On Holding The Past, Present and Future in Your Hand

Technology can be our best friend, and technology can also be the biggest party pooper of our lives. It interrupts our own story, interrupts our ability to have a thought or a daydream, to imagine something wonderful, because we're too busy bridging the walk from the cafeteria back to the office on the cell phone.  Steven Spielberg

On April 3, 1973, Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, made the first handheld mobile telephone call, placing a call to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs. The handset, called DynaTAC, weighed 2 1/2 lb. and measured 9 1/2 inches long, 5 1/8 inches deep and 1 3/4 inches wide. That phone offered a talk time of just 30 minutes and took 10 hours to recharge. 

For a geezer like myself, who is still only marginally successful with all things digital, Cooper's plastic brick has evolved into nothing less than the most notable invention of the 21st Century.  But for Generation X (post boomers) and Millennials, it's no big deal because they came  of age when landlines became a mere novelty.  I agree with Rosalind Wiseman (an American parenting educator and author) who says "Advancements in technology have become so commonplace that sometimes we forget to stop and think about how incredible it is that a girl on her laptop in Texas can see photos and cell phone video in real time that a young college student has posted of a rally he's at in Iran." 

According to The Statistics Portal  , "The number of mobile phone users in the world  is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019.  In 2016...[some] 62.9 percent of the population worldwide already owned a mobile phone...[and] mobile phone penetration is forecasted to continue to grow...to 67 percent by 2019."

"Most of the mobile market growth [is due to] the increasing popularity of smartphones. By 2014, around 38 percent of all mobile users were smartphone users. [In] 2018, this number is expected to [be] 50 percent. ...worldwide [usage] is expected to grow by one billion in a time span of five years, which means the number of smartphone users in the world is expected to reach 2.7 billion by 2019."

In their ground breaking report  (Feb. 26, 2015) entitled "Planet of the Phones",  The Economist magazine noted the following:  "The average American is buried in one for over two hours every day. Asked which media they would miss most...teenagers pick mobile devices over TV sets, PCs and games consoles. Nearly 80% of smartphone-owners check messages, news or other services within 15 minutes of getting up. About 10% admit to having used the gadget during sex."

"The...power of smartphones comes from their size and connectivity. Size makes them the first truly personal computers. The phone takes the processing power of yesterday’s supercomputers—even the most basic model has access to more number-crunching capacity than NASA had when it put men on the Moon in 1969—and applies it to ordinary human interactions. Because transmitting data is cheap this power is available on the move. Since 2005 the cost of...one megabyte...has dropped from $8 to a few cents.  The boring old PC sitting on your desk does not know much about you. But phones travel around with you—they know where you are, what websites you visit, whom you talk to, even how healthy you are."

   

The enormous changes in increasing ownership and the ever growing list of applications (apps) for increased usage has occured at warp speed in the past 20 years. This writer thinks it is time to step back and evaluate the myriad of effects, good and bad, which have come to light from the wealth of research now available about our phenomenal phones.
                                                 
                                                PRO
                                         
Cell phones, of course, have evolved far beyond that first call by Cooper.  Millions of people find great joy in their ability to take  photos, send text messages, listen to music and finding their way to destinations near and far. Access to the internet means one can search for information about anything on Earth and beyond.  Much to the chagrin of many brick and mortar stores, people can buy a vast array of products without leaving home. 

"There's an app for that" has become a bit of a cliche' but there are indeed thousands of apps available, often at little or no cost. There are a wide range of weather related mobile phone apps. If you're hungry, you can locate restaurants of all stripes and check out  reviews of the cuisine by patrons. There are also mobile phone apps that provide people with access to electronic telephone directories or even find residential contact information.
    
There are also a wide range of mobile phone apps for calculating various costs. It has become a common sight to see folks comparing prices of  food and merchandise while they shop. Some of these calculate the tips given for services. There are applications that can calculate interest before you invest.  Conversion sights for language, measurement and currencies are popular.

