suffering, and we now offer our support against Russia. The whole world is connected. It is no longer so far away that we can be indifferent and go about our lives.
Summary
Cell phones get a lot of negative attention. However, cell phones are the way we communicate these days. I didn’t even mention that I use my cell to look up recipes. In fact, in the past, I would have to haul out a cookbook and hope I find something with the ingredients I had on hand.
Anyway, cell phones offer so much right now, and they keep adding more. It is amazing the opportunities to stay in touch with friends and family worldwide while watching my favorite TV programs on my phone while I work. And I catch up on the news by just rolling over in the morning and going to the right apps. I am probably too attached to my phone, but as my Mother always says, “it is what it is.”
Do you love or hate cellphones? Let me know.
In the mean time, check out a few more articles:
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