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From Our Founder
by Robert J. Wichlinski Gizmos and gadgets enhance and confuse our every day lives. Cell phones, IPODs, MP3 players, PDAs, Blackberries, and digital cameras are among the plethora of electronic tools and toys we have attached to our bodies to keep us entertained, communicating, and capturing our every experience. We are keenly aware of the benefits that our electronic devices provide to our daily experience, but do we recognize the traps of our digital addiction? Is it good to forever remain connected? Are we becoming enslaved by our devices? Recently, my son David provided some valuable insight to me on this subject. During a recent “mano-y-mano” we were interrupted by a tone coming from his cell phone. In one motion he broke eye contact, grabbed for his cell, whipped it open, checked the caller ID, and pressed the receive button while asking, “OK if I grab this call real quick?” I nodded my OK and thought little of it (albeit mechanical, he was polite enough to ask). To David’s credit he informed the caller that he was busy and would have to return the call. It was then that I realized I was standing in David’s presence and our conversation was de-prioritized by an interruption arising from an electronic device. Not only did David exhibit a Pavlovian response, I accepted his response as customary and reasonable. From that moment forward David was distracted (he was obviously more interested in the nature of the call he cut short) and our conversation drifted…hallmark moment killed by a customized cell phone ring tone. Later that evening, I was in the middle of a conversation with my son Neil, my cell phone rang, and (you guessed it) I mimicked David’s earlier behavior. I quickly dismissed the call as David did, but Neil was clearly bothered by the fact that, in terms of importance, our conversation paled in comparison to an interruption only made possible because I was wearing my cell phone and responded when called… Pavlov rules! The kids went to bed and I began to ponder what had occurred earlier. My son was just like me, my son was just like me. We have become enslaved to our cells the extent to which the distraction takes precedence over the priority of the moment. When did this happen? How did this happen? Insight came Monday morning when a colleague lambasted me for not having returned his call from the weekend. He informed me that he had called me on my cell on Saturday morning. He reasoned that I had chosen not to answer and that I instead sent him to voice mail which he left and I ignored. My associate was questioning my dedication to a project we shared entirely upon my cell etiquette. Out of habit and as a matter of practice I carry my cell phone with me; therefore I am reachable 24 x 7, right? If I don’t take a call, it’s because I choose not to, right? And if I fail to respond to voice mail it’s because it too is accessible 24 x 7, right? Because I did not respond to my cell; my buddy, his call, and our project must not be important to me. Cell etiquette… YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE DEVICE OR YOUR CALLERS WILL THINK YOU HATE THEM, ARE MAD AT THEM, OR DISRESPECT THEM! IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE & INCONSIDERATE NOT TO RESPOND TO THE ALMIGHTY RING TONE AS QUICKLY AS IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. CELL CALLS ARE IMPORTANT & URGENT… THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE A CELL AND WHY PEOPLE HAVE YOUR CELL NUMBER… As all things created by man, cell phones have flaws. Cell phone service coverage is incomplete (no matter what the color map, the T.V. commercial and the slick salesperson says). Voice mail is latent and sometimes it takes more than a day to receive notification that you have a voice message (it may be in the system, but you haven’t got it yet). Cellular networks are often oversubscribed (too many customers, not enough resources)… this is especially true over weekends when most every calling plan features free service (evenings and weekends free is true for everyone and the cell systems were not engineered to accommodate everyone simultaneously). Increasingly, I receive a “system busy” when attempting to transmit or receive a call. FACT, on Monday mornings at ~ 8:00 a.m. my cell phone is practically useless, Friday afternoons are not much better. Technology aside, what disturbs me most is that a friend, a buddy, a professional would predicate my regard for them based upon an electronic device! I came to know why my David has become enslaved as I have. If an adult regards cell use in this manner, what must it be like for a teen? I have yet to see one of David’s peers without a cell phone. In your teen years everything in life is about friends and social regard. I reasoned, that is why David HAD to take the call, just like I HAD to wound Neil by taking a call when we were engaged in some serious one-on-one. How foolish can we be? I invite you to visit this issue. I suggest you reserve a day to “escape from your cell” and reflect upon its power over your daily behavior. I came to understand that my cell can both confine and free me… it’s entirely my choice. I have chosen the latter. I have politely informed those who may regard my cell as a license for 24 x 7 access to my life that it is NOT (to those of you to whom I have not communicated this message, take note). I have resolved to turning off my cell when I go into meetings and ignore it when I am in a personal conversation. Moreover, when I am at home, I take the thing off my body, place on my desk, put it on vibrate, and only check it for voice messages occasionally. I am determined to escape from my cell. I invite you to consider doing the same. FREEEDOM! Authors note: My buddy was only convinced of my sincere apology and cell phone fallibility when that very same week he received notification of a voice message that took 48 hours to appear on his phone…apparently, someone accosted him as he had me…he finally believed and called to apologized… using his cell, of course. As always, I can be reached via e-mail at b@219.com |
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