After reading alot of the posts regarding this, I always go back to the same question, which is more of a true statement than anything else, which is: Wasn’t Life so much easier before we had cell phones, texting, facebook, etc. ?!
Seems to me that we are more connected to technology than anything else and it causes more problems for people than good… I sure do miss the old days.
No, it was not better, not by a longshot.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been able to call my husband from my car when I heard a funny noise or saw a light light up on the dashboard. My daughters do the same (only one calls her husband instead of her dad).
Both my husband and I, along with our parents, and other family members, have been able to call Triple A when our car broke down or had a flat tire. In the past, I as a woman was at the mercy of whoever (or whatever) stopped to help–terrifying. Or I had to walk several miles (usually in the dark, or in a rain or snow storm) to try to find a service station.
When my mother, who had severe rheumatoid arthritis, was still alive, cell phones would have saved her from many horrific situations in which she fell and lay on the floor for hours until my dad got home from the fields (farming). Eventually she had to go to a nursing home–perhaps a cell phone would have given her a few more months or even years at home. She wasn’t strong enough to lift an old phone handle (what did we call those things that we listened to and talked into??) A cell phone would have been so nice for her. Same thing for internet–she missed it by only a few years. So many Senior citizens who are invalid are still able to stay in touch with their friends and the whole world via the Internet, especially forums like this. She would have had to use two pencils (eraser end) to type, and it would have been slow, but she was a smart woman and would have done it–she often said that what she missed most was being able to write letters. She missed it all–darn, darn, darn.
Think of all the people in natural disasters and in war-torn or protest-torn areas of the world who used their cell phones to keep not only their relatives informed of their safety, but also to inform the entire world about what was really happening as it was happening.
I won’t go on with the huge list of “peace-of-mind” and “safety” factors that the modern communication technology allows. It’s gigantic.
The list “quality of life” and “convenience” factors is even huger.
E.g.
When my daughter and husband were travelling out to California a few years ago (she was moving), they were within 60 miles of the Grand Canyon. They had not planned to stay in any of the Canyon hotels, because these are generally booked up, but my daughter said she would give them a call (from the car). Lo and behold, a room was open at one of the famous hotels right next to the Canyon, so they were able to experience a thrill.
Many MANY times, my husband has used his cell phone (as a passenger while I do the driving) to find a hotel, a tourist attraction, a restaurant, etc.
If we are doing research on a topic for general purposes (not scholarly), we are able to go to the internet and learn facts almost instantly. In the past, we would have driven to the library and looked up information in a current encyclopedia or other reference work. This is so very useful for things like “Where was the Winter Olympics in 1964?” or “Who were the Gold Medalists in Pairs Skating in 1948?” (Yes, skating fans often bring these topics up in discussions, and the iPhone makes it possible to know the answers within a few seconds.)
I am not a “wired” person. I don’t carry my cell phone on my person. I’m not on Facebook or Twitter (I should be, because I’m trying to sell my novels, and the social media is the best way to do so nowadays). I only learned to text a few months ago because my organ teachers texts to make sure of his lesson schedule. I would never buy any kind of iPhone because I find a regular cell phone too confusing (although I do love the alarm clock feature now that I know how to use it–very useful in hotels).
But I love the modern technology, and believe, as others on this thread have said, that we all simply have to learn how to use it graciously. And we also have to be quick to forgive people when they make mistakes and forget to turn their cell phones off, or automatically take out their phones to check a page from their children. (For some people, checking their phone is a habit and very hard to break.)
Last night during Mass, within a few minutes after the announcement was made to turn off cell phones, someone’s cell phone went off. Like I said, we have to be quick to forgive–I could tell that the person felt like a fool. There is no point to making him feel like a bigger fool by chastising him for not being perfect yet and always doing the right thing.
and gradually cooled down then. It does happen even when phone is off 
