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Virtually any observation of people in public would reveal two very distinctive styles of cell phone use. There is one category of user who seems to make every possible effort to conduct cell phone conversations discretely and without unnecessarily broadcasting the content of their conversations to strangers.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a much greater preponderance of the second category of user: those who seem to do the exact opposite, speaking in inappropriately loud voices and (typically) especially in connection with any topic or theme that might be considered impressive to others or inspire envy in them. However, there is one particular aspect of cell phone use, overuse, and addiction that actually presents a verifiable public danger whose importance goes far beyond social politeness or consideration: namely, cell phone use while driving.
Cell Phones and Driving
Cell phone use has been empirically demonstrated to increase the chances of vehicular accidents as much as drunk driving (Hennessy & Wiesenthal, 2005). Initially, this gave rise to legislation (first in New York State and since then in many other states) requiring hands-free devices for drivers using cell phones. Johnson would have welcomed this solution, presumably because it allows drivers to make more productive use of their time and engage in intellectual conversations instead of wasting time idly while driving.
However, more recent empirical evidence has revealed that hands-free devices are no solution to this problem, because at the neurological level of attention span and the division of attention to multiple tasks, it is the act of conducting a conversation and not the involvement of the hands that is the source of the problem (Hennessy & Wiesenthal, 2005). Naturally, the recent trend of actually texting...
The implications of addiction to cell phone use (and to texting especially) and public safety in this regard are obvious.
Conclusion
Cell phones have changed many aspects of contemporary life, both in the United States as well as in less developed regions of the world, sometimes, in very significant ways. Within the framework of Johnson's thesis, cell phones contribute to intellectual development because they provide more complex ways to use idle time and because they can provide a constantly available source of mental stimulation. However, there are undoubtedly also detrimental consequences of the tremendous reliance on cell phones in contemporary society that do not necessarily contradict Johnson's thesis as much as they simply call attention to additional considerations beyond its relatively narrow scope.
References
Bulzomi, M.J. "Search Incident to Arrest in the Age of Personal Electronics." FBI Law
Enforcement Bulletin; Sept 2007, Vol. 76 No.9.
Corbett, S. "Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?" The New York
Times
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