Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Commentary

Media Credit: Sima Dubey, Associated Press According to recent surveys, cell phone users now outnumber landline users across the globe by as much as 5 percent.

A few weeks ago, while testing out my new Nike cross trainers, I heard a loud thud. "I know that sound," I thought to myself. "It's the sound of a dresser drawer smashing against the sidewalk."

The couple living above me was at it again. The girlfriend was raving mad, barking all sorts of tearful requests from her apartment on the sixth floor. Her boyfriend couldn't hear her, however, or was pretending not to. Instead, he focused his attention on picking up the clothing that now lay at his feet.

I moved quickly to avoid interrupting him, but a red light caught me on the corner. As I looked back, I saw something rather surprising. Not only had the shouting dissipated, but the argument, which was broadcast before the whole world only moments before, was now being conducted in private by cell phone. What's more, the formerly rejected boyfriend was heading back into his apartment.

As I continued my jog, I began thinking about how dependent on cell phones our society has become, and how we as a people have evolved with the cell phone.

In 1900, if you wanted to see if a friend was at home, you had to leave your house, walk across town, and knock on the door. If your friend was out, someone at the door offered to take a message. Then, you would have to walk back across town and wait for your friend stop by after receiving your message.

Around the 1940s, when telephones became standard household items, you could simply call people at their homes or offices. Even if they were busy, you were likely to receive an expedient reply.

Beginning in 1960, the answering machine replaced your friend's secretary. By the early 1980s, answering machines were as common as vacuum cleaners. When you called your friend, a robotic recording would greet you, saying, "Hi, I'm not here right now, so please leave a message." Beep.

The machine had officially replaced the human in handling the task of message taking. Now, people could respond to you more quickly than ever. Even so, quicker than ever was still not quick enough. Ergo, cellular phone service.

With the advent of the cell phone we have become two-legged dogs on invisible leashes. If your company gives you a cell phone, you're forever on call. People can call, text, videotext, video chat, and email us whenever they want. And nine times out of ten we answer, because we've been programmed to.

Continued...

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