Cell Phones - Love Hate Relationship

A recent study by the University of Michigan, revealed that 80 percent of cell phone users believe this technology has made their lives easier. However, while 80 percent seems like a true percentage that would prove that this technology is positive, the study also revealed that 60 percent of cell phone users find the public use of cell phones to be irritating to them and they cause disruptions to their social lives.


Furthermore, the study suggested that 42 percent of those involved in the study would like cell phones to be banned in public places. An interesting point to this study is that it involved 752 Americans who were at least 18 years of age. Most interesting was that more than 80 percent felt that this technology is hazardous to others, especially when used while driving.

Eleven percent of those surveyed felt overwhelmed by this technology and 36 percent said they believed cell phones have actually made less free time available to their users, which is what I have proposed as a question in my project of if cell phones have actually made our lives richer in the sense of communication or if they have in reality, made us less connected because we are so focused on our devises, rather than people.

A point that I found most interesting in this study was that while those surveyed all had their own thoughts and reactions to different aspects of cell phone usage, the majority agreed that the most important reason for having a cell phone was in the event of an emergency. While I agree, this is a valid point. In reality, it is the least used ability of the devise. In this, I correlated this reaction as an excuse for having the devise, rather than a legitimate reason, as relayed by the respondents.

To read full article go to: http://www.ur.umich.edu/0405/Mar21_05/06.shtml