I have been without a cell phone since October. It has been liberating, to say the least.

According to the Neilsen 2010 Media Industry Fact Sheet, there are more than 223 million mobile phone users in the U.S. That’s nearly 85 percent of the population. It seems like everyone has a cell phone. I had one, before my little brother wasn’t able to give me money for our shared account and I could no longer afford to have a phone. Being a waitress doesn’t allow for much more than the necessities, and I think a cell phone isn’t always needed.
I can’t even say how many people have asked me, “You don’t have a phone?” Like it’s inconceivable in 2011 to be without a cell phone. It is possible – I’m proof that one doesn’t need to constantly text or call others.
Everyone I know has a phone and they expect me to have one too. You would think I’m not even human from the way people react when they find out I don’t have a phone. If I didn’t have a Facebook, I think I’d be kicked out of humanity.
I suppose I inconvenience a lot of people. I have a couple of friends who are impatiently waiting for me to get a phone and often ask when I will get one. I also communicate mostly through e-mail now, instead of texting, and I can’t reply as quickly as necessary. This poses a problem with The Gannon Knight. Being the news editor and not having a phone is a problem. When a story breaks, I won’t know until I check my e-mail. And I can forget about easily contacting sources and writers.
Other than it hindering my job here at The Knight, I love not having a phone. I’m not tempted to constantly text or check my Tumblr in class. I also can avoid giving my number to strange guys in bars because I don’t have a number for them to call. It’s the perfect deterrent against weirdos who hit on me.
I’ve gone through previous stints of being sans cellular device. I think that’s why it’s easy for me to deal without a phone.
All is not lost for me, though. After I get my taxes done next week, I do plan on getting connected with the world again. A friend of mine works at Verizon and with any luck, I can get a sweet deal on a new cellular device.
I’m in no hurry though. I’ve gotten used to not having a phone. People think it’s weird that I don’t have one; I think it’ll be strange when I do get a new phone. I may have to learn how to text all over again.

BRENNA PETERS
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