It can be argued that mobile phones have been for beneficial purposes to find people in trouble, such as those trapped under the debris of the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy. Although this is true, the implications of mobile phone use in terms of health dangers, related accidents, privacy violations, and even simple intrusion annoyance factors serve as a warning that is best not ignored. In the last analysis, the potential of mobile phones to be used for evil purposes outweighs the good they can do. As a society, we must evaluate our priorities and determine whether the risk to our freedoms and well-being are worth the tradeoff of increased convenience. I say they are not.It is not just the fact that phones ring anywhere that is the problem. More importantly, people actually answer those callsùregardless of what they happen to be doing. According to Ad Age, 14% of the worldÆs mobile phone users admit that they ôhave stopped in the middle of a sex act to answer a ringing wireless deviceà The highest incidence of cellular interruptus was found in Germany and Spain, where 22 percent of users interrupted sex to answer their cell phones; the lowest was in Italy, where only 7 percent reported doing so. In the U.S., the figure was 15 percentàö (News, 2005). Christine Hannis, head of communications for BBDO Europe, says the phenomenon occurs because ôPeople canÆt bear to miss a callàEverybody thinks the next call can be something really exciting. And getting so many calls proves social success. It fulfills a fundamental insecurityö (News, 2005). Howard, Clark. ôExcerpts from ClarkÆs Show.ö Team Clark HowardÆs Consumer Action Center. August 30, 2004. http://clarkhoward.com/library/tips/wireless_phones.html ôStudy: Cell Phones Causing Brain Tumors?ö Channel 3000. October 14, 2004. On the other hand, people who talk constantly on mobile phones are exhibiting insecurity that erodes relationships |
