How Cellphones Have Changed Our Lives for the Worse Introduction I have a question for everyone, how many of you could a full 24 hours without your cellphones, tablets, laptop or any other electronic device? I’m pretty sure very few of us, especially the ladies. We have become so dependent on our electronics that, the cellphone is almost an attachment to our bodies. For some of us, technology has changed our lives for the better, but for some, it has changed how we interact with the world. No longer are we a hands on or personable society, all you got to do is Google "cell phone addiction" several articles will appear. According to Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. The problem we seem to be …show more content…
The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications • Vol. 5, No. 1 • Spring 2014 Students’ Cell Phone Addiction and Their Opinions by Tessa Jones, Ms. Jones states,” It is hard for members of Generation Y, who were born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, to imagine a time when instant and constant communication was not a main focus for them socially. A generation ago, people left their homes without any form of electronic device; made plans in person; wrote personal, hand-written letters; and knocked on neighbors’ doors to see if they were home. These things, of course, still happen. But today “more than 90 percent of American adults have a cell phone of some kind, and for people under the age of 44, that number is closer to 97 …show more content…
Ever feel like you’re on information overload? From the phone ringing, to emails and texts message, to social media, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, we are constantly getting updates and notified of everyone’s every step and at times don’t you want to say, who cares? Well I do too. We need to have that same attitude a couple days a week, where we completely detach from all forms of electronics and just be. Catch up on reading that book you been putting to the side or spending time with your loved ones, go out to eat or just take a
Today in the Twenty-First century we have surpassed many technological advancements and excelled far past what we would have ever thought. One of our greatest technological advancements is the thing we hold in our hands everyday, our cell phones. Sometimes we don't realize just how much our phones can distract us from our lives. As a generation glued to our phones us teenagers send an average of 3,339 texts per month. In Randy Cohen's essay, “When texting is wrong” he states how we are overcome by texting and how it damages our social and personal lives.
Cell phones in hand, and laptops so small they fit in purses. Computers at our homes insure we can get on the internet and surf the web for answers for anything that may need to know. As the growth of technology has evolved the past twenty years we have become more dependent upon it for everyday things. From alarms, calendars, ‘googling’, counting our steps to make sure we stay healthy, connecting us to our friends and family; simple things that we often take for granted. Though our lives are often ruled by the various technology pieces out there to keep us ‘grounded during the day, some pieces of technology are not healthy for our bodies and minds.
About a month ago I attended a dinner with some close friends. As we all sat in the restaurant waiting for drink orders to be taken, I looked around the table and what I saw made me feel more than a little annoyed considering I had not seen some of these people (or spoken to some of them) in over a month. Everyone at the table had sat down and immediately took out their phone. After reading the article “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?”, by Jean M. Twenge, the feelings experienced that evening at dinner were validated and broadened by the depth and scope of the article. Jean Twenge was persuasive because of the statistical data in her article.
Just about everyone has overused technology, whether they are just spending hours at a time looking at Facebook or other social media site or if they are just using it to avoid human contact. This is ok to do every once and a while; however, it is very important to monitor just how much time people are spending online. There are many different ways to manage over-usage of technology. As it states in Pope’s article, one way is to leave everyone’s cell phone at home when going to the store or out to dinner (245). Doing so will give them time to interact with each other without distractions.
Cell phones are gradually affecting American culture today because they are becoming a key part of everyday life. The cell phone is "?an indispensable companion that serves without favor or prejudice. It has reached into every civilized corner of the world--and often brought civilization with it. From its wires spring the words of history in the making, the chatter of daily life" ("43 Years" sc. 1). The cell phone enables individuals to communicate rapidly over great distances and obtain information like never before. People can now pick up the phone and get information on the weather, time, stock market quotations, and other things simply by dialing a few numbers. Cell phones connect the world together, to the point where individuals become almost helpless without it. The next time you find yourself waiting at a stoplight, take the time to observe the people around you. There will likely be at least one person in the surrounding cars who is talking on the phone. Even on the streets, people continue to chat on the phone. Cell phones are everywhere. One resident in Greenville, S.C. admitted that he uses his cell phone at least 15 times a day (Chany sc. 2). The cell phone is in such high use that the traditional phones in homes and offices almost become antique devices on display. Although traditional phones are still around, individuals are quicker to pick up their cell phone.
