Telephone handsets have become such necessary personal tools that one would rather forget to carry their wallet than their phone. When one does not have a phone they are totally disconnected from the Network as in he or she can not be easily accessed and simply needs to style up.

In fact the mobile phone has got so many companies in competition trying to produce the latest and most sophisticated handset that attracts more clients especially the from youth and high class society.

It is easy to come across a jobless youth with such an expensive handset that you would wander how they got it in the first place.

The whole dating and relationship thing has become much easier with this gadget. Now there is no more writing love letters that might never reach their destination or never get replied.

I remember back in the day when one would spend sleepless nights trying to compose a letter to the girl of their dreams only to end up frustrated by a long silence or nasty reply that would come after months of anticipation! Mind you the guy would take time to write sweet endearments and even spray it with a sweet smelling perfume!

But the beauty of the phone is that you may communicate as often as you like and the worst response you would get would be a bad retort or a hang up, which is instant and easier to swallow than a sealed up envelope of curses that comes after timeless waiting.

The mobile phone’s usefulness is varied. In the social realm it is quite priceless as everyone is just a phone call away. You will appreciate it more in the process of organizing or coordinating an event.

Everything is done on phone, you do not have to waste time locating every person individually, and one can even use bulk SMS (short text messages transmitted by phone to many recipients).

The phone is quite handy in tracing relatives and friends that are distances away and can even help maintain marriages and long distance relationships.

When we talk of money the phone excels in making business connections and in work related matters. The businessman can negotiate his deals across continents on phone and maintain a good relationship with clients through prompt delivery and follow-up as well as secure payments on time using the phone.

To escape long queues Rwandans are now purchasing cash power on phone using the SMS technology. Of course this is attributed more to the advancing communication technology tools that are being devised by geniuses; the phone is just a medium.

We may talk about the advantages of the mobile phone all day long but one should also mention the unethical impact it is having on our society especially the youth.

Mobile phones have become so popular even in academic institutes including secondary schools. They are stylish and fancy to have but cause quite some distraction in a student’s schedules.

Students especially at secondary level are supposed to be restricted to serious studies and healthy extra-curricula activities like sports and intermingling within the schools.

But now that the adult community is shamelessly hunting for love in schools, the phone is making their search altogether easier.

This is my advice to the minister of youth; if the movement against cross-generation sex is to work, the government should first abolish mobile phones in secondary schools.

This will deny sugar daddies and mummies access to the young school girls and boys then parents will take over the responsibility after school.

The more liberal college and university students are asked to switch off their handsets in class but rarely go by the rule. In my first year, a lady who had obtained a phone for the first time could not get the hang of it. She always set it to its highest volume and when she received a call she would spend minutes fishing for it in her bag, then sprint out of the classroom throwing books and chairs allover just to arrive at the door and the caller hangs up!

There are others who actually answer their calls in class and carry this habit to their work places and other public places, disrupting meetings and church gatherings.

The other disadvantage of the phone is that it is quite costly. First of all there is the heavy price to pay if you want to own a classic phone like the black berry, I Phone or strong fancy models like Nokia that cost a fortune.

It also consumes a lot on a daily basis if you have to load airtime for communication. Thank God, our main telephone company, MTN wiped off its mobile subscription fee and due to competition from RWANDATEL reduced its airtime prices. It is now much easier to maintain a phone especially if it is just for receiving calls and sending messages.

The phone is also reported to emit dangerous electromagnetic rays when it is vibrating that can be detrimental to one’s health. Some people use unfriendly ringing tones and when some are on the phone you would think it has no microphone as they talk on top of their voices.

All in all the mobile phone is a handy gadget that we all cannot do without but we need to learn its proper and ethical use so as to avoid disturbing the rest of the society and getting carried away by it.
 
Contact: dedantos2002@yahoo.com