The Cell Phone a Cultural Artifact

Pauline Thompson
Unit 5 Individual project
Topics in Cultural Studies
April 24, 2013

In anthropology a cultural artifact is an object created by man which gives cultural clues about the group who uses it. The artifact may change over time as well as how it is seen and used. The cell phone, wireless or mobile phone, as a cultural artifact has come to enhance and replace some traditional forms of communication in popular culture.
The Telephone
The telephone, once was used to transmit voice and data, is still best for distance applications and reliability and strength of sound. The telephone communication links may be established by wire connections, radio waves, or broadband Internet. Enhanced features such as voicemail, caller ID, teleconferencing, direct distance dialing, and last call return, can now also be found on the cell phone.
In addition to replacing the older landline telephone today, a cell phone can serve in a single unit as a multi-purpose computer, a game consoles, a camera, a video player, a portable music system, a GPS device, an email system, a text messenger, a link to the Internet, and more. It can communicate business, educational and entertainment data to and from any location.
Sending and Receiving Messages
A person must subscribe to a service to connect their telephone or cell phone to the telephone network, a central switching facility that interconnects the subscribers’ wired connection in one of three principal ways: 1. The oldest method is to use a dedicated physical wire connection run to overhead or underground cables. 2. Another method is radio, as in a cordless, cellular, satellite, or radio telephone. 3. The latest method is to use voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) telephones, which use broadband Internet connections.
In addition, end users may be connected across a network with fiber optic cable, a landline cable, a point-to-point microwave or satellite relay.
A cordless phone, while sending a signal, differs from a cell phone as its signal is tied to a landline and can only be used within a certain distance from the personal or