You hear it in your car, you hear it at the movies, and you hear it just about everywhere. No matter where we go it’s there, the mobile phone. The mobile phone is not just a phone anymore; it’s a portable multi-function technological gadget. It is a phone, organizer, camera, video recorder, communicator and internet accessible. How has the mobile phone affected our lives? Have the effects been positive or negative? That depends on your personal opinion.
The use of mobile phones have become a part of everyday life for many Americans. The number of mobile phone subscribers increased 60.4 million from 1997 to 2002 (Rogers, 1998). Long are the days of sitting and waiting, we can get up and go and take it with us. You no longer have to look for pay phones or change.
Mobile phones have had a positive effect on everyday life. Getting help is a phone call away in roadside emergency situations, or any emergency for that matter. Children can have instant contact with parents. “A recent Gartner study estimates that 189 billion mobile messages have been sent by U.S. mobile-phone subscribers in 2007. It forecasts 301 billion mobile messages sent in 2008” (Leberecht, 2008). Did you forget your camera, no problem; just take a picture or a video clip. Read your email, send a message, surf the web, even pay a bill. The possibilities are endless.
Although mobile phones can have positive effects, they can also have negative effects. There has been deterioration of social etiquette. Phones are not being turned off at social occasions such as church or recitals. People are interrupting conversations to answer their calls. You can even hear what should be pr ...