Cell phones have slowly grown in popularity and function from the giant blocks that only worked when they felt like it, used by Zack Morris in Saved By The Bell, to the miniaturized computers that have far surpassed the dreams of most science fiction writers. According to Pew Research Centre “Nearly two-thirds of Americans are now smartphone owners” (Smith). This has caused many people to ask whether or not cell phones are dangerous. The answer to that question depends largely on your perspective. Though some studies have certainly suggested that cell phones may be linked to disease (National Cancer Institute), there are far more important reasons that cell phones have become dangerous. They have become mass communication devices that are bringing knowledge to remote areas of the world which have been isolated for centuries. They have become tools of justice for those fighting oppression, and they have changed the way we work. The question isn’t whether or not cell phones are dangerous, but who they are dangerous to.
The ability to have instant access to all of the information on the internet is a huge game changer for many people. Now, with only a small cell phone, those with no previous access to the internet are able to find information that can help educate them, empower them, and even save lives (mental floss). From their ability to have lifesaving medicine delivered by simply sending a text, to the lifesaving information they can bring on disease prevention and even diagnosis, cell phones have become a tool that better the lives of people all over the world. Watch out poor standard of living; cell phones are coming for you.
Furthermore, cell phones have recently been proving dangerous to authority figures, primarily the police. With the ability to simply start recording, no matter where you are, cell phones have been able to capture a wide variety of injustice. In 2015 alone over 13 notable shootings were caught on camera, including the killings of unarmed black men, teenagers, and the mentally ill (Vicens and Lee). Cell phones have become a liability to those whose authority went unquestioned in the past. It has ushered in a new era of surveillance and put police on the lookout. Big brother may not be real, but we certainly have a lot of little brothers running around recording pretty much everything anyways.
Last, cell phones have changed the job market. It is now possible for more people to search for jobs, find online work, or even search the dark web for less than reputable business opportunities. Poverty better watch out, because if cell phones don’t fix the problem by helping fill in these gaps, their ability to be used for social campaigns to raise awareness of such important issues will certainly put an end to them in the future.
There is no question that cell phones are dangerous to the status quo. They have helped increase our access to information, they hold us accountable, and they can be used to fight against those issues we care the most about. We may find in the future that they have been slowly killing us by frying our brains with radio waves, but at least we will be able to diagnose ourselves with the help of WebMD. It will all work out in the wash.
Works Cited:
Mental Floss,. “6 Ways Cell Phones Are Changing The World (Beyond The Ways You’re Probably Thinking)”. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.
National Cancer Institute,. “Cell Phones And Cancer Risk”. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.
Smith, Aaron. “U.S. Smartphone Use In 2015”. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. N.p., 2015. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.
Vicens, AJ, and Jaeah Lee. “Here Are 13 Killings By Police Captured On Video In The Past Year. (WARNING: Graphic Videos.)”. Mother Jones. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.