Cell phones

The cell phone is a very interesting device that has changed our lives. Around the turn of the millenium, cell phones became affordable to everyone. In the past it may have been uncommon to have one, but now it is uncommon not to have one. To many, a cell phone is an extension of themselves, allowing them to reach otherwise unreachable persons.

As I walked around campus for the last few weeks, I have taken note to the amount of people who talk on their cell phones. It really seems that 1 out of every 3 people you see are talking on their phones as they walk from class to class. It also seemed that about half of the people talking on their phones were talking to their significant other (although there is no way to be sure without asking). Now, if you do the math that means that 1 out of every 6 people you see are talking on their cell phones to their significant other!

What a nightmare this can be for relationships. The amount of time that can be spent talking to one another is increased almost infinately. One can go about their daily lives and still be connected to the one their in a relationship with. In a completely mathematical way of looking at relationships, we can say that relationships last X amount of time with Y being the amount of time spent "connected" or together. As Y increases, X decreases due to the nature of the equation. Cell phones and other forms of communications speed up this process as Y increases greatly by allowing people in relationships always to be connected. Basically relationships will be shorter because time spent with each other increases.