“Convenience” of Smartphones

I kept looking at the numerous students passing by as I headed down the stairwell, clutching my phone tightly. As the students continued to approach me and others from behind, one thing captured my attention. I was gripping my phone so closely because I didn't want to lose it if I went on a ride. However, the majority of the students did not even dare to look at the stairwell stairs. They kept looking at their screens, putting their lives in danger. Most did not seem to be concerned with how risky such a prank is and how it could result in anyone tripping and severely injuring themselves. Throughout the day, I noticed this trend in almost every part of the school. Students had their phones at all times and most kept scrolling, typing or talking over the phone. It was like all of the students were transfixed on their phones for some particular reason. The use of smartphones has led to all types of behavior. It is therefore worth asking if the smartphone has become an asset in our lives; if it has made individuals less willing to do various tasks or if it has helped people perform various tasks more than if this gadget was not available. Mobile phones have changed the way people relate in the modern world. One of the areas that have largely been affected by the inception of mobile phone is communication (Hawi and Maya 84). Many young people use smartphones to communicate. The element that makes a smartphone an asset to peoples’ lives communication is that it has different capabilities of communication. An individual can use the call function to communicate with a friend. The same person can use the messaging system to announce a particular class or message to a group of people. Additionally, a school or the head of students can use the mobile phone to access social media sites where such an individual can message thousands of people at once by posting an announcement. It can therefore be seen how smartphones has helped different people relate in different manners. From my schedule, I realized that I usually logged into my snapchat social media account frequently. Additionally, I found myself looking at my WhatsApp messages every now and then. It can therefore be argued to some extent, the smartphone has become an asset to the people. The smartphone can also be considered an asset to people due to the many tasks it does for a person. Some of the task in which a smartphone carries includes setting up an alarm, being used as a watch for keeping time, listening to the radio, watching news, music videos, funny clips, as a gaming gadget, timetable, used to store books in a softcopy format and reading it among many other functions (Lee 67). In the 20th century, there was no gadget that could do all these tasks at once. For instance, a person had to carry a watch for keeping time. When making a call, a person would be required to be at home or visit a nearby telephone booth. At home, a person would need a radio for listening to news, playing music, and a television to watch movies, news and music videos. However, all these have been covered by a single electronic component that can be carried in the pocket. The smartphone has simplified all these activities that needed different materials or rather elements to complete. It is for this reason that the smartphone can be considered to be an asset. What such a small electronic device carries is imperative to a person’s daily life. Smartphones have enabled people to perform tasks more than if it was not available. This can be seen by the awareness of different issues in the society. Currently, it is easy to share messages within minutes. For instance, if an earthquake occurs in a certain area, a person miles away and in other countries can follow the action live on the phone. Initially, this would not have been possible especially in remote areas. An individual would have been required to carry with him/her a camera so that the action would be captured. This would later be shared with broadcasting stations so that people in other parts of the world can see. Additionally, students can now check easily their time tables, grades at home as well as following the school schedule by using only the phone. Apart from these, people can communicate from any part of the world instantly at any time and at any place. As such, family ties have continued to be nurtured by the use of smartphones. From the notes I was keeping, I realized that accomplishing tasks were easier when I had my phone with me. I could talk with any person while also consulting people and the internet when doing a particular task that had been an issue for me. As much as smartphones have helped many people accomplish different tasks as well as being an asset, it has also led to individuals be lazy. Many people face difficulties doing simple task or they are less willing to do that. For instance, people are less willing to go out and make friends like they used to when they were young. Nowadays, people sit indoors chatting to strangers who they may never meet. These “friends” do not add anything to peoples’ lives apart from being distant advice givers. People need to go out and make friends so that the fabric of the society can be developed. Additionally, smartphones can also be blamed for lack of physical activity or rather exercises for people. Instead of people going out to practice, they are always at their phones. As such, smartphones can be linked to the increased obesity in many parts of the world. In conclusion, smartphones can be taken as a curse and a blessing to mankind. Smartphones can be considered as an asset to people due to the various tasks it performs. No other electronic or non-electronic devices can perform such a myriad of activities with such ease. Smartphones have enabled people reduce their daily tasks by making it simple. However, mobile phones have also led to a myriad of issues for people. Although smartphones have many messaging app, it has widened friendship gap. People just text and talk over the phone instead of actually meeting. Obesity can also be linked to the use of smartphones to some extent. People rarely go out or exercise. They are indoors the whole day fidgeting with their phones. It is high time a solution is formulated for this smartphone problem. Without such a measure, people will continue being engrossed in their phones leading to a breakdown of communication for the community. Works cited Hawi, Nazir S., and Maya Samaha. "To excel or not to excel: Strong evidence on the adverse effect of smartphone addiction on academic performance." Computers & Education 98 (2016): 81-89. Lee, Uichin, et al. "Hooked on smartphones: an exploratory study on smartphone overuse among college students." Proceedings of the 32nd annual ACM conference on Human factors in computing systems. ACM, 2014.