The new chattering classes!

Some time back, the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), in its report, opined that Pakistan is among the world’s top ten fastest growing mobile markets and is “set to add 17 million unique subscribers within the next four years”. Understandably, one had received these tidings with mixed feelings.

The world has been engulfed by the cell phone revolution. This is so pervasive that life is no longer what it used to be. If one were asked to single out one element that has had the biggest influence on the life of an individual lately, it would not be wrong to point the finger at the cell phone. The “smart phone” has descended with another sinister dimension to the phenomenon. All in all, it has added a brand new connotation to the phrase “chattering classes”.

Remember the time, not long ago, when having a private telephone connection in this blessed land was a luxury within the reach of only the rich and the privileged few? Most communication had to be through the post or the telegraph. The post took its time reaching the addressee and the telegram was not at all personal. Look at the situation now. An individual of modest means enjoys the privilege to carry around a contraption that puts him or her in instant contact with another person virtually at the touch of a button.

This said, it must be stressed that the cell phone has brought with it both good news and bad news. Like everything else, good things too, come with a price tag. To arrive at a definitive conclusion, a careful study of the pros and cons is necessary.

It must be acknowledged that the cell-phone revolution has brought all classes to approximately the same level, at least communication-wise. What was once the prerogative of the privileged few – to chatter their lives away at will – has been brought within the reach of all classes!

The snag is that people just do not know when or where to draw the line. Some sections of the world made a conservative estimate of over two hundred million cell phones existing around the world. It is nothing short of staggering to envisage over two hundred million persons chattering away into these little contraptions in diverse places, oblivious of their surroundings or the people around them!

Having acquiesced to the inherent right of the people to possess and bear cell phones, would it then be fair to ignore the rights of those who opt out? For the moment, one would wish to confine oneself to problems created for the common man rather than go into such issues as the security implications of the use that criminal elements can put the cell phone to.

For one, shouldn’t personal privacy be an important consideration? One wonders if the proud owners of cell phones are even concerned about the fact that people all around them may be eavesdropping or that their calls may be monitored by interested parties. And need one allude to the antics of those who prefer to race around in posh cars while chattering away on their cell phones at the same time?

Moreover, financial implications, especially for those less endowed, can at times be back-breaking. There are several people who may be spending more than they can reasonably afford on servicing non-essential calls. Needless to add, the outrageous advertising by cell phone companies is partially responsible for this.

All in all, right-thinking people everywhere must push for measures to ensure moderation in this field, as in all other controversial matters. No one can deny an individual’s right to bear a cell phone, but this right needs to be tempered in a way that the user does not go overboard and does not cause annoyance to people in their surroundings.

Sooner rather than later, some regulations will have to be put in place. Too much of even a good thing is hardly advisable in the long run. Unharnessed use of technological advancements can more often than not do more harm than good.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2019.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.