In a surprising report  click here  by the World Bank in 2016, their research found that eighty percent of the population in developing countries owns a mobile phone. In fact, the poorest households are more likely to have access to mobile phones than to toilets or clean water. Those basic needs are increasingly being met as economies are able to grow as the digital revolution, including mobile phones, takes hold.  The phones play a pivotal role as farmers increase yields with wireless access to banking, seeds and new agricultural practices. Many are able to engage in e-commerce by communicating with entrepreneurs eager to sell local arts and crafts on the internet. They also noted that   "The world’s 1 billion persons with disabilities—80 percent of whom live in developing countries—can lead more productive lives with the help of text, voice, and video communication."  I would add that, starting with the Arab Spring,  political protesters worldwide have relied on their mobile phones to summon people to the streets.

                                          CON 

The list of good deeds seems endless, but then you knew that, didn't you?  However, there is also a picture emerging of cell phones which is colored in darker shades. Herein is a synopsis of what I found.
               Concerns About Physical Health  
             

The possibility that radiation from cell phones can cause cancer and lower sperm counts (among other ailments) has been the subject of debate for years.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that people could reduce exposure to radiation by using an earpiece or headset when they talk and by keeping the device away from their bodies.  In 2015, Consumer Reports click here said they "focused on five large...studies...which included more than a million people worldwide, comparing cell-phone users with nonusers."

"Though some findings were reassuring, others do raise concerns. Specifically, three of the studies—one from Sweden, another from France, and a third that combined data from 13 countries—suggest a connection between heavy cell-phone use and gliomas, tumors that are usually cancerous and often deadly. One of those studies also hinted at a link between cell phones and acoustic neuromas (noncancerous tumors), and two studies hinted at meningiomas, a relatively common but [rarely] deadly brain tumor."

"Though those findings are worrisome, none of the studies can prove a connection between cell phones and brain cancer, for several reasons:  (1)  Cell-phone use in certain studies was self-reported, so it may not be accurate. (2)  Findings might be influenced by the fact that the study subjects owned cell phones that were in some cases manufactured two decades ago. (3) The way we use cell phones and the networks they’re operated on have also changed since then. (4) Cancer can develop slowly over decades, yet the studies have analyzed data over only about a five- to 20-year span."  So, the jury is still out and further research is ongoing by health agencies worldwide.  A note: California's Department of Public Health click here has issued broad guidelines on how to reduce radiation from phones. Apparently, the department feels that the only way to guarantee safety is to text. 

                                                                   

In contrast, there are piles of data and little debate  about the effects on our hands and neck with heavy usage of handheld devices and are becoming more frequent. For example, "texter's thumb" (aka "gamer's thumb") develops as a result of using the thumbs for sending text messages. It is a form of  tendinitis. "Texter's neck" is the term used to describe neck pain that results from prolonged poor posture while using a smartphone.  

Finally, you tempt the grim reaper if you are stupid enough to use that beloved phone while driving. The National Safety Council reports that cell phone usage while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.

                Concerns About Mental Health

In my opinion, the biggest problem with HHD (computers also) is the powerful negative effects on mental health, particularly with middle and high school students. Their brains are still growing. Consequently, their ability to make rational decisions and control their emotions is limited. It's a tough time because they are also trying to figure out where they belong in school and society in general.  Having a circle of friends is very important and becomes even more paramount in adolescence as they mature sexually.

Those conditions have been the basis for predictable behavior in the young for centuries. 

However, I think some unique factors have come to bear on the behavior of our young these days.  Many saw the 9/11 attack on their TV.  They witnessed the slaughter of their peers in Columbine and Sandy Hook. And some were without a father for long periods while they fought nasty wars in the middle east. 

Perhaps that troubled history solely accounts for the rate of reported suicidal thoughts doubling in the last decade, according to the National Hospital Association. More importantly, their numbers also show that the suicide rate for 15-to-19-year-olds shot up between 2007 and 2015, increasing by 1/3 for boys and doubling for girls.  

