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November, 2001
By MICHAEL DOJC Cell Phones are the Bomb
I nearly spilled my half and half latte on my beloved turquoise I-Mac when I read the title of a Bell Solo press release that had landed on my desk. The headline read: Young Canadians Show Mature Attitude Toward Cell Phone Use. Probably an innocuous statement to most, but you have to understand that the office hipster has overheard many a conversation over the years from otherwise well-adjusted looking young-ins that went something like: ³Ok, Iım right outside the library and oh-my-god, you wonıt believe who just walked by.² Truth be told, older folk are really no better, especially the headset wearing, mouth flapping variety. Digging Deeper Needless to say, it was time to do some investigating, so out came the magnifying glass and my deerstalker vintage Sherlock Holmes hatwhich drew some attention around the office despite it being casual Friday. As it turned out the headline was in reference to a Bell Mobility commissioned SOM Inc. study that measured the perceptions and attitudes toward cellular phone use among 16-24 year olds in Ontario and Quebec. Apparently according to the bullet pointed highlights the study showed that ³more than two thirds of young people in Quebec use their cell phone for practical reasons² and ³more young Ontarians use cell phones to call mom and dad than their boyfriend or girlfriend.² A thought entered my head, either itıs considered practical to find out what is happening on Y&R in Quebec and young people just arenıt dating in Ontario or else I had my Windsor a little too tight. Behind the Numbers Picking up my handsome Meridian phone from its cradle I dialed Bell, pulled rank and got to talking to the incredibly genial Bernita Kiefte, Director of Youth Segment marketing. I asked her man to woman, whatıs the deal with the SOM Inc study. ³The research shows that young people are primarily using their phones for emergency situations and more practical uses so its not about chatting anywhere at anytime, its really about some practical uses as well² she said. Her company line didnıt really answer my question but then she blurted it out. ³I would say on the side that students are probably calling home for more money,² added Kiefte. Laughing at her honest aside, my skepticism about the veracity of the headline was almost sated but there was one more place for me to look. The Search For Truth Scanning down the press release for some real figures I found out that according to the study on average young cell phone users in Ontario log 3 hours a week while young-ins in Quebec spend two hours a week chattering on their mobiles. This was no surprise, everybody knows that teens and twenty-somethings like to gab for the sake of gab. Moving down to the next set of numbers, a smile creased my lips. ³Understandably² 50% of young Canadians in both provinces admit to using their cells to keep up with their buds it read, while 29% in Ontario and 17% in Quebec also use their cell phone to keep in contact with relatives. So the real data isnıt close to as startling as the headline had implied. But until we stop obsessing about what tune to set our ringers on, nobody will really be using their cells responsibly, no matter what age bracket they happen to fall under. I got to tell you, I canıt stop using the swanky blue Audiovox phone with wireless web, text messaging, and email capabilities that Bell sent me to try out. (ed note: So you see the Office Hipster isnıt above company lines himself) |
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