Mobile phone craze or obligatory nuisance

If you walk through the bustling Saddar commercial area, look at the students pouring out from one of many private colleges at Sixth Road or see people hanging out aimlessly around Commercial Market Satellite Town where women’s wear shops are rampant, you will see one thing in common – many of them have mobiles (cell phones) in their hands.

“These are just a few areas and the picture is no different in the other areas and even suburban neighborhoods. It seems like the mobile usage rises above social and economic class and status as you are bound to find people from the top to bottom outfitted with the power of mobile communication,” says Surraya Zaidi.

“Words like ‘missed call’, ‘SMS’, ‘ring-tone’ seems to have become ubiquitous to even less technology exposed people like domestic helpers, sweepers, rickshaw pullers, and street vendors. Rawalpindi, a city with roughly 10 million people has become a heaven for mobile operators – relatively less expensive to build a network due to the limited size of the city with so many possible consumers” says Sameen Jafri.

Aalia Hasan, a college lecturer, says, “My 13-year old school-going son has demanded a personal mobile phone for his birthday gift. I tried to put him off. Your elder sister, a college student, still does not have one. “Mama please, all my friends have it. I also need one, he was adamant.”

“Leave apart the technical, professional, social or emotional support or advantages of the mobile phone, telephonic gossip, especially on the cell phones is considered very much “in” and trendy these days. Having emerged as a status symbol three or four years ago, it has acquired larger proportions and has almost become the normal accompanying gadget for the person of every age,” says Noshaba Ali.

The worst part is to see young and middle-age people, with cellphones attuned to their ears. At times one feels that mobile phone, besides being a boon, is also a nuisance of the first order. The arrival of mobile technology has taken the imagination of young children and adults by storm. They are almost never away from the offensive sound of this instrument,” says Aafreen Hussain.

“Take the case of the children first. Mobile phone has almost become synonymous with their homework diary. Your afternoon siesta is perennially disturbed by the noise of mobile from their friends and the constant chattering in the name of jotting down their missing homework,” says Anmol Fatima.

“Let alone the children, the elders are no less when it comes to chatting on the mobile phone. For some, it may be a hobby or the best time-pass. Their mindless chatter makes them forget that they are disturbing others even at the most private moments of their daily routine,” says Zartaj Batool.