cell phone & society
...phone to access the internet (5); thus fuelling the belief that mobile phones will eventually overtake PCs as the major tool for internet and information access. This will therefore mean people becoming more and more dependant upon a single communication tool such as the mobile phone and this over reliance on a single device may create problems such as an interaction and communication divide between mobile phone users and non mobile phone users. Another major issue associated with mobile phones is that of "mobile etiquette" (7). Helen Gilchrist (6) argues that just because friends are physically together at the same place, does not mean they will necessarily talk to each other due to the interruption of the ringing mobile phone and what Kopomaa (4)has described as "a culture of interruptions". Due to the increased accessibility that mobile phones offer, this increased accessibility may not always offer convenience. Through this feature, unless the phone is switched off, the user is on call 24 hours a day and whether he/she is spending time with children, attending a funeral or in a meeting, the mobile phone will always be a third entity to pose as an interruption. However, more and more people are realising this threat to mobile phones pose and are increasingly adhering to mobile etiquette with cinemas, hospitals and other public places reminding users of mobile etiquette whilst some train companies such as Midland Mainline are offering customers...