Evolution of Cell Phones

Cell phones are an ever-expanding form of technology, in which their potential is seemingly endless. Cell phones used to be seen as emergency devices that would only be used in case of your car breaking down, or you needing police or fire help while not at home. They have evolved from being the size and weight of a brick to today where there are some not even an inch thick. There are also Bluetooth devices that enable you to talk “hands-free”, and which also claim to reduce the effects of distracted driving.

In this day and age, technology rules our world. There are so many things that we can do now that we couldn’t even do 15 years ago. Back then, having a pager was the “cool” thing to have, and cell phones weren’t even heard of. Today, we see kids in 5th grade texting in class and almost everybody has one. Cell phones aren’t seen as being a privilege anymore as much as they are a necessity. “The contemporary cell phone no longer qualifies as simply a voice medium, as providers offer entertainment, messaging, Internet access, and information as well as ‘plain old telephone service’” (Ramirez et al., 2008). We are now on the third generation cell phones on which people can communicate with friends on social websites such as Facebook, and Twitter, all while pretending to pay attention in class. This would have been seen as crazy to even think about when the Internet was first introduced into society. Cell phones now have cameras, games, and videos, all of which used to be on three different platforms (Lecture, 11/3). The Internet on cell phones is now just as fast, if not faster, as dial-up used to be.

The future of cell phones is raw and untapped. In this day and age, there will be many improvements not even thought of yet. There are also companies that are experimenting with 4G cell phones, which may allow for numerous features including high definition video (Lecture 11/3). 4G Cell phones may end up rendering video cameras, regular digital cameras, and even radios irrelevant. Some see future cell phones as, “ the ultimate convergence device” (Lecture 11/3), and they are the future of technology. There are even applications that can be run on Blackberries and Apple’s iPhone, which allow you to place a bid on items you want on Ebay, track your stock portfolio, pay your bills, and even order a pizza.



Ramirez, A., Dimmick, J., Feaster, J., & Lin, S. (2008). Revisiting interpersonal media competition: The gratification niches of instant messaging, e-mail, and the telephone. Communication Research, 35(4), 529-547.