Perhaps not.  Youth, and teenagers in particular, live in a unique environment with hormones raging and an intense desire to form friendships. However, it is hard to deny that the digital age has also contributed to the loneliness and depression manifested in our children's behavior.  

In a big new report, The Economist magazine (11/23/17) said..."the study suggests a different explanation for teenage melancholy—the many hours young people spend staring at their phone screens. That might be having serious effects, especially on young girls, according to the study’s author, Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University and author of  iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy."

"By scrutinizing national surveys, with data collected from over 500,000 American teenagers, Ms Twenge found that adolescents who spent more time on new media—using Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram on a smartphone, for instance—were more likely to agree with remarks such as: “The future often seems hopeless,” or “I feel that I can’t do anything right.” Those who used screens less, spending time playing sport, doing homework, or socialising with friends in person, were less likely to report mental troubles."                     

Twenge does not suggest that the amount of screen time alone is the only variable at play here.  A review of other pertinent studies points to another "villain"--social media.  Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram have been found to increase youthful angst and clinical depression. Many sad teenagers seek safe harbor in their phones.  

Adults are also subject to this malaise,  according to numerous reports.  The Economist continues: "One study published in 2016 asked a randomly selected group of adults  to quit Facebook for a week; a control group continued browsing the site as usual. Those who gave up Facebook reported feeling less depressed at the end of the week than those who continued using it. Another experiment published in 2013 found that the more participants used Facebook, the gloomier they felt about their lives. Additionally, it showed that feeling blue did not lead people to increase their Facebook use."

"Not all studies are so damning. Past research suggests that social-networking...promotes happiness if used to engage directly with other users, rather than just to covet glossy photos of someone else’s exotic holiday or lavish wedding. This distinction is a reminder that social media is what users bring to it—their attitudes shape their experiences, both on and offline."

Addiction to cell phones is also a real problem for many.

From Forbes Magazine: "A lot of us must be wondering if we're hooked on our tech: Searches for “phone addiction” have risen steadily in the past five years, according to Google Trends, and “social media addiction” trails it closely...they are closely intertwined, especially younger people,  who often aren't even talking on their phones —they’re on social media. And according to a growing number of studies, it’s looking more and more like this pastime is addictive. Even more concerning is the fact that this addiction is linked to some serious mental health risks." 

And according to a growing number of studies, it’s looking more and more like this pastime is addictive. Even more concerning is the fact that this addiction is linked to some serious mental health risks. 

Experiments abound on what happens when students are denied their phones for just one day.  Most of the students reported they felt some degree of anxiety. They didn’t know what to do with the extra time, from eating breakfast to riding the subway. 

They also noted how often people who did have phones checked their phones—one student pointed out that his friend checked his phone four times in a 10 minute period—and that that was probably what they did themselves. They also felt a sense of loss, or lessening, of their extended self—their phones.

Their quandary is magnified by their equally addicted parents.  I have seen little kids eager to share with their parents what for them is an amazing discovery (a pile of ants or a dinosaur in their new book) or a new skill (a new word or standing on their hands).  It is so sad to see Mom and Dad ignore them completely because they are glued to their phone.

For Seniors, however, the benefits of a cell phone, if you can convince them to use one, are tremendous because they have a life line to medical emergencies, their far-flung families and to new friends and groups who can alleviate boredom and loneliness.

The right to be left alone-- free from the prying eyes and ears of  Big Brother--is  a growing and complicated battle.  For

me, the battle has been lost.  I just assume that any and all of my digital communications are easily available to governmental agencies and hackers galore. I have become increasingly careful of what I say and do on my phone and computer.

Love him or hate him, Edward Snowden, the infamous NSA (National Security Agency) whistle blower, has issued a statement in 2014 that is still relevant:  "If an NSA, FBI, CIA, DIA, etc analyst has access to query raw SIGINT (Signals Intelligence Directorate) databases, they can enter and get results for anything they want. Phone number, email, user id, cell phone handset id (IMEI), and so on - it's all the same."

