CELLPHONESANDSOCIETY

GROUP2

COURSE:HM216

Science,TechnologyandSociety

CourseInstructor:Dr.MadhumitaMazumdar

FALL2013

DHIRUBHAIAMBANIINSTITUTEOFINFORMATIONAND
COMMUNICATIONTECHNOLOGY

GANDHINAGAR


GROUPMEMBERS:

YarlagaddaSharvani(201201001)
HariEswaraAnjaneyaReddyParreddi(201201012)
AnsulAgrawal(201201040)GroupLeader
SagarMaru(201201061)
KVedasagar(201201114)
VishwaModi(201201136)
ArunBansal(201201155)
TapanKumar(201201174)
KhyatiVaghamshi(201201220)
PericherlaAvinash(201201236)


Acknowledgement

Wewouldliketoexpressourdeepestgratitudeandappreciationtothe
individualsandtheorganizationswithoutthehelpofwhomthesuccessandfinal
outcomeofthisreportwouldnothavebeenachieved.
WerespectandthankDr.MadhumitaMazumdarforgivingussuchagreat
opportunitytoexploretheworldbeyondourcollegepremises,bothurbanand
ruralareasthroughourfieldwork.
Wearethankfultoallthosepeople,whichincludespeoplefromtheruralareas,
schoolandcollegestudentsandthelocalurbanresidents,whohelpedusbuilding
ourdatabygivingtheirinvaluableinputsduringoursurvey.
Wewouldalsoliketoextendourgratefulnesstothepsychologistsfortheirtimely
supportandguidancewhichhelpedusinsuccessfullyaccomplishingourproject
report.


INDEX

1. Introduction

1.1.
ProjectApproachandObjectives
2. HistoryofCellPhone

2.1.
EmergenceofCellPhone

2.2.
DiffusionofCellPhone

3. CellPhonesandUrbanSociety

3.1.
SchoolKids

3.2.
CollegeStudents

3.3.
WorkingClass

3.4.
Professionals

3.5.
Housewives

3.6.
Underprivileged

3.7.
ElderlyPeople

4. CellPhonesandRuralAreas

5. EthicalIssues

6. Conclusion

7. Bibliography

5.
5.
7.
7.
8.
11.
11.
15.
20.
23.
25.
28.
35.
39.
43.
51.
53.


1.Introduction

Cellphoneshavebecomeanintegralpartofeveryoneslife.Eversincethemid1980s,they
havebeenmovingtheirwayquicklyintoourlife.Ascellphonesevolve,theyhavemoreand
moreimpactonourlives.Aswithnewtechnologyinanyotherform,cellphoneshavechanged
greatlyovertheirrelativelyshortlifespans.
Cellphoneshavebecomeanecessityforalmostallthepeoplearoundtheglobe.Theabilityto
keepintouchwithfriends,familyandaccesstointernetareonlyafewofthereasonsforthe
increasingimportanceofcellphone.Incaseofemergency,acellphonesallowsonetoreach
his/hercontactsquicklyandpossiblysavelives.Buttoday,thepurposeofcellphonehasgone
waybeyondthatwiththeintroductionofinternetandsmartphones.Thesehighfeatured
phonesareequippedwithGPS,camera,applicationswhichallowsausertoperformevenmore
tasksthanwhatanormalcomputercouldprovide.

1.1ProjectApproachandObjectives
Thisreportmainlyanalyzestheinterrelationbetweensocietyandcellphone.Everysocial
grouphasitsownuseandinterpretationofcellphone.Thestudyandanalysisofthiswould
helpindevelopingacompletepictureofinterrelationbetweensocietyandtechnology.
Wearemainlyfocusingonthefollowingpoints:

Basicdemandsforcellphonebydifferentsocialgroups
Theirinterpretationandimportanceofcellphone
Effectonhumanbrainandbehavior
Iscellphoneactingasastatussymbolanddividingthesocietyintofurtherclassesand
strata?
Inspiteoftherebeingtremendousadvantagesofmobilephones,isitreallyan
inevitabilityorjustanoverhypedtechnologicalboon?

Forthis,wedividedthesocietyinsomecategories:

Urban
o Schoolkids
o Collegestudents
o Professionals
5

o
o
o
o
Rural

WorkingClass
Housewives
Underprivileged
Elderlypeople

Toanalyzetheabovecategories,weconductedthesurveysatfollowingplaces:

UrbanAreas
o DAIICT,LDRP,Nirma
o Infocity
o ResidentialareasinGandhinagar
o Elderlyhouse(inGandhinagar)
RuralAreas
o Tarapur
o Sargasan
o Koba
o Kudasan


2.CellPhone

2.1EmergenceofCellPhone
Aboutacenturyago,theideaofcommunicatingthroughvoiceoverlargedistances,muchless
owningacellphonewassomethingonecouldonlydream.Thecommunicationtechnologyhas
undergoneadrasticchangeoverthelastcenturywhichresultedintosomethingomnipotent
whichwetodaycallascellphone.
Until1920s,mobileradiocommunicationwasusedonlytosendmessagesinMorseCode.Till
now,communicationwasonlyoneway.In1924,BellLaboratoriesinventedthemodern
versionofcellphone,oneabletocommunicatetwowayovervoice.
DuringWorldWarII,extensiveworkwasconductedinradioresearchanddevelopmentforuse
inmilitary.In1943,MotorolasDanMobledesignedthefirstWalkieTalkie.ThisWalkie
TalkiebecameextremelyvitalinbattlefieldcommunicationsduringWorldWarII.Duetothis
war,cellphonecircuitboardswerecommerciallyproduced.
Until1981,cellphonehadnotbeenintroducedinEurope.Inearly1980s,firstcellphone
systemwasdevelopedinEurope.Theywerecalledtransportablesbecausetheywerelarge
andhadaheavybatteryalongsidethem.

OnApril3,1973,MartinCooper,theGMofMotorolasCommunicationsSystemsDivision
7

placedthefirstpublictelephonecallonaportablecellphone.Thiscausedarevolutionin
communicationandtechnologyallovertheworldbecausebythattime,nooneeversawa
cordlessphone,letalonecellphones.Afterthat,Cooperworkedtomakethisdemonstrationa
publicreality.OnMarch6,2003,histeamreleasedMotorolaDynaTAC8000X,thefirstever
portablecellphoneavailableforgeneralpublic.

Throughoutthelate20thand21stcentury,cellphoneshaveevolvedinwaysthat,fiftyyears
ago,onecouldneverhaveimagined.Whentheworld'sfirstphonewasdesignedby
Motorola,theprimaryinfluencewasonthedreamofstayingintouchwithfamilyand
friendsawayfromthehome.Today,thecellphonehasevolvedintosmartphone,which
possesseseveryfeatureonecouldpossiblyimagine.

2.2DiffusionofCellPhoneinSociety
Mobilephoneshavedrawnmeritattentioninglobaltechnologydiffusionduetotherapid
diffusionrateandthegreatincreaseinmobileusers.Nowthisgeneratesafewquestions:
1) Howhasthesocietybeenabletoadoptthisparticulartechnologysoquickly?
2) Whatarethereasonsbehindthisrapiddiffusionrate?
3) Whyisthisadoptionratenotuniformacrossallpartsoftheworld?

Inresponsetothefirstandsecondquestions,therapidincreaseinmobilephone
subscribersduringthelastdecademaybeprimarilyduetotheincreaseoftheaverage
householdincomeandmobilephoneproduction.Besides,therehasbeenasignificant
decreaseinpriceofmobilephonesalongwithcorrespondingtariffs.Allthesefactorshave
contributedtotheincreaseofthemobilephonesubscribers.However,equallyimportant
8

reasonsaretobefoundinthedecreaseofgrowthrateinlandlinephone.Servicequality,
convenience,flexibilityandavailabilityfavoradoptionofmobilephonesthanlandline
phones.

ProjectedpathofmobiledensityinIndia

No. of mobile phones per 100 inhabitants

120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1995-96

2000-01

2005-06

2010-11

2015-16

2020-21

2025-26

2030-31

Source:SanjayKumarSingh.TheDiffusionofMobilePhonesinIndia

InthecaseofIndia,bylookingattheabovegraph,themobiledensityinfuturecanbe
estimatedbylookingatthepastgrowths.Itreachesasaturationlevelatsomepointoftime.

Inresponsetothethirdquestion,thereareseveralfactorsthatmightexplainthose
differences(accordingtoGraph1)inadoptionratesindifferentcountries.Someofthem
are:
Percapitaincome:
Alwaystherehasbeenacorrelationbetweencountrysincomelevelanditsadoptionof
mobilephones.Inemergingmarkets,GDPreflectsthefinancialcapacityofconsumersto
purchasemobilephonesanditsservices.Soingeneralthisadoptionissomehowdepending
ontheshareofincomeallocatedtomobileexpenditure.
Weakeningoflandlineusage:
Mobilephonedemandhastraditionallybeenassociatedwithpreexistinglandlinephone
service.First,theawarenessofthepotentialvalueofthetelephonebasedcommunications
9

isgreaterincountrieswithhighfixedlinescomparedtothecountrywithlowfixedlines.
Second,thecountrywithmorefixedlineshasmorenecessityofmobilephones.Third,
countrieswithmorefixedlineshavegreaterbackbonenetworkwhichhelpsinthe
deploymentofmobilenetworks.Intotal,eveninlowincomeemergingcountrieswith
relativelyfewlandlinephones,mobilenetworksareinitiallyinstalledinurbanareaswhich
helpinstimulatinginterestinadoptionofmobilephones.
Prepaidphoneproducts:
Asprepaidhasflexibilityinvariabledemandofusageofcalls,mostoftheemerging
economiesbeeninterestedinprepaid.
Unlimitedcompetition:
Competitionisakeyfactorinstimulatingmobilephonediffusionthroughlowerpricesand
othermarketingeffects.

