Today’s technology: the cell phone.
Along the lines of yesterday’s post, I find myself questioning the usefulness of the cell phone. I realize that some people think of their cell phones as indispensible. For example, I have a brother who uses his Blackberry to connect his laptop to the internet when he goes camping. He belongs to that part of the population that agrees with many techie-gadget commercials that tell us we need to be Always On and Always Available. I am not sure I believe this story.
I think it’s very important to a person’s health that they be able to relax and get real rest on a regular basis. I think teenagers, whose lives are probably at least as stressful as we adults think our lives are, are especially in need of this. Having a cell phone and being accessible by others 24/7 seems like it would only add to the level of stress that a teenager would have to deal with. It would give immediacy to things that aren’t really urgent (as in a late night text,”did you hear what so-and-so-said?”). It can be difficult to sort these two things out. Being under constant stress can lead to anxiety and depression, both of which seem to be on the rise lately.
I am not trying to suggest that cell phones are evil. But I do think that it is important to remember that they are just a tool. Just because someone could call me at 2am because they are bored, doesn’t mean they should. Or that I am required to answer the phone. This speaks to the appropriate use of technology, something that I think with cell phones we as a population are still figuring out (note the issues surrounding texting-while-driving).
As an experiment, I have begun to make use of a new “feature” that my phone has developed: it likes to shut itself off at random intervals. Rather than trade the phone in for a new model, I have been simply ignoring the phone until I want to make a call. Often, the phone is off. I never know how long it’s been off. I will also leave my phone at home while running errands, or turn the ringer off for an entire weekend. I have yet to find that I missed anything really important or pressing, but I do find that I feel more at peace. This may not work for everyone, but I am finding that for me, appropriate use of technology means establishing clear boundaries as to when I will and will not be available to others.
