Well, I survived. I challenged myself to go an entire day without a cell phone. Surprisingly, I did a lot better than expected. Although I don't like to admit it, I have succumb to the fact that I may or may not be a cell phone junkie. Classic symptoms of a Cell phone Junkie include: Hearing phantom rings, a sense of sadness when no one has called or texted, checking the screen every 2 seconds; God forbid during that last blink a call is missed; and of course going over the allotted minutes/texts for the month (unless you are truly sick, in which case you might have an unlimited monthly plan). It is truly unfortunate.
But! I like to think that since I didn't feel as anxious as I thought I would, I could survive without it (wait, that was only 1 day? shit.) I will admit it was kind of refreshing not being so available, if I wanted to contact someone it was up to me to figure it out...not the other way around. During my class that night, a sense of jealousy rushed over me when all my friends pulled out their blackberries and blueberries and igadgets during break. Is it sad that I felt out of touch? Questions kept popping into my head: Did anyone call me? Did anyone text me? Am I popular?? What if something bad happened? What if ANNA lost $50 in the dumpster and she needs a boost!? Either way, I got through the rest of the night with only a little anxiety.
By the time I got home I finally lit up the screen to find 5 missed calls and 6 text messages. I guess I am wanted after all.
This experiment got me thinking about time before cell phones. How did we manage last minute cancellations? Were people more prone to forgive if someone didn't show up for a coffee date? During the 1800's Kings and Queens used people as their cellphones, what a simple time. If only I had a town crier to let my friends know that I'm going to be late to the Christmas party. Now, there are no excuses; "Well, you could have called. I had my phone with me!" Is our patience and empathy level slowly declining because of the technology surrounding us? The other day my work email was running a tad slower than normal and I could feel fury building up inside, why? Time is money, as they say.
Either way this experiment was a good one. I now know that the world is NOT going to end if I don't have my cell phone. Then again, what if Pierce Brosnon calls and needs back up...?