10

3.CellPhonesandUrbanSociety

3.1SchoolKids
Indianteenagerstodayseemtohaveabigobsessionforcellphonesthatthesehavebecome
theirmostvaluableassetsinlife.Literally,theycannotimaginealifewithoutmobilephones.
Thistrendyyetbizarretendencyisduetofactorssuchasmorepamperingbyparents,more
pocketmoney,nodaytodayparentalcontrol,urbanizationandwesterninfluence.1
Addictiontocellphoneisbecomingcommon.Youngstersfeelagrouppressuretoremain
interconnectedandreachableroundtheclock.Childrenstarttousemobilephonesatan
earlystageoftheirlife.Youngsterswhoexcessivelyusecellphonesaremorepronetomental
andphysicalabnormalitieslikeinterruptedsleep,pressureandfatigueastheyspentmostof
theirtimeontheircellphones.
The pros of allowing teenagers to own a cell phone are faster and better communication
device in case of emergencies, useful in getting information and teens can use them as a
teachingaid,mobilephonesalsoplayimportantrolesforteenagersintheirsocialinteraction.
Callingandtextingarethewaysforteenagerstokeepconnectingwiththeirfriendsnowadays.
Theconsofallowingteenagerstoownacellphoneareevenifthephoneisinsilentmode,
some teens will still text to communicate. This will result in poor concentration during
studying. Health problems and psychological concerns, mobileaddicts tend to neglect
obligations of important activities (e.g. job or studies), drift apart from friends and close
family,denytheproblemandthinkaboutthemobilephoneconstantlywhentheydonot
haveitwiththem.Cellphonesaremostlyusedincheatingduringexamsandasameansof
sendingthreatsandabusivemessagestootherteensoreventheirteachers.
Whenweighingbothsides,theparentshouldnotewhatisbestfortheteen.Iftheteenis
responsibleandfollowsrulestoldtohimthenhemaybeallowedtoownacellphone.Ifthe
teendisregardsrulesandisalwayscarelessthenitwouldbebesttomakesureheorshe
doesntcarryacellphone.Itisessentialtoincreasetheawarenessamongyoungstersofthe
negativeeffectsofexuberantmobilephoneuseontheirsleepwakepatterns,withsevere
healthrisksaswellasattentionandcognitiveproblems.

http://www.watblog.com/2010/12/07/mobile-phones-what-indian-teenagers-cant-live-without/

11

Dotheyownacellphone?

Possession of Cell Phone

40
30
No

20
10

Yes

9th
12
25

Yes
No

10th
39
6

11th
15
3
Yes

No

Wenoticethatthepercentageofstudentswhoownacellphoneincreasesdrasticallyaswe
gofromclass9thto10thandremainsalmostthesamein11thaswell.Thusstudentsfeela
needforindividualityandresponsibilityastheymoveupastandard.Eventheparentsfeel
thatthechildrenshouldbecomeresponsibleenoughtoownamobilephone.

Whatdoyouconsidermoreimportantincaseofacellphone?

9th

10th

5%

6%

17%

82%

Design

5%

5%

12%

78%

11th

Functionality

90%

Both

Weobservethatthestudentsofallagegroupsfeelthatbothdesignandfunctionalityis
crucialwhiledecidingwhatkindofaphonetopurchase.Incaseofdesignorfunctionality
theytendtopreferthelatteranddesigncomesatthelastpreferencebutstillisan
importantfactor.

12

Doyoutext?

Do You Text?

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

No
Yes
9th
21
15

Yes
No

10th
33
12

11th
17
1

Yes

No

Weseethatthepercentageofstudentswhotextanddontisalmostequalincaseofclass
9th.Butthenumbergoesupincaseof10thand11thstandard.Thereareonlyafewstudents
whorefrainfromtexting.Thusweinferthattheydevelopalikingtowardsitasmove
towardsadolescence.

Iscellphoneastatussymbol?

11th

10th

9th

3%

5%

16%

15%

33%
62%

58%

Status symbol

27%

Need

81%

Both

Fromtheabovedatawenoticethatinstudentsopinionthecellphoneactsasbothstatus
symbolamongthepeersandaneedforpersonalconsumption.Butmajorityofthestudents
tendtoseeitasaneedratherthanastatussymbol.Butthepercentagein1stcaseisstill
considerable.
13

Whateffectdoescellphoneshaveonyourstudies?

9th

10th

26%

4%

44%

11th
44%

33%

30%

26%

63%

30%

Positive

Negative

Other

Incaseofimpactofcellphonesonacademicstheresponseshowsthatthepercentagein
caseof9thclassismaximumincaseofpositiveandalmostequalinothercases.Amongst
10thclassstudentsthereisavastvariationaspercentinpositiveimpactescalatesrapidly
followedbythenegativecase.Incaseof11thstudentsthepercentageismaximumincaseof
othereffectsfollowedbynegativeandthenpositiveincontrastto10thgrade.Incaseof
otherthemostcommonanswerreceivedwasbothpositiveandnegativeeffectsandin
somecasesitwassometimespositiveandsometimesnegative.Thusweseethatstudents
havemixednotionsabouttheimpactofcellphonesandarenotwellawareaboutthem.

What do you use cell phone for?

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Very Rare
Rare
Average
Frequently
Very Frequently
Calling

Texting

Surfing
Internet

27
24

27
19

27
25

34
8
5

19
12
20

19
6
20

Very Frequently

Frequently
Average

Rare
Very
Rare

Very Frequently

Apps Educati Social

and
onal
Networ
Games Purpose
king
s
31
18
19
22
17
16
11
16
17

27
18
17

Frequently

22
19
20

Music
and
videos

E-mails Photogr
aphy

41
25

13
5

31
29

19
1
10

22
11
46

18
18
9

Average

Rare

Very Rare
14

Weobservefromtheabovebargraphthatincaseof:
Calling:Cellphonesarecommonlyusedbyteenagersforcommunicatingviacallsandis
usedrarelyonlybyafew.
Texting:Textingisusedalmostequallybythestudentsbutnotveryfrequentlybyanyone.
Thusitisnotascommonamongstthemascomparedtoolderagegroups.
Internet:Cellphonesarealsoutilisedforsurfingthenetfrequentlybymostofthem.
AppsandGames:Aswecanseecellphonesareveryfrequentlyusedbyteenagersfor
gamingpurposes.Thusitbecomestheirmainobjectiveofusingacellphone.
EducationalPurposes:Usedbythemonanaveragebasis.Neitherveryfrequentlynorvery
rarelybutisstillpreferredbyaconsiderablepercentageofstudentsforacademicpurposes.
SocialNetworking:Againusedforanordinaryamountoftime.
MusicandVideos:Cellphonesareverypopularamongteenagersforlisteningtomusicand
watchingvideos.Itisfavouredbyavastnumberofstudents.
Emails:Usingcellphonesforsendingandreceivingmailsisnotverycommonlypreferred
bythem.TheyprobablyusetheirPCsforsuchuses.
Photography:Cellphonesarealsousuallyutilizedfortakingphotographs.Ascarryinga
camerawouldbecumbersomecarryingacellphonewouldbeanappropriateoption.

WhenaskediftextinghashadanyeffectontheirEnglishwereceivedalargenumberof
answerssayingthattheirEnglishhasgottenbetterduetotextingfrequently.Ithashelped
themtoimprovetheirGrammaraswellasvocabulary.Whilesomestudentsrepliedsaying
thatitdoeshavenegativeeffectsasweuseashorthandlanguagewhiletexting.Thus
althoughthecommonnotionisthattextingisruiningtheEnglishlanguage,wecanseethat
studentstendtobelievethattheyareamendingtheirsoftskillsviatexting.
Forthequestionregardingthemisusesofcellphones,thecommonlyencountered
responsesarewastageoftimebysurfingtheinternetandplayinggames,watchingadult
contentthroughvideos,cybercrime,prankcalls,andradiationsduetophones.Thusthis
showsthattheilleffectsofcellphonesarewellknowntotheteenagersandtheyarenot
generallyignorantaboutitsutilization.

3.2CollegeStudents
Mobilephonesplayanintegralpartinthelifeofcollegestudents.Nowadayscollege
studentsaren'tjustconcernedwithgettinggoodgradesandfindingthebestparties,they're
alsousingtheirsmartphonestonavigatetheirlifeoncampus.Formanycollegestudents
15

today,livingwithoutacellphoneisinconceivable.Wherevertheygo,theyjustdontseem
tobeabletoleavetheircellphonesalone.Rightfromearlymorningtolateinthenight,
theycanbeenseenusingtheirphones.
Moreover,collegestudentsdoutilizetheircellphoneineverypossibleway,theyuseitfor
calling,texting,surfinginternet,socialnetworking,usingapsandplayinggames.Theseare
alsotheagegroupthataretargetedthemostbycellphonemanufacturers.Sincecollege
studentscomposeaconsiderablepartofthemarketforcellphones,thenewerdesigns
comewithcharacteristicsthataremostdesiredbythemandthatfittheirneeds.

TypeofCellPhonestheypossess:

Cell Phone Type

16%

15%
54%

10%
6%
Android

iOS

Windows

Symbian

Other

Studentsuseavarietyofcellphones.Onaskingaboutonwhichoperatingsystemtheircell
phoneran,itwasfoundthatabout70%ofcollegestudentspossessedasmartphone
(Android,iOSorWindows)andjust30%werethosewhowentforsimplephone(Symbian,
JavaorBada).GooglesAndroidwasthemostpopularwith54%ofthosewhoreported
owningasmartphone.OthertypesofsmartphonesusedincludeWindows(10%)andiOSor
iPhone(6%).Thepricesofthesesmartphonevariedfrom5,000toasmuchas50,000.
Thosepossessingbasicphoneshadtheirpricerangewithin5,000.
Alsomajorityofthosestudents(about60%)possessacellphonesincetheirhighschool.
Onlytheremainingboughtacellphonewhentheygotadmittedinacollege.

16

CellPhoneUsage:

Studentsusetheirsmartphonesineverypossiblesituations,rightfromwakingupinthe
morningtogoingtobedatnight.Theyuseitduringtravelling,orduringidletimeatcollege
orathome,andsometimestheyalsouseitforcollegerelatedtasks.Theyalsousethem
duringmultitasking,likewatchingTV,orlisteningtomusicorduringwalk.

What do they use cell phone for?

