News Regarding the Center
December 24, 2007
In other ways, too, cell phones are changing how we relate to one another. Researchers have found that cell phones "tighten our inner social sphere," as Ling puts it. We're able to stay in touch with friends and family more regularly (a little too regularly for some of us.) About half of all cell phone calls are made to just three or four numbers, according to James Katz, a professor at Rutgers University who studies the social impact of cell phones.
On the other hand, cell phones loosen the bonds with those outside our inner circle. Standing at a bus stop, for instance, we're less likely to strike up a conversation with a stranger. Instead, we reach for our cell phone and call a friend or colleague. Or, says Katz, consider professional conferences. They used to provide a chance to mingle, to make new connections. But now during coffee breaks "everyone rushes to their cell phones, foreclosing the opportunities in the here and now."
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'Pacifiers for Adults'
Much of the chatter on the cellular networks constitutes what anthropologists call "grooming talk." The conversations are not meant to convey vital information, but rather, to make a connection or commiserate or salve loneliness. Ironically, given the cell phone's ability to collapse distances, to render physical location irrelevant, one of the most common questions asked during a cell phone conversation is: "Where are you?"
Another reason people use cell phones is for security, or at least the perception of it. In one survey, more than 90 percent of cell phone users said cell phones make them feel safer. (That and convenience are the most frequently cited reasons for owning a cell phone.) A related phenomenon, says Katz, is "fake-talking." That's where, for example, a woman riding in a taxi late at night pretends to talk on the phone so the driver knows she's in contact with someone.
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Like them or not, cell phones are fast evolving from luxury to necessity. Opting out of the cell-phone universe is becoming less of a viable option. "You're a problem for other people if you don't have a mobile phone," says Katz.
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