<p>Johnson, I never thought about that.. the countless times I got lost due to hiding in the clothing racks in the store or mall (or my siblings).. all of that could have been avoided if I had a cell phone. Its funny how much things are different now from just when we were kids.</p>
<p>As far as cell phones go, they're really a luxury and not a necessity.</p>
<p>For telling time, you can more than do with a wristwatch. On college campuses, computers, wall clocks, televisions, other people, etc. are available to give you the time.</p>
<p>Truly social people rarely need phones, as they can arrange to be with people more often. The only time you need a phone at all is if you're calling someone who you can't go see, and really, who is that on a college campus? Mom and dad?</p>
<p>Few employers require cell phones, and those that do will probably provide company phones and plans. Seriously, who wants their boss calling them on their personal phone anyway? If the dean of the college I'm in got my home number, I think I'd have my number changed. Sheesh.</p>
<p>People got by fine without cell phones years ago, and you can do the same nowadays. For some people, cell phones are very positive... for work, safety, and socializing with friends. But for others, they're expensive ways to become easily distracted and lose touch with reality. The point is that they're really not needed, in the true sense of the word. To argue that a cell phone is a necessity is clearly false.</p>
<p>You youngsters make me feel like an old man... cell phones a necessity, pfft. Cell phones are more hassle than they're worth, if you ask me.</p>
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People got by fine without cell phones years ago, and you can do the same nowadays.
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<p>I think the point is that everyone is now dependent on cell phones and expects you to have a cell phone, so it would be difficult to get along without one. Remember, it's not just about whether you can get along without it - it also has to do with the people whom you want to stay/get in contact with.</p>
<p>None of these things are necessities, just nice to have.</p>
<p>I use facebook for keeping in touch with college dropout, highschool, middle school and even elementary school friends. It's much easier to keep in touch nowadays, which is nice.</p>
<p>As for cellphones, I have one mainly for emergencies and to store numbers. I may make 1-2 calls a week at most. All my phone can do is store numbers, call people, receive calls and it has an answering machine. I can also receive texts, but I can't send them and can't tell who sent me a text, so its kinda useless.
The best part though, is the fact that I can drop it out a 5-story building and it will be perfectly fine.</p>
<p>Well, it sounds like you are at least in control of it, which is good. Some of my students seem to just be glued to the damned things.</p>
<p>^ I hope this doesn't come out rude, but I think you're a lot older than us. Our generation (mainly ages 16-30) depends on cell phones. My mother's generation (ages 35+) doesn't depend on them too much</p>
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I think the point is that everyone is now dependent on cell phones and expects you to have a cell phone, so it would be difficult to get along without one. Remember, it's not just about whether you can get along without it - it also has to do with the people whom you want to stay/get in contact with.
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<p>I spend a fair bit of time living in areas that don't get cell phone reception + countries where I don't use a cell (though I still maintain a normal routine). If your phone is tied to your hip, it's easy to feel that you're totally dependent on it. And is it a convenience? Of course. But if you suddenly found yourself without it, you'd be just fine. And I say that as a member of OKgirl's generation. I only graduated from college last year, which makes me a peer to most of the people in this thread, and cell phones didn't become really common until mid-way through my HS years. Ah, the days when I actually knew people's phone numbers...!</p>
<p>As for facebook, same goes: of course you don't need one, but it probably would be helpful. Like srunni says, even if you don't want to use it for social networking, realize that other people might, and some of them will expect to be able to connect with you there. Like other posters, I knew clubs and organizations that sent out important info via facebook b/c it was assumed that it would reach everyone that way. Sometimes, someone would catch the fact that a group member was missing from the list and the club would switch to email, but other times it would go unnoticed or they'd request that the person opened a bare-bones account. Just be aware that it may not be 100% fluff that you lose out on. Then again, facebook didn't come around until early in my sophomore year of college, and even then, we were among the first colleges on it. So my opinion may be obsolete :p</p>
<p>Before we go talking about "our generation" and "older people", let's remember that there are people on this very board who can pretty easily remember what life was like before facebook, iPods, widespread cell phone use, and even <em>gasp</em> home internet! It wasn't that long ago and it wasn't that bad! Goodness gracious.</p>
<p>It's true that you don't need cellphones. You don't need a car. You don't need a bed. You don't need your own computer. You don't need more than one set of clothing. You don't need to go to college. There is very little that you need in life.</p>
<p>You can argue, though, that some of the things you don't need are useful tools in today's society. Other generations survived perfectly well without them, and ours could, too. That's not an argument for why they shouldn't be used. Someone can make that choice, of course, but let's be clear about how many things you don't really need that you probably choose to use anyway.</p>
<p>csprof- I'm standing by what I said. It's definitely a necessity in my situation.</p>
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they're expensive ways to become easily distracted and lose touch with reality
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<p>$10 a month really isn't expensive at all.</p>
<p>Cell phones aren't needed by someone with a small amount of friends who doesn't have a social life. But how do you expect to meet a girl somewhere and then write down her number on a piece of paper? Cell phones are so convient they are almost a necessity in today's lifestyle. Sure you can get by without it, but for as cheap as they are it's almost stupid to not get one. I think the people saying you don't need a cell phone are just saying it to make some sort of argument.</p>
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I mean what if you work and your boss has to contact you? They can't expect you to be home and call your house or dorm number.
