The Impact of the Telephone on Society
             When Alexander Graham Bell's main goal in developing the telephone was to allow everyone, including the poor to have communication ability through the use of the telephone. The telephone was the first communication to allow us to maintain relationships over long distances. Because of this technology our society and the world changed. It is easy to take technology, inventions, and advances in any field for granted. We accept that we have computers, appliances, and the telephones. We do not consider the impact that these technologies have on our lives. They do have an impact whether good or bad. They affect our lives in ways that we may not even know. One of the most influential, and controversial, inventions has been that of the telephone. When the telephone was introduced it was met with some resistance and a few technical problems. As time passed it became so accepted that almost everyone in the western world had a telephone. The telephone was marketed in that it would increase revenue, employment, and an improve communication (Robertson 230).
             Like most new technology the telephone at first could only be afforded by the rich. To make telephone usage less expensive, coin operated and metered telephones were introduced as well as the party line in which numerous households were connected to the same line.
             The largest impact of the telephone was the effect on rural life. The party line was used everywhere but it had the greatest effect on the isolated farm. The advantage was communication and reduced the loneliness for the farmer's wife (de Sola 49). The party line was the first conference call, the farmers could hold community meetings around a specific day and time .The telephone also provided security and helped in emergency situations despite the isolation (de Sola 49). It worked like a security system keeping would be criminals away from houses who displayed phon...