Re: phones and human welfare

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

Chris D writes:
Russia practically has a full-fledged cult of the
mobile phone. About half the population has one (as
opposed to about 5% in 1998). It's a social symbol
that says you're part of the middle class, even if you
really aren't. People practically organize their lives
around those things. ...
 
awhile back, a pen-pal from Bolvia forwarded a message from Chile. There, the home of the first neo-liberal revolution (in 1973) -- the cult of the cell phone had gone so far that some drivers had whittled fake ones out of wood so that they could look as if they were talking on the phone while driving. (They needed the cars, but couldn't afford the phones.) 
 
In the US, cell phones are taking over. But text-messaging came after a delay of a few years, compared to Europe. 
 
Speaking of which, I remember reading a science fiction short story a long time ago (early 1960s?) in which everyone had a portable phone (on their wrists, like Dick Tracy) and spent all day talking on the phone rather than actually getting anything done. 
 
jim devine