Commentary......

Can anyone tell me who does not own a cell phone in this modern society? Without doubt, the answer is obviously a "no". Every generation of young people has seen the rise of the new technology and the social changes that it stirs. In our generation now, it is also the same. The advent of the Age of Technology has sent millions of youngster into a highly interconnected realm of life with some music to fill their boredom and loneliness. Nowadays, cell phone and iPod have become the most ubiquitous tools in our society. Instant messaging and listening to music on iPod are phenomena that are developing in a revolutionary speed. Life without these devices is said to be monotonous. Though, I agree with the articles that being too obsessed with these modern gadgets will inevitably lead us to danger, be it on the road or even on our health. We should stop the excessive and abusive use of these devices and practice responsibility.

Even though cell phone and iPod have so many advantages that grasp our attention so much, they will actually pose dire consequences to us if we do not use them scrupulously. When we are too engrossed in texting or listening to music, we will tend to neglect our surroundings. The experiment by The Straight Times' reporters has proven this argument. The reporters did experiment on 60 people who are listening to the music or texting away all the time. From the experiment on 30 people listening to the music, 12 failed to hear bicycle bell behind them, while 21 of them had their audio player volume at more than 50%. On the other hand, from the 30 people who were sending messages, five bumped into the reporters, six dodged them only at the last minutes. In other words, listening to music or texting is very dangerous if we are unaware of our surroundings.

Being asked by the reporters about this issue, one of the experimented teenagers told them, "It is the driver responsibility to look out for us." This type of mentality is totally wrong. This is because even when the driver is trying to look out for them, they might not be able to avert them or stop on time. On top of that, some ignorant teenagers have their ears isolated with ear-phones that can cancel 100% of ambient sound from their ears. Therefore, when the driver is trying to warn them by honking at them, they will not be able to hear it. In addition, the driver might have the same thinking as the "plugged-in" teenagers and listen to music or texting while driving. In fact, the number of summonses has increased from 2505 in 2007 to 2583 last year. Consequently, accident will occur. This mentality arises because people are too addicted to their cell phones or iPods. Therefore, they are to be blamed.

"Mom, listening to music sets my mood, it helps me concentrate". Does this sound familiar? Skeptics might argue that listening to music while doing something else improves a person concentration. This is utterly wrong. It is true that some people can chop onions while watching a movie or can walk down the street while absorbing in a deep conversation. Nonetheless it does not justify that our alertness to the surroundings will increase. Pundits have said that "highly practised skills", like walking or chopping an onion, can be easily done while thinking about other things. However, it is virtually impossible for anyone to stay alert when looking out for cars or bicycles, while texting or listening to music. If a person were to claim that he can, he is being a liar.

Are you dare to discard the use of your cell phones or listening to your music players for a whole day? I am not implying that listening to music or texting are bad for us. Though, we should hold responsibility for all our actions. We should not be expecting everyone to be looking out for us. We should know when is suitable to use our cell phones or music players and when is not. To put it in a nutshell, these high-tech gadgets do serve as a useful tools for us but if use wrongly, they will bring us troubles.