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Calling Texting Surfing Apps Educati Social Music E-mails Photog

Interne
and
onal Networ
and
raphy
t
Games Purpos
king
Videos
es
Very Frequently
32
28
22
16
9
20
29
15
20
Frequently
29
17
25
25
18
18
32
16
26
Average
33
15
23
28
34
21
27
16
28
Rare
4
22
8
12
14
15
4
14
15
Very Rare
3
18
22
18
25
25
9
39
11

Inanyevent,theresnoarguingthatamongpeoplewhoareusingtheirphonestothefullest
extentpossible,collegekidsarerightupthere.Itisclearfromtheabovegraphthatthe
usageofcellphoneoverdifferentaspectsdoesntvarymuchandremainsalmostthesame.
Thisalsosuggeststhattheyoungergenerationutilizethecellphonecompletely,makinguse
ofeveryfeatureavailabletothem.Stilloncomparingbetweendifferententities,callsand
listeningmusicandwatchingvideosweretheonesthatgotaleadthanothers.
Whentalkingaboutanindividualentity,followingweretheresults.

17

Students texting daily

Students making calls daily

No
6%

No
16%

Yes
84%

Yes
94%

Students using cell phone for social netwoking daily

No
25%

Yes
75%

IsCellPhoneaStatusSymbol?

Status vs Need
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Status symbol

As a need

Both

18

Itiscommonlyobservedthatthecellphoneshavealsobecomestatussymbolforyouthand
theyhaveindulgedthemselvesinthecompetitionofhavingbestandmostupdatedcell
phonewithmaximumfeatures.Butthesurveyindicatesotherwise.Itwasfoundthatonly
about5%ofthestudentssawcellphonesolelyasastatussymbolandnotmuchasaneed,
whereasontheoppositeside,65%studentssaidithasnothingtodowithstatus.Remaining
30%studentssawcellphoneasboth,astatussymbolaswellasaneed.

Price Range
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Below 5K

5K - 10K

10K - 15K

15K - 20K

Above 20K

Theabovegraphofpricerangealsocollaborateswiththegraphofcellphonebeingastatus
symbolornot.Asitisevident,mostofthestudents(about60%)whothinkcellphoneasa
needhavesettledforacellphonewithreasonablepricerange,whereastheremaining
students(about40%)whothinkscellphonestobeastatussymbol,goforhighrange
smartphones(above15,000).

Whatdotheylookforwhenpurchasingnewphones?

New Phone Requirements

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

54%

67%

50%

68%

52%

69%

5%

19

Whenlookingfornewphones,majorityofstudentsfallforprice,featuresandOSand
software.Thisclearlysuggeststhattheydemandmaximumfacilitiesatminimumpossible
costs.Thestudentsgoingforlatesttechnologyarecomparativelylessaslatesttechnology
alsocostsmuch.

3.3WorkingClass
Mobilephonesanditsrelatedtechnologiescanbeconsideredasoneofthemostprominent
inventionsofthetwentiethcentury.Inthebeginningitstartedasaprocessofcallinga
personatanytimefromanywhere.Nowadays,itdevelopedtosuchastageofwherepeople
areusingvoiceandvideocalling,textmessages,internetaccess,socialnetworking.These
featureshelptokeepintouchwithourfamilymembersandbelovedones.Furthermore,
mobilephonesactsasourpersonalinformationmanagesandsocialnetworkingdevices.It
alsoenablesdifferentwaysofentertainmentsuchasmusic,videosandgames.Ontheother
handwhenitcomestoprofessionallife,mobilephoneprovidesmoreconvenientplatform
todealwithemploymentrelatedmatters.Jobemployeesalsousefacilitieslikevideo
conferenceinsteadoftraditionalfacetofacemeetings.Thissavesgreatamountoftimeand
costforthecompanies.Ontheotherhand,duetothevariousapplicationsavailablein
smartphones,itenablesprofessionalstousethemasminicomputers.

Usageofcellphone:

Whenquestionedaboutthekindofcellphonetheyuseandtheirmainpurpose,almostall
theanswerswere(asexpected)smartphonesandmainpurposewasmakingandanswering
calls,textingandcheckingmails.Otheruseofthemobileistocaptureorsendvisualimages
andafurtherquartertoplaygamesandaccessingtheinternet.

Importanceofcellphoneintheirlife:

Whenquestionedabouthowimportantismobileintheirlife,thenalmost8outof10
peoplesaidthatitwouldbeverydifficulttodotheirjobwithoutcellphoneandsomesaid
thattheylookattheirmobileforatleastonceineveryfiveminuteswhethertheyhadwork
withitornot!Butafewpeoplesaidthattheycandotheirjobwithoutacellphone,taking
theviewofpeoplewhogiveagreatimportancetocellphoneintheirlife,itseemsthatthey
spendmostoftheirtime,evenduringworkinghourswiththeircellphone.

20

Preferenceofsmartphoneornormalphoneavailableatsamecost:

Overall,80%oftheemployeesthoughtsmartphoneareusefulbecauseitprovidesseveral
applicationslikewhatsapp,emailsetc.tomaketheirworkeasy.Conversely,20%ofthe
employeesthoughtitwouldnotbemuchusefulforthethemifitnotperformingwellat
thatcost.So,theyprefernormalphone.Itseemsthatwhenallthefacilitiesareavailableat
thesamecost,itwouldbepreferredtogoforbetterone(theonewithmoreapplications
smartphone)whencomparedtotheother(normalphone).Itsgivenbysomereportthat
by2013,80%ofallmobiledeviceswillbetouchscreen(Garter2010).Thisisbecauseofthe
improvementintechnologyandavailabilityoftechnologyatcheapercostwhichisleading
totheincreasingdemandoftheirproduction.

Thinkingofcellphoneasdisturbanceelementintheirlife:

Respondentswereaskedaboutthecircumstancesinwhichtheywouldnormallythinkcell
phoneisdisturbanceelement.Mostlythinkcellphoneisdisturbanceatworkmeetings,and
restaurants.Ontheotherhand,theythinkdisturbancewhentheyreceiveunwantedphone
calls(mainlyfrommobilecompanies)duringworkinghours.

Usageofcellphoneduringdriving:

Overall,80%oftheemployeesusetheircellphoneeverytimewhiledriving.Conversely,
15%ofemployeesusetheircellifitisnecessaryforthem.Remaining5%donotusetheir
cellphonewhiledriving.
21


Howdotheyusetheirphone?

TheBarchartshownaboveshowsthatcallingandcheckingemailsisthemostcommon
activity,contributing100%and80%usageofcellphonesamongthejobemployees.And
usingoftextingandgamestakes60%intheirusage.Onotherhandsocialmedia(Facebook,
twitter,Google+)takes40%intheirusage.Itisveryinterestingthatentertainmenttakeup
verylessintheirusageofcellphone.

TheBarchartshownaboveshowsthatneedofcellphoneisthemostcommonviewofjob
employees,contributing70%.Andstatustakes15%viewofoncellphoneandremaining
15%takesbothstatusandneedastheirviewoncellphone.
22

3.4Professionals
Nomatterwhattypeofbusinessyourun,itisforsurethatmobilecommunicationplaysanimportant
partincommunicationwithcustomers,businesspartnersanddealingmatters.

Usageofcellphone:

Surveyrespondentswhosaidthattheyareregularusersofcellphoneaskedabouthowthey
usedtheirphones.Mostofthemaretellingthattheyneedcellphonetokeeptouchwith
theircoworkersandclients.Theydontneedacamera,lotofgamesandhundredsof
ringtonesintheircellphonebuttheyneedonethatisreliable,sturdyandhasalongbattery
lifebecausethereisnothingworseforthemlosingacallinthemiddleofconversationwith
acustomerorcoworker.

Importanceofcellphoneintheirlife:

Overall,mostofrespondentsaretellingthatcellphoneisveryimportantintheirlife.Even
thoughtheycantruntheirbusinesswithoutadependablephone.Because,themain
advantageofmobilephonesisthattheycanbecontactedatalltimes.Iftheyareawayfrom
theofficethenstafforclientscanstillreachthem.Italsomeanstheircoworkerscan
contactthemwhentheyareoutoftheoffice,whichwillleadtogreaterproductivity.
Otherwise,theircoworkerhastowaituntiltheyarebackintheofficeandalotoftimeis
wastedatthattime.Awholenetworkofcoworkerswillbeabletobeintoucheverytime,
nomatterwheretheyare,andwitheffectiveemployertoemployeeandgeneralstaff
communication,theirbusinesswillrunalotmoreefficiently.

Preferenceofsmartphoneornormalphone:

Thispeoplerunstheirbusinessesusingtheircellphonesextensively.Theyconnectto
Customers,theirofficesandcoworkerswiththeirphones,makingsales,sharing
information.So,mostofthemaretellingthatsmartphoneisbetterforthembecauseItwill
begreattoshowclientvideosoftheproductstheysell,whilebeingabletoeasilyreceive
andsendtextmessagesfromclientsorcoworkers.Andtheyneedinternetaccesstosend
andreceiveemailsandtoshareresearchonnewproductsfortheircustomers.Alsothey
wantalargerscreensotheycanreadmoreemailatatimewithouthavingtoscrollsomuch
andeasierkeyboarding.Otherfunctionsofcellphonelikecameraandgamesdontinterest
thematall.

23

Thinkingofcellphoneasdisturbanceelementintheirlife:

Respondentswereaskedaboutthecircumstancesinwhichtheywouldnormallythinkcell
phoneisdisturbanceelement.Mostlynoonethoughtthatitwasdisturbanceforthem
becausetheywanttokeeptouchwiththeirclientandcoworkerstoruntheirbusiness
efficiently.Buttherearesomecircumstancesatwhichtheyfeeldisturbanceiswhile
receivingunwantedcallsduringfamilyandworkmeetings.

Usageofcellphoneduringdriving:

Overall,businessrespondentsareusingtheircellphoneeverytimewhiledriving.Because
theydontwanttolosetheirbusinesswithoutliftingcallsfromtheirclientsandcoworkers.
Sotheyusetheircellphoneswhiledriving.