"The reality is that due to the FISA Amendments Act and its section 702 authorities, Americans’ communications are collected and viewed [daily] on the certification of an analyst rather than a warrant. They excuse this as “incidental” collection, but at the end of the day, someone at NSA still has the content of your communications."

Some degree of change in reducing cell phone content capture by law enforcement may be forthcoming, however.  Consider this from Wikipedia: Carpenter v. United States is a pending case before the United States Supreme Court and raises the question of whether the government violates the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution by accessing an individual’s historical cell phone locations records without a warrant.  The Court will announce its decision prior to the conclusion of the October 2017  Term, which ends in June 2018. The decision is expected to clarify the Fourth Amendment’s influence upon the ability of law enforcement agencies to obtain smartphone data collected by third-party communication providers. Some consider Carpenter to be the most important Fourth Amendment case that the Supreme Court has heard in a generation.
                                 

Unless you have been living under a rock or an alternate universe (and this writer believes that a third of our electorate is quite happy there), the influence of Russia on the elections in multiple countries, especially America's, via Facebook and other social media sources, has been documented ad nauseum.  Suffice it to say that millions of people fell for fake news sites, bots, and routinely shared utter fantasies with friends and kin. In a flurry of better-late- than-never changes by media sites and Congress, perhaps a better degree of transparency will be forthcoming.  

Herein is a report on the ongoing discussions:   One suggestion, that of a "paid for by" notice, similar to TV ads, may be helpful.  Ditto the idea to begin hiring people capable of identifying bad actors and pull their digital plug.  However, virtually all nations are aware that the threat is ongoing and will continually need to update their technological and political fixes.

Like it or not, your digital universe is poised to go on steroids, due to the introduction of 5G (fifth generation), which is a new network system that has much higher speeds and capacity than existing cellular systems. 

Here is an overview from my research: The new networks will use very high frequencies that will be able to boost capacity by four times over current systems  The standard will work all the way from low frequencies to high, but it gets the most benefit over 4G at higher frequencies. 

Without getting too deep in the weeds here, my take on the situation is that a lot of agreement needs to be reached by national carriers, telecom firms and equipment standards, but apparently many issues have been resolved as the system's debut is set to occur at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Futurists are predicting that a new, global standard will enable travelers to use their phones anywhere in the world, without switching their SIM cards when they arrive.   

OK, let's get real here.  While our lives are richly enhanced by the digital universe and have become an integral part of our business and social lives, the dangers outlined in this posting simply cannot be ignored.  Here are a few solutions:  

Due to time and space limitations, I will not list the readily available ways to alleviate the physical pain in your body.  An internet search will yield oodles of simple methods of exercises, posture improvement, etc. Nor can I add any miraculous means to cure hacking or reduce Big Brother's access to your thoughts and actions. 

Concerning smartphone addiction, there are, of course apps for that, here are six:  Generally, the apps calculate your addiction level and reminds one to take breaks from time to time. Many offer phone management tools such as disabling the internet, rejecting phone calls and sending auto text messages.  

Useful tools, to be sure, but we also need ways to control all the screens we gaze at ad nauseum also. The single most powerful source that I can recommend is  a new book, The Power of Off,  by Nancy Colier (a psychotherapist, interfaith minister, author, public speaker, mindfulness teacher and relationship coach) whose wise consul can be summed up in these words: " If we can resist the urge to turn to our phones, we'll gain the strength, confidence, and wisdom that comes from being interested in your own company."  She offers some quick tips and "detox" plans. She says it is a means ”...for navigating the increasingly complex ways in which technology is affecting our relationships—with ourselves, others, and our devices themselves."  It's also a great philosophical read to boot.

Finally, let me just say this:  Turn off your digital device. Now.  Step outside, go for a walk, the longer the better.  Find a quiet place--perhaps an old tree, babbling brook or the crest of a hill.  Sit down and be still. Take several long, deep breaths; close your eyes awhile and listen.  Really listen.  Feel the wind, rain and sun on your face. Then open your eyes and gaze at the sky.  Repeat every day you possibly can.  Know that your life is a true miracle and that you are loved.

You're welcome.......