Life Without Telecomm

I was reading an article in the paper this morning about the apparent act of phone sabotage that has hit California. It seems that vandals have hit various fiber optic line locations around the the state to knock out all telecommunications in parts of Southern California. Now while it may seem a minor thing to lose land line phone and cell phone service in the area, it's disturbing when you realize just how reliant on telecommunications networks in this modern society. There was a time when living without the ability to instantly call someone on the telephone was no possible and the idea of using a wireless device to call someone seemed something only to be seen in a science fiction movie. It seems some of these vandals are bent on trying to return us to those times as quickly as they can.

Seeing as how these incidents have occurred in California, I'm inspired to believe that these acts were the acts of a group that is likely infuriated with the ridiculous amount of time and energy people spend on the phone these days. Seeing as how in many cases, the phones have become more of a nuisance than a benefit (from some perspectives) I can understand why they would want to do such a thing. I mean you begin to see their perspective when you're standing in line somewhere and someone around you begins talking loudly on their cell phone or the guy in the lane next to you starts weaving into your lane because he's texting or dialing rather than focusing on the road and driving. I'm sure it's at time like that that many of us would love to snatch the phone and toss it away for all time. Unfortunately, we can't do that and the real question then becomes would we really want to?

I see cell phones and the spread of telecommunications capabilities to be a double edged sword. On the one hand it has made the world smaller in so many ways that it has undoubtedly changed the way in which the world works. No matter when or where something happens in the world, the incident is communicated across the globe almost instantly. How else would Americans in the far corners of the world be able to find out the election results the same moment that they were reported to us here in the United States? Then again, it's also become like a leash holding a dog. We can't go anywhere anymore and claim to be out of touch from work. Whether by e-mail, cell phone, blackberry, twitter, or good, old-fashioned telephone communication, we are never more than a few moments out of touch from anyone or anything. That can be a mixed bag for some.

But I find it bad also in the sense that it is feeding the need for instant gratification in all of us. Years ago when I would browse the internet via a dial-up modem it was a good day when we could get 9600 baud and load a website within five minutes. These days if the page takes five seconds to load we start hemming and hawing and picking up the phone to call tech support and chew them out for the problems the internet seems to be having. That subtle art of patience is slowly dying. There were times when we would wait days, weeks, even months, to hear from family who were in different parts of the country or the world; we would have to wait for the phone service to grant us time to make international calls. Nowadays we can do it instantly with no difference in sound than if we were speaking to someone in the next room.

We have come to rely on that instant gratification so much so that it's like an addicition. Think about it. When you're on a plane you'll hear a chorus of phones chiming off just before take-off and they'll chime on again the moment the flight crew tells you it's okay to do so. People feel the need to tell anyone and everyone wherever they are and the moment they get there. Sure I can understand the need to account for everyone's time since people at the airport are waiting to pick you up or so that you can tell a loved one that you arrived safely but I'm talking about the folks who feel the need to update the world at the drop of a hat. It seems they can't do anything without that need to communicate it to someone and that's where I think the primary motivation came from for these vandals. You don't appreciate things until they are gone and I think these vandals wanted people to realize just how reliant on technology they have become. It's a convenience but not one that should ever be taken for granted.