Major Essay Two: English 100-Honors

Major Essay Two
25 October 2010

Today’s Biggest Distraction

Constant media stimulation has become problematic to the way people live their lives. Children, young adults, and even a growing number of older adults are becoming connected through mobile technology. It seems that anymore it is hard to find somewhere quiet because a cell phone is ringing or someone is talking on a cell phone (usually louder than necessary). Whether someone is studying in the library or walking around the local mall, it is almost inevitable that you will experience someone using a cell phone and/or listening to some type of portable music device. Also, the use of cell phones while operating a vehicle is becoming increasingly problematic due to safety concerns. Such examples serve as distractions for both the user and those around them in most environments. Constant media stimulation through mobile technology is very problematic for society today for many reasons including its immense presence in our lives and the effects it is proving to be having.

Portable media has become very widespread in the past decade. According to CTIA The Wireless Association, June 1995 reported 28.1 million wireless subscriber connections, roughly 11% of the total United States Population. In June 2010, 15 years later, there were a reported total of 292.8 million wireless subscriber connections, roughly 93% of the United States population (“Wireless Quick Facts: Mid-Year Figures”). As of February 2005, “as many as 22 million American adults, or about 11 percent of the U.S. population, own iPods or other MP3 players, a new study has found” (“Who’s Buying iPods?”). It is undeniable that portable media is invading many American’s lives and reaching out to all generations. By simply walking around and observing an urban public space you are sure to witness this burst in portable media technology.

Ipods and other portable media have become very important pieces of many people’s lives. As Tony Smith says in “GenYNot: Take the iThoreau Challenge,” “Take a look around campus while you’re trekking the hill. Can you walk for two minutes without seeing a fellow student listening to an iPod or chatting/”txtin” on a cell phone? Can you sit in peace for more than 10 minutes without hearing “one of today’s Billboard’s hottest-hits” as a tinny broken-record-like ringtone?” (Smith, Tony). Mr. Smith was completely accurate when asking if you can “sit in peace for more than ten minutes” because, as a student myself, I experience this same dilemma. It is common not only on campus but in the library, study rooms, and even classrooms.
Recently I was preparing for my Developmental Psychology class in a study area of Tate Page Hall at Western Kentucky University. I read several lines of the chapter of my textbook and was abruptly interrupted by a ringing cell phone. Instead of leaving the study area, the student proceeded to speak nonchalantly to her caller. Frustrated and angry, I left the building to read outside. About 20 minutes later I returned to the building and sat in the same seat as before and began to read. Several minutes passed and a student sitting several chairs away turned on his MP3 player, presumably an iPod, and had the volume to the point that I could hear it clearly. At this point I felt trapped in a world of inconsiderate people. What struck me the most was that the interruptions were not by the people themselves but of manmade portable devices. I’m not the only one experiencing these distractions. In May 2009, Press Secretary Robert Gates was holding a press conference when a reporter’s cell phone began ringing. The interruption caused an uproar of laughter and ultimately disrupted the press conference being held (Vicevich, Jim). Both my experience and the press conference interruption portray the reality of portable media distractions. Like the definition of equal-opportunity affliction for drugs, portable media distractions can affect anyone regardless of education, income, occupation, or age.

A more controversial topic among teenagers and even some adults is Kentucky’s new law regarding cell phone usage while driving. On April 15, 2010, Governor Beshear signed House Bill 415 stating,

No person shall, while operating a motor vehicle that is in motion on the traveled portion of a roadway, write, send, or read text-based communication using a personal communication device to manually communicate with any person using text-based communication, including but not limited to communications referred to as a text message, instant message, or electronic mail. (“Kentucky 2010 Update: Governor Signs Cell Phone/Text Messaging Bill into Law”)

This new law is a response to increasing accidents and deaths due to cell phone/portable media usage while operating a vehicle. Kentucky is one of many states enacting similar legislation. This new law will have a definite impact but most importantly sends a message to drivers that distracted driving is dangerous driving. From personal experience, I have had near wrecks because of other driver’s texting and calling on their cell phones. My experience isn’t limited to teenagers. I specifically recall a man in a business suit talking on his cell phone and merging into my lane nearly causing an accident. There have also been many times around the campus of Western Kentucky University where a teenager or young adult is texting while pulling out of a parking lot, nearly hitting me as I walk on the sidewalk.