Howbusinessespeopleusingmobiletechnology:

Source:ConstantContactMobileTechnologySurvey,2013

Mostlytheagegroupof5060(andabove)seemedtobeneglectedusergroupofmobiles.
Theyusemobilesforverylimitedpurposeslikemakingacall(mostly),sendingtexting
(rarely)listeningtosongsorFM(veryrare).Oneofthereasonsforthisistheyfinditvery
difficulttooperatesuchacomplexfunction.And1outof12used(isusing)asmartphone.

24

Althoughthesedaysoneoftheprominentcompaniesisproducingmobilesthatseemsuser
friendlytoolderpeople.

3.5Housewives

PurposeofusingCellphones:
Womenofage(4060)generallyusedcellphoneforcalls.Mostofthemhadsimplekeypad
phones.Theyfinditdifficulttooperatewithtouchscreenmobilephones.Weobservedthat
forthemmobilephoneservedamodeofcommunicatingorinteractingwiththeirrelatives.
Majorityofthemdidnotknewothersimpleapplicationsliketosetalarm,tosetringtone
etc.
Veryfewofthemusedmobilephonesforsending/receivingmessages.
Womenofage(2540)generallyusedcellphonesforcalling,sending/receivingmessages,
forclickingphotos.Theyknewhowtouseothersimpleapplicationsliketosetalarm,
playingmusicetc.
Totalcalldurationforeachday
%
100
87.5
75
62.5
50

no of people

37.5
25
12.5
0

0-1hr

1-2hrs

2-3hrs

3-4hrs

Is cell phone a communication barrier that reduces face to face communication or as a

communicationbridgethathelpsuscommunicateevenmore?
25

Chart of female SMS Users vs. SMS Non -Users

41.4%

SMS Users

Total female
mobile

42.7%

43.3%

owners

SMS NonUsers

Onthebasisofthesurveyweanalysedthataccordingtothemfacetofacecommunication
hasreducedbutstilltheydontconsiderittoalargeextentasaccordingtothemcellphone
hasmoreadvantagesoverwhichthiscanbeneglected.Soitslikethisproblemhasbeen
digestedwithintheirlife.Whenaskedthisquestiononeladyrepliedwhatstheneedof
havingfacetofacecommunicationifcommunicationcanbedonewiththehelpofcell
phoneeasily.Ourmainpurposeistocommunicate,butthatdoesntmeanthatfacetoface
communicationshouldnotbedone.

RightageofchildrenforhavingtheirownCellphone?

Responseofeverywomenwasthatforsafetychildshouldbegivencellphonemainlywhen
theygooutofhousewhetherwithfriendsorfortuitionsorforsomeotherpurpose.But
mostofthemalsohaveaviewthathavingtheirowncellphonecouldhavenegativeimpact
ontheirstudiestoo.Sotheyprovidethemcellphonewithminimumfeatureswhichdoesnt
havemuchentertainmentpart.Whenaskedtothemspecificallythatgenerallyatwhatage
wouldtheygivecellphonetotheirchildrenthenmostofthemsaidthatchildpassed10th
standardshouldbegiventheirownphone.

Attractiontowardsemergingtechnologyincellphones:
Womenofage(4060)neglectedtheirattractiontowardsnewtechnology.Accordingto
themsimplephoneissufficientforthemastheymainlyusecellphonesforcallingsothey
actuallydontrequirephonewithnewtechnology.Theyaresatisfiedwithwhattheyhave.
Whilewomenofage(2540)areattractedtowardsnewtechnologybuttheypreferfor
buyingitiftheyconsideritmuchusefultothemascomparedtothecurrentcellphonethey
arehaving/using.
26

Perception of how access to a phone has improved different aspects of respondents life (mobile owners)

Scale: 1=no change; 5=greatly improved

Qualitiesconsideredwhilebuyingnewcellphone:
Whilepurchasingnewcellphonetheyfirstlookatbrandastheycanrelyonthemdueto
betterservicefacilities,exchangerateandbatterybackup,thentheypreferforfeatures,
thencomeslooksbutconsideringallthesekeepingtheirbudgetinmind.

Howmanyofthemcannotlivewithoutcellphone?

30%

people that can live without cell

phone
people that cannot live without
cell phone

70%

27

IsCellphoneadisturbingelement?
Every6in10housewiveshavetosaythatcellphoneharassesalotwhenunnecessary
companycallscome.Italsoharasseswhenpeoplecallthemwhentheyarebusy.According
tothemitsometimesaffecttheirprivacytoo.Butassafetybecamepriorissue,nowadays
theyconsideritimportanttohavecellphone.

Socellphonehasbecomeapartoftheirlifeandmostofthemcannotlivewithoutitasitis
clearfromthegraphabove.Accordingtothemcellphoneshavebroughtthemevencloser
andintouchalwayswiththeirrelativesandcolleague.Asmobilephoneprovidesakey
benefitintermsofsecurityandthatisoftenthemotivationforthemgettingconnectedin
thefirstplace.
Onthebasisofthesurveyweanalyzedthatcellphonesatisfiedtheirneedfor
communicationandaccesstoinformationeasilybutifcellphonewerenottherethenthey
wouldhavereliedonlandlines.
Besidesalltheseadvantagesofcellphone,therearedisadvantagestoo.
Therearenewtensionsthatthecellphoneitselfcreatelikewheninconversationwitha
Lady,duringfieldworkshesaid,sometimeswhenIcallmyhusbandtoaskwhetherhe
reachedtheofficesafelyornotandhedoesnotrespondthenIbecometenseandlotsof
vaguethinkingscometomymindthatwhyishenotresponding?,iseverythingallright?,is
hemetwithanaccident?.Socellphonesometimesdocreateamentalpressureonthem.
Butstillcellphoneisveryusefultothem.Cellphonewasalsoseentofacilitateemotional
supportespeciallyforwomenwhoareseparatedfromtheirfamilies.Inourcountrywhere
womencommonlymoveawayfromtheirnatalfamilyandfriendsaftermarriage,
maintainingcontactwithfamilybackhomebecomesimportant.Manysuchfemale
respondentsrelatethatthephonemakesiteasierforthemtocontactandstayconnected
withtheiremotionalsupportgroups.

3.6Underprivileged
Thesector,inourview,includesthepeopleofthelowlevelstatus,whodontenjoythesame
standardoflivingorrightsasthemajorityofthesociety,inotherwordswhatwecallisthat
deprivedoflivingaqualitystandard.Here,thepeoplewehavesurveyedwerevegetable
and sellers, auto rickshaw drivers, petrol pump workers, small shopkeepers, stall keepers
(includinggallawalas),securityguards,sweepers,cleaners,etc.

28

Possessingamobilephone:

Having Mobile Phones

24%

YES

NO
76%

Asinferredfromthesurvey,thatapproximately76%ofthepeopleunderthissectorowna
mobile phone, while rest 24% dont. The positive result here, inspired us to look for
situationslikewhetherthelatesttechnologyisfoundmoreinnovativeandworthknowing,or
whetherforastatussymbol,orwhethertheymustownitasaneed,orisitthetechnology
(ormobilephones)beingeasilyaffordableeventothem.Whilethenegativepartinspired
for situation of peoples economic condition, or their unawareness about the benefits, or
havinganyobjectionaboutowningamobilephone.

Affordability:

Affordability (for those who have

mobiles)
13%

Easily Affordable
39%

Have Problem
Gifted

48%

29

Affordability,theworditselfimpliesthat,wasthereanyproblematicsituationinbuyingthe
mobilephone?Takingthecaseoftheoneswhoownatleastamobilephone(infig.2),there
were39%ofthemwhowereeasilyabletoaffordtheirmobilephone(s),48%thoughhaving
economicproblems,anyhowmanagedtogetatleastone,i.e.,inawayaffordingbyusing
theirvaluablesavings,and13%ownmobilephoneasapresentfromfamily,relatives,friends
orsomeortheothermeans.Thishighaffordabilityissignificantlydefinedbythedecliningof
thecostsofmobilephoneswithemergenceofnewertechnologydaybyday.Now,takingthe
caseoftheoneswhodontownasingle,amajorpartofthemwereduetoeconomictrap,
minor part consists of reasons like disagreeing to the benefits of mobile phones, further
worriesandconcernsaboutthebillsundertheircriticality,etc.
Takingconsiderationsofbillsforthosewhoownmobile(s),almostallofthemfacenoproblem
inpayingbills,althoughthebillsvaryaccordingtotheirnecessity.Thestatisticsofamountof
billstheyspendislikeinthefig.3below.

Ihavemanagedtogetmymobileusingalmostallmysavings,whichmadeanincrementat
averylittleextentmonthly.But,afterhavingamobile,mycontactsincreasedandhave
mademefeellikemysavingswerentinanywastage.
-

Autorickshawdriver.

Monthly Billing Amount (in rupees)

13%
27%
13%

0-50
50-100
100-300
300-500
>500

27%

20%

Uses:
Useespeciallyrefersheretothereasonswhichtendonetobuymobilephone(s).Forthe
ones possessing a mobile phone, professional and family use have major impact. They
preferredtocallmobilephoneabenefitinawaythatfirstly,intheirprofessionallife,the
30

mobiles have helped them in setting up more contact with the customers and their
professionmates,andsecondly,thesameislikewithfamilymembersandrelatives.Going
statistically, professional use was responsible for 42% people, while family and relatives
contactwasresponsiblefor35%people,andalsobothreasonsatthesametime,together
tend23%peopletobuyamobilephone(s).Fortheonesnothavinganymobilephone,there
werecasesliketheyhavenocrucialprofessionaluseandtheyhavetheirfamilyandrelatives
arecloseintouchjustadistancebyfeetcouldmakethemreachthere.

Itwasdifficulttogetcustomerovermyworkinggarage.Butthroughmymobilecontact
number,Igeteasilyaccesstothecustomerattheirveryneedyservicesituation.

Automobilegarageworker.

InearlydaysIhadtobringallmyshopstuffbymyownbutnowbecauseofmobile,itjust
onlycostmefewcallstodealwithdealers,thusgivingmeabigadvantageofsavingmy
time.

