Análisis de Peligro

At the end of their class, students check their cell phones almost before they are out of the room. Professors and parents are confused by this practice.

Some complain that young people are so wrapped up in their cell conver-sations that they completely miss the world around them. Most wonder why students are compulsive cell phone users. There are many reasons students wander around campus talking into the air. They use cell phones

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to coordinate the day’s activities, to get some business done, to share life’s events, and to keep in touch. The large number of college students wan-dering around talking into their phones, ignoring the people around them, may seem ridiculous to outsiders. However, in the end this cell phone mania is a necessary part of college life.

It is hard to imagine how people managed their life without cell phones since there is so much to coordinate. Weren’t friends going to meet after class for a study session? Where is everybody? A quick cell phone call to a friend reveals that the study session was moved to the student center. Does everyone have his or her part ready for the presentation in speech class at 3:00 p.m.? A flurry of cell phone calls makes certain everyone is ready. Will Collin be able to meet his girlfriend this afternoon? He needs to call to see if she is still free.

Where is Jennifer since she said she was picking me up in front of the Science Building? Life in college can be hectic as students juggle complex schedules of classes, work, meal times, and a social life. A quick phone call can organize it all; arrange study sessions, confirm a lunch date, arrange a ride, coordinate a team project for class, and maybe even make time for a date.

Sometimes cell phone calls get important business done. Heather needs to convince her parents that she really, really needs more money to cover the cost of books. Tim needs to contact his advisor since he needs to lift his holds so he can schedule for the next semester. Students, like everyone else, need to call about possible jobs, resolve disputes over bills, arrange to have their car fixed, find out the results of medical tests, and even, in some cases, find baby-sitters. There is often a lot to get done that has to be squeezed into a busy day.

Sometimes walking back to the dorm from a night class, students are on the phone simply to feel safer so that if anything happens they can let someone else know and perhaps get help. Cell phones let them get all this done in the time between classes or even while walking back to their dorm, leaving them with more time for other things like studying or going out with friends.

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Everyone likes to share moments of delight, success, and even failure with others who care. When a baby is expected, the soon to be grandparents can’t wait for the call. Cell phones let people share. Many phones even let you take a picture and send it by e-mail to a friend. At concerts some in the audience call up friends and then hold up the phone so that they can hear part of a concert. When something really funny is happening, anyone can with a quick call share it with someone else who would appreciate the mo-ment. If you got an A on a paper that you thought would get an F, you can quickly spread the celebration to anyone who would echo your joy while the feeling was still hot. Sometimes a cell phone call can make the sharing very concrete, getting someone to go outside to look at a spectacular meteor shower, getting a friend to change channels so they can see an interview with a favorite rock star, or letting family know about a terrible earthquake in China. Cell phones allow an immediate connection to let people experience what you are experiencing, whether it is excitement over a success, an idea, the finals of a sporting event, or a news event.

Cell phone calls let people stay in touch with each other. Most phone calls are very short, over before students have gotten from the classroom to the door of the building. “Hey, what’s up?” “What are you doing?” “How are you?” Little information is exchanged and little is really shared. “Nothing much,” in fact, is a common response. What do such phone calls accom-plish? They let people keep in touch with each other. Contact is what helps keep people close. Parents like their children to visit. Couples need to make time for each other. When people keep in touch, it lets them know that oth-ers care, lets them keep each other as important parts of their lives. Some students call their parents every day keeping the family ties tight, getting the emotional reassurance of those loving connections. Sometimes it seems like couples seem to be holding electronic hands as they walk across campus, with little room for some interloper to break up their relationships. Friends

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