These days the mobile phone is the most common gadget a person owns, ranging from a hot shot CEO of a Wall Street financial giant, to a local vegetable vendor. The accessory swooped people throughout the globe in the last decade making it a common man’s necessity now. It has eased communication for us in a way never imagined before. The handsets which started out in the markets in the beginning of this decade have been transformed into mega devices. The mobile phone today can be used for internet access by Wi-fi , clicking pictures and shooting videos with extremely high resolution to your on-the-go MP3 player. The gadgets are widely classified into business, fun, and music phones. The cell phone is a breakthrough innovation for our generation and a promising player to cater to our numerous necessities.
The device, however, has been highly debated in the recent past. Research carried out at several R&D laboratories of major manufacturers of mobile phones, such as Finland’s Nokia, showed that these devices emitted harmful radiations while in use. These radiations easily penetrate the human body and have the most adverse effect on the brain. It is also claimed to harm the auditory nerves and hearing impairments. Also, the radiation levels emitted could be cancer causing. The major players in the sector have come to terms with these disastrous effects and are in progress with their work to a finding a solution, perhaps a device without any harmful radiations.
Another major issue that concerns the users is the unwanted telemarketing calls. Although the information is inaccessible, it is believed that the mobile network corporations earn a major chunk of their profits by selling their customer information to major organisations and telemarketing companies. The result being, the customer is hoaxed by scores of unwanted calls by such corporations endorsing their services.
“I always used to talk patiently and refused them politely a few years back when I got my first cell phone and started receiving telemarketing calls. But with time the call volumes have increase and it has become very irritating. I simply disconnect, if it’s a telemarketing call,” says Kriti Sharma, a 3rd year economics student at LSR, Delhi University.
Many would agree, as the increasing flow of calls from banks and corporations is testing their patience. Rajat Parekh , a class 11 student residing in Noida believes that it’s a wrong approach taken by organisations for endorsement. “I’m a student of class 11, and I receive 3-4 calls every week from a particular bank asking me if I need a home loan. Why would a school-going boy need a home loan ? They need to get their basics right!” Thankfully, major telecom service providers have come up with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ service, which on being activated will ensure that the customer does not receive any endorsement calls.
In spite of availability of such services, there are many who believe that staying away from the device is the best decision. Cyrus Broacha, celebrated MTV VJ and anchor, does not use a cell phone and has never bought one. “I prefer staying away from complex stuff such as technology. Those who really wish to speak to me will find me anyhow. I don’t need a cell phone for that,” says Broacha. True. The presence of the device has eased communication, but at the cost of creating several complexities and hindrances in our lifestyle.