Weaning Off Wireless

The mobile technology of the last decade has swept the world, probably only second to the internet in all-consuming new consumer choices, so much so that it is now extremely rare to find someone without one. Even those who desperately tried to resist it for years had to eventually give in as they could no longer survive in a society that has now become completely dependent on it. But how does it happen that we go from being completely independent of something to being completely dependent on it in a matter of years?

Well clearly it was a great marketing ruse that caught on. It must have gone from ‘incredibly fun’ to ‘convenient’ before it became necessary. But was this fun and convenience that they bestowed upon the human race really necessary? Were people literally dying without mobile phones, like the people who live under the shadow of phone masts are dying now from contracting tumors? I guess it’s hard to weigh up the pros and cons, but all I know is the place where you are likely to find the highest number of mobile phones is also the place where you would be in least need of one- the city. The only real life changing advantages they bestow is if you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and fear starvation. So be sure take one with you next time you go on expedition to the Alps. Otherwise, in what way are they possibly urgent and life-saving? If the answer is: in no other way, and the science behind the health dangers of wireless technology is still non-existent, then wouldn’t it be better to err on the side of legitimate caution and wean ourselves off them completely? In effect, to practice what environmentalists call the ‘precautionary principle’.

Oh! But who would give up their beloved plugless drug? It could mean relative economic destitution- most big employers wouldn’t want to know you, but on the plus side, you would still have all the bare necessities of life and even the decencies thrown in for good measure. The most damaging effects would actually be social. For someone like me who can’t afford their own landline, I’d lose 90 per cent of my friends who live at least 5 miles away from me. With the amount of chatting I do, I’d be able to write a 60,000 couplet epic in my new free time. I may even be forced to befriend my neighbours. Who knows? Maybe my social life could get back on track- I would be all the rage with the pensioners down at the local bingo hall. Giving up the mobile phone would be a lonely road for anyone under 40, let alone under 25. But it would be fun to try, no? Come on! Who else is in? Anyone? No one? It’s not going to happen is it?