Mobile Technology: Effects on Society

*Source: flickr

Picture this:

You and a friend are sitting in a restaurant, waiting for your food to arrive. Suddenly, your friend receives a phone call and decides to answer it. Two minutes pass by, although it feels like an hour, and your friend is still on the phone. What do you do?

A. Look around nervously, trying to find something in the room to catch your interest

B. Drink your beverage and look down at the table

C. Play with your own cell phone

Your answer is most likely all of the above! According to "Cellphones in public: social interactions in a wireless era," there are different behaviors in which people attempt to make situations less awkward when the person they are with are in another conversation. The same behaviors could be attributed to when a person is by himself/herself as well.

According to my own observations, I think the the behaviors discussed in the study can still be considered valid today. Why? Because I HAVE DEMONSTRATED THOSE BEHAVIORS! I hate to admit it, but I have, and I know many other people have, too. I have been stuck in situations in which a person approached my table and began having a conversation with my friend. To avoid being awkward and feeling left out, I played with my phone and browsed the internet and old text messages. Unfortunately, I STILL felt awkward.

I believe that the sociological terms are interesting, as well as accurate, considering that the terms describe what the situation is about and who the person is. For example, "cross talk" is about how a 3rd person or conversation suddenly becomes involved when it was not previously. Therefore, the 3rd person is "crossing" into another person's conversation.

In regards to an educational setting, it is very seldom I see students using their cell phones for educational purposes. The only time I have seen a student use his/her cell phone for class, was to take notes on the homework as a reminder. Other than that, students use their cell phones for texting, taking pictures, web browsing (mostly Facebook or Twitter), etc. Thankfully, I have not had the opportunity to spy a student using a cell phone to cheat on a test. Let's hope mobile technology does not go down that path.