Gallawala.

Use Of Mobile Phones (for ones who own)

23%
42%

Professional Use
Family Use
Both(Professional + Family)

35%

Typeofmobilespreferred:
Typesofmobilespreferreddirectlyreferstotheuseapersonhaveofmobilesfeaturesor
functionalityandsecondly,theeconomicstatusandknowledgeoftechnologyup tosome
31

extent.Fromsurveysdone,itisinferredthat39%peoplepreferredtobuysmartphonesof
evenbrandedcompanieswithlowlevelcompanies,whereas61%peoplepreferredtokeypad
mobilephones(infig.5).Thereasonsbehindtheabovesituationare,forsmartphones,that
theyarekeenertotheuseofnewtechnology,status,etc.,whileforkeypadisjustcontrastof
thepreviousone.Thestatisticalresultisirrespectiveofthepointthatwhethertheusersknow
tooperatethetechnologyornot.
Takingconsiderationsoftherangeofthemobilespreferred,theyhighlypreferredonesin
betweenrange10003000.

Types Of Mobiles

39%
Smart Phones
Keypad Phones
61%

Technologicalknowledge:
ThetermTechnologicalknowledgereferstohowmuchtheyknowtooperatethefeatures
and functions provided in their mobile phone. The outcomes of the survey say that 56%
peopleknowandcanoperatetheirphoneseasily,orinotherwords,associatedcomfortably
withthetechnology,while44%dontknowtooperatethemobilephonestechnology.The
situationbehindthis44%peopleismainlyduetothattheyshownointerestinknowingitand
callingitunworthytoknow,andifhaveanyinterests,theyarentaccessibletoit.

32

Know To Use Technology

YES
44%

NO

56%

Otheruses:
Mobilephoneshaveprovedtobeaboonunderthissector,astheyhavebroughtabouta
sense of social security, connectivity and safety among the people. After surveying, it is
analysedthatthelargerpartofpeopledont usemobilephonesfor usesotherthantheir
professionaloneandfamilyandrelativescontactone.Thesepeopleconstitute66%inthe
totalofthem,whilerest34%useitforgaming,listeningsongs,internet,etc.,whichhelpthem
intheirleisuretimetokeepawayfromboringness.

Use in Leisure

32%

YES
NO

68%

33


Theotherpointtobenotedishowfrequentlyoneuseshis/hermobilephones.Theoutcomes
actually depends upon the person and his type of profession and relatives contacts,
knowledgeoftechnology,etc.statisticallysurveysresultouttoconclusionthat37%people
useitmorefrequently,41%peopledontusefrequently,while22%ofpeoplesusedepends
makingitmaybefrequentuse.

Frequent Use

22%
37%

High
Rare
Depends

41%

Lifewithoutmobile:
WeexpectedtogetmoreYESesforthepointtoownamobilephoneindividually,butit
turnedouttobemorethanexpectationinthissector.Theoutcomethroughthesurveyhas
madeuptoaqualitynumberofNOs,constituting66%oftotalpeoplesurveyed,meantto
conclude the role of mobile and technology playing in their lives, just like calling mobile
phonesapartandparceloflife,whilerest34%oftotalpeopleconstituteYESes,justlike
callingmobilephonesawastageoftimeandmoneyandsayinglikewewerecomfortable
withoutmobilebeforetoo,soitdoesntmakesenseabigquestion.

34

Life Without Mobile

34%
Possible
Not Possible
66%

3.7ElderlyPeople

Oneofthegreataspectsofmoderntechnologyishowmuchitallowsustostayincontact
witheachother.SocialnetworkingsiteslikeFacebookandTwitterallowsustoknowwhats
happeninginothersliveseasilyandquickly.Moreovertherearealsootherfeaturesthat
allowsustodothesameemails,videocall,instantmessaging.
Buttheresalsooneproblemrelatedtothistheelderlypeople.Mostofthecellphone
thatareavailablerightnowinthemarketaremainlytargetingyounggenerationand
professionals.Theyhaventbeenabletoprovidetheelderlywiththesamefeaturesand
functionalitiesthatothersenjoy.Thisalsohasbecomeoneofthefactorsthatithasbecome
hardtostayintouchwitholderfriendsandrelatives.Thetechnologythatkeepsusaliveis
alsothesamethattheelderlypeoplearefoundtobeavoiding.
Butagadgetlikeacellphonecouldbeofagreatbenefittoelderlypeople.Itcanhelpthem
toreducetheirlonelinessandallowthemtocommunicatewithfriendsandfamilies.
Moreover,itcanalsohelpthemremovetheirsenseofisolation.

iBallAasaan:
Oneofthereasonsofwhycellphonecompaniesarenttargetingelderlypeopleistheir
fallingeyesightandhearingproblems.Alsotheyarentcomfortableusingthelatesttouch
technologiesastheythinktheyaremuchcomplicatedtouse.
35

iBalldesignedAasaankeepinginmindtheneedsoftheelderly.Infact,iBallisamongthe
firstfewcompaniesinIndiathathavecomeupwithdedicatedmobilephonesforsenior
citizens.
ThiscellphonecomeswithanSOSfeature.Thisemergencyfeatureallowstheusertosenda
prerecordedemergencymessagetofivepresetnumbersatthetouchofabutton.After
thatthephonecallsthenumbersoneafteranotheruntilacallisanswered,ifnotthephone
repeatstheloopthreetimes.Alsothekeysarebigenoughforthemtouseitcomfortably..
ItalsocomeswithatorchandanFMradiowhichtheelderlydoutilizetopasstheirtime.

PossessionofCellPhone:

Did they possess a cell phone?

No
40%

Yes
60%

36

Thesurveyshowedthattheelderlypeoplewerenotmuchinterestedinpurchasingcell
phones.Theonesthatdidnothaveacellphonesaidthattheydidntneeditmuchandif
theydid,theycoulduseitofsomeoftheirfriendsorrelativesandsotherewasnopointin
spendingmoneyinthem.Somealsosaidthatthecellphonesareboringandtheywerea
wasteoftime.Somealsosaidthattherewasnoneedinpurchasingacellphonebecauseif
theydidnthaveone,itwontaffectmuchjusttheywouldcomeacrossthenewsafewdays
later.

Cell phone Type

Smartphone
4%

Basic
96%

Theabovegraphindicatesthatamongtheonespossessingacellphone,thosegoingfor
smartphonesareonlyabout4%withmajority(about96%)goingforbasicphones.Someof
theelderlypeoplepossessingacellphonesaidthattherewasnoneedwastingmoneyon
smartphonesandthephoneshouldbesuchthatitallowsthemtodothebasicthingslike
callingandlisteningtomusicandradio.

UsageofCellPhone:

Much more tech

use
15%

Calls and Music

only
31%

Usage of Cell Phone

Calls only
54%

37


Onaskingtheelderlypeople,itwasfoundthatmajorityofthemjustuseditforcalling
purposes(about54%).Thesewerealsotheonesthatwentforbasicphonesornot
purchasingthephonesatallastheyhasaccesstofriendsorrelativescellphone.Also,about
31%oftheelderlypeoplewerefoundmakinguseofradioandmusicfeaturesoftheir
phones.Theysaidthatithelpedthemspendingtime.Onlyabout15%oftheelderlywere
foundtobeknowingthetechnologicaluseofcellphonescalls,apps,music,andinternet.
Almostallofthemusedthephonestocommunicatewitheitherfriendsorrelativesandonly
afewweretheoneswhouseditforprofessionalpurposes.

Cantheyspendtheirdaywithoutit?

Can they spend their day without cell phone?

No
40%

Yes
60%

Surveyanalysisshowedthatabout60%oftheelderlypeoplewereabletospendtheirday
withoutacellphonewhileabout40%neededonetopasstheirday.Theelderlypeoplewho
werentabletospendtheirdaywithoutaphonesaidthattheyuseitforcalls,internet,
listeningtomusic.Somealsosaidthattheyneededitforprofessionalpurpose.Restof40%
ofelderlypeoplesaidthattheydidusecellphoneforonlycallingpurposebutnothavinga
cellphonewontmakemuchofadifference.

38


4.CellPhonesandRuralAreas

Whilestudyingtherelationbetweencellphonesandsociety,itisimportanttoconsiderthe
ruralareasasruralpopulationformsamajorportionofthetotalpopulation.Itisimportant
tostudyhowthemobileusagehaspenetratedtheruralareas.Peopleintheseareasface
severaldevelopmentalchallenges,suchaslowliteracy,poorhealthcarefacilities,lowper
capitaincome,ahighdegreeofpovertyandpoorinfrastructure.2Themobilephonehas
emergedasanimportantdevelopmenttool.Itisseenasadevicethathasthepotentialto
breaktheruralurbandevelopmentalgapbydeliveringinformationonavarietyof
economicandsocialissues.
WedidafieldsurveyinruralareasnearGandhinagarnamelyKoba,Kudasan,Tarapurand
Sargasan,forwhichastructuredquestionnairewaspreparedtostudytheimpactofcell
phonesonruralpeople.

Whatkindofcellphonedotheypossess?

