Cell Phone Dependent

While walking into a Target superstore yesterday evening something caught my attention. Sad to say it wasn’t the silver Porsche with the sexy young male driver, or the screaming two year old who walked a few feet behind her careless mother, almost getting hit by the hot guy in the Porsche. Instead, it was a decent looking 30-something Asian male. We reached the automatic doors almost simultaneously. Approaching, the male pulled out a cell phone from his pocket, speed dialing someone on his call list. His mother? Lover? Or possibly his significant other? Who the hell knows. What I do know is that this action of his made me think: Are we that dependent on our cell phones that we cannot go to a store, or out in public for that matter, without text messaging or making a phone call?

 

After passing through the doors I noticed something else. The man hung up his phone, never speaking to anyone, placing the cell phone back into his pocket. What came to mind next was: Damn, I do the same thing. I began to think of all the times I’ve gone to stores by myself. The realization was that I, too, am a victim to this cell phone dependency. Practically every time I go to a store, alone, I tend to reach for my phone. Whether or not I need to contact someone is not the point. The feeling of security or being at ease by having some form of a familiar human contact is what my cell phone brings me. Even if it’s just to dial my voicemail, never speaking to anyone, does it make me feel naturally at ease when out and about by myself. Now, for those who know me, know that I’m constantly messing with my phone even when I am around friends and family. The cell phone has become a sort of addiction for me, so to speak. This leads me to believe that I’m not the only one dependent on my cell phone.

 

Upon entering Target I was greeted with a wide array of shoppers jabbering away on their cell phone. I noticed that those who were on their cell phones were the ones that were shopping alone. Those who had company showed no signs of a cell phone at hand. I must admit, I, too, pulled out my handy cell phone at some point in time of my duration at Target. I began to think again: Are we really dependent on our cell phones, or dependent on the human contact / connection the cell phone brings?

 

Sure, we can go out shopping by ourselves or go out to eat or go to the movies alone and have human contact with other people around us, but it’s not the same as having the contact with familiar family and friends. Hell, even sitting here in the office with my cell phone on vibrate in my bedroom has me wanting to run into my room to see if I’ve missed any phone calls or text messages. This is probably why people have turned to online dating, because when out and about in public places they have their cell phone attached to their ear, prohibiting conversations with the people around them. This makes me wonder how many people I could’ve possibly gotten to know had it not been for my cell phone.

 

I’m thinking of a challenge now, for myself and for those reading this: Could you really go a day, from sun up to sun down, without your cell phone? This includes no wondering what cell phone calls you’re missing or who could possibly be text messaging you. I’m thinking about taking on this challenge, but not quite sure if I’m ready for it yet. How about you?