Running Head: SMARTPHONES AND SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS 1

Smartphones and Social Relationships: A Review of Literature

Zheila Cervantes
The University of Texas at El Paso













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Abstract
The process of communication has changed quite a lot in the previous years. In this process of
evolution, technology has been a major participant, specifically mobile devices called
smartphones. This literature review will inform the reader with the history, contributions and
challenges of the smartphone in todays society. Surveys, data and reliable resources will
contribute to the research of smartphones usage and other diverse aspects on modern society.





















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Smartphones and Social Relationships: A review of the Literature
A smartphone is a mobile phone that is capable of doing much more than what you would
usually expect from a phone. Nowadays communication has been made easier due to these
devices. In this process, smartphones are the leading devices taking the front and playing the key
role. They have been around for many years and in the past few decades there has been a rise in
use by people worldwide. Smartphones have impacted almost all of human life. The areas in
which they impact society are business, education, health and social life. Mobile technology has
significantly changed the cultural standards and behavior of individuals.
The intention of this study is to investigate how smartphones are impacting society and
also how they are going to transform the culture, social life, technology landscape and other
diverse aspects of modern society with the following research questions:
1. How has cellphones changed over time and how common are they in the present?
2. What are the advantages and challenges of smartphone usage?
3. How do smartphones contribute to or diminish social relationships?
4. What is the public opinion of smartphone habit?
The following review of literature will: provide information on how mobile phones have
changed in the path of time and how popular they are nowadays, discuss the advantages and
disadvantages on different aspects, provide the negative and positive impacts on social
relationships, and offer the public opinion of smartphone habit.


