It had to come -- a tale of terror in which cell phones bring about the end of civilisation as we know it. As the mobile phone continues its conquest of the world, from the Big Apple to the remotest village in Africa, anxieties about this technology abound. And Stephen King, master monitor of the cultural angst, has confirmed our worst fears. In his latest blockbuster, Cell, everyone using a mobile phone at 3.03pm on a certain afternoon is turned into a zombie, a brain-dead killer.
A reviewer puts us in the picture: "Soon, the zombified masses are roaming the streets by day and pausing to 'recharge' by night -- lying side-by-side in moonlit stadiums, like a thousand Nokias resting in their cradles. It's up to a crusty band of outsiders -- read: Luddites who cling to land lines -- to battle their way out of the cities and regroup in wireless-free zones up north…. So despicably evil is the cell phone that the survivors rarely speak its name -- they indicate it with a sad gesture, a thumb at the ear and a pinky held at the mouth."1
Interesting plot huh? But the article is not really about Stephen King's book; it merely provides a fitting intro to a piece about the cellphone culture of today and its repercussions on parenting. Another excerpt:
And what of the mobile as a "digital leash" whereby parents can keep track of their offspring and kids can remain within reach of mum's apron strings? The industry is certainly marketing mobiles as a safety device. Its latest development is phones for young children that come in cute animal shapes, with limited user functions but, most significantly, global positioning system (GPS) technology. This sends text alerts when a child leaves nominated safe zones and allows parents to check their child's location at any time.
Aside from the fact that this system can never be foolproof, it raises weighty questions about parent-child relationships. Will it distance parents from their children, emphasising physical safety at the expense of a child's moral and emotional well-being? Will it lead to a "surveillance" mentality which is inimical to trust? Will it be another excuse for mothers of young children to enter full-time employment, against their better judgement and at the expense of their own well-being?
Read the full story at MercatorNet
2 comments:
"Will it lead to a 'surveillance' mentality which is inimical to trust?"
Very likely.
At the high school where I used to teach, one of the secretaries -- herself a mother, and a good one, at that -- once referred to students' cell phones as "technological umbilical cords."
Indeed.
Haha!! "Technological umbilical cords"...What a way to put it; I never thought of it that way. =)
Thing is, the kid can easily turn off her cellphone to shut out any parent who simply wants to keep track of her whereabouts...
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