Post 8: Response to Nebraskans dropping land lines in favor of cell phones

America is quickly becoming “the cell phone nation”. And although I knew that the number of cell phones in the world was growing, I was surprised when I read the article that in Nebraska this growth is being countered by a loss in the number of landlines. I guess it was fairly naïve of me to be surprised by this information, but I grew up in a small town where cell phone reception is labeled sketchy at best. I did some research and a basic phone line in Nebraska can be expected to cost somewhere in the ballpark of $60.00 a month; this service would provide the service to the whole family. On the contrary a cell phone plan, for 2 users, averages about $100.00 a month (including tax). So why is it that the Nebraskan people are so willing to pay more money for the cell phone? I believe the answer is mobility. Our culture has become fascinated to see how much of our lives we can pack into the smallest gadget possible. We have grown from a nation who had one phone line, in the house, per family to a nation with a phone line, and a computer, to a nation who has a phone and a computer built together in our pocket as we stroll down the street. Compact is the way to live; almost cell phone carrier in Nebraska, and the world feels lost without the gadgets that connect us to each other. And yet as we increase our communication with each other it could be said that the communication is less personal then before. Our new ultra modern communication devices (aka- cell phones) allow for a whole new mode of communication: text messaging. Rather than picking up our phones and calling someone people can now simply “shoot someone a text” and avoid voice communication all together. Mobility of communication has certainly become a standard presence in the lives of American teens, businessmen, and ordinary people.