Are cell phones an essential part of life these days?

I'm puzzled if I come across someone without a cell phone. In today's world, it's nearly required for many logistical reasons. What do you think?

I don't think they're essential. Plenty of people can do (and still do) just fine without them. For those who rely on their cell phones for everything (internet, phone calls, IMing, music, etc.), yes, they're essential.

I've never had a cell phone, I find it hard to come up with reasons to get one.

I've never had a cell phone, I find it hard to come up with reasons to get one.

HorseVillain

They are the cigarettes (mid 20th century acceptance, not late)of the 21st century.

Addictive.

Costly

Fashionable.

Cause cancer.:P:cry:

I don't own one.

I don't think it's essential for MOST people. But I'm sure there are some people out there who really DO need cellphones. For example, maybe some people whose job requires them to be on the move, and they need to constantly keep in touch with the ones they're doing business with.

But for most people, your average Joe who only uses cell phones for social reasons, no. Not essential.

I use mine everyday.

My mother is a senior lecturer at a British University and has never owned a microwave, an answer machine, or a mobile phone. If her colleagues or students want to contact her, they will use the telephone, dial numbers, and hope that someone is at home. If not, they will try again later...or drop by in person, which is preferred.

Well, being that I do not have a landline this is my only form of communication outside of the internet....mindstorm

I've never had a cell phone, I find it hard to come up with reasons to get one.

HorseVillain

For me yes, my cell phone is essential.

What if you car broke down and you didn't have a cell phone. What do you do?Hopkins_J

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

No. I lost mine forever ago. I can go on living without it.

Not really. I don't even use one much.

[QUOTE="Hopkins_J"]What if you car broke down and you didn't have a cell phone. What do you do?MrGeezer

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

Maybe close to essential, they definitely make life a lot easier and enable you to keep in touch much more easily.F1_2004

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

[QUOTE="Hopkins_J"]What if you car broke down and you didn't have a cell phone. What do you do?MTVjams

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

Well ever since we got rid of our home phone my cell is an essential part of my life. In some ways that means I have yet another responsibility which kind of sucks. Although I must sayy it's also gotten to the point where I hate calling a home phone because anybody might pick up and I might not want to talk to them.

[QUOTE="MTVjams"][QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

Lockedge

well it would certainly suck considering I don't have a landline.

I have a cell phone because if my car ever breaks down in the middle of the night in the middle of the boondocks when its 10 degrees outside, I want to be able to call some one and not have to wait for someone to pull over and help me out while im freezing my *** off. Other then that I could do without a cell phone.Dub_c6969

[QUOTE="Hopkins_J"]What if you car broke down and you didn't have a cell phone. What do you do?MrGeezer

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

[QUOTE="Hopkins_J"]What if you car broke down and you didn't have a cell phone. What do you do?MTVjams

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

So...what DID I do on the many occasions when my car broke down? I walked my ass the short distance to a place that had a pay phone, and I called for help using a pay phone instead.

OMG, I had to walk a little bit! :roll:

Seriously, kids these days. Just earlier, people were complaining about homework because "you know, I should be allowed to enjoy my youth". **** that. It wasn't long ago that all our asses wood have been sent out to do hard labor chopping wood the second we reached the age of five.

It's like, it's your fifth birthday and you open your presents. One of them is an axe. You're all like, "huh? WTF is this?"

And your dad replies "lol...it's an axe. You'd better get used to liking it, because from now on you're gonna be using it a LOT...rofl!"

Dudeit's probably about ten years ago that absolutely everyone started using cell phones. TEN YEARS. Are you really soooo reliant on modern technology that tech that's 10 years old is just an abomination to you? Until VERY recently no one had cell phones. And most people got along just fine.

And hell, today we have Onstar, where you can call for help WITHOUT a cell phone. So...why are you relying on on your cell phone for help if you get lost and stranded. That's ANCIENT technology. What if you lose your phone and get disoriented? You can't rely on cell phones these days, you need Onstar.

What if you car broke down and you didn't have a cell phone. What do you do?Hopkins_J

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

[QUOTE="MTVjams"][QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

MrGeezer

So...what DID I do on the many occasions when my car broke down? I walked my ass the short distance to a place that had a pay phone, and I called for help using a pay phone instead.

OMG, I had to walk a little bit! :roll:

let me help you guys out. this is the relevent part. the rest just gets obnoxious.

