The cell phone technology is a technology all is rapidly growing all over the world (Rebello). Although the cell phones of today are devices as small as credit cards, they have more computational power than the advanced computers of the previous generation. Thus, the mobile phones of today are being used more than just a means of communicating. Cell phones that were once technological objects have now become an integral part of everyday life. In a short time, the popularity of cell phones among the younger generations has increased considerably. According to studies, a large percentage of the new generation, as young as 16-year olds, own a cell phone (Ling). The young generation of today, especially adolescents, yearn to have a cell phone so they can express their individuality. The purpose of this essay is to explore the influence of cell phones on the new generation of today.
According to recent studies, cell phones have become more than a medium of communication, and have found their own individual place in different facets of society. These studies suggest that cell phones play a fundamental part in the lives of the new generation. The young generation of today
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seems to be strongly attached to cell phones; in fact, they tend to feel as though cell phones are a part of them. Based on the cell phone use of the new generation, cell phones seem to have become fundamental tools that are by youngsters to manage their peer ties and relationships (Bond). The influence of cell phones has changed “the way people meet, mate, work, fight, buy, sell, govern and create” (Rheingold 18), especially the youth of today. Unlike older generations, the new generation is not using cell phones to improve productivity, rather being connected through cell phones have become a way of life for them.
Since cell phones have become such an integral part of the lives of the new generation, thus, they have become dependent on these devices. The fact that the youth of today seems to have become dependent on cell phones and they use these devices to such a great extent this may be categorized as an addiction. Studies have found that the youngsters who tend to be dependent on cell phones seem to be leading unhealthy lifestyles and develop an extroverted disposition. It has also been noted that the excessive dependency on and use of cell phones also affects the self-esteem of the young generation. Moreover, the more functional features cell phones have the more youngsters seem to use them to interact with partners, and the more likely they are to become emotionally attached to these devices.
Ever since mobile phone and text messages were introduced and became increasingly popular among the new generation, mobile communication seems to have substituted face-to-face interaction and physical communication among youngsters. Some youngsters have even started carrying out relationships through their cell phones. Since cell phones can be used at anytime, anywhere, they have certainly increased the amount of communication among the new generation, but “it has decreased the qualitative aspect of communication” (Srivastava 124). The youth of today is starting to prefer texting or interacting through a cell phone over actually talking face-to-face. It is because of cell phones and texting that the new generation has become accustomed to the use of abbreviations such as ‘lol,’ ‘f9,’ ‘l8r,’ etc. so they may communicate conveniently. However, it is because of this aspect of cell phone use that the young generation of today has a hard time
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conjugating verbs and spelling words correctly ("BBC News").
No doubt, the society of today has been affected by cell phones, however, upon closer inspection is revealed that adolescents, who are a major part of the new generation, have been dominantly affected by this technology. Apart from using cell phones as a medium to communicate and interact with each other, the young generation also uses them as fashion accessories that help them escape from parents and represent themselves. Cell phones give young users the impression that they are less alone by keeping them constantly connected to the outside world and have therefore “become the most intimate aspect of [their] personal sphere of object” (Srivastava 113). Adolescents who are a part of the new generation have even started to measure their own worthiness by the amount of text messages their fellow peers send them. This is among the signs of the young generation’s unhealthy obsession with cell phones.
What is even more interesting is that research suggests that cell phones also help shape the identity of the new generation. Cell phones have actually become a status symbol among the youth. The young generation of today is living in a generation where they are in search of their identity (Erikson). Those from the new generation struggle to find their identity,
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where do they belong, and who they want to be. They also tend to be more self-conscious and also become more conscious about peer opinions. Perhaps this is why youngsters enjoy showing off their cell phones to their peers in the hopes that they are accepted as a part of particular peer group. Youngsters download ringtones and wallpapers to their cell phones to flaunt their personality. Even manufacturers are contributing to their by offering the young generation with colorful mobile covers and skins so their cell
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phones may match their outfits.
It is quite apparent that cell phones have become must-have tools among the young generation in cultures all over the world (Ling). Studies have also found that dependency on cell phones is greater among females from the new generation who maintain their social relationships through cell phones. As a result of excessively using cell phones, the youth of today mostly depend on their parents to pay their
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increasing cell phone bills. Other more obvious effects of excessive cell phone usage on the new generation also include a decline in academic achievement among students and many teenagers have lost their lives because of using their cell phone while driving. Moreover, as mentioned, the youngsters of today have also become obsessed with texting because of using cell phones.
No doubt, cell phones are an indispensible piece of technology in the present age, but the use of cell phones among the new generation has caused face-to-face communication and interaction to diminish. Of course, a technological device like a cell phone has its advantages as well. However, the way the new generation has embraced this technology, this device has become embedded in their everyday lives and lifestyles to such an extent that it could probably not be separated. The new generation is gradually become more and more isolated
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Works Cited
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Erikson, Erik H. Identity: Youth and Crisis (Austen Riggs Monograph. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994. Print.
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Ling, Rich. The Mobile Connection: The Cell Phone's Impact on Society (Interactive Technologies). 1st ed. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann, 2004. Print.
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Rebello, Jagdish. "Global Wireless Subscriptions Reach 5 Billion." ISUPPLI. ISUPPLI MARKET INTELLIGENCE, 17 Sep 2010. Web. 2 Apr 2013.
Rheinhold, Howard. Smart mobs: the next social revolution, Part 3. New York: Basic Books, 2002. Print.
Screenlocked. 2013. Photograph. Facebook Detox. Web. 2 Apr 2013.
Srivastava, L. "Mobile phones and the evolution of social behaviour." Behaviour & Information Technology. 24.2 (2005): 111-129. Print.
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