Museum of Tomorrow to have exhibition on cell phones

This exhibition, conceived by Araucária Agência Digital and Hacktudo Festival, takes visitors on a journey through the history of this revolutionary device, which was created on April 3, 1973, by the American engineer Martin Cooper.

The exhibition features an engaging and interactive format, with an exhibition circuit comprising audiovisual resources, alphanumeric totems, panels, and games that present fascinating data and curiosities about the evolution of the cell phone, Agência Brasil reports.

The Hi-Tech Cellular 50 exhibition is not just about the history of the cell phone. According to its curator, Miguel Colker, the exhibition also raises thought-provoking questions about the cell phone's potential impact on health, education, culture, and democracy. The exhibition features discussions on the future of the device.

The exhibition highlights how this small device has evolved to incorporate an array of technologies, such as the camera, camcorder, typewriter, compass, map, and calculator.

Generations

The curator notes that first-generation cell phones were heavy and bulky, typically available in black or white. While they offered newfound communication freedom, these devices lacked roaming services, preventing users from making calls or accessing mobile data outside their contracted operator's coverage area.

Roaming became available in the second generation of cell phones, which is called popularization and individualization. This generation was marked by the emergence of commercial operators, breaking the state monopoly, and making cell phones accessible to the middle class. The device became widely popular due to its effectiveness in meeting human needs. Unlike the first generation, which symbolized elite status and was inaccessible to many, the second generation saw widespread adoption and acceptance.

During the second generation, cell phones underwent significant technological development, transitioning from analog to digital. This change gave rise to the emergence of SMS, transforming the device from a simple means of calling into a tool for sending text messages, using abbreviations and emoticons. The second generation also introduced entertainment features, such as games, making the cell phone a device for both communication and leisure.

The third generation of cell phones marked the introduction of the smartphone, which according to Colker, was a revolutionary development. This generation saw the creation of the mobile internet, combining the internet, telephony, and computing.

Colker believes that the transition from the fourth to the fifth generation of cell phones is similar to the shift from the second to the third generation. While the fourth generation saw significant technological intensification, Colker predicts that the fifth generation will spark a new revolution. However, he estimates that the full effects of the 5G revolution won't be felt until the sixth generation, which is expected to emerge in the next 10 to 15 years.

Need

Colker stated that the cell phone is currently the most inclusive digital device in the world and will become increasingly necessary in the near future. The democratization of the cell phone, which has reached the C and D economic classes, occurred during the transition from the third to the fourth generation. Despite continued growth, universalization is unlikely in the short term due to global inequality. Colker estimates that the cell phone will eventually reach 90 percent of the population, becoming a crucial tool for societal issues such as health, education, culture, diversity, and sustainability.

Future

Luca Belli, the coordinator of the Center for Technology and Society (CTS) at Getulio Vargas Foundation, views the cell phone as a technological evolution that supports other technologies.

Luca Belli identified two possible directions for the future of the cell phone. The first involves the integration of more artificial intelligence capabilities and services such as holographic communications, as well as the migration of computing capacity to large cloud servers and the improvement of communication networks. The second direction involves the incorporation of smartphone functionalities into smaller and more practical devices such as smartwatches and glasses, potentially with a hybrid function where the cell phone continues to support these devices, which are connected not only to the internet but also to each other.