Possession of type of cell phone

13%

Simple

22%

Smartphone
No phone
65%

2 Balwant Singh Mehta. Capabilities, costs, networks and innovations: impact of mobile phones in rural India
http://r4d.dfid.gov.uk/pdf/outputs/TradePolicy/ctg-wp-2013-29.pdf

39

Statisticsshowsthatnearly90%ofpeoplepossessedcellphonewhichmeansthatthecell
phoneshavepenetratedinruralareasataverygoodpace.
MostofthepeopleinruralareaspossessedsimplecellphonessuchasSymbianversionsof
Nokiaetc.Thesewerepossessedmostlybythepeopleinagegroupof3045yearswhich
hadtheirownsmallbusinesses,orweresmallproducers.Peoplepossessingsmartphones
contributenearly20%oftheruralpeople.Thesewerethepeopleinagegroupof1630
years.Peoplenotpossessingcellphonesincludewomenandchildrenbelowageof15years.
Itwasalsoobservedthatevenifwomeninthefamilydohaveacellphone,itwasonlyused
forreceivingcalls.Theircellphonesdidnthavesufficientbalancetomakecalls.
Anotherinterestingthingwhichwasobservedwastheuseofmissedcallwhichwasvery
commonamongmigrantfamilymembers/friends,servingasanindicationforthemto
returnthecall.Womenandseniorcitizensinparticularbenefitedfromthispractice.Itwas
observedthatwomenwhohadcellphonehadonlyenoughbalancesoastomakeamissed
call.
Aninnovativeownershipmodelwasalsoobservedinruralareas.Thepeoplethatdidnt
possesscellphonehadalsoaccesstocellphonethroughthisownershipmodel.Amobile
phonenominallybelongstoasingleperson;howeveritisofteninformallysharedbetween
severalpeopleinthecommunity,duetoastrongcultureofsharingcommunicationtools.
Thisgiveswaytoamultipliereffect,astheimpactofasinglephoneisspreadoutacross
severalindividuals,orevenanentirecommunity.3

Isthecellphonetechnologyaffordabletothem?
Theanswertothisquestionliesintheprovisionofprepaidplanbytheserviceproviders.
Nearlyallthecellphonepossessorsusedprepaidplansfortheircellphones.Prepaidplans
allowexactmonitoringofuse,whichissomethingverydifficulttomanagewithfixedline
phones.Prepaidserviceisviewedasthemostimportantformofappropriationthatcaters
totheneedsofthosewithlowerincome.
Theprepaidservicehasresultedintoanewkindofpaymentmodelintheruralareas.
Peoplewhodidntpossessacellphoneusuallypossessedaprepaidsimcardwiththem,
whichtheyusedinhandsetbelongingtosomeoneelse.Thisarrangementallowstheuserto
placeacallusingsomeoneelseshardwareandbatterypower,butwiththeirrespective
prepaidmobilephonecard.Prepaidcontractsandresellingofservicesisanother,often
moresophisticatedmodelofpayment.

3 Chaitali Sinha. Effect of Mobile Telephony on Empowering Rural Communities in Developing Countries
http://irfd.org/events/wf2005/papers/sinha_chaitali.pdf

40

Belowistheamountofrechargedonebyruralpeopleonamonthlybasis.

Monthly Cell phone recharge

10%

5%
40%
Rs.100 and less

45%

Rs.101-Rs.200
Rs.201-Rs.300
more than Rs.300

Abovefiguressuggeststhat85%oftheruralpeoplehavetheircontrolledexpenditureon
cellphonerecharge.Thestatisticsshownclearlysuggeststhattheusageofcellphonein
ruralareasisonlyneedbased.

Preferenceofbasicphoneoversmartphone
Whenruralpeopleareaskedabouttheirnewcellphonerequirements,mostlyallpeople
preferredsimplephoneswithlongbatterybackup.Veryfewpeoplepreferredsmartphones
oversimplephones.
Thereasonthattheygaveforitwasthattheydidn'tknewhowtousethetechnology.Many
ofthemfearedtousethenewtechnology.Manypeoplegavethereasonthatthesimple
phonesaresturdierthanthesmartphones.

Whatistheusageofcellphoneinruralareas?
TheusageofcellphoneinruralareasnearGandhinagarwasmainlyforeconomicpurposes
likemarketingofsmallproductsetc.Thismainlyinvolvesusageofcellphoneforcalling
purposes.Thenextimportantusageofcellphoneinruralareaswasforsocialconnectivity
oftheruralpeoplewiththeirfriendsandrelatives.Veryfewpeopleintheruralareasused
theircellphoneforotherpurposeslikeentertainmentwhichincludesplayinggames,
internetpurposeetc.Belowisthestatisticsofusageofcellphoneinvillagesnear
Gandhinagar.

41

Usage of cell phone in rural areas

100.00%
80.00%
60.00%
40.00%

% of rural people

20.00%
0.00%
economic
purpose

social
connectivity

other

Thebenefitsthataregainedbyruralpeopleduetocellphonetechnologyareasfollows:
Cellphonesprovideadirectglobalcommunicationchanneltoruralcommunities.
Manysmallproducersandsmallshopholdersintheruralareasupdatedthemselves
withthelatestpricesofproductsthroughtheircellphonewhichprevented
themselvestoincurlosses.
Cellphonetechnologyisareliableandtimelycommunicationchannelinthecontext
ofmarkets,extension,advice,monitoring,finances,health,etc.
Itgivesspeedofcommunicationfortimesensitiveinformation(e.g.disease
outbreaks).
Thesebenefitsareamplifiedbythefactthatthespreadofmobiletechnologyinsomerural
regionshasoccurredmuchfasterthanwithotherinformationandcommunication
technologies(ICTs).

Limitationsofthetechnology:
Thoughmobiletelephoneshavelotofadvantagesbutlikealltechnologiesithassome
limitationstoo.Theselimitationsare:

Costsaregenerallyhighforthenewgenerationcellphoneswhichhadadvanced
features.
Limitednetworkcoverageandlowbandwidthinruralareasdonotallowrural
peopletotakefullbenefitofthistechnology.
Limitedcapabilityofruralpeopletousethetechnology,particularlyformore
complicatedapplicationswhicharepresentinsmartphoneslikeimages,GPSdata,
etc.
Lowawarenessofthetechnologyforeducationalpurposes.
ThelackofavailablenonRomanscripts.Thispreventsruralpeoplefromusingthe
technologyasmostofthemdonotknowEnglishlanguage.

42

5.EthicalIssues

Withtechnologyadvancing,ethicalissuesofcellphoneusehavebeenquestioned.Good
andbadthingshavecomewiththeadvancementofcellphonetechnology.Cellphones
improvetheefficiencyofourlives,comeinhandyinemergencies,andkeepusinclose
contactwithourfamiliesandfriends,buttherearealsoethicaldilemmasthatarisefromthe
useofcellphones.Cellphonesdistractuswhenwearedriving,theymayhaveadetrimental
effectonourhealth,andtheybringissuesofprivacytoaforefront.

Doescellphoneactsasacommunicationbarrierbyreducingfacetoface
communicationorasacommunicationbridgethathelpsyoucommunicateeven
more?
WhensurveyedinurbanareasofGandhinagar,therewasmixedresponse.Theconclusion
thatcanbedrawnisthatwithadvancementincellphonetechnology,cellhasemergedasa
communicationbridgebyconnectingpeoplelivingatfaroffplaces,whereitisnotfeasible
tohavefacetofacecommunication.Butatthesametime,italsoactsacommunication
barrierbyreducingfacetofacecommunicationbetweenpeoplewhostaycloseeachother.
Ithasmadepeopletorelyonindirectcommunicationratherthandirectcommunication.
Peoplesendtheircondolencesaboutabadeventthroughmobileratherthanmeetingthe
persontosharehisgrief.Thishasresultedinthereductionofinterpersonalcommunication.
Becauseoftheincreasinguseofcellphonesespeciallysmartphonesamongcollege
students,ageneralscenarioisseenthatinasocialgathering,peopleareinvolvedintheir
cellphoneschattingwithsomeoneorsurfingtheinternetratherthancommunicatingwith
thepeoplearoundthem.Thishasresultedinlackofinterpersonalcommunication.

Talkingwhiledriving

Thedistractionofcellphoneusagewhileoperatingamovingvehiclehasbeenamajor
ethicalconcern.Everyyearnearly1.4millionpeoplehavebeenkilledbecauseoftheyare
wirelesscustomersandtheiroverbearingcellphones.WhileinIndia,anestimated1.35
lakhspersondiedduetoroadaccidentin2010,whichisapproximately10%ofroadaccident
fatalitiesworldwideandthesefiguresarethehighestintheworld.4Studiesshowthatthe
4

Mobile Phone Accidents Experience of India, by H. Abdul Shabeer, Wahida Banu

43

reactiontimeofcellphoneusersslowsdrastically.Thisincludestheirreactiontimeafter
hittingthebrakeandgettingbackintheflowoftraffic.
Therearetwoprimarywaystoaddresstheethicaluseofcellphoneswhiledriving.Cell
phoneuserscantakeresponsibilityfortheiractionsandselfpoliceand/orlegalmeasures
canbeputinplacetoenforcespecificbehaviour.Cellphoneuserscantakestepstoreduce
accidentsanddeathscausedbycellphonedistractionwhiledriving.Insteadoftakinga
phonecallwhiledrivingtheycanfindasafespottopulloverandeffectivelyeliminatethe
riskofdistraction.Ifacallmustbetakenthebestpossiblesolutionwouldbeahandsfree
devicethatallowsgreatercontrolofthevehicle.Asstudiesshowincreaseddistraction
duringtextmessaging,itwouldbebeneficialtocompletelyavoidthistypeofcellphoneuse
whiledriving.TheGovernmentofindividualStatesand/orthenationasawholecanalso
takestepstopreventcertainactivitiesbyimposingstrictercellphoneuseregulationsand
penalties.
Thefollowingisthepercentageofpeople,basedonoursurvey,thatusetheircellphones
whiledriving:

People Using Cell Phone While Driving

Use cell phone

46%
54%

Do not use cell phone

Thepeoplethatusetheircellphonealsoincludeallthosepeoplewhousetheircellphone
rarely,frequently,veryfrequentlyandalways.Thesurveyalsoshowsthat46%ofpeople
neverusedtheircellphonewhiledriving.Butstilltherearemorethan50%ontheother
sidewhichsuggeststhattheyareonthehighriskofaccidents.Usageofcellphonewhile
drivingisamajorethicalconcern.

