There are now young adults who have never known life without telephones. What's in the future?

Telephones or cell phones?

I'm 35 and I don't know life without phones. I can recall a time before computers and cell phones were mainstream, though. 

I don't see cell phones or communication becoming a real problem. They've shaped our lives for sure, but I don't see how they've warped anyone's sense of reality. 

There is no future. In case you haven't heard, there's some orange putz masquerading as POTUS and he plans on getting us all nuked. This post was edited by Zack at February 12, 2018 3:59 PM MST

Ya know... I am pretty pro technology. I recognise there are problems and issues, like that kids now spend all their time online and have less and less outdoor access and real friendships... that has consequences -big ones.. but generally speaking outside of that i am not sure that it will necessarily keep expanding exponentially - as in, lots of also have phones but we don't always answer calls, texts, emails until we are ready. So, perhaps it's more about learning to control our use? Make sure we are in charge of the tech rather than allowing it to be in control of us? 

I did advocate having an eye or brain camera... you just see so many fabulous and inspiring sights when you are driving and can't stop to access a camera of phone camera.. so perhaps your idea of a brain chip would work :P 

You know, the same thing was said back in the 60's about television.

They said that it'd poison kids minds, make it so they can't or won't want to think for themselves anymore (thus they called it the "boob-tube"). 

I  suspect someone said the same thing about cars, way back when, too.

Is this question from the 1930’s? 

Surely, you mean smartphones.
Got news for you, its already a problem, for some people, lots of them stupid people. 

But, on the whole, we shouldn’t deny the rest of us the possibilities because a minority of fools aren’t equipped to handle it intelligently.  This post was edited by Don Barzini at February 12, 2018 3:59 PM MST

Some countries still don't have electricity, let alone the towers for a mobile phone grid, or the money to subscribe.
Rural and remote areas might never have them.

from the Washington Post
"At least 50 percent of the entire populations in 38 of the 49 sub-Saharan countries live without electricity — worse off, 51.4 million of 54.3 million people (94.7 percent) living in Liberia, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Sierra Leone and Malawi do not have electricity.
Around the world, 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity. More than 600 million are in sub-Saharan Africa, and more than 300 million are in India alone."
www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/world-without-power/ This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at February 12, 2018 3:58 PM MST

times has changed, nowadays when i go into the bus for example, most of the people are there on their phones.... even tho im usually not.


cuz i dont have a plan on my phone, lot of people have internet plans on their phones so they can caught the internet anywhere. 

I'm 57 - born in 1960 - and I've never known life without telephones, first land lines and later car phones and cell phones.

Have been such young adults since the early 20th Century.  Phones are a convenience vs. writing or traveling to meet.  Or telepathic communication.  Thank you but I will opt out of any implants.   Goodness we still have a land line.

The telephone was invented in 1876. There are several generations that have not known life without telephones.

not sure

Thanks, everyone, for answering my question. I think all of you are right. Of course. I'm not against cell phones, or any type of telephone, but I do think a lot of us are losing out, by never ever being alone.

I also agree that anything new does frighten people to a certain extent. Where I grew up, there was no television, and not much on the two radion stations. My dad was  pretty cultivated , but once he had read the newspaper, it didn't stop him from just reading one cowboy novel after another. I just read comics. So I don't think things were any better. 

I finished  school in South Africa, where with the segregation, they preferred not to keep the people too informed, so there was no TV there either. When I came to Europe, I found the kids, with their parents televisions,  were much better aware of politics, and what was going on in the world than I was.

However, when I started to work, like most people, it was so easy to press that fatal button on the television, and then my evening would be finished.

Also, not long ago, people waiting around for buses, and so on, would sit with blank looks on there faces. Not even reading a book, or anythiing. Today, at least they're on their telephones, communicating, or probably learning something.

So you see, I'm more than optimistic about the future of telephones. But I do prefer being the computer addict that I am.

This post was edited by winston degaulle at February 12, 2018 1:34 PM MST

I am 67 and have never known life without a telephone.  Who HAS known life without a telephone?    So it was on a wall.  I still spent half my life on it as a teen. This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at February 12, 2018 3:57 PM MST