Though cell phones have developed us technologically as a society, Research Paper

Though cell phones have developed us technologically as a society, they have undermined other important social developments - Research Paper Example The cell phones tend to make the person engrossed in it, as a result, the user stays distracted from his surroundings. Cell phones have also in this way harmed social development by reducing face to face social interaction and promoting isolation and aloofness. Introduction The advancement in technology has enabled mankind to leap forward and reach levels that had never been experienced before. Technology has influenced all walks of life ranging from education to business, from medicine to tourism. The area of communication has also been improved exponentially as it has broken all geographical barriers. The whole world has come down to a few clicks’ distance as the people on the other end of the world can be contacted at any time and from any location via communication devices. Cell phones are the most common form of communication devices that are used around the world. One very interesting observation made about cell phones has been that â€Å"the cell phone can simultaneous ly represent freedom from and connectivity to the family† (Cooper 1). This simple statement which refers to the two-faced utility of this gadget points to the advantages and disadvantages that this technology has inherent in it. Cooper has elaborated this concept by drawing attention to the mixed feelings that an empirical study of middle school in a Texas town found among 13-to-14-year old teens towards cell phone which was caused by their â€Å"desire for independence and the reality of parental control through cell phone ownership and use† (1). This conflict has several parallels in our social existence and this paper is an attempt to find out whether cell phones have any negative influences over the society and if so, what changes these influences have brought in. Overview The first hand held cell phone was invented by Dr. Martin Cooper who was a General Manager with Motorola in 1973 (Kassel 211). Initially, the weight and size of the device was not practical enough to make it of common use to common man. Whereas, the evolution of technology has made cell phones convenient, practical and affordable for the masses. The use of cell phones has increased more than ever. It is no longer considered as a luxury, rather taken as a necessity in many parts of the world. The urban individual of today is so dependent on this technology that it makes one wonder how life existed on the planet before this invention. But it has to be kept in mind that even in today’s world, to some extent, cell phone is a rich man’s game. This can be seen from the fact that, â€Å"the fifty-eight countries in the world classed as low-income account for only a little over 98 million cell phone subscribers†¦in comparison, cell connections number over 775 million for fifty-four high-income countries† (Goggin 1). Cell phones have made their presence in a diverse range of areas including personal and professional communication. The functions fulfilled by cell phones include, â€Å"staying in constant contact, text messaging, fashion, identity-construction, music, mundane daily work routines, remote parenting, interacting with television programmes, watching videos, surfing the Internet, meeting new people, dating, flirting, loving, bullying, mobile commerce and locating people† (Goggin 2). The qualities that have been associated with cell phones are mainly, â€Å"