From this picture, my cell phone is not the latest model, it has been dropped a lot over the year, but it is objects that I feel we all take for granted. I never notice it before, but a cell phone is very essential to everyday life. It is amazing how technology is come so far in the last century. Thinking back to the 1800's before the invention of the telephone, it would have taken days or weeks to reach someone and inform them any type of news. Back then it was also difficult to keep in touch with family members living in other towns or countries. But in the 21st century we have the technology to stay closer to one another even though we are so far away. For example, refer back to the picture of my cell phone; I used the technology of a webcam take the picture.
The advancement in our technology is astonishing; this small webcam that I used to take the picture serves a major purpose in my life. I used this webcam to keep in contact with all my cousins who live over 200 miles away from me. Even though we are so far away, I feel like I am right next to them when we are all online talking to one another through the webcam. The picture, the voice, the movements, they are all so clear and accurate. It is almost like we are all in the same room. The cell phone has a similar purpose to the webcam.
First of all, I like to discuss the features my cell phone. It has two buttons on each side; one side controls the music player and volume, while the other controls the camera functions. The back on the cell phone contains the camera and the T-mobile letters with a unique picture of five circles creating an image of a pentagon. This picture is significant for my cell phone it informs me that my cell phone has the ability to use T-mobile Fav Five feature. For those who do not know , this is a cell phone plan for T-mobile allow users to pick five people that they always call and make it so that I do not waste minutes when I call them. Not all cell phones can do this, only the ones with the circle sign can be used with this plan. This feature was created so that people would need to buy this certain type of cell phone from T-mobile only. However what makes this cell phone my cell phone and connected to me is the Wallpaper.
At first glance my wall paper gives of the impression that I must like candy, since it is on my phone. I have had many people ask me why like to use this picture as my wallpaper when there are so many other options? The answer is simple, the picture wholes a lot of meaning to me. The wallpaper is worth over 300 dollars and took over 4 years to make. You might think that impossible, but it is true. This wallpaper is really a birthday card that I personally put time into to make for her 19th birthday. To make this card I had put together two birthday cards she had given me when I had turn 15 and 16 years old. The candy wrappers are the original wrappers from the candies she had given me at the time. The most expensive part of this wallpaper is the heart and star necklaces that are on the card. I spent hours walking to different jewelry stores in Arden Fair Mall before I pick those two, together they are worth at least 340 with the store discount. That is why this wallpaper is an important aspect on my cell phone.
The cell phone itself has many useful fuctions.Before I had my cell phone I was not bothered as much with people calling me or texting me. It has never occurred to me the importance of being able to keep contact with others. But when I acquired my cell phone everything changed, in a sense of how I talk to my friends and family. Cell phone are commonly small and very light, you do not even notice its presence until it rings. There is a saying," You never know what you have until it is gone". This saying reminds me a lot of my cell phone and how I would feel if I have lost it. I would not be able to text message anyone when I am bored or need a friend to talk to. I cannot call someone when there is an emergency and I need to reach people. More importantly I would not be able to call the people I care about to make sure they are safe. This reminds me of an incident that happen a few weeks ago. I got this message from my best friend, something bad had happen to her and it scared me. She was 70 miles away and I cannot just bike over to see her. So I did the next best thing I called her as soon as I could. After a few minutes I was able to reach her and talk to her about the personal problems that were going on in her life. I felt so relieved after that call knowing she is safe. We are miles apart and I know I can never be there with her all the time, but by knowing I have a way to reach at all times is comforting. The same goes for everyone else in my life; I have friends who have moved across the state and across the nation. It is physically impossible to be there with them when we are separated by miles and miles of land.
That is why I am thankful that in 1876 Alexander Graham had invented the telephone, because it had lead to the advancement of the handheld cellular phone. The cell phone has helped me keep in touch with everyone in my life. No matter how far they are, this small object has the ability to reach them. I can be in Stockton and call my friend in Santa Clarita, even though it is a five hour drive I can reach her in mere minutes. Also with texting I am not limited to talking to only one person, I can text message 10, 20 or even 30 people at a time with just a push of a button. Technology is truly amazing, without my cell phone I would not be able to keep my relationships with my family and friend as strong as it is right now.
1 comment:
I appreciate the efforts you made to analyze an object you use everyday. I like the narrative you provide at the beginning, how you were thinking about the assignment and then responded to the interruption from your cell phone.
You mention the invention of the telephone a couple of times in the post and I am wondering how that relates to your cellular phone--be careful not to confuse these two technologies because they are very different. They each collapse distance and space, so that you can communicate with people far away (as you write) but you do not analyze how the social relations that a telephone establishes could be very different than a cell phone. Remember that you are not analyzing the invention from the nineteenth century but an object that is quite different.
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