Area Codes, Now Divorced From Their Areas

With mobile telecommunications, calls now connect people, not places. Mobile phones have torn area codes from geography, allowing people to have phone numbers with area codes distant from where they live. The trend has triggered a debate among technological pundits, telephone historians and Web preachers who specialize in the topic.

"For many people this will come as a deeply confusing development," said James E. Katz, a sociologist and director of mobile communication studies. "You delocalize area codes, and it's one less North Star and one less compass point that people have to help orient themselves in an increasingly complicated world."

Paul Levinson, chairman of the communication and media studies program at Fordham University, sees the transportability of area codes as a form of progress. "Humans are distinct from other animals for three reasons: they have developed language, they are the only bipedal mammal and they have the most sophisticated use of tools," he said. "Mobility of phone numbers and cellular technology allows us to do all three: walk, talk and use a tool."

When area codes were invented in 1947, all of them covered single contiguous regions. The cultural consequences of number mobility are difficult to predict.

Callers used to know where they were calling but not necessarily who would pick up. With cellphones, the reverse is now true. "Phone conversations also don't start with 'hello, may I please speak to so-and-so,' anymore," said Peter Rojas, editor of Engadget. "They start with 'Hey' or 'What's up' because callers know who they called even if they don't know where exactly that person might be."

From The New York Times.

Regine | 11:04 AM | |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2004/10/005548.htm

Tweet