Thursday, April 12, 2012

Video Only Killed The Radio Star, Cell Phones Killed...





Music has most definitely changed since MTV and the video era. Maybe video did kill the radio star but I think it just changed what and who the radio star is. What video did is nothing compared to what the cell phone is doing. Cell phones are making some activities and items so irrelevant that people under the age of ten will be completely oblivious to things that used to be everywhere.

One of the biggest examples of that is the payphone. Cell phones have wiped out most of the pay phones. If I asked my 7 year old cousin what a payphone was, I don't think he'd have the slightest idea of what I’m talking about. Cell phones have made the word payphone nearly extinct.

Some other items that the cell phone has killed off are gaming devices, portable music players, newspapers, and cameras. When I was in 6th grade I was so excited Christmas morning when I got a N64 or a cd walkman. Now what's the point of having a Gameboy (I think they are actually called Nintendo DS now) or an IPod? You can play Madden on your phone and listen to your personal playlists on your new fancy cell phone.

But that's not the only thing that cell phones destroyed. They also took away some parts of growing up. I remember in middle school passing notes to girls I liked. I was so excited to get a note back from her, waiting all class period to find out if she'd want to get an ice cream cone after school. That anticipation and fun nervous feeling is gone. Now you'd just send her a text and get an instant response and immediately update your Facebook status to OMG Ice Cream 2morrow w new girl!!!!!!

I think the biggest thing that cell phones have done is kind of a double edged sword. In one way you are always connected to the world but that connection to the world can take away from the relationships that are literally right next to you. For example, this Easter I was sitting on a couch with my brother and sisters. We were all talking when they took out their phones and started playing a game on their phones and stopped contributing to the conversation. So even though we were right next to each other, we might have well been in different states.

I know there are good reasons to have the new phones and I'm sure someday soon I'll join the 21st century and get a smart phone. But for now I'm ok with actually talking to people, getting lost sometimes, and carrying around my cassette tape walkman listening to the Buggles Video Killed the Radio Star.

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