Technology has come a long way in my lifetime. This may age me, but I remember rotary phones, and phones having the option of Pulse Dialing or Touch Tone. Getting a “Wireless” home phone was a big deal, and in high school, having a “Beeper” or Pager was the “IN” thing. In college, I had a “car phone” that was enormous, and while portable, needed to be plugged into the cigarette lighter for the battery to work. Once married, we got mobile phones, but the minutes were quite expensive, so it was only used in emergencies. It was a nice luxury, because my husband was in the Navy and deployed frequently, so calls were limited, and it was nice knowing he could call me at any time. His schedule was erratic, and couldn’t call on a set schedule while he was away.
Now that I have children of my own, I am thrilled that technology has advanced and made cell phones more affordable, and have the added benefit of texting. The ability to send quick messages to your significant other, child, friend, parent, etc. is priceless. We don’t always have the ability to talk or have long conversations, though there IS still a time and place for those, text messaging allows us to send a message when it’s convenient for us, and the recipient can respond when it’s convenient for them. Often things come up during the day, and an afternoon activity for one child or another will change after they’ve all left for school. It’s so nice to be able to text the siblings and update them with pickup time/location/details. They have to leave their phones in their locker during class, but can check for messages between classes or at the end of the day, and I don’t have to call the office to have the secretary hunt them down and deliver a message.
If you’d like to know more about the History of Texting, this site that recaps the history all the way back to Smoke Signals! It has short snippets about a variety of ways humans have been able to communicate with one another over time. I found it quite interesting, and even my teenagers enjoyed browsing.
Donna says
Oh this brings back such memories, the rotary dial, and my first cell phone was HUGE. You didn’t carry it around, it stayed in the car. Ha Ha
Rosie says
I remember rotary phones, too. In some ways it seemed better as a teenager, it was a big deal if a cute boy called you! I haven’t yet texted, I’m sure I’m missing out!
Heather S says
Such an interesting read. People spend so much time on their phones these days…