Major Assignment 2

Hannah O'Connor

October 13, 2012

Call Me...Maybe?

            Cell phones, in our day and age, are considered a standard means of communication. This is particularly true of my generation. People are genuinely surprised (and perhaps occasionally appalled) when I tell them that I have never owned a cell phone. I see young people who are practically glued to these little devices and rely on them for a major part of their communication with family, friends, classmates, etc. Texting in particular seems to be an important form of communication to young people.

            So where does that leave people like me? My friends can make last minute plans, discuss homework, and keep up with one another throughout the day without seeing each other even once. I generally need to have access to a computer or face-to-face interaction to do so.

For a long time I was too nervous to even ask people if I could use their cell phones because I wasn't sure how to find the information I needed or execute the commands necessary to complete a task. Something as simple as sending a text would leave me feeling bewildered and embarrassed. Though my skills have improved since then, I still don’t know what it’s like to have that possibility of instant communication with me wherever I go.

            I realize it is by choice that I do not have a cell phone – don’t think I’m complaining – but having that diminished access, literacy, and fluency gives me a rather rare perspective on the subject. Since we are looking at the affects of such a lack, it behooves us to define the terms involved. Access sounds pretty straightforward. In class we discussed how it is the ability to be connected and involve. Access brings with it a digital presence, and therefore an identity. Literacy would be the knowledge necessary to take advantage of that access and operate the available media or technology. Fluency is related to literacy. Williams, while quoting the NRC’s Being Fluent with Information Technology describes literacy as a kind of “competency,” and fluency as “a higher level of competency” which allows the user “to adapt to changes in technology” and “acquire new skills independently,” that is, to still remain literate while following technological changes (Williams, pp 1-2). The most fundamental area that I am lacking in then, would be access. While I do have some literacy when it comes to cell phones, it is of little use without fluency and especially without access. These three work best when they go hand in hand. So what are the pros and cons to this lack of access, and does one side significantly outweigh the other?

            The advantages of owning a cell phone are generally self-evident to most people. Access to people through multiple means of communication, information, and data storage are just a few broad categories that scratch at the surface of a long list. And all of this can be carried around on your person 24/7. It grants you access into another layer of the digital sphere that seems to permeate our culture.

            Aaron Smith (speaking about internet access) says that the three largest reasons people don’t get connected is because they don’t find it relevant, they are uncomfortable, and/or they just have no interest in having that access (Smith 2010). Discomfort makes complete sense to someone in my position; but why, in today’s society of faster-equals-better, would people find owning a cell phone to be irrelevant or unimportant? There are those who would argue that the use of cell phones detracts from social experiences. A study conducted in 2008 on the subject of cell phones in public spheres concluded that cell phones and other interactive mobile devices “allow for distractions in public spheres…diffuses our responsibility to help those outside our social group,” and “function as masks that hinder active users form recognizing the needs of others” (Banjo, p 134).

            Is it not an ironic thought that a device that is supposed to promote connections and communication might actually be doing a better job of creating rifts between social groups? What becomes of McLuhan’s “global village?” McLuhan did also say, however, that “societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication” (p 8). The nature of the cell phone is a paradox though. It provides nearly instant access to information and communication while simultaneously disconnecting us from our immediate surroundings. I guess one must decide which sphere of interaction they consider to be more important to help determine whether the pros or cons of this technology hold more sway.

            Having seen a bit of both sides of the coin, what could be done to improve this scenario? On the one hand, “perhaps we ought to develop a social code of behavior for proper cell phone usage” (Banjo, p 134). This would work towards solving the problem of disconnect from the world immediately surrounding us. On the other hand, the matter of discomfort and lack of literacy or fluency is, in my opinion, best solved through experience. It could just be a matter of taking that first step into a new digital realm, where, though we at first may feel out of place, we can begin to utilize (or access) a new medium that gives us a broader scope of connections.

            I can’t speak for the entire population of those who abstain from cell phone ownership, but I thought I’d explain a few reasons that I personally don’t own one. First of all, I don’t need the extra expense. I’ve survived this long without one, why start before I have to? Plus, I’m afraid that if I did get one I would become far too attached to it. This is especially not good because I find that it diminishes the quality of interaction with other people, for me at least. I also don’t think I would like being that accessible to other people. It seems almost like an invasion of privacy. However, I do recognize the value and convenience of owning one, and it probably won’t be too long before those outweigh the disadvantages I just listed.

Works Cited

Banjo, Omotayo, yifeng Hu, and S. Shyam Sundar. "Cell Phone Usage and Social Interaction with Proximate Others: Ringing in a Theoretical Model." The Open Communication Journal 2 (2008): 127-135. Print.

Mcluhan, Marshall, Quentin Fiore, and Jerome Agel. The medium is the massage: an inventory of effects. Corte madera, CA: Ginko Press, 2001. Print.

Smith, Aaron. "Home Broadband 2010 | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project." Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2010/Home-Broadband-2010.aspx>. 

Williams, Kate, "Literacy and computer literacy: Analyzing the NRC's 'Being Fluent with Information

Technology'."  Journal of Literacy and Technology, volume 3, number 1, Spring 2003.