A. Presentation of the Issue Cell phones usage is increasing to a point that now, 96% of USA population has a cell phone! (Wikipedia, 2011) This is because they are cheaper and more accessible, also, better designs, technology, efficiency are within them. However, cell phones nowadays are used more hours than needed and now people say “I use my cell phone all the time” or “I can’t live without it” (PEOPLEINTHENEWS, 2011) Consumers, cell phone and wireless industries, don’t consider the possibility that the increase in cell phone usage can cause health problems. Further research has been made highlighting a significant point: “cell phone use can affect how your brain functions.” (Kent German, 2011) There is the issue of safety versus utility. However, cell phones have great advantages, because technology has increased so much, that they have multimedia uses. You can download music, play games, send messages, etc. Cell phones bought today have dual mode, meaning they will work in either analogue or digital networks, providing better signal and you can use it to call anyone wherever you are. Nevertheless, the accessibility to them means everyone having cell phones, and teenagers can spend hours talking to their friends or sending messages. In addition, “with the increasing popularity of mobile phones around the world, it is no wonder that people have started questioning the safety of these devices”. (Aloysius Choong, 2004) B. The IT Background of the Issue Before cell phones were made, people who needed mobile communications installed radio telephones in their cars, but only one central antenna tower per city was available. With the introduction of cell phones, radio frequency (RF) waves of the central antenna we... ... middle of paper ... ... Tips” http://www.emf-health.com/articles-10tips.htm April 29, 2011 Aloysius Choong (September 8, 2004) “How Cell Phone Radiation Works” http://asia.cnet.com/how-cell-phone-radiation-works-39046296.htm April 29, 2011 IMRinformation “Wake Up Call From Electrosmog Expert Olle Johansson” (October 17, 2010) Online Video Clip. YouTube. Accessed on April 15, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cczGVhd63pM&feature=player_embedded PEOPLEINTHENEWS “Cell Phone Exposure Increases Brain Cell Activity” (February 23, 2011) Online Video Clip. YouTube. Accessed on April 15, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tFHt5K59jlw EMFradiationsafety “Cell Phone Radiation Exposure And Dangerous Symptoms” (February 7, 2010) Online Video Clip. YouTube. Accessed on April 15, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w_kjooKc3Y&feature=player_embedded
Amy Gahran, a media consultant exploring communication in the technology era, writes about how cell phones are significant. She feels that cell phones have changed our lives by providing “…vital services and human connections…offer new hope, even through simple broadcast text messages” (Gahran). Gahran is insisting that cell phones allow us to learn news quickly, connect with safety, and can even fight crime through video recordings (Gahran). In addition, she feels that the overall benefits of owning a cell phone outweigh any negatives. This somewhat challenges the ideas presented by Rosen because it points out more benefits of cell phones. In “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” Rosen mentions that although cell phones indeed connect us with safety, they can often lead to a sense of paranoia. To expand, she writes that parents who give children a cell phone for security purposes, develop a paranoid sense of their community and lose trust in “social institutions” (Rosen). In making this comment, Rosen argues that although cell phones may be beneficial, they can change the way we view our world. Without a cell phone, many individuals feel vulnerable, as if their phone protects them from all possible dangers that they may encounter. In fact, a Rutgers University professor challenged his students to power off their phones for 48 hours and report back with their experience (Rosen). Many felt almost lost without it and one young women described the feeling “…like I was going to get raped if I didn’t have my cell phone in my hand” (Rosen). In reality, having a cell phone will not save a person’s life in all situations. Although many, including Gahran, feel a phone is a vital tool, it has changed how we feel about the world around us and how vulnerable we feel without a phone in
Smartphones have become an extension of one’s self, capturing memories, storing information, communicating an individual’s thoughts and feelings, setting reminders etc. It has become a necessity that many people feel they cannot live without. However, their usefulness comes with a price. A price Carr states and backs up with multiple studies researching the effect smartphones have on the brain and human interactions.
In a world that is rapidly becoming faster paced, finding various means to keep up with the changing environment is a must. Cell phones are one of the most practical inventions of time that make this possible. However, the subtle effect they have on our culture today, their invasion of our privacy, and the possible health risks they may cause are reasons to reassess the value of this intriguing device. While cell phones may be valuable, they are also potentially harmful.
Cell phones use radio frequencies to transmit signals. Radio Frequencies (RF) are a form of electrical waves similar to those used in radios, microwaves, radars or satellite stations. They are emitted from a transmitter, and received using an antenna. This telephony technology is restricted geographically to small zones called “Cells”. Every cell has a base station capable of sending and receiving radio waves. When a call is started a signal leaves the handheld unit headed to the closest base station. This station answers by allocating a specific channel to the unit. When this “channel” is established, modulated radio frequency signals are both received and transmitted. The head of the user is in the near field of use because the distance from the antenna to the head is a few centimeters. (Blettner & Berg 2000) If the antenna is inside the body of the phone, the exposure to Radio Frequencies is greater. The antenna might be requesting a stronger signal to contest with the interference of the battery or the actual shell of the phone’s body.