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How have cellphones changed over time and how common are they in the present?
It is of great importance to know the historical background of the cell phones to
understand how common they are in the present. Although mobile phones have taken over our
current society, they have been around for several decades in some form or another.
Mobile phones and smartphones are both used with the primary function of being able to
make and receive phone calls and send and receive text messages, but the smartphone has certain
qualities that distinguish it from any usual mobile phones. Smartphones have additional features
such as online video watching, online gaming, GPS system, and several other added features,
which distinguish it from other regular mobile phones and, are more preferred than mobile
phones.
There are different kinds of smartphones in the market, which are produced by different
mobile manufacturers. The most popular are Android which is produced by Google, iPhone sold
by Apple, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile among others. These operating systems (iOS,
Android, Blackberry OS, Windows Mobile) and key Smartphone vendors (Apple, Samsung,
HTC, Motorola, Nokia, LG, Sony etc.) are
concentrating to bring features both in
operating systems and devices which will
provide exciting feature to innovativeness
and general consumers. A very huge
percentage of the population has shifted
towards smartphones from their usual mobile
phones. The PEW research center has
reported that in the US alone over 35% of the
Figure 1. Changes in smartphone ownership
(Sarwar & Soomro, 2013)
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adult population is currently using smartphones (Sarwar & Soomro, 2013). And this can be
growing in numbers in the next few years. The following graph represents the information given
in great detail.
What are the advantages and challenges of smartphone usage?
Mobile technology has impacted almost all walk of human life. The prominent areas,
where impacts of smartphones include business, education, and health in which these devices
have proven to be of great help.
One of the areas in which smartphones have evolved is in the business sector. They have
created new dimensions in the industry. There has been an incredible growth in broadband and
internet service providers (Sarwar & Soomro, 2013) in the past few years. One of the main
reasons for this drastic increase in their business is the increasing use of smartphones
applications. The most common ones are iPhone application market and Android application
market. Mobile application publishers have associated with features of smartphones and have
made it more effective in the business world. This creates more awareness and advertising of
applications and publishers.
In the health section, smartphones play a role too. Almost half of smartphone users use
their phone to access health related services. This explains why theres a large number of mobile
applications to facilitate the users to manage their prescriptions and other health related services.
Even today several apps are available to track diet, exercise and control blood pressure. Analysis
show that the number of people using health related apps is growing drastically and in 2012 it
surpassed 247 million (Bilton, 2014). As the growth of smartphones spans, the more the people
benefit from these technical applications. This in turn enables smartphones to play a key role in
health sector.
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Smartphones introduce another means for the knowledge and education. Use of the
internet has become a part of life of every student and a mean to search the information as and
when it is needed. Mobile phones for internet purposes has become very common in a lot of
lifestyles here in the Unites States. Making it easier for students and consumer to access any
information anywhere from their smartphones. This will provide an opportunity to the users to
utilize their smartphones to get educational benefits. Smartphones within and without the
classroom make it easier for students and teachers to obtain this type of education. This makes
the smartphone a perfect fit device for distance learning.
At another end, smartphones are enabling people to create and engage into activities
considered dangerous to society. The major impact of smartphone in business is on PC market.
Almost up to 65% of people are using their smartphones to read news, post, status updates and to
post photos (Sarwar & Soomro, 2013). This shows that now people are leaving computers and
moving toward smartphones.
The negative impacts are also becoming a part of the health sector. According to recent
articles from CNN, this convenience can be dangerous if patients start avoiding going to the
doctors for mandatory tasks. The users quickly think they can rely on their smartphones to do
everything for them. Another aspect that has played an important role is that a lot of parents let
their kids use mobile devices even in their very young age. It disconnects kids from true social
interaction (Turkle, 2011). For example, games and other entertainment applications. As well as
online video games are addicting and pose a threat to the younger generation.
Along with their awesome conveniences, smartphones construct a barrier in the
education sector. It enables students to text, play video games, check social networks etc. This
being a huge distraction, especially at a learning facility. This will not only distract the student,
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but also other students around them and even sometimes the whole class. Another area of
technology in the classroom is cheating. The misuse of devices could be throughout the use of
text message exchange with other students, find answers on the internet and using advanced
applications. This can play a huge role on their academic discipline. Leading to wrong conduct in
the classroom.
How do smartphones contribute to or diminish social relationships?
Smartphones have become a big essential part in peoples daily lives and in
todays busy schedule smartphones enables users to interact with their friends and family as and
when they get time. Interacting with friends and families, while traveling or being faraway
permits users to utilize such time to promote their social life. It allows the users to interact and
stay up to date with the latest news and development in the political and social circles. Social
networking may build social bonds. Staying connected is easier than ever, and keeping the social
bonds active allows reducing stress and promises social support.
Another question to ask is if smartphones contribute to social relationships or are they
diminishing face-to-face interaction. Use of technology has fundamentally changed not just
attentiveness in public spaces but sense of duty to others. Engaged with the glowing screens
rather than with the people physically around. Smart phones may be a wonderful innovation
but they are undermining our relationships.
Adding weight to this theory is a recent study by telecommunications company Gazelle.
They found that while 83 per cent of respondents reported using their iPhone in social
settings, such as meals or parties, and 85 per cent made calls on the toilet, a sizeable 15
per cent also added that they'd rather give up sex than their phone. Though some have
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found a way around this with an unsettling four per cent admitting to using their phone
while having sex.(Malone, 2012)
A 2008 advertising campaign for Dentyne Gum used clever examples to assert that
technology is replacing cherished personal moments. The campaign is based upon the idea of
appreciating face-to-face interactions. One of their prints features a man bending down to kiss a
woman goodbye as it reads, The original instant message (Dentyne Gum, 2008). Such
messages suggest that feelings behind intimate interactions are being expressed through and
possibly replaced by technology. While the advertisements potentially suggest how technology
can be used to reflect such emotions, they also highlight the face-to-face interactions that a
person loses through wireless communication.
We use mobile communication technology to start, develop and strengthen relationships,
but also to distance and damage them. To a great extent, mobile communication technologies
offer us new ways by which to experience familiar communication problems. More than 80
percent of Americans use smart phones, but apparently they compromise our sleep, reduce our
social awareness and even make us stupid (Vesterfelt, 2013). Smartphones and other devices
can clearly have a negative impact on your relationship, but not necessarily. By learning to use
them wisely, users can start to feel more connected to friends, family and partner.
What is the public opinion of smartphone habit?
A very huge population of the youth as well as adults is currently utilizing smartphones
to satisfy various daily needs, and their mobile phone usage is consistent with their everyday
lives. Both the adults as well as the younger generation are involved in using smartphones in
accordance to the situation they are in. Leaving the home without our mobile phones or not
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having constant connection to the Internet is unimaginable if not unbearable for some of us
(Stafford, 2013)
In a current observation done by (The Fine Bros, 2013), teens were asked to watch a
series of videos that had to do with the addiction to smartphones. Teens React to Smartphones is
a video made up by teens between ages 15-20 that show their reaction and opinion of these
specific set of videos. Teens definitely see a huge impact mobile devices have on people and also
even themselves. Their reactions are filled with astonishment as they see how smartphones can
take over peoples daily activities and lives.
In a recent survey that was done to 100 people (Survey Monkey) there was an increase in
overall use of smartphones. More than half of the population resulted in having used their
cellphones on normal day to day activities such as in the bathroom, while driving, in bed when
they wake up etc. This can lead to cell phone addiction and can play a huge role on the different
effects these devices takes on users.
Conclusion
The Smartphone is a tremendous technology that has transformed the world in a variety
of different ways. In has entered into the ordinary market and has become a part of popular
culture. It has transformed the ways of communication between people and allowed instant
access to information in the palm of our hands. To think that one small device holds someones
entire world says a lot about the importance of a Smartphone. A Smartphones capabilities allow
it to be an essential part of peoples lives, if used correctly.


