Let me take you back to six months ago… As I sat in my New York radio station office, an email pops up on the screen…and it’s from my boss. He’s asking me a question about my follow up on one of the station’s clients (actually, it’s a trick question – in which any response could be disected & possibly be considered the wrong answer.) I quickly reply via email instead of walking 5 steps into his office, and immediately after pressing ‘send’ I instantaneously receive a reply. We exchanged almost 10 emails within 4 minutes until my boss abruptly called me into his office. I shut the door behind me as he began to lecture me on the value of human communication and explains that I should’ve come into his office to discuss the issue instead of emailing back and forth. My response? Hey, I’m a texter, an emailer…I shun human communication via voice and enjoy the clicks of a keyboard rather than the cracks of an unclear voice. (No, I didn’t really say that aloud, although I wanted to, and that’s not entirely true, BUT I do believe that at times, non-verbal communication is far more valuable than verbal communication…and according to the World Health Organization a little less conversation & a little more key-tapping could help save your life!
According to USA Today, A branch of the World Health Organization announced Tuesday that cellphones are “possible carcinogens” — a statement that was met with skepticism from many American cancer experts. The statement came from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which convened 31 international experts in Lyon, France, this past week to sort through data on cellphone safety. In its statement, the IARC noted a possible connection between cellphones and two type of brain tumors — gliomas and acoustic neuromas. The group says there’s not enough evidence to link cellphones to other cancers. Some people have worried about cellphones because they emit radio waves, a form of non-ionizing, low-frequency radiation. Most human studies have shown no link between cellphones and brain tumors, A few studies have found that cellphone users are more likely to develop gliomas or acoustic neuromans, but only after frequent or longterm use.
So does this mean that those like me, who enjoy texting rather than talking could outlive the “Chatty-Cathy’s” of the world? POSSIBLY! Just ask me again June 1st 2081 — don’t call me though….send me a text 😉