Can you even try to imagine what life was like before we had mobile phones? Many of our app developers do not remember life before the mobile phone took over. Mobile devices are just a part of everyday life. It appears to be common to sit in a restaurant and see a family having a meal with their pre-teen clicking away and the younger kids watching YouTube or playing games on a tablet. How did parents manage before mobile?
The first mobile phone call was made in the UK on the 1st of January 1985 using a phone that weighed a whopping 11 lbs, and was the size of a brick. Not only was it huge in size and weight, it also cost over £2000. Now complain about the price of your latest Samsung!
Before mobile phones you actually had to plan things in advance. What time your parents expected you home from your friends. How to get to a work meeting. There were no navigation devices to depend on after all, and how did you contact your date to let them know you were running late and weren’t standing them up? Life was just so much more difficult, don’t you agree?
Mobile phones have brought the world closer. Families living in different countries can often share a fun experience in real-time through Skype. I can tell you of a personal story recently. I took my children away to London for a holiday, and while enjoying a London attraction we Skyped their dad so he could join in and be part of the experience.
Mobiles are also used to share experiences online. This is not only for personal use. We often see people on social media posting video clips and images from incidents that have occurred, from political events to accidents. Many times this has proven to be a great invention, but there are times when mobile phones have had a negative impact.
Families sitting in restaurants glued to a screen, dates being spent checking social media updates and the constant need to be connected at every moment of our lives has no doubt had a negative impact on interpersonal skill. But as with everything in life, if you use them in a sensible manner, mobile phones have helped bridge distances and bring the world closer together, offering us many new and exciting opportunities