I was on a flight to Arizona to visit my grandparents for Thanksgiving and the following exchange took place between the woman next to me and the stewardess:
Stewardess: *to everyone* Please put away your electronic devices.
Stewardess: *a little later* Please put away your cell phone, maam.
Woman: *on the phone* I love you honey. We're taking off soon.
Stewardess: *more firmly* Please put away your cell phone.
Woman: *angrily* I heard you! I'm going to put it away!
Stewardess: Ok, but I asked you three times.
Woman: *again angrily* We're not taking off untill 7:15!
At this point it is about 7:10 and the stewardess just walked off to finish her preflight job and the woman finally put away her cell phone. This whole drama was precipitated because a woman NEEDED to communicate to her loved one that she was on the plane and about to take off. That's it. And when told that she needed to knock it off, she got really defensive. It was like when the police were trying to take away my crack and I bit the police to try to get it back because I NEED it. (JOKING)
Don't get me wrong, I think cell phones are awesome. I can reach people from anywhere (except my own apartment, which is in a dead zone), I will never get lost because of the GPS, and I don't even need a real deck of cards to play solitare. I can check my email or my bank account from anywhere! How amazing is that? Pretty darn amazing, I say! But I can live without it. I remember a time not too long ago when cell phone didn't even exist. We had to wait till we got home to use the phone. We had to use paper maps and actually go to a building and talk to people to manage our money. We survived, didn't we? We were happy, weren't we? We weren't plugged in 24/7 and when we left work, we actually left work. The advent of cellphones ruined all of that and people got addicted. My students and friends constantly have cellphones in their hands and have a hard time focusing on what is around them because of what is on the little screen. Conversations are disjointed, driving is unsafe, and tempers flare. Have you ever tried to disengage someone from thier cellphone in order to talk face to face with them? It's like taking a steak away from a lion.
Diana James, a consumer behavior expert who has done cell phone use surveys, says, "The paradox of the phone is that it gives independence but it also creates dependence."(1) Scientists have found that getting a call or text produces a positive reinforcement cycle in the brain. Whenever that beep goes off when you have a text, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel good. It's like gambling. (2) That text might contain something postive and exciting, so you feel compelled to check your phone and respond. If that particular text wasn't too great, the next one might be better. You just can't miss that chance! Have you ever forgotten your phone at home? Can't stop thinking about it? What are you missing? How are you going to contact everyone? What if someone calls and you don't pick up? Are you going to lose friends and lovers? Dear God! The world is going to end!! Or can you take a second to relax, disconnect, look up, and enjoy the world and people in front you?
And I quote:
(1) http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/02/01/cell-phone-addiction/592.html
(2) http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/15/cellphone-addict-iphone-tech-wireless08-cx_wt0616addict.html
Interesting articles about cell phone addiction:
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/features/2011/cell-phone-addiction.aspx
http://news.ufl.edu/2007/01/18/cell-addiction/
This comic and video perfectly summarizes how I feel:
(The Oatmeal's love/hate relationship with cell phones) http://theoatmeal.com/comics/smartphone
(Louis C.K.'s rant about technology) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk
Hey! Are you checking this out on your cell phone?
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