The history of the cell phone
Quick Facts
- The first cellphone was created by Martin Cooper, who was a Motorola inventor.
- It was used for the first time on April 3rd, 1973
- It had to be charged for 10 hours in order to allow for a 20 minute call
- As presented by the below time line, cell phones have since then come to serve a far more varied purpose.
- The reliance on non essential and purely social cell phone use may in fact be detrimental, according to recent studies.
- The potential negative effects of cell phone use should not be applied to cell phone use for essential or nonsocial purposes.
The good, the bad and the ugly?
In the above video Martin Cooper notes that the purpose of technology is to make people's lives better. Being tied down by telephone cords prevented people from easily incorporating a phone easily into their daily lives. They had to be near their home or office in order to receive a call or had to find a pay phone to make one. In this way, the cell phone was a component but not consistent element of their lives. This then must make us ask ourselves, is it necessary to be connected with everyone in our social and work circles all of the time? People survived and were happy for many years without this convenience. Is it beneficial or detrimental to our well being?
One study conducted by Kent University and discussed in an article by Time Magazine studied the relationship between happiness and cell phone use. Through studying 500 students, they found that increased cell phone use correlated with higher anxiety, less satisfaction with life and worse academic performance. The article then makes the conclusion that cells phones create a pressure for individuals to be constantly in contact with others and prevents people from having moments of solitude free of outside distractions.
By running a quick search of the words "cell phone use bad" in any search engine, a *flood of articles and studies can be found leading to similar conclusions. There is a repetitive consensus that the reliance on non necessary or solely social cell phone use is detrimental to our well being. However, there is a lack of research concerning cell phone use for more essential purposes.
When examining the role of the cell phone in developed regions of the world, cell phones are mostly objects of convenience. As the below timeline notes, we depend on the cell phone for our electronic needs and have come accustomed to having this convenience. The timeline also notes that cell phones have come to serve a far wider purpose than simply making phone calls. This point echoes the assertion that not all cell phone use is solely for a social purposes, thus leading to the conclusion that these studies should not be applied to the study of cell phone use in this particular website. Though these articles and studies are grounded in their assertion that cell phone use can be harmful, they should not restrict efforts to encourage and increase cell phone use in developing regions.
*Some intriguing articles that further explore the negative impacts of cell phone use:
One study conducted by Kent University and discussed in an article by Time Magazine studied the relationship between happiness and cell phone use. Through studying 500 students, they found that increased cell phone use correlated with higher anxiety, less satisfaction with life and worse academic performance. The article then makes the conclusion that cells phones create a pressure for individuals to be constantly in contact with others and prevents people from having moments of solitude free of outside distractions.
By running a quick search of the words "cell phone use bad" in any search engine, a *flood of articles and studies can be found leading to similar conclusions. There is a repetitive consensus that the reliance on non necessary or solely social cell phone use is detrimental to our well being. However, there is a lack of research concerning cell phone use for more essential purposes.
When examining the role of the cell phone in developed regions of the world, cell phones are mostly objects of convenience. As the below timeline notes, we depend on the cell phone for our electronic needs and have come accustomed to having this convenience. The timeline also notes that cell phones have come to serve a far wider purpose than simply making phone calls. This point echoes the assertion that not all cell phone use is solely for a social purposes, thus leading to the conclusion that these studies should not be applied to the study of cell phone use in this particular website. Though these articles and studies are grounded in their assertion that cell phone use can be harmful, they should not restrict efforts to encourage and increase cell phone use in developing regions.
*Some intriguing articles that further explore the negative impacts of cell phone use:
- http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cell-phones-alter-brain-activity-good-or-bad/
- http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/26/cell-phone-and-harmful-health-_n_1916290.html
- http://ideas.time.com/2012/05/17/why-cell-phones-are-bad-for-parenting/
- http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/23/5-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-cell-phone-exposure/
The above timeline was created by Mashable and Column Five and can be accessed at the below link
http://www.columnfivemedia.com/work-items/infographic-cell-ebration-40-years-of-cellphone-history
Citations:
Sifferlin, Alexandra. Time, "Do You Use Your Cell Phone a Lot? It Might Be Making You More Anxious." Last modified December 6, 2013. Accessed December 8, 2013. http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/06/do-you-use-your-cell-phone-a-lot-it-might-be-making-you-more-anxious/
Fox News, "The first mobile phone call was placed 40 years ago today." Last modified April 3, 2013. Accessed December 9, 2013. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/04/03/first-mobile-phone-call-was-placed-40-years-ago-today/.
http://www.columnfivemedia.com/work-items/infographic-cell-ebration-40-years-of-cellphone-history
Citations:
Sifferlin, Alexandra. Time, "Do You Use Your Cell Phone a Lot? It Might Be Making You More Anxious." Last modified December 6, 2013. Accessed December 8, 2013. http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/06/do-you-use-your-cell-phone-a-lot-it-might-be-making-you-more-anxious/
Fox News, "The first mobile phone call was placed 40 years ago today." Last modified April 3, 2013. Accessed December 9, 2013. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/04/03/first-mobile-phone-call-was-placed-40-years-ago-today/.