The mobile mania catches on

We are a nation madly in love with the mobile phone. Although the purpose of using a mobile phone is to contact someone in an emergency, we have found new ways to live with it. From the lowly paid janitor to the highly paid corporate executive, the mobile phone has become a virtual vade mecum (come with me). So, we hear mobile phones ringing in offices, buses, trains and even toilets! God knows how people answer the mobile phone while easing themselves!

A reputed English academy in Nugegoda has a notice board on its classroom doors: ‘No food, no drinks, no mobile phones’. It is an indirect warning against the use of mobile phones in the classroom. But students may still be carrying mobile phones, in the silent mode. However, they do not realise that mobile phones disturb their educational activities.

Do not be surprised if you meet someone carrying two or three mobile phones. Once an executive explained that he uses one phone to send text messages to his friends. He uses another phone to be in touch with his boss. The third phone is used for local calls. He insists that he needs all of them for his business activities.

Love relationship

Asians in general and Sri Lankans in particular have a kind of love relationship with mobile phones. We love to chat on them a lot. However, in developed countries, a person uses the phone for a few minutes at a time. However, we talk for hours and the mobile phone market has become a booming industry. We have ready-made excuses for using the phones for long hours. A mobile phone is not meant only for making calls any more. It makes a statement about yourself. With the latest models, we surf the worldwide web, play games, record appointments and watch movies. So, it has become an essential personal item just like the wristwatch you wear.

Young mobile phone users go for bright colours, personalised ringing tones and chat functions. Sometimes, they also go for hands-free phones, so that they could talk more, even when they are on the move. New models with advanced features are regularly advertised and young people tend to change their phones every now and then. Even parents buy them new phones to show their love.

Cellphone technology has advanced to such a degree that marketeers know how to draw the customer’s attention for their products. The craze for mobile phones has eclipsed the passion for wristwatches. Today phones do the function of wristwatches, giving the time. What is more, the mobile phone has become a status symbol for many of us.

Cumbersome

When mobile phones were introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1980s, they were heavy and cumbersome. Today the biggest trend in design has been miniaturisation. The new handsets are becoming smaller and smaller every year. Manufacturers have made it a point to add the latest features and a little bit of elegance. Flashing antennae, downloadable screen characters and novel ringing tones have further personalised the handsets.

Today’s mobile phones come with WAP, digital organisers and MP3 players. Commercialisation apart, it’s all about prestige. In the coming years we will experience another design revolution. Advanced technology will allow high speed transmission of text and message data.

We have been blinded by the digital revolution so much that we abuse our right to free speech. In public transport, we use the mobile phone to discuss family problems and important business deals without paying any heed to other passengers. The mobile phone etiquette is not yet developed and we use it haphazardly. Although most of us do not complain about incessant ringing of mobile phones, Americans are trying out quiet zones. In many developed countries, people are asked to turn off their mobile phones in theatres, hotels, classrooms and hospitals.

Above all, too much of mobile phone use may adversely affect our hearing. This is something we must be mindful. According to recent research, heavy use of mobile phones might lead to an epidemic with people suffering from loss of hearing. So, it is advisable to use the mobile phone only when there is no alternative communication method.