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Appendix
The primary research I conducted was to find out how much people utilize their phones
throughout an entire day. I conducted a survey online to 100 people and asked a few questions
about their smartphone usage. More than half of the population resulted in having used their
cellphones on normal day to day activities such as in the toilet, while driving (wheels moving), in
bed when they wake up etc. In the next paragraphs and bullet points the information will be
provided in full detail.
In figure 1 I asked to 100 people
how many owned a smartphone, 95 percent
said yes and the other 5 percent no. This is
a more than half of the population that
own a mobile device. This can play a huge
role on the different effects these devices
take on us.
The following questions and
answers were conducted in my online
survey.
What brand of smartphone do you use?
iPhone 92.3%
Android- 7.7%
Figure 2- A huge number of users that own a smartphone.
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Excluding voice calls, how often do you use your smartphones in these situations?
( Often, Sometimes, Never)
In bed when you wake up/ go to sleep - Often (85%), Sometimes (7%), Never
(7%)
In the bathroom- Often (69%), Sometimes (23%), Never (2%)
While exercising (running, cycling, at the gym) - Often (46%), Sometimes (38%),
Never (15%)
While you are driving, waiting for light to turn green (not moving) Often (61%),
Sometimes (31%), Never (8%)
While you are driving (wheels moving) Often (15%), Sometimes (23%), Never
(15%)
Waiting in line (examples: coffee shop, grocery store, for movie to start etc.)
Often (46%), Sometimes (53%), Never (0%)
Under what scenarios do you commonly check your smartphone? (Check all that
apply)
During class- 77%
To listen to music on a regular basis- 92%
When having breakfast, eating, and dinner- 61%
Walking to class, work- 100%
Getting direction to places- 76%
To check Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest etc. 100%
While hanging out with friends- 69%
While talking to someone- 53%
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With these results we can interpret that the users are constantly aware of their mobile
phones in day to day activities. Its not an amazement nowadays since cell phone usage has had
an increase in the past couple of years.


References
Bilton, N. (2014, March 16). Staying Home, Connected to the World. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/staying-home-connected-to-
the-world/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=cellulartelephones&_r=0
Dentyne Gum. (2008). Make Face Time. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMoT1abNipM
Malone, L. (2012, July 23). The Anti-social Network. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved
from http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/the-antisocial-network-20120720-22ep2.html
Sarwar, M., Soomro K. (2013). Impact of Smartphones on Society. European Journal of
Scientific Research, 98. Retrieved from
http://www.europeanjournalofscientificresearch.com
Stafford, L. (2012). Mobile Communication Devices and Personal Relationships.
Communication Currents, 7(6). Retrieved from
https://www.natcom.org/CommCurrentsArticle.aspx?id=3156
The Fine Bros. (2013, October 27) Teens React to Smartphones. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsO9MIaIazM#t=92
Turkle, S. (2011). Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each
SMARTPHONES ANDS SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS 13

Other. New York: Basic Books.
Vesterfelt, A. (2013, February 28). Is Your Phone Killing Your Relationships? RELEVANT
Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/device-
may-be-killing-your-relationships