Negative Effects Of Smartphones

“More than three billion people worldwide now use the internet (Time), and 80 percent of them access if from their smartphones” (Smart Insights). A smartphone is a mobile phone that performs many of the functions of a computer, typically having a touchscreen interface, and much more. There is an abundant amount of smartphone brands out there in the world and while they all cost different prices, they all perform the same job. Each person uses their smartphone for various reasons, whether it’s for work or to make calls or texts. Smartphones have changed society in various ways, both good and bad. Although countless individuals think that smartphones have ruined American society, smartphones have actually benefited society because of more safety precautions, information on hand, and entertainment.

Due to advances in technology, smartphone availability and use is far more widespread than in the past. According to a study done by Ericsson[1], Singapore

When Apple first released the iPhone in 2007, the world could never imagine how commonplace it would become and how vast the effects would be. Shortly after the release, social media such as Facebook and Twitter blew up as society began accessing them on their new iPhones. These networking sites have allowed people to connect with others worldwide, transforming the very nature of socializing and human interactions. As the years pass, a general increase in the number of Americans, both old and young, who use their smartphones to access social media becomes prominent. However, this increase in usage has had a detrimental effect on the behavior of adults, teenagers, and even children because it lowers attention span, induces sleep

From the beginning of time, humans have been innovating. Most famously the wheel which still is a prevalent creation 5500 years later. Throughout history, every era has seemed to surpass the last. In the early 1970’s the first cell phone call was made. After years of countless variations finally found a version that would stick with the iPhone. The smartphone has captivated society for the last decade. “In year one the iPhone had 3.7 million users, 8 years later that number was 231.5 million”. ( ) The popularity of these devices is astounding and now is a part of almost all aspects of people's lives. Smartphones give humans the ability to accomplish virtually anything anywhere. The possibilities of what one can do with these devices are limitless. Overall,

The cell phone, perhaps the most important invention of the twenty-first century, revolutionized the way we communicate by making it more mobile. However, even with its accomplishments why has it become so popular in the past few decades. The simple answer is that cell phones have become a near essential part of everyday life, as they allow for parents to instantly communicate with children, connect to the internet a for near infinite amount of knowledge, keep up with people across the world through talk and text, and to entertain the individual when they are feeling bored. However, despite all the good that cell phones can do which makes them so essential there are several effects of this which must be addressed. The effects which will be addressed are distracting the individual, connecting people to the world, and social isolation.

The term smartphone refers to “a device that combines a cell phone with a handheld computer, typically offering internet access, data storage, email capability, etc.” (dictionary.com). the uprising of such devices has brought attention to many researchers and scholars into learning about the integration of smartphones into our lives. Researcher Ling, R lists the many functions of a smartphone and he has made it apparent that smartphones play a big role in our lives, stating that: “mobile communication is becoming a structural skeleton in society.” (Ling, 2014, p.37). As smartphones become more embedded in our lives it becomes increasingly difficult to live without it. His research

In a local Italian restaurant sit two families, both similar in many ways. One group appears to be tightly huddled together, talking and laughing. The other family sits around another table in silence, each member’s head faced down towards small electronic screens. Although each family appears to be together, only one is truly and fully engaged. Why? — smartphones. Over the years, as technology has improved, the use of smartphones has skyrocketed. Originally, the mobile phone served as an easy way to call loved ones at the touch of a button, but now with new applications and the Internet within reach, one can explore so much more. Although the smartphone continues to improve the daily lives of many people, it also functions as a device of destruction. Due to its easy access, the smartphone has the potential to distract people from important tasks, lead to terrific amounts of wasted time, and even isolate individuals from the world.

On the third of April 1973, Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, made the world's first mobile phone. Since then, there have been many remarkable and extraordinary advances in the technology surrounding the mobile phone. Today, it is unusual and considered strange to not own a mobile phone. It has become an essential item for people in everyday life. In fact, around half of all mobile phone owners in America have stated that their mobile phone is “something they could not live without,” according to a survey conducted by Pew Research Centre in 2015. Another study showed that nearly eighty percent of American children aged 12 to 17 have mobile phones. In addition to this, teenagers tend to spend 9 hours on their mobile devices per day. The drastic encroachment of mobile phones on young people’s lives is compromising their social skills, and the problem will only get worse.

