Solitary cell

I have owned a LG Glance for almost two years now. In that time, it’s no surprise that I have never seen anyone else with the same model. By today’s standards, the Glance just qualifies as an entry-level phone: Old school number pad, 1.3 megapixel camera, and text. Nothing fancy. Sometimes, I question my decision not to move up to at least a QWERTY keyboard, but after almost two years of watching the cell junkies at Columbia, I feel justified by my moral high ground. You see, not just at Columbia but all across the nation, I believe cell phones may be corrupting our culture.

In the last decade, cell phones have evolved from merely a convenience to a social mandate. Like not having Facebook, being text incapable (or, even more incredulously, not owning a cell) can make the fast-paced rhythm of college life a challenge. Enter the smart phone, the Swiss Army knife of communication technology. Today, you can barely call a phone a phone if it isn’t equipped with Wi-Fi, apps, a camera, GPS, and a defibrillator to boot. From checking the news to Facebook, the world is quite literally at our fingertips and in our pockets. It seems like a win for everyone.

But the ability to be so connected has come at a price, which is a decline in social etiquette. More than just being annoying, I often find cell phone use disrespectful and even dangerous. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to move aside on College Walk to literally avoid being trampled by an oblivious texter. It makes me glad we’re a pedestrian campus. In lecture halls, few students bother to even try being subtle about their handhelds, tapping away in full view of professors. In seminars like Lit Hum or CC, students spend entire class periods with their eyes down, getting their CrackBerry fixes under the table, high school-style. I’m sure Dante has a special circle for that. People will do whatever makes them happy, especially if they don’t get caught. But what concerns me is either how oblivious professors are or how little they must care about the touchscreen thumb punching going on all around them. Have they even consented to live “in text messaging and in poor signal, till low battery do us part?”

Cell phones have normalized a host of other social faux pas, too. Sure, it’s nice to always be connected to the world, but our communication with the outside world seems to always take priority over the here and now. Just like it’s usually not polite to interrupt one conversation for another, a text message conversation or wall update shouldn’t take priority over a face-to-face interaction. “Keep talking, I’m still listening” doesn’t make it better. Texting may be quick and convenient, but these messages also allow for the same shallow idea of connection offered by social media—in a portable format. They are a great way to stay in touch but are no substitute for real conversation. It seems obvious enough, but I’m surprised how many times I’ve heard of people “text fighting,” or breaking up via text, instead of talking. People take advantage of the artificiality and distance of the medium to avoid dealing with awkward situations, putting off both responsibility and maturity.

Another great sin of the cell culture is that it has made public self-isolation so much easier. From 15-second elevator rides to new classes, people—myself included—have fallen into the terrible habit of resorting to the phone. Even if there is nothing to do, the tiny screen presents an escape from the awkwardness of unfamiliarity. I’m not saying we need to talk with every stranger we encounter or that phones can’t be entertaining ways to pass the time, but it is human nature to gravitate toward what we know. If that includes no one in the room, there is no more incentive to try when we can be connected elsewhere.

Don’t get me wrong—cell phone technology has revolutionized life in incredible ways. You may have heard of Sultan Al Qassemi, the businessman who used Twitter to translate breaking news on the Egyptian protests from Arabic to English in real time. Or “Square,” a plug-in credit card reader that takes “everywhere you want to be” to a literal level. Whether the pros outweigh the cons is debatable, there is no option to back step across the critical threshold. Society functions in a new “iCulture,” totally dependent on our phones. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that if they were taken away, we would have a dysfunctional society, but the problems they’ve caused would become painfully obvious. For better or worse, our pocket pals aren’t going anywhere.

Derek Arthur is a Columbia College sophomore. Shining Bright Blue runs alternate Tuesdays.