I have a confession to make. Some random article in Business Week the other day got me thinking about this. Over 1.4 billion people, a quarter of the world’s population, own and use an item that I do not.
I do not have a cell phone.
Shocked? Awestruck? Now you can tell your family and friends that you know of someone that actually does not have a “mobile.”
The irony is that I am in no way a technophobe. I’m a total gadget whore; cutting-edge electronics are like crack to me. My credit card bills can attest to that. I read Engadget, Gizmodo, and Slashdot on a regular basis. I work in IT. I even blog.
So why no cell phone? I don’t know. I guess I’ve always liked being a contrarian—a square peg in a round hole, a different drummer, and such. Also, the idea of paying yet another monthly fee to a utility company is kind of a huge turnoff. Finally, I guess I just don’t really have anyone to talk to; few things are more depressing than a phone that never rings, especially when you’re carrying it around all the time.
Granted, I suppose that my not having a cell phone might mean that I miss the occasional booty call, but you know…[exhalation]…
Are you the only American who doesn’t have one?? Personally, I can’t stand people who act like they’re too important to not be in contact all day long. People who chat while they eat or email from their Blackberry on the airplane. I think I actually avoid more calls than I answer ;)
You know, I was curious about this one. Is it really true that every other American has a cell phone?
So if we assume a US population of 295 million, subtract the 20 percent who are under 15, we get 236 million. According to this article, as of March 2005, 134 million adult Americans own cell phones. So that’s about 57%—not the best calculation, but those were the best statistics I could find. Hmmm.
I think the only way that I would consider getting a cell phone would be if I completely replaced my land line. Not sure if I could get used to carrying the thing around, though.
I don’t have a cellphone either.
I guess my friends and anyone else who knows me just aren’t prepared to pay my $1k per hour to be on call between 9AM -5PM Mon to Fri. And $5k an hour after 5PM.
Weekends? Forget it. I’d never make a cent - Unless Bill Gates needed me.
But we could always come to an arrangement.
-GE (The Rich Mind)