Cell Phones and Their Impact by Danielle Orr

Over many decades the idea of wireless telephones has been enhanced drastically. The first wireless message was sent in 1895 by Marconi, this message was in Morse code. The next innovation to the idea of wireless telephone was in the 1920’s when the Chicago Police force experimented with a cellular telephone system in police cars, but wireless telephone was not actually portable until 1973.
Now in the 21st century, cell phones have at least a 60% penetration rate in households across the United States. Many people are starting to discontinue the use of land lines and are converting to complete cell phone use. This convergence is mainly among young adults. 97% of all U.S. counties have access to at least three cell phone providers. In the United States alone over 1 billion cell phone calls are placed each day, but now cell phone usage is not just to make calls. Modern day cell phones are becoming a convergence of all major electronics. The new 3G technology lets cell phones make phone calls, text, send picture mail, play music, navigation, access the internet, and even watch television. Some people feel that this convergence is a great idea for the future because it makes life easier, but at the same time many people do not want to watch television on a 2 inch screen.
Cell phone use is a way to be in constant contact with whomever and whenever. This is a great idea for families. Parents can contact their children at anytime throughout the day. Also, with society becoming more dangerous every day, people like to know they can contact their family members in an emergency. Over 200,000 911 phone calls are made each day by a cell phone. The cell phone is like a sense of security for a lot of people. At the same time, cell phones are starting to consume the lives of many people, and people, especially teenagers are starting to multitask even more than normal. One of the major problems with some of the newest cell phone technologies is text messaging while driving. When someone sends a text message while driving, 90% of control of their car is lost. Only 35% of control is lost when you drive and smoke a joint of marijuana. That is a huge difference and proves just how dangerous texting while driving can actually be. One of the latest problems with cell phones and teenagers is the new idea of “sexting”. During school and throughout the day, many teenagers are sending “dirty” pictures of themselves to their fellow classmates. Some students who were caught sexting were prosecuted in court for sexual harassment. So while a cell phone can be an invention that can help with safety, it can also cause a lot of problems.

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