Cell Phone Alerts - Simple Solution

Cell Phone Alerts - Simple Solution

In days gone by, we appointed individuals to be the voice of community. Town Criers, or similar type individuals, would be the ones empowered to make public announcements. They would roam the streets with a handbell and yell “oyez oyez oyez” to attract the attention of the weary public.

It is generally believed that one of the reasons so few people died in the great fire of London of 1666 is that the city’s Criers did a great job of waking the people and letting everyone know there was a problem.  Whether it was finding lost children, ‘crying down the fair’ or reminding shopkeepers not to let their pigs roam in the high street, the old Town Crier was of use to the community.

Today technology has made it simple to disseminate important public announcements. In fact, technology has become so invasive that we can no longer escape its grip. The issues that are central to the “cell phone alerts” are i) individual privacy and ii) do we have a social and moral responsibility to our fellow members of society.

I for one have no issue with cell phone alerts, but as much of society marches forward into the abyss of darkness, their concern for a fellow human being may be of no consequence.

In my view, the solution is quite simple. Those who choose not to be societal guardians should be provided an “opt out” selection. Cell phone and television manufacturers can easily make these programming options available to their customers. In other words, one should be able to “disable” cell phone alerts if one chooses to do so.

Thank you,
Joseph Pede