[QUOTE="MTVjams"][QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

I guess I'd do whatever it is that people did before cell phones were available.

MrGeezer

So...what DID I do on the many occasions when my car broke down? I walked my ass the short distance to a place that had a pay phone, and I called for help using a pay phone instead.

OMG, I had to walk a little bit! :roll:

Seriously, kids these days. Just earlier, people were complaining about homework because "you know, I should be allowed to enjoy my youth". **** that. It wasn't long ago that all our asses wood have been sent out to do hard labor chopping wood the second we reached the age of five.

It's like, it's your fifth birthday and you open your presents. One of them is an axe. You're all like, "huh? WTF is this?"

And your dad replies "lol...it's an axe. You'd better get used to liking it, because from now on you're gonna be using it a LOT...rofl!"

Dudeit's probably about ten years ago that absolutely everyone started using cell phones. TEN YEARS. Are you really soooo reliant on modern technology that tech that's 10 years old is just an abomination to you? Until VERY recently no one had cell phones. And most people got along just fine.

And hell, today we have Onstar, where you can call for help WITHOUT a cell phone. So...why are you relying on on your cell phone for help if you get lost and stranded. That's ANCIENT technology. What if you lose your phone and get disoriented? You can't rely on cell phones these days, you need Onstar.

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

[QUOTE="MTVjams"] Or better yet you dont even need a car because who needs a car anyways? People got places before we had cars...you could walk, ride a horse, sail, etc. :roll: Serraph105

So...what DID I do on the many occasions when my car broke down? I walked my ass the short distance to a place that had a pay phone, and I called for help using a pay phone instead.

OMG, I had to walk a little bit! :roll:

let me help you guys out. this is the relevent part. the rest just gets obnoxious.

[QUOTE="Serraph105"]

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"] Well, now that you mention it, I've only had a cell phone for about 2 years. Before that, no cell phone. Shortly before that, I was driving a car that was ALWAYS breaking down, and I spent nearly 10 years driving that car.

So...what DID I do on the many occasions when my car broke down? I walked my ass the short distance to a place that had a pay phone, and I called for help using a pay phone instead.

OMG, I had to walk a little bit! :roll:

Lockedge

let me help you guys out. this is the relevent part. the rest just gets obnoxious.

no the rest was a detour comparison told in a a fairly offensive way

Most girls rely on cell phones (sorry for generalization)

Are you willing to risk the fact that the girl of your dreams might want a guy who she can text at night? What if 2 guys have the same personality, and the only difference is that one has a cell phone...who is she going to pick?

Most girls rely on cell phones (sorry for generalization)

Are you willing to risk the fact that the girl of your dreams might want a guy who she can text at night? What if 2 guys have the same personality, and the only difference is that one has a cell phone...who is she going to pick?

RJay123

If my cell phone or lack of a cell phone is the deciding factor in a girl dumping me, then good ****ing riddance.

No, I don't ****ing like getting damn text messages. And I have no problem TELLING people that I'm not even going to bother attempting to read their text messages. If they want to get in contact with me, then they can call me up directly, and leave a voicemail if I don't answer. I make no mistake of saying that if you text me, I ain't reading it.

And if I lose a woman because she wants a fellow texter, then fine. That chick can hit the road and go pursue her relationships that are based on text messaging.

I own a cell phone, but I practically never use it... so yes, I would say it is not exactly an essential part of life.

Then again, I don't own a car either, so I suppose I am not exactly normal.

Most girls rely on cell phones (sorry for generalization)

Are you willing to risk the fact that the girl of your dreams might want a guy who she can text at night? What if 2 guys have the same personality, and the only difference is that one has a cell phone...who is she going to pick?

RJay123

If you have a phone, and your significant other has a phone, why not just... call that person?

Texting as a form of sustained communication always has always struck me as a very bizarre thing to do.

I don't think cell phones are an essential part of life. I own a cell phone - yet I don't even use them nearly as much as most people seem to use theirs. I view cell phones mostly as a novelty for a lot of people. When I use my cell phone, it's mostly for novelty purposes... When I'm texting friends, it's rarely for anything important... It's just a way to cure boredom. Many people seem to use them in the same fashion as well, as it always comes down to texting your friends, sending pictures back and forth, and saying quick things to one another that might not even be important. It's really just a novelty having such abilities while you're on the go. Are these things required for living the life? I certainly would not say so.

