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Faustian Bargain Out Of Cell Phones

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Aldous Huxley once wrote “...most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution” (Brave New World). One could argue that social dependency of a device, such as one’s cellular phone, would constitute addictive qualities, and in some extreme instances, social and psychological enslavement. Others would disagree, however, stating that a phone is more useful, especially in cases of convenience, productivity, and emergency response. But do the pros outweigh the cons? In medieval legend, there is said to be a man named Faust who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and other worldly gains. This story lead to the concept of the ‘Faustian Bargain,’ or consequence for gain; there is always a cost, and more often than not, the cost is disproportionate to said gain of such exchanges. From a technological perspective, have we made a ‘Faustian Bargain’ out of cellular phones? The cellular phone was first created by Martin Cooper in 1973 for the purpose of expanding on current communication technologies. What he wasn’t aware of at that time, was how this would impact society as we know it today-- influencing our everyday activities from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. Today, cellphones are used for much more than making calls, including, but not limited to: instant messaging, timing, mathematical calculation, alarms, email, social media, and a variety of other things once you delve into the complexity of application

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