44

HealthRisks
Themedicalrisksofcellphoneusepresentanotherethicalissue.Themostcommon
concernistheeffectofradiofrequency(RF)energywavesproducedbyphoneswhenheld
closetothehead.
WhiletheseRFwaveshavebeenblamedforcausinghealthproblemsfromcancertothe
boogiewoogieflu,althoughthereisnoscientificevidencethathasbeenpublished
demonstratingharmfromshorttermexposurestolowlevelsofRFenergy.
Recentresearchhasshownthathealthrisksaregreaterforcellphoneusersthatliveand
workwherebasestationsarefartherawayorfewerinnumbersbecausethefartheracell
phoneisfromabasestation,themoreradiationitrequirestosendasignalandmakea
connection.Otherstudieshaveindicatedusingacellphoneanhouradayfortenyearsor
morecandrasticallyincreasetheriskofabraintumour.Formanytheuncertaintiesabout
thehealthrisksassociatedwithcellphoneuseareenoughtocreateconcern.Sowhatcan
bedonetominimizetheethicalconsiderationofmedicalrisksinvolvedwithcellphone
usage?Peopleshouldtalkoncellphonesonlywhennecessary,aswellasusehandsfree
deviceswheneverpossible.Parentsshouldminimizetheirchildrenscellphoneuse,
providingacellphonetoachildonlyinthecaseofanemergency.Untilgoverningbodies
imposestricterregulationsandareabletomoreaccuratelyreportonthespecifichazards
associatedwithcellphoneuse,individualswillhavetotakesomesimplemeasures.

PrivacyIssues
Privacyisanotherethicalissuewithmobilephonetechnology.Privacyisnotonlyanethical
issueforthecellphoneuser,butforthepeoplewithinhearingdistantoftheuser.Forthe
cellphoneuser,thecellphonehasstrippedmanyfromtheirprivacy.Manypeopleare
reachablebefore,during,andafterbusinesshoursthankstocellphones;forsomethework
dayneverends.Cellphonesaretobeconsideredaprivatemeansofcontact,butmoreand
moretelecommutingcompaniesarerecruitingcellphonenumbersaswell.Privacyand
comfortofindividualsnearcellphonesusersisalsooftencompromised.Peopleoncell
phonestendtotalklouderandprojecttheintimatedetailsoftheirconversationtoanyone
withinearshot.Privacyissuesbecomeagreatconcernascellphoneusebecomesmoreand
morewidespread.Therearecurrentlyonlyafewplacesthatprohibitcellphoneuse
entirely,forsafetyreasons,suchasmedicalfacilitiesandairplanes.Ascellphoneuseand
coveragebecomesmorepervasiveandreadilyavailable,itwillbeuptotheindividualusers
toexercisecourtesyandrestraint.

HastheuseoftextingruinedtheEnglishlanguageperse?
Textingisatightlycircumscribedshortmessageservice(SMS)rangeboundto160
characters,includingspaces.
Textinghaslongbeenbemoanedasthedownfallofthewrittenword,penmanshipfor
45

illiterates(ascalledbyJohnSutherland)5.Abbreviationistheessenceoftexting.Texting
properlyisntwritingatallitsactuallymoreakintospokenlanguage.Anditsaspoken
languagethatisgettingricherandmorecomplexbytheyear.Astimehaspassedandthe
textinghasbecomeevermoreprevalent,textershavesavedtimebycreatinganewform
ofshorthandoftencalledchatspeak.Studentsnowtexteverydayandhavegottensoused
tothisformofwritingthattheyarestartingtoincorporateitinschoolrelatedprojectsand
realworldsituations.Textingisdevelopingitsownkindofgrammarandconventions.
Acommonbeliefisthattheabbreviationsusedintextmessagingaregivingabatteringto
writtenEnglish.Increasingly,schoolteachersincountrieswhereEnglishisthefirstlanguage
reportthatworkisbeingwrittenusingpoorpunctuation,badgrammarandinappropriate
abbreviations.Itsclaimedthatstudentssometimesdontevenrealizetheyareusingtext
lingointheiracademicwork.
Followingistheanalysisofoursurveyofpercentageofstudentswhothinkthattextinghas
ruinedEnglishlanguage:

Does texting ruin English language?

34%
yes
no
66%

Hence,theincreasinguseoftextingasamodeofcommunicationhasresultedinruiningof
Englishlanguage.Mostcollegestudents,asperoursurvey,haveadmittedthattheyuse
textinglanguagesubconsciouslyintheirwork.Theinculcationofthishabitatthisage
wouldcreateproblematlaterstagewhenthesestudentsarerequiredtodoofficialwork,
whereitwouldgiveawrongimpression.

http://ideas.time.com/2013/04/25/istextingkillingtheenglishlanguage/

46

Sexting
Mostcollegestudentscananddosendsexts,sexuallyexplicittextmessagesthatcan
containnakedorpartiallynudephotos,accordingtostudiesbyresearchers.
Transmissionofsexuallyexplicitimagesofindividualsunderage18isalsoaseriousbreach
oflegalguidelines,andmaysubjectoffenderstochildpornographycharges.Allcreatea
delicatesituationforimpressionableteensandtwentysomethingaccordingto
researchers,whoemphasizetheimportanceofeducatingcollegestudentsastothe
potentialdangersofinappropriatetechnologyusage.
Socialandprofessionalramificationsofsharingcompromisingphotosareconsiderable,as
imagescanpotentiallywindupinanyoneshandsorliveforeveronline,wheretheyre
visibletoprospectiveschools,significantothersandemployers.Whilecurrentsamplesizes
andpopulationsmaynotberepresentativeofallcollegestudentsatlarge,theydopointto
adisturbingtruth.Unbeknownsttoparents,hundredsofthousandsofkidsmay
unsuspectinglybeopeningthemselvesuptonotonlyridicule,butalsothethreatofbeing
labelledasexoffender.

Ismobilephoneadisturbanceforpeopleorarepeopletakingitas
disturbance?
Onecannotvoteitboththeways,althoughitsnotthatalwaysthatgoingforeitherofthe
sides,canignoretheunchosenside.Takingtheresponsetofirstoutcomeofthequestion,it
is inferred that in one way with the emergence and invention of newer technologies for
mobilephones,ithasbecomeacentreofattractionforthepeopletolook,experienceand
reviewtheinnovativeideas,whichintermsleadtodistractionofonesmindfromhisroutine
andthusactingasadisturbanceforpeople.Here,thecasesfromsurveyarelikeofnew
games,applications,features,oranyotherentertainmentthings,etc.,whichattractpeople
and people be the victims of technology and then spend their valuable time for it, thus
creating a negative role as a disturbing element. The second way is that there could be
sometimesunnecessaryorunimportantcalls,whichcanactasadisturbanceatthesametime
whenoneisattendinganyimportantmeeting(causedisturbance),orwhenoneissleeping
(disturbstheneededsleep),orwhileoneisdriving(disturbsdriver,whichfurtherleadsto
accidents,whichisseriousethicalcase),orinthecasewhenonewantstoignorethecaller
(especially the promoting calls from the mobile barrier companies (senseless calls in any
mobile users view)). The third way is that the special cause of privacy, means that it is
obviousthatonedohaveprivateinformationinthemobile,soinordertoavoiditfromgetting
itintoothershands,onefeelsdisturbedfromhismobilephonetobesecured.Thefourth
waycouldbethat.Theotherwayisthatthetechnologyturnedouttobeaddictionforone,
inthesensethatthetechnologyislikeanattachmentchain,i.e.,Peopleoverutilizemobile
phones.Theyarealwaystextingandarealwayshookeduponsocialnetworkingsites,which
isnotnecessaryactivitybuttheusersindulgethemselvesfortheirownpleasureandassume
itasoneofthenecessaryparttodoinaday,justliketheyhavethinkingliketheymustdo
them,orelsetheyarentinlatestupdatedstatus,highlydescribedasoversocialization.
47

Thus they turn cell phones into an element of disturbance although it can be avoided.
Statistically,fromthesurvey,showninfigurebelow.

Is Mobile Phone A Disturbing

Element?
7%
22%

YES
NO
SOMETIMES

71%

Cellphoneharassment

AstheCellphonehasreachedoutateveryonespocketitsblacksidealsogrowingwith
samepace.Ithasbecomeaseriousproblemamongadolescentsandteens.Itisoneofthe
easiestmediumtoannoy,harassorthreatenpeoplebytheknownorunknownpersons.Itis
theverycommonformofcyberbullying.Cellphoneharassmenttakesplaceinmanyforms
like

unwantedtelephonecallsortextmessage,photos,videomessage,orvoicemail
whichcauseyouupset,grief,harassed,tormented,threatened,humiliated,
embarrassedorotherwisevictimized

Lewd,obsceneorindecentcomments,suggestionsorrequestsovertheCellphone.

Otherthantheseinthegenerallifeweseethecaselikerepeatedcallswherethecallerdoes
notidentifyhimself,Cellphoneringsincessantlyinthemiddleofthenight,adozencalls
48

reachtoyourcellphonethatareinstantlycutdowntheminuteyouanswer.Andsometimes
yourknownpersontrytostalkyoubymobilephoneevenyoudontwanttothinkabout
him.
Intextualharassmentonemethodissimplyinvolvessendinghundredsofmessagesaday,
sometimeswiththeassistanceofsettingsthatcanscheduletextstobedeliveredatavery
highrate.Otherharassersmayopttosendoccasionalabusivemessages.Harasserscan
includesendingmessagesatoddhoursortimingthedeliveryoftextsforatimewhenthe
harasserknowsthatthevictimcannotaffordtobedistracted.
ActressGulPanagontwitterSoIhavefinallyjoinedtheclubofthosebeingstalked.Andit's
notfun.Calls,SMSstheworks!!Harassmenttrauma.AndIammissingcallsfromfriends,
family,colleaguesonaccountofphonebeingsilentthankstomystalkerfriend.
A22yearoldTYB.Comstudent,herphonebecameanightmareaftershereceivedmore
than150callsadayfromasingleperson.Andtomakemattersworse,theaccusedused64
differentphonenumberssothatshecouldn'tidentifyhim6
Oursurveywhenpeopleusuallygiveprankcallstoothers,orwhentheysend(text)explicit
imagestootherstoruinimageofapersonwhodoesn'twanttokeepanycontactwiththe
senderanymore.Tobeprecise,itcanbecomeamodeofCyberbulling.Itcanalsoactasa
mediumofdenigration.
Reasons
Oneofthemainreasonbehindthistypeofharassmentismakingathreatfullphonecall
moretemptingthanafacetofaceconfrontation.Youwouldnotabletoreachdowntothe
personandteachhimalesson.Thevictimofthistypeofoffencesaremainlygirlswhichare
moreunwillingtosharethisthingwithothersthanboys.Thecommunicationovermobile
phoneisveryprivatesoitisparticularlydifficulttoescapefromharassmentwhenit
happensoveryourcellphone.Itcanhappenanytimesinaday,anyplaceevenifyougo
home,whichcouldbeassumeamuchsaferplacethanothers,soitcanfeelinescapable.
Thistypeofharassmentareoftenmuchmeanerbecausetheydon'thavetoseetheir
victims.Manymobilephonescanbeboughtwhichdonotrequireidentityproof,norisany
recordkeptofthenewowner.Callsmadefromthesetypesofmobilephonearedifficultto
trace.Inthetextualharassmentitisdifficulttoblocktextparticularnumbersmessages,If
youdosoyouhavetoblockalltheincomingmessagesbutthenyouhavetocompromise
withallotherimportantmessages.
Intodaystimeacallercaneasilytakestepstoyourcellphonebyremaininganonymous.
Manytimesboysmakespamcallstogirlsjusttotroublegirlsjustbecauseoflove,
ignorance,insult,funandallothermatters.Somehowonemanagestogetyournumber,he
canviewyourpicturesonWhatsapp(ifyouuseit),useitforunfairmeansoutofyour
knowledge.Hecanmakecrankcallsandeventrackyourlocation.Itcreatesamental

