The devolution of civilization one cellphone evolution at a time

September 21, 2012 8:00 am….

Sounds like a date that should be written in the annals of history doesn’t it?! It has a nice round resonance to it, the flow and elocution roll off the tongue quite well, so well that it would give a linguist chills. To many, this is just a date, a series of numbers and letters– words that don’t differ from all the other 364 that came before, and will come after like some death march. However to some, this date might as well be another addition to the holy sonnets from the church of Apple, something I’m sure John Donne would revel in.

It’s like talking to a brick wall…literally.

Friday marked the day that the newest incarnation of the iPhone…iPhone 5 came into existence. Thousands, if not millions of individuals stood (or sat) outside, perched like pigeons in front of the myriad of Apple stores, that were laying in wait to feed the hungry masses, waiting to get their fix of the designer drug. Now, I’m not hating, however, I’m just trying to wrap my head around the thought of why someone would subjugate themselves to such a degree for a little hunk of wires, chips and flashing lights? No, I’m not quoting Kanye West in this piece, but now that I think about it, the overt love of materialism kinda fits like a custom glove. lol What is our obsession with the new and the now? Why do we need to be on top of the latest fads and trends?

Is it some kind of behavioral or character trait passed down through generations? A sort of designer gene? And no, not true religion. Yeah, yeah I know…stick to writing. Seriously, although this new fad is all the rage now, but I can’t help but wonder, is this just another gadget built to drive the wedge between our interaction with one another even farther?

I bet you Alexander Graham Bell did not intend for his invention, a device meant to bring people together, to only have the opposite effect years later. Does anyone remember playing snake (or jump rope for me) with the cord? or the Flintstonic brick prototypes of the cellphone in the 80’s, I can still remember people being chained to briefcases, and wondering what was in them, only to be even further perplexed when told that was mobile phone! hahahaha

The cellphone has come a long way since the days of ‘Wall Street’ and the plastic  Barbie haze; the Nokias, sidekicks, razors (brings back memories of an ex. lol) and the dreaded blackberry, otherwise lovingly known as the Crackberry. Gone are the days that we actually used the phone to call someone, now we just use it as a portable computer to Insta-flash insipid pictures of stuff no one cares about, or to send cringe worthy text messages to one another. We don’t even send actual letters anyone anymore! Hell even email is starting to hear its death knell. Ooo that rhymed!

By no means am I saying the cellphone is destructive, just our obsession and unhealthy love for it is. Perhaps, if we looked up from the blinking touch screens from time to time, and actually talked to each other once in a while, communication wouldn’t be in danger of going silent.

…how much do you want to bet that you’re reading this on your cellphone right now?! I’m good for it. hahhahahahahahaha