| In an increasingly globalized economy, our domestic | | | | after relocation, and you don’t have their new |
| trends have transformed dramatically, quickly | | | | address? Worse yet, what if the new number is |
| dismantling the boundaries only recently perceived as | | | | unlisted?! It would be an undeniable loss if we |
| permanent. Even in the past ten years, our culture has | | | | couldn’t ever find each other again, and it used to |
| become more transient than ever. Gone are the days | | | | be the norm not that long ago. Relax, it wouldn’t be |
| when neighbors knew each other their whole lives, | | | | logical if technology didn’t keep up with the trends, |
| watching children grow up and follow in the | | | | now would it? With a magical tool like Cell Phone |
| parents’ footsteps. In the United States, according | | | | Lookup from Searchdetective.net, we can now easily |
| to Census 2000, over 22 million people changed their | | | | reestablish contact with anyone we’ve ever |
| state of residence between 1995 and 2000. Of these | | | | known, regardless of whether we know where they |
| domestic migrants, approximately half relocated to a | | | | are now, or not. Just as long as we know their name, |
| state in a different region. My own family and I have | | | | searching nationwide is a snap! You’d be surprised |
| definitely become typical examples of this migrant | | | | how fast and easy it is to look up contact information |
| culture. In the past twenty years, at least one of us, | | | | for anyone you please. Within seconds, you’ll know |
| and at times all of us, relocated approximately 6-7 | | | | what city and state they live in now, their address, cell |
| times: from the East Coast, to the Midwest, to the | | | | phone and/or land line number, and get the idea of |
| West Coast, and beyond. | | | | how their lives have changed since you’ve last |
| One undesirable side effect of this trend is the way | | | | kept in touch. |
| close human connections often can’t withstand the | | | | Without a doubt, cell phones keep us connected: |
| test of long distance. It’s only natural that having | | | | catching up to anyone, at any time, at the office, at |
| moved far away, people tend to lose sight of each | | | | home, or on the run, is something we depend on now, |
| other: it’s hard to maintain friendships and love | | | | a nation all about instant gratification. When I have to |
| relationships half way across the country, with | | | | talk to my mom in LA, or sister in Panama, or son in |
| everyone so busy and on the go at all times. No | | | | San Diego, or daughter in Chicago, or friends in New |
| wonder cell phones have become such an inherent | | | | Orleans, Oklahoma, San Francisco…you get the |
| part of our existence. It’s hard to say what came | | | | picture, I just dial their cell phone, and with the "free |
| first, the chicken or the egg: have cell phones become | | | | favorites" plans made increasingly available by many |
| so popular because of our increasing transiency, or are | | | | networks, it costs us nothing to stay in touch, |
| we moving around more because it’s easier to | | | | regardless of where we may be at the moment. And |
| communicate long distance? We may never have the | | | | every once in a while, I get nostalgic wondering where |
| answer. One thing is obvious, though: in the last ten | | | | my very first kindergarten friend or high school |
| years, cell phone usage in the US has increased from | | | | sweetheart are, whether they are married, have |
| 34 million to 203 million. There is an estimated two billion | | | | children, what they’re doing for a living. With only a |
| cell phones world-wide, which means about 4.5 billion | | | | vague inkling that they may be living in the US, I tried |
| people still go without, only making do with landlines. In | | | | Cell Phone Lookup from Imagine my delight at having |
| the US, according to one government study, one out | | | | found two dear long-lost people within the past week! |
| of every six homes only has wireless service now, | | | | Imagine their surprise and our mutual joy at being able |
| due in part to affordable service plans that include free | | | | to reconnect! Try it, I highly recommend it: there is no |
| long distance. | | | | reason we can’t all become search detectives, and |
| Yet, what if you lost touch with that close favorite – | | | | keep the love coming. So, what are you waiting for?! |
| coworker, classmate, neighbor, sweetheart, – what | | | | Go ahead, dial! |
| if members of your network changed their number | | | | |