Cellphonemania

Guest Post by Susanne

My youngest brother, age 24, is flying out to Maryland at the end of May to meet a girl that he ‘met’ while playing Everquest 2. I guess it’s the new form of online dating. Putting that aside, they are connected via cell phone 24x7. They wear hands-free headsets and literally are connected ALL THE TIME. They are both T-Mobile customers and have unlimited minutes, and let me tell you, they use them. Seeing people on their cell phones all the time drives me a bit bonkers already, but this has taken it to a whole new level. I love people strolling down the aisles at the grocery store chatting away. I can’t tell anymore if they have a mental illness or are on a cell phone. I also love two people in a car sitting next to each other but not speaking with each other – they’re on cell phones instead.

How sick is that?

Anyway, I can be having a conversation with my brother and a virtual one too with this girl on the other side of the country. She chimes in all the time as if there are actually three people in the room rather than the two I can see. I can’t really begin to explain how weird it is. It’s almost like being on interactive reality TV, with someone not in the room listening in on everything that goes on, voicing their opinion, asking for details, etc.

My family is in our own Truman show.

My husband and I have discussed how the concept of a ‘long distance relationship’ that is hard to maintain is really different in their case. Normally it’s because all of the subtle goings on that happen during your day aren’t shared with the other person. In their case, it is almost like they are joined at the hip all day long. She’s in college, he works, and yet they really are only disconnected for short durations.

They’ve probably even ‘slept together’ haha.

The other thing that is interesting is when I’m on the phone with someone, I actually feel the need to talk. You know, have a conversation. But these two are quite content to hear each other eat, tell each other what they’re watching on tv, or just be silent. I know they say that the ability to have a comfortable silence is a cornerstone of a relationship, but c’mon! I guess I’m becoming a fuddy duddy at only 36. We don't have any cell phones and my husband works in high tech where everyone has uber gadgets. I consider cell phones, pagers, etc just electronic leashes.

And have you seen some of the long-term studies they've done concerning brain tumors?
Scary.
Apparently if you hold the cell phone just right against your head, you are exposed to approved levels of radiation. Tilt it slightly, and you have your own private radiation therapy. Sure there are a few times per year when having a cell phone would be really handy, but we're somehow managing to survive anyway.