The Cell Phone Addiction Crisis

I know that I have written before about the hassles of people using cell phones while driving and while shopping.  But I witnessed something this weekend that brought it to a new level of low.  Probably 80% of those who were shopping this weekend at the store that offers “Every day Low Prices”, had their cell phones pasted to their faces.  It is almost as if these people have become mesmerized or hypnotized by these devices and cannot put them down long enough to shop.  I dread to think of what the trip to the restroom must be like, though I have imagined some pretty hilarious scenarios.

I have wondered what is happening on these devices that now provide life support for so many, is it texting, apps or social media?  Is it movies that many people watch on cell phones or sporting events (which themselves are an addiction to some)?  I guess it could be the stock ticker or the latest happening with the Kardashians.  Maybe it fills a void of the boredom that we now have with life.  But does it really matter what is on that cell phone or just the fact that people can’t live without them?  Mystery solved; cell phones have become as important as the air that these people breathe.

It is hard to imagine a life where you can’t put something down long enough to go accomplish a task.  Even people who are on oxygen machines occasionally take off the mask.  Many people like to characterize this inability to put a device away long enough to shop as multitasking, I believe that is giving them way too much credit.  There is an obsession with this device, unlike anything that I have ever seen.  It dwarfs the likes of “Beanie Babies” or “Cabbage Patch Dolls”, and I thought those things were ridiculous.

Cell phones have become an addiction, if you took them away from the public there would be a mass withdrawal syndrome that would set in.  We often hear about potential attacks on the U.S. power grid or water systems in order to bring this nation down.  I posit that if the cell towers and system were taken down, most Americans would lose their minds.  Panic would set in, unlike anything that we have ever seen in this nation.  We would be totally vulnerable and helpless without our cell phones, makes me wonder how the wagons westward ever made their journey.

We worry about opioid addiction (and rightfully so), as there is a horrible danger with that problem, but I have to tell you that our addiction to these communication devices could become equally as dangerous.  With the creation of the new 5G networks, many medical professionals believe that we could see an increase in cancers attributed to the use of cell phones.  On a lighter note, I would just like to walk up to one of these people and ask; “hey does that thing make calls too”.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved