Kapadia 1

Chirag Kapadia

Professor Patricia Sullivan

English 301B

26 February 2018

Smartphones - Are we really smart to use them?

“Smartphones”, a technology that changed the world. Before 1995 there were no

smartphones; fax or pager or telephone were the only means of communication. It was difficult

to communicate with people living far away, but after the invention of smartphones, it became

easy to communicate with people living far away. Along with generations technology developed

and changed and companies started investing in improving cellphones and technology related to

it and they successfully developed smartphones. Smartphones were developed to make a

person’s work easy and fast and they are very convenient tool that helps an individual to do

multitask just by moving their fingers. People love smartphones, they are very much obsessed

with it and want further development in it. But instead of using smartphones in smart ways

people are using it in an inauspicious way. Instead of using it as a tool for help, people are using

it as a tool in need. People can’t control themselves from using it throughout the day, we are so

much addicted to our smartphones that we are always afraid of losing it. Smartphones are

affecting us in many ways that we are not aware of like, people are not getting socialize as

compared to previous era, our obsession with smartphones is leading us to lose our relations with

our loved ones, our addiction to cellphones costs us our time and attention, also it is increasing

depression level and decreasing cognitive capacity and moreover it is affecting human health.
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Now a days people are not getting socialize as they used to and problem of socializing

starts form young age. People hesitate in starting face to face conversation. Sherry Turkle, a

psychologist in her article “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk” describes her conversation with the

faculties regarding the youngster’s in school and she came to know that “the students are not

developing friendship as they used to”. They just stay in their own world and lacks in showing

empathy towards each other. Sharing my experience from my school days, during school days

me and my friends did not had cellphone, so there was less mean to communicate with each

other, everyday at the starting prayer of the school at school ground we were curious to meet

each other. In those days, our talks never ended until the end of the day of school, also all other

classmates interacted with each other and had fun and we missed each other during vacation or

holidays. When I started my bachelor’s, my dad bought me a smartphone and all other

classmates also had smartphones. From my observation it seemed to me that, it took us more

time to make friends and know each other because everyone knew each other on social media

which created a thinking like he/she should approach me first, why should I approach first ?, so

classmates showed less interest interacting with each other. Also the curiosity to meet each other

on another day was slowing swaying away. Moreover, whenever people gather to meet each

other, instead of having conversation with each other and making a conversation deepen, people

try to wander out of a conversation just to look at their phone for any notifications. One

notification on our phone ends a lively conversation which shows that smartphones are affecting

our ability to socialize.

Due to our obsession with our smartphones, we are losing our relations with family and

friends. Vacation, social gathering or functions is where people spare their time from work or

important things to enjoy and to meet people but there are some who never keeps their phone
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aside during these periods, instead of having conversation with others they want to look at their

screens. Last year, I was on trekking with a group included with my friends, we were in the arms

of nature between the mountains and forest, where there was no electricity, no residents and

almost no cellular network. Those were one of the best days spent in my life because there was

no trouble, no studies, no work and no cellphones. We enjoyed a lot and made beautiful

memories and new friends and importantly we embraced the beauty of god but there were some

people who were busy using their cellphones during the whole trip and never tried to interact

with others and make new friends. They were in solitude with their phones and didn’t even

recognized beautiful nature. They missed many things on trekking and seeing them I feel that we

are losing many things in life due to smartphones. Even while having dinner with our family, we

want to scroll our screens and finish our dinner without having any conversation with family

members, instead we should share our stories with each other and ask each other about how was

your day?, but we are interested in knowing the stories of others on social media. Smartphones

have taken us so much into them that we are forgetting the importance of family and friends and

we are losing our bond with them.

We are very much addicted to smartphones that we want to use them everywhere. People

always want to use their phone while walking, while talking with someone or during work, and

also before sleeping. We don’t recognize that how much time we are wasting using smartphones

that can be useful to us. Many people have a habit of using smartphones before going to sleep or

as soon as waking up in the morning. Even while sitting on toilet seat we want to use our

cellphone, so we don’t get bored. Milazzo, Vickie L wrote in “Be Smart If You Can” that “there

is no room in the restroom for phone a phone call, the last place you want to be sitting and using

your smartphone is a toilet seat and I don’t care how many paper liners you have stacked up on
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that seat.” When I did not had smartphone, I used to get ready in maximum 15-20 minutes but

after buying a smartphone that time changed to 40-45 minutes because after waking up the first

thing I do is search for my phone and start looking at news feeds, messages and emails. Also,

while sitting on toilet seat I need my phone or else I feel very much bored. Due to these habits, I

am wasting my time which can be effectively used somewhere like in preparing breakfast or

reaching to my work place early and start preparing for the day. Moreover, I also have a habit of

browsing before going to sleep, which approximately takes an hour from me. Instead of

