While the small, rectangular electronic device we refer to as a cellular phone (cell phone for short) is as innately known to us as respiring, there are millions of people around the world who have never seen this western artifact. To those who have never seen a cell phone before, the object appears to be a handheld, rectangular piece of plastic with a glass window that occasionally produces light. When the artifact produces light, vibrates, or produces noise, the owner immediately focuses his or her attention on the artifact. The owner may pick up the rectangle and talk to it, producing the appearance of a person talking to their hand. On other occasions, the owner may frantically hit the glass window or plastic pad in response to its pleas for attention. When the owner obliges and focuses his or her attention on the glass window, she or he exits the present and enters an electronic trance where all other commotion, activity, or obligations surrounding the owner are non-exisistant (or merely not sufficiently important enough at the time).
One may wonder how this rectangle captivates the owner’s attention to this extent, and what this rectangle holds that temporarily disables the owner’s active participation in the present. If the observer reads articles or studies on it, she will find that this rectangle is responsible for many automobile accidents and deaths. Several cities and states are banning the usage of this rectangle in automobiles due to its unsafe affects on the user, similar to illegal substances. If the observer were to ask a typical American family about the device, the elders would not be very knowledgeable about the rectangle, which suggests this is a fairly new artifact to appear within the newer generations. If one were to ask the middle-aged members of the family about the rectangle, they would respond that they own rectangles, however, do not use them frequently and are not fully knowledgeable about the possible functions of them. They may also complain about the extensive use and cost of their children’s rectangles. Upon observation of American youth culture, she would find the rectangle is predominately used by younger generations. They appear most knowledgeable and savvy with their rectangles, and typically ignore all surrounding activity to appease their rectangles pleas for attention.
Upon observation of a teenager using their rectangle, the observer would notice that when held to the ear, the rectangle speaks to the owner. When the owner frantically taps the glass window of the rectangle, he or she produces text, which the owner then “sends” to another rectangle. There appears to be an invisible circuitry that transcribes, transports, and delivers these messages between rectangles, allowing the user to communicate with others not present at that time. This invisible, possibly spiritual, circuitry is referred to as a Satellite Network. The observer may then conclude that the function of this rectangle is to facilitate social interaction between owners who are not geographically close. The owner uses this rectangle to speak verbally or through text to another who is not present, creating an invisible connection between the owners through social interaction. The observer can then conclude that the rectangle’s purpose is to establish communication with other rectangle owners who are too far away to communicate in person, satisfying the western culture’s desire for close social interaction despite geospatial differences. While this rectangle has detrimental affects if abused, such as using while driving or using in inappropriate situations, the overall function of the cell phone is to facilitate relationships, whether the owner is several miles to several countries away from loved ones.
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