Mobile phone culture

In less than twenty years, mobile telephones have gone from being rare and expensive pieces of equipment used by businesses to a pervasive⁴ low-cost personal item. In many affluent countries, mobile phones now outnumber land-line telephones, with most adults and many children now owning mobile phones. It is not uncommon for young adults to own simply a cell phone instead of a land-line for their residence, even in the U.S. where mobile phone use is less prevalent than other industrialized countries. Mobile phone penetration is increasing around the world; this is particularly true of developing countries, where there is little existing fixed-line infrastructure.

With high levels of mobile telephone penetration, a mobile phone culture has evolved, where the mobile phone becomes a key social tool, and people rely on their mobile phone addressbook to keep in touch with their friends. Many people keep in touch using SMS, and a whole culture of "texting" has developed from this.

The mobile phone itself has become a totemic and fashion object, with users decorating, customizing, and accessorizing their mobile phones to reflect their personality. Likewise, customized ringtones have been developed.

The capabilities of mobile phones are now being expanded further, to become smart phones which can adopt the roles of Internet browser, game console, digital audio player, and personal digital assistant.

Mobile etiquette has become an important issue with mobiles ringing at funerals, weddings, movies and plays. Users often speak at increased volume, with the effect of nearby people hearing personal conversations that they don't necessarily want to hear; it has become common practice for places like libraries and movie theatres to ban the use of cell phones, even to the point of installing jamming equipment to prevent them. (In areas where public safety radio networks use frequencies near the cellular range, such jammers have been known to disrupt emergency operations. Such equipment, though cheap and readily available, is therefore illegal under most countries' communications regulations.) \4700\

Part 2 Health controversy

As with many new technologies, concerns have arisen about the effects on health from using a mobile telephone. There is little scientific evidence for an increase in certain types of rare tumors in long-time, heavy users. More recently a pan-European study provided significant evidence of DNA damage under certain conditions. So far, however, the World Health Organization Task Force on EMF effects on health has no definitive conclusion on the veracity of these allegations⁵. It is generally thought, however, that RF is incapable of producing any more than heating effects, as it is considered non-ionizing radiation, in other words that it lacks the energy to disrupt molecular bonds such as occurs in genetic mutations.

Driving controversy

Another controversial but perhaps more lethal health concern is the correlation with automobile accidents. Several studies have shown that motorists have a much higher risk of collisions and losing control of the vehicle while talking on the mobile telephone simultaneously with driving, even when using "hands-free" systems.

Accidents involving a driver being distracted by talking on a mobile phone have begun to be prosecuted as negligence similar to driving while intoxicated. In some jurisdictions, such as Ireland, the United Kingdom and France, driving while using a mobile phone is illegal.