The Ecology of Media

When the first cellular phone call was placed on April 3, 1973 by it’s inventor Martin Cooper, the world as we know it was changed forever. One could be contacted wirelessly without having to reach a landline or use a payphone, meaning anyone with a cell phone was reachable at almost any given moment. The cell was originally designed solely for telecommunication, where two parties would verbally converse over the phone. Its function now is completely different from its original purpose.

Not only can users verbally communicate through modern cell phones, they can communicate in almost every way possible. Most phones or “Smartphones” now feature text messaging, built-in cameras, mp3 players, wireless internet access, GPS, calculators, calendars, e-mail, voice recorders…the list goes on and on! Does this so-called “cellular phone” even sound like a phone anymore? Clearly the cell’s function has mutated far beyond its original purpose.

Cell phones have a large cultural impact on their users. Users are glued to their phones almost 24/7. They text while driving, get sports score updates instantly and e-mail on the go. Users are constantly engaged with their cell phones and are highly dependent on them for daily function. If one’s cell phone is lost or stolen, it is “the end of the world” for that user, because they are so dependent on having mobile access to the world. Once that mobility is taken away, it is like that user is isolated from the world, since the modern world know-a-days is almost all virtual. We spend half our time either on a computer, cell phone or watching television. The idea of mobile communication is the future. It has already replaced the landline, and has yet to replace many other technologies as it mutates even further, creating a virtual mobile web, and slowly "deleting" culture.

"People want to talk to other people - not a house, or an office, or a car. Given a choice, people will demand the freedom to communicate wherever they are, unfettered by the infamous copper wire. It is that freedom we sought to vividly demonstrate in 1973," – Martin Cooper

Works Cited

"Martin Cooper - History of Cell Phone." About: Inventors. 2009. 9 Oct. 2009. <http://inventors.about.com/cs/inventorsalphabet/a/>.

"Mobile Phones - Changing Times." Quazen. 16 Aug. 2009. 9 Oct 2009. <http://quazen.com/shopping/consumer-electronics/mobile-phones-changing-times/>.