Published: December 29, 2007 11:25 pm            

VASICEK: An overview of cell phones

Back when I was a boy, I would often watch old movies on the TV with my parents. In one film, a wealthy couple had a telephone in their car.

“How can they do that,” I asked. “They can’t run phone wires to a car.”

My parents explained to me that wealthy people could buy phones that were actually short-wave radios. The car-phone operator would then dial the number and put the phone call over radio.

“Wow,” I remember thinking, “wouldn’t that be neat if you didn’t have to be a millionaire to have a car phone!”

I never imagined a time would come when we would have this modern marvel, the cell phone.

I have resisted the cell phone for financial reasons – I think they cost too much. I do have a Tracfone, a pre-paid phone that ends up costing me a little more than $100 per year. But there is a catch: I only use it for emergencies and sparsely for other purposes. I never use it for chatting (or my cost would jump significantly).

I am convinced that cell phones have positive and negative aspects to them. Here are some obvious positives.

First, they promote safety. Folks use them when they have car troubles or are lost, or when they note a stranded motorist or note an accident. Many parents rest at ease knowing their teens are only a phone call away. Cell phones have taken a bite out of crime.

They are convenient. No more cruising around, frantically searching for a phone booth. Remember dumping coins in pay-phone slots to make long-distance calls?

Most of us feel constantly under the pile when it comes to time management because we have too many irons in the fire. Cell phones allow us to phone while driving, walking, or pacing in the waiting room.

Many teens and young adults depend upon two high-tech resources to enhance their social lives: cell phones (first and foremost) and Internet personal pages (MySpace or Facebook).

Additionally, the cell phone revolution has sparked jobs and created a new, specialized industry.

But the cell phone revolution is clearly a double-edged sword. There is no shortage of negatives.

Distraction is an obvious negative. Mischievous teens might be texting one another during an instructional lecture. Who hasn’t been in a church service, funeral or wedding when a cell phone destroyed the atmosphere? Or what about interruptions in conversation? Oh, those interruptions! Have you ever been in the midst of an intense discussion only to lose your thoughts because of some syncopated phone jingle? Most folks with good manners will simply switch off their phone’s ringer, but, then again, who says common sense is common?

The cost of modern technology is one of the best kept secrets of our times. Although inflation is low, our dollars do not seem to go as far. One culprit is the cell phone.

Consider the cost of a simple, minimal cell phone plan. With tax, we are talking about $45 per month, with insurance perhaps $50. Want texting? Add another $20. Want a cell phone with Internet? That’ll cost more. Want another phone for a second family member? Even more dollars. It is not long until we are up over the $100 per month rate. That is over $1,200 on an annual basis! If you add to other newer costs, like monthly Internet service or expanded cable channels – we’re talking a couple or three thousand dollars a year! We have, in essence, added new “utilities” to the old list. It’s not just gas, electric and water anymore.

Other negatives include auto accidents (gabbing drivers), cell phone addiction (a growing problem among teens), and shallower relationships (keeping in contact with more people while getting close to fewer).

This is far from an exhaustive list of the pros and cons of the cell phone revolution. Good or bad, one thing seems indisputable: the revolution has occurred, and holdouts are few. We must think about how to enhance the positives, balance our personal levels of technology, and address those negatives. Technology brings us advances, but the piper always awaits his pay.

Ed Vasicek is pastor of Highland Park Church and a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.