Cellphones: the "Linchpin of the Social Network" and its Societal Implications
Several weeks ago, I presented on the Ling reading titled "It's not your desire that decides": The Reciprocal Expectations of Mobile Telephone which centred around the experiences and views of individuals who grew up with a landline telephone compared to individuals who only grew up in the mobile phone era. What I found interesting about this reading was how great the cultural differences were between people who grew up with landlines compared to those that did not and how only experiencing life with a cell phone created various expectations and cultural norms.
Ling specifically emphasized how people growing up with only mobile phones have a greater dependency on their phone and desire to stay connected within the digital world claiming that "people feel lost without it" and that the cell phone has become a "linchpin of the social network." And as such, there has been a great shift in society away from landlines and towards smartphones in order to "stay connected" with others.
I found the video above rather interesting as it explores this cultural shift and the influences cellphones have had on society. This video discusses the topic of cell phone addiction which made me question if this cultural shift towards digital technology and cellphones is a way of masking a greater underlying addiction shared across society instead of on an individual basis. This can again be related back to the Ling reading and how in comparison to individuals who grew up with mobile phones, those with landlines haven't experienced such desire or need to stay online and connected all the time.
Another thing I found interesting from this video was the first clip of the sorority sisters at a baseball game and how, even though they were all together physically, they were all on their phones. This caused me to ponder that even though the vision for the digital era and cellphones is to keep us better connected with one another, is it actually making us more antisocial? I also think that this idea can similarly relate to the arguments made in The Walkman Effect and The Audio-Visual iPod regarding antisocial listening and using technology like headphones to isolate ourselves from the outside world.
At the end of my presentation, I included some discussion questions regarding this reading which I'd like to repost here as I feel they may add value in discussing this post and because I'm interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on the societal shift to cell phones.
Discussion Questions:
1. Would you feel weird if you left the house without your cell phone? Why or why not?
2. Do you agree or disagree that having your cellphone can inhibit your physical experiences and interactions and if so, do you still choose to bring your phone to events or outings? Why or why not?
3. What does this say about the values of society and how we are too immersed in our own bubble to acknowledge the space around us?
Hi Sophie,
ReplyDeleteI found your post really interesting because I could not help but think about the different types of cellphone cultures in a developed country vs a developing country, and in the case of Jamaica, uptown vs downtown. People of the upper class are extremely 'Americanized' and so their cellphone culture is very similar to what you have described.
1. As a recent immigrant I would feel extremely out of place if I left home without my cellphone but I was never one to listen to music/podcasts while out and about so I wouldn't miss my cellphone for that reason. It would more so be because I just want to ensure I can communicate with whoever, whenever and in case I get lost, which happens often. However bringing it back to my point above about the different experiences in different socio-economic backgrounds, I have never listened to music while going about my business like most people do because in Jamaica that is an easy way to make your self a target, to get robbed and many times, violently robbed.
2. I completely agree that the frequent and arguable unnecessary use of cellphones can limit your physical experiences and interactions yet still I do bring my phone out to events because I like to capture memories and I like to take selfies (yes a shallow point do not judge me). However, I have seen others, especially females, who only attend events for the purpose of 'showing off' on social media. As per your blog post, this was not the case prior to cellphones. Even though cellphone usage is slowly (very slowly) increasing in Jamaican events, it is not enough to take away from the sonic experience and the sensory immersion that we experience, which I understand may not be the case here in Canada.
3. I believe that throughout history, humans' values always change and it is hard to say whether that is a good or bad thing. However I can acknowledge that the more isolated we become, the farther we stray from the good qualities of humanity - community, love, respect, compassion, manners, etc. I do believe us (as a generation) are indeed too immersed and I personally think that we should strive to find a middle ground - advance technologically without losing the qualities of being a human living in a society, in a community, and not with the 'every man for himself' mentality that seems to slowly become more and more popular within our generation (Gen Z).