Issue date: 9/30/05 Section: Opinion

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.

< prev Page 2 of 2

Article Tools