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<p>Then they leave a message and you call them back when you get it.</p>
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My Dad has lived across the country since I was 10 - I fly to visit him regularly. If I didn't have a cell phone there would have been countless times when I would never have found him.
I think we can call it a 'need' when a 12 year old is wandering around looking for her father in an unknown cities airport all alone.
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<p>Flying as an unaccompanied minor should mean there is someone on the airline staff who will take care of you the whole time. Also, your dad says where he will be when you land, and you go find him. If you don't know how to get there, you ask security or airline personnel... it's not that complicated.</p>
<p>Are cell phones useful? Yes. Are they necessary? No. Same with the other things. I don't answer my cell phone unless the number is in my phonebook. Furthermore, if I don't want to talk to whoever calls that is in my phone book, I don't answer. The cell phone is for MY use. It is not for everyone else to contact me 24/7 when I would rather be doing something else.</p>
<p>Also, regarding facebook, a lot of people, at my school at least, use it to create events / parties and such and let people know about them.</p>
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Flying as an unaccompanied minor should mean there is someone on the airline staff who will take care of you the whole time.
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<p>Yes, but the airline I flew with cuts you off at 12. Apparently 12 year olds are old enough to take care of themselves all alone like this... And those staff members beforehand aren't the greatest.</p>
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Also, your dad says where he will be when you land, and you go find him.
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And if he's running late? Finding the place where he said is fine, but if he's not there I would have had a problem without a cell phone.</p>
<p>I like Facebook for the reasons others have said. As for adding friends, I only add those that I know well or those that I've at least carried a decent conversation with. It's no different than MySpace, but it has took a turn in the wrong direction with its dumb applications and open door policy for users. I may actually just leave all my groups and disregard the one application added on -- I too am guilty of the addiction and may go back to the 'classic' look. Despite the all the extra baggage added to Facebook, it's still an amazing networking tool.</p>
<p>Any of u had weird ppl from your school adding you? I rejected this guy from my school that I didn't even know. I checked out who it was but I don't recognize him. The creepy thing is he worship his mother's grave (yes I mean worship!..he has photo album*s* dedicated to it, plus his weird captions). And opening that page in the middle of the night with the lights off added more creepy-ness to it >.<. Just scared the heck out of me. <em>shivers</em></p>
<p>I've found that cell phones add more flexibility to my life in terms of planning things. People's plans change, and with a phone you can accommodate these changes quickly and easily. Before I had a cell phone, I've had several occasions where people couldn't contact me to tell me that they couldn't make it, etc. My parents are pretty old, and they rather appreciate the convenience of cell phones, so it isn't necessarily a generation thing. </p>
<p>You can get by perfectly fine without a facebook. You'll probably find yourself less distracted than others. On the other hand, I get the impression that you're resisting facebook just for the sake of being stubborn. It can be useful too, as long as you don't get obsessed over it or spend too much time on it. For one thing, it was almost indispensable to me during orientation, when I used it as a tool for remembering names and meeting new people. It's also good for keeping in touch with high school friends, since a lot of them have it and use it frequently. So I wouldn't necessarily call getting a facebook conforming to a trend. It really depends on how you use it.</p>
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Any of u had weird ppl from your school adding you? I rejected this guy from my school that I didn't even know. I checked out who it was but I don't recognize him. The creepy thing is he worship his mother's grave (yes I mean worship!..he has photo albums dedicated to it, plus his weird captions). And opening that page in the middle of the night with the lights off added more creepy-ness to it >.<. Just scared the heck out of me. <em>shivers</em>
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<p>You think its creepy he has photo albums of his mother's grave? Give me a break.. the kid lost his mom and that's all you can say?</p>
<p>Yes, I've had people who I don't talk to from my school add me.. but its not like I reject them.. I never understood why everyone on here gets so worked up about their friends on facebook, the only people I reject are the ones I really hated.</p>
<p>I've had maybe 50+ COMPLETE STRANGERS add me. I reject most of them.</p>
<p>Some of these people live in Kentucky, etc...places I have never been. Why do they cruise my college network?</p>
<p>One time I had a guy who joined a white supremacist group on facebook add me. The funny part is I'm half-minority and don't even look white.</p>
<p>I had people that I know, but never talk to, add me. I have no problems.</p>
<p>as far as a cell phone.. VERY useful. im not saying everyone has to use theirs all the time if they have one but i think everyone should have one for emergencies. for example, my 85 year old grandparents have a cellphone. really the only thing thye know how to do with it is make a call and charge it. my grandpa still drives, if something were to happen when they were out or on the road wouldnt they want to call for help IMMEDIATELY and not have to wait for someone else to come along. it could be the difference between life and death in some cases</p>
<p>and facebook, i personally wouldnt like to live without it. it helps me remember names and is indispensible when it comes to keeping in touch with friends from HS. i really think that it has helped me stay just as close with my HS friends over the course of a year of being apart. really good for getting notification of events/parties on campus out to everyone. but this one you could definetly live without in college when compared to a cell phone. i dont know ANYONE who has a landline. and personally, im barely ever in my room. it would be so hard to coordinate when to meet up with friends or for group projects. and cabs.. definetly necessary for calling 3am cabs on the weekends</p>