CB Mania
The article explores the cultural phenomenon of CB (Citizens Band) radio mania, tracing its rise in popularity during the 1970s and its impact on communication and pop culture.
Background
- "CB" stands for Citizens Band radio, a short-distance radio communication system that became a massive cultural phenomenon in the US during the mid-1970s. Unlike amateur ("ham") radio, CB required no license or exam — anyone could buy a set and start talking.
- The craze exploded after the 1973 oil crisis and the 1974 trucker strike, when truck drivers used CB to share information about speed traps, road conditions, and weigh stations. This was romanticized in the hit 1975 song "Convoy" by C.W. McCall and the 1977 film "Smokey and the Bandit."
- CB users adopted a distinctive slang ("breaker breaker," "10-4," "what's your twenty?", "bear" for police, "hammer down" for speeding) and self-assigned colorful "handles" (nicknames). The fad peaked around 1976-77, with millions of Americans installing CBs in cars, trucks, and homes.
- The article uses "CB Mania" as a historical case study of a sudden, mass-market tech craze — bottom-up, unplanned, driven by ordinary people — which may serve as a parallel or contrast to modern social-media or AI hype cycles.