kelseyg

This will probably happen. Several of the clubs I'm in primarily send out information through facebook. It's usually how I find out about events for clubs I'm not strictly a member of (and so not on the mailing list), but am still interested in.

quitejaded

Yes. If you are not in a club, but want to go to their events, Facebook is really important to have. Otherwise you will have to just make sure you ask people in the club or pay attention to word of mouth.

brillar

Having a facebook isn't like selling your soul. Just get a barebones one and only use it for a couple things- events, messaging, walls. You don't need to get applications and run your entire social life with it.

I just like it because I went to gov school and I use it to keep in touch with people that I'll never see in real life- short notes and stuff that aren't enough to warrant a phone call. And everyone is in the same place and it's easy to navigate and seems to take less time than an email even though that's probably not true- everything just seems organized with it.

hewey

Exactly. I have one to stay in touch with friends from college back in London as well as friends in Aust. that live in other states. You don't need to add every application or test-thingo that gets sent to you by who knows, it's completely up to you. I have my name, photo and my wall. That's it. You don't even need to have these ridiculous friends lists of 300+ comprised of people you've met once and never intend to speak to. I've rejected plenty of people I've known since I was ten and who I just don't want reading my messages to other people and photos of events etc.

Johnson181

I really don't understand not having a cell phone.

For me, it's a complete necessity (and I'm not whining about not being able to get in touch with friends).

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.

burgler09

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.

csprof2000

As far as cell phones go, they're really a luxury and not a necessity.

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.

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?

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.

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.

csprof2000

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.

srunni

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.

k314sig09

None of these things are necessities, just nice to have.

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.

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.

csprof2000

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.

OKgirl

^ 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

Student615

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...!

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

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 *gasp* home internet! It wasn't that long ago and it wasn't that bad! Goodness gracious.

kelseyg

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.

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.

Johnson181

csprof- I'm standing by what I said. It's definitely a necessity in my situation.

$10 a month really isn't expensive at all.