I saw it yet again just last week– yet another example of extremely dangerous driving caused by drivers using hand held cellphones.  But it is hardly just the driving issues that are problematic about cellphones.    Consider the article in this morning’s New York Times—

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/education/20wired.html?th&emc=th

Boredom— cellphones seen as the cure for boredom. Now boredom in most cases is the state of mind of those who lack imagination and therefore require all kinds of stimuli to prevent them from losing interest in things, and even in life. 

This word just in— watching a video or a TV show or a movie on a tiny screen the size of six postage stamps is: 1) a waste of time; 2) not good for your eyesight; 3) a distraction from various other things you ought to be doing, like paying attention to other people, to your teachers, to driving etc.  In short, the cellphone has become the ultimate feeder of narcissism, of the self withdrawn into the self  (or is it cellph). 

I cannot tell you how many times I have had to tell my students “turn off your cellphones in class”.  It’s a ridiculous situation. Almost nothing warrants them being on in such settings, unless of course Grandma is in a coma and you are waiting for a call to rush to the hospital.  

We frankly do not need instant sports score updates, instant dating updates, instant trivial family info updates and so on.  The cellphone feeds obsessive compulsive behavior with young person after young person constantly fiddling and fiddling with their cellphone in order to entertain themselves, to self-medicate, to distract them from what they ought to be doing, including WORK  (imagine that).  And all in the cause of relieving boredom.   The irony is they are seeking connection and networking, but only in an indirect way, avoiding relating directly to the people standing right in front of them!  This doesn’t produce social coping skills, it helps people fail to learn 1) how to relate to strangers; 2) how to deal with awkward or difficult situations.  No, we are just going to talk to people in our ‘calling circle’ or to our Facebook friends.

Hardly anything is more irritating than to go to a movie and hear cellphones go off in the middle of the picture, and even worse, people starting talking on those brain cancer producing objects.   The real coup de grace for me last week was reading about a person buried with a working cellphone turned on, so they could contact their living loved ones when they finished the journey to the other side—- CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW takes on new meaning.

So what do we do about this?   Well, I’m not suggesting we ban the cellphone. They have their uses when one is traveling and needs help or one absolutely has to get hold of some loved one for some important reason.   My suggestion is that first of all we need to eliminate the danger these little mechanical devices cause, namely we need very strict laws with stiff penalties against driving while either texting or calling on a hand-held cellphone.  Hand’s free is another story.  That’s still distracting, but apparently no more so than fiddling with the heat or the CD player.   Thank goodness some cities and States have begun enacting such laws— now they need to enforce them.

Secondly, schools need to adopt strict guidelines and policies about when and where one can use a cellphone.  For example, at my school it is permitted to use a cellphone IN THE LIBRARY!!  In fact there is only one floor of the library where it is not permitted.  This is ridiculous. A library is supposed to be a sanctuary away from cellphones so people can concentrate and actually read and do research.  If one needs to use the cellphone whilst in such a public place, go outside or in the bathroom!!

Thirdly, despite our inherent sense of self-importance,  MOST PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO HEAR YOUR OWN PRIVATE PHONE CHIT CHAT!  So how about being considerate of others when you use your cellphone in public?  What a novel idea.  It would be nice if the cellphone companies, with their exorbitant phone rates and zillions in profits would encourage responsible use of the device, and inform the customer as to what constitutes misuse, but I suppose that’s rather like asking the fox to guard the hen house.  

Fourthly, do not interrupt a conversation with a person right in front of you to either: 1) check your cellphone messages; 2) do a text; or 3) take a call unless you know its something pressing.  You do not HAVE to take a certain call at a certain moment in time for the most part.  This is especially so AT WORK.  Cellphone’s should be off at work, so that you can…… wait for it…….  WORK. 

I could say a lot more on this subject.,… but you’ll have to excuse me….. my cellphone is ringing with a call from Publisher’s Clearing House 🙂