Cell phones have made a big impact on the world, for example, people are using them daily, and they have influenced science, politics, and many more fields.
A common theme is taking place where as people feel that cell phones are starting to take over others daily lives. Many people go through their day to day lives not even relizing how often they are on their cell phones. In the article, “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” the author Christine Rosen talks about how cell phones are starting to become a necessity in every way towards peoples lives. Rosen talks about both the good and bad effects of cell phones and how they have changed the way in which we work our daily life. Although I think cell phones can be necissary, the constant need for use could be the beginning of how cell phones will take over our every day lives.
In an article by Jayne Leonard called, “Damaging Side Effects of Your Smartphone Addiction”, she states that, “Nearly two thirds of American adults now have smartphones”. This is causing some issues because now, “Three out of five (58%) U.S. smartphone users cannot go more than sixty minutes without checking their phones.” She is saying that not even half of us can live without constantly checking our devices to see if we have gotten some news we think is so important to check multiple times an hour. I think this is really bad, because we have been manipulated to check our screens often for notifications which distracts us from actually doing something more productive like playing sports or engaging in social
Would that be possible to stay away from our technology’s devices for just a day? The answer for this question will bring a lot of negative answers, and of course if we ask this question in a survey, “NO” will be the winner of this survey. Talking about the use of technology reminded me one of the sources from my annotated bibliography by Amy Petersen, who is the Theatre and Media Arts Department Chair and Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University. In her article which she wrote about the overuse of tech in our daily life and its affects, she said “If you would have told me a few years ago that I would feel completely lost without a cell phone, I never would have believed you. Now my iPhone is almost always within reach. My children likely believe that my most important possession is my MacBook Air, which is usually open and on whenever I am in the house. (“Jensen” par. 3)” Yes technology, internet, and cell phone became our best friends, and most of us can’t live without them.
Cell phones have changed the way we go about life in many ways. They change the way we interact with people in our everyday life. They hinder our physical aspect of life without us even knowing. One of the biggest issues I see is the changes it creates in our classrooms from an educational standpoint. Cell phones have been negatively impacting our lives in some very important ways.
In the essay, “Growing up Tethered,” written by Sherry Turkle there are valid points that we use our cell phones for everything. Even though many would disagree with the conclusion that our lives revolve around our cell phones, there is evidence to support her premise that our cell phones are a priority and they have a lot of control over our lives. Cell phones benefit us greatly in many ways, but they cause us to be less independent and more dependent on our cell phones.
Cell phones have crept into an owner’s possession at all times. “The mobile phone has become a part of us: our best friend who will save all our secrets, pleasures and sorrows” ("Exploring"). Teens have developed the need to know the latest news on social media every minute of every day; they do not want to miss any little detail. Since the beginning of smart phones, high school students have felt the need to have their media open on their smart phone in front of them so they do not feel empty. Once someone has become attached or addicted to something, it is hard to change their habits. Cell phones have changed people socially, especially with the availability to social media with electronics.
A beautiful commercial, “Disconnect to Connect”, which was made by Thailand DTAC Company, shows that there are many people always focusing on their cell phones. The commercial shows a man ignoring his girlfriend who is walking with him on the beach, another man neglecting his friends who are playing piano, and a father overlooking his children who are playing around. Then, they smile and find the happiness of life after they turn off their digital devices. These things happen constantly around us every day. Nowadays, the functions of digital devices are stronger, and our eyes and fingers contribute more time on it. There is no doubt that the digital devices make our life more convenient and easier because people can connect with each other immediately. Nonetheless, people should not spend too much time on digital devices for three main reasons: having less face-to-face communication, depriving people’s brains of needed downtime, and negatively influencing people’s health.
Addiction to cell phones has become so widespread that scientists have come up with a name for it. Nomophobia (an abbreviation for no-mobile-phone phobia) is being afraid of being out of mobile contact. Studies have shown that this anxiety affects 61% of men and 70% of women. Men tend to have two cell phones which may account for this inconsistency. (Urbandictionary.com, 2013.) Some people have become so addicted to their hand held devices
A mobile phone is a telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio