In the past people needed ten different pieces of equipment to do everything a smartphone can do. Now Smartphones have made it possible to do everything on one device. Smartphones have become more than just a simple device to make phone calls with, they have replaced simple things such as maps to more complex things such as computers. These devices have made it so individuals are always connected with one another even if they are on different parts of the world.
We can now get recent news faster with just a click of a button. People can take high quality photos and video, without even having to buy a professional digital camera. With everyone having a smartphone and a new one coming out every year it’s hard to resist the temptation of getting one when they are everywhere.
While smartphones have made it easier for society to communicate, there are many negative effects such as cellphone addiction, putting strain on relationships, and have limited people’s ability to engage in social interactions.
Many people would say that they are never away from their smartphones and that they would feel almost naked if they were not to have their smartphone on their person at all times. Individuals have become so dependent on having their smartphones on them that it has gotten to the point that it can be considered an addiction. Addiction to smartphones has become one of the more prominent effects that smartphones have had on society.
Experts state that a smartphone addiction can now be considered to that of a drug addict.
People bring their smartphones everywhere they go, whether it be work, class, church, etc. Even though some of these places like a, university classroom, are not really places an individual would need to use their smartphones they still feel the need to bring it because they wouldn’t feel comfortable without it. People may feel a sense of missing out on information if they were not to bring their phones everywhere they went. Society now feels a need to always have their smartphones on them even though we lived without them for thousands of years. Individuals are addicted to the sense of security, and always being connected that a smartphone supplies. Social gatherings are no longer some where individuals have human interaction and socialize with each other in real time and in person.
Parties and dinner tables are full of people on their phones and not interacting with each other. There is no longer the normal chatter that comes with a family sitting at a dinner table. Smartphones have put such a strain on relationships and families that it is hard for anyone to get to know each other because we would rather not talk to one another anymore. Parents give their children smartphones as early as elementary school. This starts the addiction off early and it can get to the point where the kids don’t talk to their parents and are just on their phones nonstop. This can also cause kids to venture on to the internet and stumble upon content that they are too young to see. It is difficult for parents to have control of their children when they are constantly on their phones. Not only has smartphones put a strain on family and friend relationships but also, romantic relationships.
Relationships may develop trust issues because they may think that their significant other is talking to someone else on their phone and being unfaithful. This may lead to some snooping on someone’s part which can break that relationships trust. Arguments over text message can hurt a relationship because what one individual interprets as one thing the other may interpret it as something completely different because there is no tone in a text message. Smartphones have made it possible for people to talk to people from across the globe, but has somehow limited the ability for people to communicate when they are in the same room.
Smartphones have not only caused addiction and negative effects on individual’s relationships, but have cause people to limit individual’s ability to engage in normal social interactions. According to Ross McCammon a writer from Esquire magazine he states that “There’s nothing more fruitful than being in a room. You gotta get in the room. And once you’re in it, the person in the room should be treated as the most important person in the world. All the people around a meeting table? They are your focus. The others can wait. The device can wait.”. Everyone especially the younger generation, have had an increased handicap knowing how to respond to a face to face social interaction. The main reason for this is because they are unable to put their phones down.
Young people no longer have the practice of interacting with people without hiding behind the shield of a screen. When they are faced with a difficult situation such as a job interview, they may not know how to interact with the person that is conducting the interview. They may even have trouble keeping eye contact with the people that they talk to. This is because they are not used to interacting with people face to face and do not know how to use proper social skills, they no longer grasp what is supposed to be respectful when interacting with someone else. Societies interactions with other individuals have changed so much since the invention of smartphones that we no longer have respect toward the people that we talk to in the real world.
There is no doubt that smartphones have had an impact in our society. They have made our lives easier to a point, but there have also been detrimental negative effects that have come with invention of smartphones. Smartphones have taken over our lives so much that people have become addicted to them and feel the need to take their smartphones everywhere they go. Smartphones have made it so that relationships between people have changed to the that people do not talk to each other. Families that allow their children to use smartphones also have less control over them. Smartphones have also changed societies views on how we conduct social interactions with each other. Smartphones have changed our society forever and will continue to affect us in ways that are not always in our favor whether we realize it or not.
One of The Largest Technological Achievements of Society. (2021, Dec 19). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/one-of-the-largest-technological-achievements-of-society/