In the developed nations across the world electronic devices and gadgets have completely permeated modern society. Technology has become more than a convenience or novelty to the citizens of developed nations. Technology has become a necessity. The need to have the latest and greatest electronic devices has become all encompassing. Modern household now have televisions, thermostats, and refrigerators all network ready and communicating. Leading the way in this parade of modern marvels is the smartphone. The smartphone has become so integral to daily life that many people could not imagine leaving home without it. The smartphone is such a versatile device that often the phone part of it is the least used function. This device brings access to the whole world to a person's fingertips. A device capable of calling forth the sum total of humankind’s knowledge at a moment's notice. However, without the requisite education and understanding, all of that knowledge becomes an incoherent list of facts.

What is the right age to give a child a cell phone? This is a major conversation topic among parents nationwide. The age you provide a child with a phone can play a major part in the child’s life. The younger the child is that you allow to have a cell phone, the less time they are going to have to socialize off of the device which distances them from building concrete relationships. However, there are many different views revolving around the appropriate age to have a cell phone. Should children wait to retain a cell phone because of the effect it has on their lack of ability to socialize in real life. These mobile devices also play a part in influencing adolescents with their personality traits and actions, as well as causing major distractions. No matter the reason youngsters are given hand held devices, there will always be conflicting views on the topic.

When you walk into a nice restaurant and see a young couple on a date and the young lady is constantly focused on her cell phone instead of her date, it starts to make you wonder what the world is coming to. In today’s society so many people walk around looking down at their cell phones not watching where they are walking. Very seldom do people ever talk to others without getting their cell phones out. Cell phones have become such a major distractions and have overall become a burden to people and the relationships everyone has with each other. Cell phones can also have a negative effect on people’s health, not only physically but mentally.

The modern day cell phone has evolved throughout the last twenty years and has revolutionized the way society operates. It was once a cumbersome, bulky box with an equally heavy antennae attached. However, as time passed modern advancement produced an incredible technological achievement with multiple functions that expand upon its general concept. Modern cell phones contain the processing power and storage capability that would rival the most advanced desktop computers ten years ago while also progressing the realm of communication with its unique platform. Being able to send and receive messages instantly while also simplifying societal interactions has become an intricate piece to modern culture. This communication technology has also modified people’s interactions with the world and their perception of reality. However, with its vast technological achievements, problems and issues have appeared within our society.

1. Smartphones are becoming more and more popular by day because of their user-friendly design, convenient multi-function, and affordability, but does that mean that smartphones are impacting our lives in a positive way? 2. Smartphones have become a very important part of our daily lives; it is very hard to imagine life without them. 3. Our society has given a tremendous amount of importance to smartphones, that we are unable to function without them. 4. Over the years, many people have compared using a smartphone to many things, one person was Christopher Lynn; he compared using a smartphone to smoking cigarettes, as they are both addictive (9). 5. Smartphones have a mostly negative impact on our lives, they have led to the loss of creative thinking and eliminated boredom.

In this moving world, the involvement of smartphones in our life is somewhat crucial. Everyone starting from kids to the elderly has one of these and it is considered as a must have item. Before we even realized, smartphone actually affect our life socially more than anything. As smartphone has been marked as an essential item in our life. To what extent does smartphones are causing harm both psychologically and sociologically to our lives and does it change the way we live? My goal in this paper is to analyze the relation between our usage of smartphones and our social life and how does it shape the world as it is today, is it for the better or the worse. Through the research, it is apparent how smartphone provides both positive and negative impacts on our society. It has proven to be both useful and destructive and by far, its usefulness outweigh the limitation and negative impacts caused by smartphones. Smartphone has been affecting the way we live tremendously and especially the way how we interact and communicate between each other.

3. It can be argues that Smartphone are increasingly becoming an everyday necessity in people’s live because of the important functions that they can do and the fact that they are all available in just one handset.