Cell phones and portable media are great inventions and are examples of 21st century technology. Despite many problems associated with their usage, portable media has many benefits. In my own life, cell phones have given me a sense of security and connection to home. My father always knew my location and was able to call me when something urgent came up. Attending an inner-city high school had its dangerous moments and having a cell phone gave me security in some of the not-so-safe areas of school and my community. My iPod has given me easier accessibility to the music I enjoy and has helped me connect and share music with my friends. Portable media in general has greatly benefited my life and many of its benefits outweigh its negative aspects.

How does portable media affect your life? Do you get distracted by someone’s cell phone ringing? Or are you the owner of the ringing cell phone? It is important to assess the effects portable media has in your daily life because you may be the one whose phone rings in the library or the one who answers that text message and swerves a little too far in the other lane. Portable media can be very distracting and disruptive at times and can cause trouble and headache for many. So finally, when it comes to portable media, are you the distracter or the distracted?

Rhetorical Commentary

Purpose:
The purpose of my essay is to provide personal accounts as well as accounts from other sources regarding cell phone and other portable media distractions and disruptions that are present in society today. I chose this topic because a few days before I began to write this essay I was sitting in Tate Page Hall studying psychology (the example in the essay). When I was given the assignment to write about problems associated with near constant media stimulation, I found my recent experience to be a great topic. The topic is relevant to my life and enables me to use personal feelings and examples to portray in my essay.


Audience:
The essay is aimed towards an audience of anyone who is interested in how portable media distracts and disrupts aspects of daily life. I chose sources that are currently available to the public online and have a positive reputation as being reliable. These sources relate to my audience because most are readily available and have the potential for further research by the reader. I hope to inform my audience about my experience with cell phone and portable media distractions.

Effects:
This essay is meant to inform my audience about the prevalence of cell phone distractions and disruptions in daily life. Through the use of my personal examples and sources I have attempted to create awareness of this topic to my readers. I want each reader to look at their own life and see how disruptive cell phones and other portable media can be to their daily life. I also included a paragraph in my essay describing the benefits of this technology because I didn’t want to appear to be condemning portable technology but merely criticizing it for some of its flaws.
Strengths:

This essay has many strengths that add to its overall tone. The first strength is that my use of personal examples gives the essay a personal touch and may help it better relate to the audience. My use of sources is also beneficial because they provide statistical data and other information that builds upon my own examples.
Weaknesses:

I still feel that my essay lacks a conclusion with a ‘punch.’ I believe it sums up my essay well but doesn’t contain a concrete conclusion. I would like to expand more upon the use of cell phones when driving and that topic could have easily been an essay of its own. Because this is such a broad topic, I think further analysis would be beneficial for informing my audience.
Strategies:

As I began research for this topic I realized just how distracting cell phones and other portable media really are. I assume I have become desensitized to their effects and at times simply do not notice them. After doing research and reading several articles I began to understand how common these distractions are in my life and how bothersome and annoying they really are. Watching Jim Vicevich’s YouTube video of Robert Gates’ press conference made me realize that I’m not the only person who becomes aggravated with cell phone interruptions. Someone as important as The White House Press Secretary was disrupted by something that occurs often in my life.

Revisions:
My essay has had many revisions and I have had to omit several paragraphs and thoughts since its beginning. My first rough draft was only about 900 words and had many examples from other sources. It contained a strong introduction but a weak conclusion. The writing workshop in class was very beneficial to my essay because my classmates gave me constructive criticism to help make my essay better. One comment said, “Overall I think you are on the right track, there could be some more evidence, and it doesn’t have to just be facts and statistics, maybe just some more personal accounts about how it has affected you. Also I think you should write a strong conclusion that better sums up the point of your paper.” This comment helped me develop my purpose and goals because my first rough draft didn’t contain any personal accounts. It was more of a research paper than an academic argument. These revisions improved my ability to assess my own style and rhetoric even more because the commentary in the writing workshop gave me pointers to make my essay better.


Works Cited

“Kentucky 2010 Update: Governor Signs Cell Phone / Text Messaging Bill into Law.” DrivingLaws.org. Kentucky Cell Phone Laws. Web. 24 Oct. 2010.

Smith, Tony. “GenYNot: Take the iThoreau Challenge.” WKUHerald.com. The Herald, 15 Nov. 2007. Web 21 Oct. 2010.

Vicevich, Jim. "Robert Gibbs Cell Phone Fiasco." 13 May 2009. Online video clip. YouTube. Accessed on 24 Oct. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGI6hM513i0

“Who’s Buying iPods?” CNET News.com. CNET News, 15 Feb. 2005. Web. 21 Oct. 2010.
“Wireless Quick Facts: Mid-Year Figures.” CTIA The Wireless Association. CTIA Media. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.