Cell Phone Popcorn Hoax Debunked
Some of the early cell phones were thought to be radiation generators that could harm human health. With continued exposure, it was believed that not only could these early phones create brain tumors and other health issues, but that so much heat was generated that they could actually pop popcorn. Some even claimed that cell phones could cook eggs.
The science behind the idea is actually fact. Sound waves do generate heat and it would be possible to create popcorn if enough heat could be generated. The problem, however, is that it would take an enormous level of sound to create enough heat to make this work. If you could pop popcorn with cell phones, then you could also put some popcorn in front of a group of opera singers to have a tasty snack at the end of a song.
Why Have These Popcorn Videos Been Uploaded?
The hoax of the cell phone popcorn issue dates back to the year 2000. These were the days when people were greatly concerned about how much heat and radiation a cell phone could generate. There were actual fears that long-term cell phone users could literally cook their brains. A website published a satire article about the “silliness” that was going on at the time because people were becoming so silly about their fears.
The only problem was that the satire article was taken seriously and it has become part of the general society thoughts about cell phones ever since.
The current popcorn theories are a play off of this original satire article. In a stealth advertising campaign, a Bluetooth manufacturer created videos that seemed to show how cell phones, when being placed together, could create the conditions needed to pop popcorn. The idea, of course, is that the best way to solve this potential health problem is to purchase a Bluetooth device to prevent brain exposure to all of those deadly cell phones.
Every Experiment to Replicate Results Has Failed
A Russian newspaper published an article that showed a hard boiled egg could be produced in 60 minutes by sitting in-between two cell phones. It circulated around the internet as fact, but every experiment to replicate this story failed. Some groups even attempted to use multiple cell phones and other technology to get the egg to cook, but every time that egg was cracked open, raw egg would come out of it.
The reason why hoaxes have a life all their own, especially in the world of technology, is that people generally fear what they do not understand. It’s why children hesitate to try eating new foods and why adults hesitate to have children in the first place! With modern technology being so complex, it can be difficult to understand the working components and the reasons why it actually works. That fear makes the self-preservation instinct kick in and a hoax develops to justify the fears.
You are not going to be able to pop popcorn by using cell phones. You can, however, get some instant popcorn, throw the bag into the microwave, and get a tasty treat without consuming any data from your mobile plan at all.