Not only does it put the driver of the car in danger, but it also puts the passengers and the surrounding cars at risk. Using a cell phone while driving has been proven to be just as dangerous as driving under the influence. At any given moment during the day, around 800,000 people are driving cars while using a hand-held device, which unfortunately puts everyone else at risk of a car crash. In the recent year, 21% of fatal car crashes involved the use of a cellular device (Prof. David J. Hanson, 1997-2015). Unfortunately, humans, especially teenagers, cannot put down their cell phones while they drive due to the many notifications they receive. They are addicted. This points back to how the cell phones are affecting the mental health of humans. In 2007, Bailey Goodman, a seventeen-year-old, was killed along with four of her friends in a car accident. Goodman
Today’s society accepted phones so fast and easily, that most of the things that can harm us, are actually some of our social norms that we don’t even realize we are doing. Cell phones can have effects on the way people think and act, their interactions with people in society, and the amount information people retain from the direct result of multi-tasking. Cell phones are a very important asset to people, and good resources of information, but they can have negative effects on people such as depression, anxiety, and addiction to the use of the cell phone. Distractions from cell phone use have also been linked to many motor vehicle accidents as well. Cell phones were created to make our lives better, and more efficient, but do they harm us more than help
demand for better cell phones is skyrocketing. With new technological advancements happening everyday with cell phones, people are starting to depend on a cell phone for everyday task. Although cell phones allow the user to contact friends or family with the touch of a button and allows them to play games in times of boredom. As a result of everyday use, cell phones have affected relationships, the brain, and health.
In 1921 the Detroit Michigan Police Department first used mobile radio in a vehicle. Digital wireless and cellular roots started in the 1940s. In the 1940s new frequencies between 30 and 40 MHz were available. There was an increase of availability in channels which police systems were encouraged to use. Mobile units were available within private companies, individuals, and public agencies. In St. Louis, 1945 the first mobile telephone system in the US was introduced. Along the highway between New York and Boston a Public mobile system carried greater frequency distance in 1947. In 1n 1949, the FFC authorized separate radio channels to common carriers. A new system was developed with automatic channel selection in 1964. With this new system each call allowed customers to dial for themselves and it eliminated the need to push-to-talk operation. In 1975, in Chicago, AT&T was authorized to develop a cellular system. After this AT&T and Bell labs work with other cellular vendors to develop their cellular phones. Their phones were made so consumers would have the quality products available to use on cellular networks. There are many reasons why the mobile wireless has not progressed further in the last 60 years, this is because of cautiousness and federal regulation. The Federal Communications Commission controlled frequency availability. Their regulations and unresponsiveness had the most significant factors hindering radiotelephone development. The Federal Communication Commission delayed the technology in America by ten years.
Cell Phones: A portable phone that uses wireless technology to send and receive phone signals. This technolog...
The facts that have been stated in this research paper show enough facts that cell phone use has a great effect on young people’s lives. Sooner or later, the use of cell phones may become a major problem in school, so parents need to regulate all use of cell phones. Works Cited Cassel, David. The. The “Using Mobile Phones For Emergencies”.
Raise your hand if you’re one of 44% of Americans that sleep next to their phones at every night. It’s true, so many of us are dependent on our mobile devices, that psychologists are now calling it the “Invisible Addiction”! Since its invention critics have debated every inch of the cell phone. From its usefulness and size, to its effects on health after prolonged usage. The conversation has since shifted. The cell phone market today is flooded with a plethora devices to choose from, sporting top of the line materials and industry leading software, but this just scratches the surface. With over 968 million worldwide smartphone sales in 2013, consumers are feeding into the latest technology that the market has to offer. Though they may become
Cell phones have changed from an item of luxury to an everyday necessity for some people. Twenty five years ago, a phone was just a way to contact someone. Mobile phones have become one of the most common tools of communications for both young and old. Cellular devices have redefined relationships and social conduct, and transformed the daily lives of many individuals. Cell phones no longer function just as a communication device. Today it has many other uses. Cell phones are used for games, calculators, texting, calendars, social sites, and pictures. In addition, there are many apps that one can download on a phone. Mobile phones help us keep track of our lives.
Every day of our lives, we watch as technology advances in leaps and bounds, so it was only logical when the cell phone came into existence, it would also be necessary to develop ways for a phone to be more than just a phone. With the explosion of the internet age people needed a way to bring their computers on the go, one that could fit in the palm of their hand. Whether it be checking emails, updating social networks or even playing games, smartphones seem to do it all. There is, however, a dark side to every technological advance that is made, to everything that makes our lives more convenient. Smartphones are not only an enormous distraction in our lives but are also known to cause health problems in those
The waves can be absorbed and reflected by surrounding objects before they reach the nearest cell tower. For example when you put your phone next to your head, during a...
Mobile phone is a device which allows its user to make and receive telephone calls to and from the public telephone network which includes other mobile phones and fixed line phones all around the world The use of cell phones has dramatically became a new age of convenience for billions of people around the world. Teenagers are the majority of mobile users in the world. Mobile phones have become one important part of a teenager's life. The usage of mobile phones has re-shaped, re-organized and altered several social facets of life (Ravidchandran, S. V., (2009)). When focusing on teenagers’ mobile phone usage, literature has provided evidence for both positive and negative effects of mobile phone on teenagers. In this high-tech world a mobile phone equips a teenager with all its needs.