Mobile Lifestlye- Pros and Cons of Cell Phones

Do you remember what life was like before cell phones? Can you imagine living life now without cell phones? I know that for me, I probably couldn't. I remember one day when I couldn't find my cell phone; I went into panic mode and was ready to turn the house upside down to find it when my husband said, "It's in your hand."

I lose track of where my cell phone is several times a day and sometimes, I even leave home without it when I can't find it or forget to throw it in my purse. That's what happened to me recently and I realized that my life will never be the same, it can never go back to the pre-cell phone days since I know how it feels to always have a cell phone on me. I felt naked and lost not having it for those two hours while I was away from home. It wasn't a good feeling and I wasn't proud of feeling that way because it screamed cell phone addict!

I believe that's how many of us cell phone owners feel because we now live in a world where cell phones have become an important part of us, an accessory to our daily attire and we rely on them like it's an extension of our limbs. Cell phones have changed and will continue to change the way we live our lives.

Cell phones have changed our lives and how we function everyday for the good and the bad.

Pros: The good things that have come from cell phones:

• They are convenient. We can bring it everywhere, have access to our contacts and can be reached by others anytime. They make the world smaller, bringing people together no matter where they are. For example, this weekend, we were out and posted it to Facebook. Our friends saw we were close by so we met up with them. Cell phones also allow you to send and read emails, bring work with you, allowing you to be productive even away from the computer.
• They provide easy access to information including the internet, personal notes and information that may be stored in your phone. If you have a question about something and have internet access on your cell, you can search for an answer instantly without using the computer, reading a book or going to the library.
• They offer a sort of safety net. If you're lost, your car breaks down, you get into an accident or any kind of trouble then you can make a call to get help.
• They have a GPS system to give you directions anytime. It's not necessary to have directions before leaving the house, asking a stranger for directions or owning a separate navigation system.
• Pictures can be taken instantly, sent out and deleted, often times saving time and paper. You can capture that cute or funny shot of your baby or a celebrity you spotted while out. The phone camera can document what area you parked in at the crowded theme park lot, work schedule and copy class notes without wasting paper or writing it down. It lets you take a picture of an item of interest to you that you want to remember from the store. You can send the photo instantly or save it in your phone.
• You can record videos of anything, anytime, send it out and save it.
• They provide the weather, date and time so no problem if you don't wear a watch.
• You can use the cell phone as an alarm clock.
• You can show coupons and vouchers that can be scanned from your phone so you don't need to always carry around the paper coupons which saves paper, ink and time.
• There's a variety of apps and games available. Play a game while waiting at the doctor's office. There's an app for almost everything like an app that lets you place a pizza order, one to count the calories from eating the pizza and another to tell you how many steps you need to take to walk off those calories.
• You can send and receive text messages. Text is useful when you don't have much time to talk or can't talk like if you're at a loud place and wouldn't be able to hear well or a quiet place and you don't want to let people hear your conversation. Or it's useful if you just don't feel like talking.

Here are things that can be considered as the bad side of living in a world with cell phones (notice some of the pros are on this list):

• They may be too convenient. Anyone can get a hold of you anytime, anywhere. You may not want them to but they expect you to be reachable since they know you own a cell phone. For instance, teenagers with cell phones may get more grief from their parents when they don't answer while they're away from home.
• They allow you to still work while you are away from computers. This may not be a good thing if you're not supposed to be working or checking your email such as if you're on vacation, at a family outing or out with friends.
• They can be dangerous since they can be used anytime like in the car while driving or looking down at the screen while crossing the street.
• They allow pictures to be taken anytime, anywhere and can be sent out instantly which is a downside if it's an embarrassing photo or something you don't want seen by everyone. A stranger can snap a photo of you without your notice. or those around them.
• They allow video recordings to take place anytime, anywhere. You don't know if someone recorded your embarrassing fall down aisle one. The video can then be uploaded to the internet or sent to others instantly.
• You need to always be aware of your behavior in public since there's easy access to documenting it with the camera and video recording. Be cautious not to do anything that may end up on social media, YouTube and anywhere else on-line. That embarrassing moment that would have only lasted five minutes can now last forever thanks to the internet.
• Parents have yet another device to be concerned about with their kids aside from the computer. Cell phone activity is harder to keep track of as far as what kids are receiving, sending and doing on a regular basis especially if the kids are using it away from home. They have access to everything, good and bad.
• It lets you update your status and tweet anytime which can become a distraction.
• People become too absorbed with using their phone Instead of paying attention to what's going on around them. This can lead to rude behavior. They may neglect or ignore the person who is talking to them like the cashier, spouse or kids. They sometimes get annoyed by live people talking to them because they're busy looking down at the phone.
• Human interaction gets lost through the apps and other features that cell phones can replace human contact with.
• They cause cell phone addiction. People rely on their phones and become dependent on it so when it's not on them, they may feel like they can't function properly.

If you own a cell phone, particularly a smartphone, it probably serves many purposes to make your life easier but can also distract you from other things.

Here are some tips to limit cell phone use so it doesn't completely take over your life. Don't use the cell phone during:

• Family meal times.
• Dining out with friends
• Family time
• In the movie theater
• Watching a movie at home
• Driving
• Crossing the street
• In a restaurant
• In the check out line
• Class or when you're supposed to be working
• When someone is talking to you

Limit cell phone use:

• On vacations
• Spending time with friends and family
• At work
• At home (maybe set rules not to use after a certain time at night)

If you're a parent with kids who own cell phones then these are good limits to have so you can set a good example for your kids to follow.

©BNadyn 2013

What are your personal rules or how do you limit cell phone use? Where's the strangest place you've lost your phone? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear them!