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/manharassed22yearoldusing64mobilenumbers331259

49

harassmenttothemlikedepression,anxiety,socialwithdrawalandsometimesmoreworst
consequencesthanwecanthink.

Psychologicaleffectsofcellphone
Onaskingpsychologistsaboutthephysiologicaleffectsthatcellphonehadonpeoples
mind,followingweretheconclusions.

Howcellphoneaffectspeoplesmindandbehaviour?
Cellphoneshaveturnedouttobeanobsessionratherthananecessityamongadolescents.
Ithasalsobecomeastatussymbolincertainsocialstrata.Itishinderingsocialbehaviouras
mostsocialinteractionsoccurviacellphone.Ithelpsinconnectingpeoplebuttakesaway
fromthemfacetofaceinteractions.Thiscausesalienationfromsocialcircles.

Arecellphonesareasonbehindseriousconsequenceslikesuicide?
Cellphonesdonotdirectlycausesuicidalbehaviour,howeveritcanbeusedtoabetsuicide.
Whenonereliesalotoncellphonesforsocialitcancauseaggressivetendencies,loneliness
etc.,whichcouldcausedepressionandtherebysuicide.

Howdoescellphoneaffectsocialinteraction?
Theuseofcellphonehasahugeimpactonsocialinteraction,inbothpositiveaswellas
negativeway.Ithasbroughttheworldcloser,thenetworkinghashelpedpeopleinstaying
intouchonmoreregularbasisandthecommunicationhasbecomeextremelyeasy,
especiallyinlongdistanceinteractions.Alotofprofessionalandpersonalcommunicationis
donethroughmessagesandchatsanditisfaster,cheaperandeasiertocommunicatenow.
Butthedrawbackisthat,likeallotheraddictions,cellphoneshaveturnedouttobean
obsessionandaddictionandafulltimeoccupationformany,takingawaythespacefor
prioritizingwhatmaybetheneedofanhourforthem.Overuseofcellphoneandmisuseof
ithasturnedintoahugethreattosocialbehaviourandinteractions,andifthejudicialuse
ofitisnotimplemented,thenthealreadyheavydependenceonitforsocialinteractionmay
robthesocietyofthepersonalinteractionsthatarethebasicneedsofhumans.

50


6.Conclusion

Aftertheextensiveamountofsurveyconductedinruralaswellasurbanareasof
Gandhinagar,itcanbeconcludedthatthereisatwowayrelationshipbetweencellphone
andsociety.Theaboveanalysisclearlyshowsthatcellhasimpactedallsectionsandallage
groupsofthesociety,mayitbeschoolchildren,collegestudents,workingclasspeople,
womenorruralpeople.
But,thisevolutionofcellphonefromsimpledeviceabletogenerateonlyphonecallstoa
devicethatserveasmediumtodoallourdailytasksisnotonlyduetotheadvancementof
technologyorduetoinnovativeideasofthescientists,itisdrivenbythedemandsand
needsofthesociety.Theneedofhumanbeingstodoalltheirtasksinaneasyand
comfortablemannerfromanyplacehasledtoemergenceofsmartphonesthatprovides
varietyoffeatures.
Fromoursurvey,itcanbeconcludedthatthecollegestudentsaretheonlysectionsofthe
societythatutilizeallthefeaturesprovidedbythesmartphones.Thiscanbeconcludedby
examiningtheusagestatisticsofallthesectionsofthesociety.Collegestudentsutilizethe
featuresprovidedbythesmartphonesinequalproportionswhileothersectionsofthe
societyincludingprofessionalsandworkingclasspeople(age2560),women,elderlypeople,
ruralpeoplemainlyusescellphone(orsmartphones)forcallingpurposeintheirwork.The
newcellphonerequirementsofthecollegestudents(graph)clearlyconcludethatcollege
studentsdemandmaximumfeaturesintheircellphonesatminimumprice.Nearly70%
studentsgivepreferencetofeaturesandpriceofthecellphone.Hence,itisclearthatthe
cellphonemanufacturersmainlytargetcollegestudentsfortheirsalesasnowadays,most
ofthecellphonesthataremanufacturedaresmartphoneswithareasonableprice.
Thesurveyalsoraisessomecriticalquestionsthatneedtobeanswered:

Iscellphoneactingasastatussymbol?
Basedonoursurveyitcanbeconcludedthatschoolstudentsthatistheagegroupofbelow
18yearsconsideritasastatussymbolaswellasneed.Aswegohigherinagegroups,the
imageofcellphoneasastatussymboldecreases,ratheritisseenasaneedbypeople.
Thus,itcanbeconcludedthataspeoplebecomemature,theytendtoseecellphoneasa
needratherthanstatussymbol.Forelderlypeopleitisonlyaneedwhileonlyafewmiddle
agedpeopleseecellphoneasstatussymbol.

51

Arecellphonesbridgingthedigitaldivideordeepeningit?
Themainreasonfordigitaldivideistheaffordabilityofthecellphones.Withtheadventof
smartphonesatanaffordableprice,cellphonesinawaytrytobridgethedigitaldivide
betweentheruralandurbanareas.Butthisdigitaldividehasnotbeenbridgedcompletely
duetothehesitanceofruralpeopleinupgradingtheircellphonestosmartphones.Theyare
stillnotthoroughwithsmartphonetechnologyduetofearandlackofassistanceand
guidanceofhowtooperatewiththesekindsofphones.Hence,itcanbeconcludedthatcell
phonesarenottryingtodividethesocietyintoclassesorstrata.Moreover,itcanbeusedto
bridgethedigitaldividewithsomeassistancetotheruralpeople.
Inreality,peopleinurbanareasarepossessingsmartphoneswhereastheruralpeopleare
stillusingthesimplephonesthatonlybasicfeatures.So,evenwiththecellphonetryingto
bridgethedigitaldivide,thedigitaldivideisactuallydeepeningbecauseoftheincreasing
useofsmartphonesintheurbanareas.

Iscellphonereallyinevitabilityorjustanoverhypedtechnologicalboon?
Whenquestioningtheimportanceofcellphonesinourliveswefeelthatthecellphoneper
seisinevitability.Butwhenitcomestosmartphoneswefeelthatitdefinitelyisaneed
especiallyforthecollegestudentsastheyentirelyutilizeallthefeaturesofasmartphone
butisnotinevitability.Butthedesireofcertainsectionsofsocietytogoforcostlyandhigh
endcellphonesisjustaresultofthehypecreatedbythemobilemanufacturersalthough
theyperformallthesametasksandconsistsofmostlyallthefeaturesonewouldfindinany
economicalcellphone.Eveninthecaseofelderlypeoplethereisdefinitelyarequirement
tohaveacellphone.Thus,itformsanintegralpartofalmostalltheagegroups.The
portabilityfeatureofthesmartphonesmakesitratheraneedthaninevitability.So,cell
phone,ingeneral,isinevitabilitybuttheemergenceofthehighendsmartphonesisjust
overhyped.

Iscellphoneleadingtogenderinequality?
Thelandlinephones,undoubtedlyprivilegedwomenovermenaswomenhadtostayin
homemorethanmen.But,whenexaminingwomensuseofcellphonesinruralareas,it
showsthatcellphonesleadtogenderinequality.Itwasrecognized,inruralareas,thatmale
headsofthehousedistributedtheresourcesinsuchawaythatitdisadvantagedwomenin
thehouse.Forexample,inthesurveyconductedaroundthevillagesnearGandhinagar,the
commonpracticeseenwasthatwomeninthefamilyhadcellphonebutithadminimal
balancesoastomakeamissedcall.Thecellphonewasthereonlytoreceivecalls.Malein
thefamilyarefreetomakecallstofriendsandrelativesbutthisprivilegewasnotenjoyed
bythefemaleinruralareas.

52


7.Bibliography

DebabrataDas.GrowthofmobilephonesubscribersinIndia
http://www.researchfindr.com/growthmobilephonesubscribersindia

KasKalba.TheAdoptionofMobilePhonesinEmergingMarkets:GlobalDiffusionandthe
RuralChallenge
http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/viewFile/216/179..

ExcessiveMobilePhoneUseAffectsSleepInTeens
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609071402.htm

http://ethicsandtechnology.weebly.com/cellphones.html

Mobilephoneaddictioninteenagersmaycauseseverepsychologicaldisorders
http://www.newsmedical.net/news/2007/02/27/22245.aspx

AnalysisofCollegeStudents'DependenceonCellPhones
http://shefali1130.blogspot.in/2010/10/analysisofcollegestudentsdependence.html

http://www.teachthemenglish.com/tag/contrastingviewsontheeffectsoftextmessagingon
englishgrammar/

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/gearup/hotstuffmostcollegestudentsinto
sextingdirtymessages20110721

53