[QUOTE="RJay123"]

Most girls rely on cell phones (sorry for generalization)

Are you willing to risk the fact that the girl of your dreams might want a guy who she can text at night? What if 2 guys have the same personality, and the only difference is that one has a cell phone...who is she going to pick?

GabuEx

If you have a phone, and your significant other has a phone, why not just... call that person?

Texting as a form of sustained communication always has always struck me as a very bizarre thing to do.

I refuse to even bother with it.

For one, it's impractical. At least unless you get one of those phones whith a QWERTY keyboard, I don't see how it's more efficient to text rather than leave a voicemail message. Furthermore, if you go with "l33t speak" in order to cut down the time it takes you to compose the message, then you just end up looking like a moron.

And like you said, texting is just EXTREMELY impersonal. Impersonal to the degree where it's like they don't even really give a ****. Texting (as well as typing on the internet) is an inferior form of communication to TALKING, simply because there's so much information contained in people's verbal cues. Text (particularly text on a cell phone) just boggles my mind. I mean, they already have a cell phone if they're texting me, so why not just CALL me? But basically, if someone can't care enough to TALK to me instead of leaving a freaking text message, then I can't be cared enough to bother reading it. I have no problem telling people this. It's just like the old idea of "if you have a problem with me, then have the courtesy and balls to tell me to me face instead of talking about me behind my back". If what you're saying isn't important enough to actually PERSONALLY TELL ME, then why is it important enough for me to even bother reading?

And yeah...if I "lose the girl" because I don't like to text, then the hell with her. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

I don't have one, so no

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="RJay123"]

Most girls rely on cell phones (sorry for generalization)

Are you willing to risk the fact that the girl of your dreams might want a guy who she can text at night? What if 2 guys have the same personality, and the only difference is that one has a cell phone...who is she going to pick?

MrGeezer

If you have a phone, and your significant other has a phone, why not just... call that person?

Texting as a form of sustained communication always has always struck me as a very bizarre thing to do.

I refuse to even bother with it.

For one, it's impractical. At least unless you get one of those phones whith a QWERTY keyboard, I don't see how it's more efficient to text rather than leave a voicemail message. Furthermore, if you go with "l33t speak" in order to cut down the time it takes you to compose the message, then you just end up looking like a moron.

And like you said, texting is just EXTREMELY impersonal. Impersonal to the degree where it's like they don't even really give a ****. Texting (as well as typing on the internet) is an inferior form of communication to TALKING, simply because there's so much information contained in people's verbal cues. Text (particularly text on a cell phone) just boggles my mind. I mean, they already have a cell phone if they're texting me, so why not just CALL me? But basically, if someone can't care enough to TALK to me instead of leaving a freaking text message, then I can't be cared enough to bother reading it. I have no problem telling people this. It's just like the old idea of "if you have a problem with me, then have the courtesy and balls to tell me to me face instead of talking about me behind my back". If what you're saying isn't important enough to actually PERSONALLY TELL ME, then why is it important enough for me to even bother reading?

And yeah...if I "lose the girl" because I don't like to text, then the hell with her. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Off the topic of texting, what if you are waiting for this really great job? Wouldn't it be more efficient to wait for the call on your cell phone so that you can be sure to answer them?

What if they get frustrated that you are not home at your landline and call someone that's available immediately instead for the job?

I have no cellphone and I'm alive.

Qwerty keyboard phones are cheap these days, even the one without all the fancy internet features.

And sometimes texting is required. If I was working, I wouldn't call someone in the middle of my job. But I might be more inclined to text. Same thing for c8assrooms or lecture halls.

RJay123

In what situation could you text someone in which you couldn't call and leave a quick message?

Off the topic of texting, what if you are waiting for this really great job? Wouldn't it be more efficient to wait for the call on your cell phone so that you can be sure to answer them?

What if they get frustrated that you are not home at your landline and call someone that's available immediately instead for the job?

RJay123

If they call you but hate so much the fact that you aren't home when they do that they immediately cross you off their list, then I imagine either that they couldn't have wanted to hire you that badly or that I really wouldn't have wanted to work for them anyway.

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

If you have a phone, and your significant other has a phone, why not just... call that person?

Texting as a form of sustained communication always has always struck me as a very bizarre thing to do.

