Culture Lag, Essay Example

There are plenty of examples that can be used to illustrate the concept of culture lag. One that comes to the forefront of my mind is that of cell phone etiquette, so to speak. This ongoing example is one that pervades many different social situations, and remains an example to which there is no current “solution” or consensus.

The action that leads to the classification of culture lag is that of cell phone usage. Currently, it is not uncommon for individuals to check their cell phone/smartphone/mobile device everywhere. Some might check their email on a date. Sitting at a play or music performance, one might take a quick look at Facebook. Some people will even do this sort of thing at church.

It is this general thrust that seems to indicate a bit of culture lag. In other areas, there are clear-cut standards for cell phones. For instance, silencing one’s cell phone during a movie, interview, or normal social situations is expected. However, with respect to the previous examples, users are checking Internet activities and so forth at any given time. While it is certainly not courteous, there is no existing standard of sorts.

Overall, there are certainly many independent examples that could be made of culture lag from cell phones alone. The reality may just be that as innovations occur, in the fast-paced technological word, there will be plenty of cultural lag that will appear. Certainly there is an overarching theme occurring with cell phone use, as described in this quick look. While an easy solution may not be in order, in terms of a legal or ethics-based response, individuals will have to approach it on their own right now.