Mobile Phones : The Evolution Of An Industry

Technology has changed remarkably over the last one hundred years. First, the way that we use books has changed. Another way is the way we play games. The way we communicate with each other has changed drastically over the last century as well. At this rate, with technology growing every day, we can see the “new” technology that we have right now is already being replaced with something else that is “new.”

The Social Construction of Technology (or SCOT) is a new research tradition rooted in the sociology of technology. SCOT provides a multi-directional model based on the property of interpretative flexibility, and emphasizes on social influences on the technology design and development. This paper will apply SCOT principles to explore the development of cell phone, define the development of cell phone into three different stages historically, and analyze the interpretative flexibility of the cell phone accordingly in the three different stages. Based on SCOT theory, this paper will discuss how the original huge cell phones are shaped and developed by social influences to the smartphones in today’s life.

A lot of the early cell phones that were made were considered to be “car phones,” because they were so big and heavy that you wouldn't be able to have it in your pocket or purse.However a revolutionary phone came out in 1983 by the name of the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x was available to the public. Compared to today’s high standards, it was considered the first real mobile phone because it was small enough to carry and not very heavy. Although The phone was very expensive it became a pop culture symbol. It showed up in the movie Wall Street and in the famous show Saved by the Bell.

Technology is so quickly changing, every time you turn around there's a new iPhone, computer update or installable hardware. It changes so quickly it has become rather hard for me to keep up with. It almost seems that it learns too fast. I find it difficult and time consuming to always keep up to date in the ever changing world of technology. It can also be expensive but from what I have seen more people are willing to pay a little extra for the newest and greatest. I,for one, don't feel the need for the next biggest thing but I think as a majority, most Americans don't mind paying for it.

As stated before, technology is a rapidly progressing field. It is so widespread and used that most Americans cannot go more than a couple hours without using some aspect of modern technology. It can also be said that new technologies that

Throughout the twentieth-century, different inventions and predictions were made to determine what the future would be like. For example, hover cars and advanced spacecraft were some of the most iconic pieces of predicted technology. Although hover cars still have yet to be refined some predictions of the twentieth-century are seen being used today, such as small portable communicators. Small portable communicators have enhanced the way people communicate with one another and are more commonly known as the cell phone. In 1973, a man named Martin Cooper and his team at Motorola built and demonstrated the first cell phone (CBS 1). Little did they realize the huge impact that cell phones would soon make in the near future. Cell phones have evolved drastically and have become an essential and indispensable aspect of contemporary life. Since 1995, mobile phones have transformed into complex cellular devices to suit people’s busy lifestyles, while still staying true to its original aspect, communication.

Over a century ago, Alexander Graham Bell changed the way people communicated with each other. Back when he invented the phone in 1876, no one could imagine that over the next century, his invention would change the way societies interact and communicate with each other. Since the invention of the telephone, the process of communication has evolved.

Today we refer to our phones as cellphones or mobile phones. However, that was not the case when they first came about. The term “radiotelephony” was used to describe what we now call our cell phones. Early radiotelephony, “early” dating back to the 1940’s, services was available for a very small amount of people. The very first mobile phones were better known as radiotelephones and were first used in the early part of the last century. Radiotelephones were originally used for ship-to-shore or ship-to-ship communications.

The expanding use of cellular phones and the advancements of modern-day technology are leading the way for a broadening perspective and interpretation of our Fourth Amendment right. Modern technology, such as cellular phones, challenge the standards of an individual 's right to privacy as set forth in our Bill of Rights, Amendment No. 4. The conduct of illegal search 's and or seizures became more prevalent with the introduction of the cellphone, thus demanding the Supreme Court revisits our Fourth Amendment with a modern-day spin.

On December 3rd, 1992 a british engineer by the name of Neil Papworth sent the very first text message in the history of wireless communication. The way he achieved wasn 't by cell phone to cellphone. It was successful done by computer to cellphone. The SMS, short for short message service, sent that day was “ Merry Christmas” That’s when the age of wireless communication began. Although people thought it was a revolution to start communicating wirelessly with others. But what they are really getting out of it is a device that people, till this day, mindlessly spend their time texting. Are they really getting closer as humans should? Or are they looking at a screen while life flows away at each touch of the screen.

Could you imagine going a day without your smart phone? It seems as though everyone now a days owns a smart phone. Smart phone have became rapidly advanced in such a short amount of time, with the competition between the two major smart phone companies Apple and Samsung competing to create a brand a new model every year with new features. The demand for smart phones is increasing and statistics show that more people have mobile phones than toilets. The time people spend on the cell phones is mostly spent on apps, and people are spending an average of 3 hours and 23 minutes per day in apps and only 50 minutes accessing the mobile web. Statistic also show that nearly 75 percent of US adults will use a smart phone in 2017, and it is continuing to increase. So, how was the smart phone born? Before the smart phone there were several devices that were used but not until recently those technologies were combined to create the smart phone.

In today’s generation, social settings are very high tech than it was a few years ago. Nowadays it is very unlikely to walk in public and not see a cellular device on an individuals hand. It seems that technology is so addicting that it is being attached to our everyday lives. In this society, many different age groups now carry a cell phone. Back in my elementary school years, technology was not very popular and not so high tech, according from today. It has been seen clear that most elementary kids now experience the use of smartphones. I have had experiences with people on their phones quite sometimes and that is why I am very passionate of describing my point of view on this. Relationships aren’t the same and those that matter the most fall apart because of new technologies. As you can see people hardly make eye contact anymore. With so many entertainments or social media there is to do in a smartphone; I can see why many people have their eyes glued to their phones all day long. Especially younger teens drivers, who happens to be on the road with a phone in their hand can be very distracting. But it seems to me that many drivers nowadays rely on modern technology. Vehicles are now being installed with alerted beeping sounds of lane changes (Moore). There is also a camera device that lets you be the witness of unexpected car accidents. It is why cars are made to be so much safer now.

Every day we use some form of technology. From the sound of the alarm on our cellphones waking us up to the ping of notifications, tweets, and news that interest us; we eat and breathe technology. In a world full of apps for everything and computers connecting us worldwide, we are living the good life. Ask yourself, when was the last time you were able to go an hour without your cell phone? your tablet? technology? Can you count change without waiting for the register to tell you the amount due? Why do we believe everything we research on the computers is valid? We no longer wear watches or learn how to tell time, watch weather on TV, or even calculate the miles for a road trip. The progression of technology has improved the quality of our life and how we live. Many people believed this progress is worth it. However, all progress has a cost? Do you ever think what that cost might be? We are so dependent on technology that without it would we be able to live? Is it dangerous? What would happen if it all went away?

The beginning of the era of mobile technology started forty years ago with the first call from a cell phone. Martin Cooper, vice president of Motorola, walked out of a Manhattan building and made the first cellular network call from a DynaTAC phone. The first call was made to Bell Labs, Motorola’s largest competitor in the mobile marketing business. (Cheng, 2013) Cooper’s phone call started a trend in which technology constantly evolves. From the Motorola DynaTAC to the iPhone 5S, the mobile phone has evolved since the large, bulky device made in 1973.

Before 2007, the technology of operating a phone through touching the screen had not been introduced, as such Apple changed the industry by coming up with iPhone (Copeland, 2010). Later, after the Japanese company introduced Discman, Apple introduced a new technology of iPods (Bertolucci, 2009). This simply implies that embracing advancement in innovation ensures that a company changes very fast hence, no one can easily predict the next technological breakthrough.