With the popularity of cell phones on the rise, land lines have recently taken a back seat.

“I use [my cell phone] all day long,” said Susan Brenner, sophomore family, consumer and nutrition sciences major. “I have to charge my phone every day because of it.”

Employers and landlords alike are relying more on cell phones and less on land lines in order to get in contact with employees, customers and tenants.

Chris Tomaras, Toppers Pizza general manager, uses his cell phone whenever he needs to contact an employee.

“It’s been easier to call people in,” Tomaras said. “I just call or text them, and they let me know what’s going on.”

Increased cell phone usage is not limited to the workplace. Lloyd Hoekstra, landlord of an apartment complex at 1115 East Grove Ave., said most people in his apartments have both types of phones.

“Over the years, most of [the tenants] have had land lines, and usually each household has at least one cell phone,” Hoekstra said.

However, the boost in cell phone use also has certain consequences. Hoekstra thinks cell phones cost more than they are worth.

“The cost of [a cell phone] is quite high and outrageously expensive,” Hoekstra said. “They only reason why cell phones are more popular is because they’re portable; you can get instant information and instant contact.”

Tomaras said cell phones can pose a problem to delivery drivers as well.

“Our problems are mostly in the dorms,” Tomaras said. “[After ordering], a lot of students will turn off their phones for one reason or another. If they give us a land line to their dorm, it’s even harder [to get in contact].”

Despite the positives and negatives, cell phones are here to stay.

“As we become a more mobile and fast-moving society, there is no time to spend at home talking on the phone,” Brenner said. “We talk more when we are driving than when we are at home.”