CELL PHONES

CELL PHONES

 

Naturally, I selected cell phones as another media technology. This is one of our current technologies that seem to be all encompassing. They no longer serve as only a telephone. Cell phones are now the primary resource for all communication and information necessities. There are records of mobile radio systems dating back as far as 1921. These were commonly known as push to talk systems and were abundantly flawed not only in their concept but their design as well. These were not functional systems. The first major advance toward mobile phones was in 1964. A car phone could be used to dial directly to a land line. This alleviated the need for an operator and the theory behind push to talk systems. The title of mobile phone officially began transitioning to cell phone after, “AT&T proposed a modern day mobile phone system that involves dividing cities into cells” (Keith, 2004). Arguably the most important year in cell phone development was 1988. The Cellular Technology Industry Association was created and began paving the way for advancement. The first cell phone was introduced just three years later in 1991. Today, cell phones are used to access all that is available through the internet. Everything from social media and GPS to personal banking and online universities can be accessed from the cell phone. As the capabilities of the modern day cell phone continue to increase, so does the target demographic. A device that was once targeted to only wealthy adults is now sought after by everyone. Children are wanting and receiving cell phones at really young ages. It is not uncommon in this day and age for elementary aged children to have cell phones of their own. In turn, some cell phone devices and accessories are being marketed directly to children.