RJay123

I refuse to even bother with it.

For one, it's impractical. At least unless you get one of those phones whith a QWERTY keyboard, I don't see how it's more efficient to text rather than leave a voicemail message. Furthermore, if you go with "l33t speak" in order to cut down the time it takes you to compose the message, then you just end up looking like a moron.

And like you said, texting is just EXTREMELY impersonal. Impersonal to the degree where it's like they don't even really give a ****. Texting (as well as typing on the internet) is an inferior form of communication to TALKING, simply because there's so much information contained in people's verbal cues. Text (particularly text on a cell phone) just boggles my mind. I mean, they already have a cell phone if they're texting me, so why not just CALL me? But basically, if someone can't care enough to TALK to me instead of leaving a freaking text message, then I can't be cared enough to bother reading it. I have no problem telling people this. It's just like the old idea of "if you have a problem with me, then have the courtesy and balls to tell me to me face instead of talking about me behind my back". If what you're saying isn't important enough to actually PERSONALLY TELL ME, then why is it important enough for me to even bother reading?

And yeah...if I "lose the girl" because I don't like to text, then the hell with her. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

But why is that important? Why do you think texting at all is required for when you're on your job or in a cl@ssroom? In most cases your job or your cl@ssroom wouldn't even allow such things to go on in the first place.

Off the topic of texting, what if you are waiting for this really great job? Wouldn't it be more efficient to wait for the call on your cell phone so that you can be sure to answer them?

What if they get frustrated that you are not home at your landline and call someone that's available immediately instead for the job?

RJay123

What if I'm driving while they text me? Am I supposed to immediately whip out my phone in the middle of traffic and potentially get into an accident?

Phone tells me when I get a text message, just as it tells me when someone tries to TALK to me. In either case, I can either reply immediately, or not. There's no difference.

Either I have my phone on me, or I don't. If I have my phone on me, then I get notification either way. If I'm in a position to read the text message, then I'm in a position to take the call.

And if I'm NOT in a position to apply right away, then texting me ain't gonna get me to reply sooner. I heard it, I am just not answering. Either way, I either get a voicemail message or a text message. And I can call back later if I freaking feel like it.

What the hell makes people think that they'll somehow get through to me by texting? I'm not gonna read a text message in the middle of a ****any more than I'll start talking on the phone in the middle of **** Either way, I'm ****ing busy. So either leave me a message, or try calling back later. Just because I have a cell phone doesn't mean that I'm at your service and have to reply as soon as you try to contact me. This is true whether we're talking about text messages or voicemail.

[QUOTE="RJay123"]

[QUOTE="MrGeezer"]

I refuse to even bother with it.

For one, it's impractical. At least unless you get one of those phones whith a QWERTY keyboard, I don't see how it's more efficient to text rather than leave a voicemail message. Furthermore, if you go with "l33t speak" in order to cut down the time it takes you to compose the message, then you just end up looking like a moron.

And like you said, texting is just EXTREMELY impersonal. Impersonal to the degree where it's like they don't even really give a ****. Texting (as well as typing on the internet) is an inferior form of communication to TALKING, simply because there's so much information contained in people's verbal cues. Text (particularly text on a cell phone) just boggles my mind. I mean, they already have a cell phone if they're texting me, so why not just CALL me? But basically, if someone can't care enough to TALK to me instead of leaving a freaking text message, then I can't be cared enough to bother reading it. I have no problem telling people this. It's just like the old idea of "if you have a problem with me, then have the courtesy and balls to tell me to me face instead of talking about me behind my back". If what you're saying isn't important enough to actually PERSONALLY TELL ME, then why is it important enough for me to even bother reading?

And yeah...if I "lose the girl" because I don't like to text, then the hell with her. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Nerd_Man

But why is that important? Why do you think texting at all is required for when you're on your job or in a cl@ssroom? In most cases your job or your cl@ssroom wouldn't even allow such things to go on in the first place.

No, it's not required. But if you're trying to set up a time to meet your friends, and one of them changed the meeting time or place at the very last second, it would be good to know before I head out of ****which way I'm headed and how much time I have.

What if my friend has to go to work and I can't call him back after c@ass, I woudn't know what's going on.

I'm not saying texting should be the definitive form of communication, but I don't understand why anyone would question it's existence, as it makes certain situations more convenient.