Cell phones threaten idea of genuine communication

By: William Sea

Posted: 9/30/05

This past week, Texas faced a major disaster, unprecedented and unexpected: Many of us lost our cell phone service.

Where was the real tragedy in this? The truth is, we have become incredibly attached to our cell phones. Cell phones allowed many people to communicate with their families during this disconcerting time, and they are now, like it or not, vital parts of our life. It's times like these when they become the most useful. Unfortunately, more and more people, particularly college students, are using their cell phones for more than just calling and receiving. With the rise of features like call screening, text messaging and voicemail, communication has now acquired three dangerous characteristics: It is selective, it is inarticulate and it is impersonal.

The old days of picking up a phone and waiting for a surprise on the other end are long gone. Instead, caller ID allows cell phone users to see exactly who is calling and decide whether or not to answer. Not only does this allow students to shirk responsibility, it poses a dangerous threat to genuine relationships. Rather than face interpersonal dealings head on, we can hide behind our phones until we can talk at our convenience - or not talk at all.

Cell phones provide us other ways of bypassing communication. The increasing amount of text messages, which actually jumped by more than 2.5 billion sent from 2003 to 2004, signals the fact that we are compacting our communication. The problem with text messaging is that it is so easy. Rather than plan a phone call or write a letter, you can relay as much information as possible in a few simple sentences made up of shortened words. But is there a real problem with replacing "you" with "u?" It isn't as though we are going to forget how to spell the word. We may, however, forget how to communicate in intelligent, thought-out sentences. When we are able to relay information without actually making an effort to articulate our thoughts, we run the risk of losing our ability to articulate information well.

Perhaps the worst effect of our cell phone usage is that it distances us from personal, physical communication. When birthday or congratulatory phone calls can be replaced by voicemails and texts, there is a real problem with how much importance we put on actual conversation. With all the options being added to mobile phones, traditional oral communication is actually becoming easier to bypass. Before people were able to talk outside the boundaries of a landline, could there have actually been more genuine, useful communication happening? It's quite likely. Perhaps cell phones allow information to be relayed faster and in a more convenient way, but the old-fashioned way of sharing thoughts and expressing feelings seems infinitely better.

Keep in mind that there is nothing particularly wrong with a mobile phone, but the added features seem unnecessary. Extra options like text messaging not only allow us to avoid communicating with others, they encourage it. While more and more college students come to expect conversations to be transmitted through text message rather than a phone call, they come to prefer it and shy away from genuine conversation. During stormy weather and unsettled minds, here's hoping you gave your family a call. Texting "I luv u" doesn't always cut it.