browsing, if I go to sleep early, I can wake up early in the morning. Being aware of this bad habit

it is hard for me to get rid off. Also, I see many people using cellphone while walking or sitting

in my university campus. They get so much involved in their cellphone that they don’t even

know who is passing by them or who is sitting next to them, moreover they don’t know what is

happening around them. They loose their attention to smartphone and become unaware of

anything. One of my friend had a habit of using phone while driving; one day while driving, he

was texting his friend and suddenly a car in front of him pulled brakes and being inattentive he

crashed into the car, due to which he was seriously injured and was admitted in ICU, and

afterwards doctor told him that his spinal cord was seriously damaged and it will take at least six

months to recover; because of one unimportant thing i.e. texting, he lost his attention which

costed him his spinal cord. From examples above I think we can understand that our addiction to

smartphone can cause us a lot.

Smartphones are increasing depression level and decreasing cognitive capacity even if we are in

reach of them and also if it is off. Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State,

presented her research in “The Atlantic Daily”, she describes that now a days “teenagers are

more depressed, have a high suicide ratio and also they hang out less with their friends compared
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to previous era”. From her research she came to know that rates of depression and suicide have

increased since 2011, also she feels that teens more often feel lonely and show less interest in

driving. She also describes that the more time teens spend on screen, the more they feel

depressed and adds that it is not any exception for a particular age of group. Moreover,

McCombs School of Business at University of Texas at Austin in their article “The mere

presence of smartphone reduces brain power, study shows”, presented their research done with

the help of assistant professor Adrian Ward, they conducted experiments on 800 smartphone

users in order to measure their cognitive capacity to complete a task when they have smartphone

near by them but not using them. In one of the experiment participants were made to sit at

computer and were told to perform a task. This task required full concentration to score well.

Before beginning the task, participants were informed to keep their phone wherever they wanted

to keep, either in front of them or in their pockets or bags or in another room. At the end of task

it was found that participants who kept their phone in another room performed significantly well

than others, followed by those who kept their phone either in pocket or bag. From her research,

she shows that mere presence of smartphone can reduce cognitive capability even though we are

giving our full to the task.

Smartphones are affecting human health in physical, physiological and psychological

ways. British Chiropractic Association in their article “Does your smartphone impact on your

health?” claims that “there has been a significant increase in a number of GP referrals being

made due to musculoskeletal issues in teenagers and young adults that would typically be

expected in older patients.” Neck pain, reduced eyesight, carpel tunnel and strain injuries.

Approximately our head weighs 10 pounds, for every inch we tilt our head, the pressure on our

spinal chord doubles. While using cellphones our chin is almost nearby our chest which
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increases the pressure on spinal chord resulting into neck and spinal cord pain. These physical

effect leads to an unhealthy person and also gaining weights. Psychological effects caused are

weakening of eyesight and sleep disturbances. Using screens before bedtime decreases the

natural rises of melatonin and makes us difficult to sleep. Moreover, Leonid Miakotko, in her

article “The Impact of smartphones and mobile on human health and life” cites research done by

WHO/International Agency for research center that “radiofrequency electromagnetic field are

maybe responsible for brain tumors.” “Cellphones and unhealthy side effects” an article by Dr.

Nina Radcliff describe a study work of British watchdog group called “Which?”, cellphones

have more bacteria than a toilet seat. Also their studies show that “in addition to fecal (aka

“poop”) bacteria, our mobile phones may be contaminated with influenza and common cold

viruses, as well as Staphylococcus and meningitis bugs.” So, our health is affected in many ways

that even we are not aware of.

Basically, smartphones are miracle of technology, but this miracle technology should be

used in limited ways. Technologies will develop day by day and amaze the world, same should

be with our bond and relation with our loved ones. Instead of getting into a virtual world from

where we can never come out, we should embrace the world that god has created. We should

emphasize on spending our time effectively and efficiently so that there are no regrets on our

death bed. There is still time in correcting our wrongs and enhance on who we really are, at last

it is not technology that will change the world, but we humans will change this world.
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Works Cited

Sherry Turkle. “Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.” New York Times, Sept. 26, 2015.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/opinion/sunday/stop-googling-lets-talk.html?_r=0

Milazzo, Vickie L. “Be Smart If You Can.” USA Today Magazine, Vol. 142 Issue 2824,

Jan 2014.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.csulb.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=04ad9510-d309-

4354-9cf6-

2b7a0dc6ecfe%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=110523

606&db=ulh . Accessed 5 Feb, 2018.

McCombs School of Business at University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). "The mere presence

of your smartphone reduces brain power, study shows." ScienceDaily, 23 June, 2017.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170623133039.htm . Accessed 18 Feb, 2018.

Jean M. Twenge. “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The Atlantic daily,

September 2017. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-

destroyed-a-generation/534198/ . Accessed 18 Feb, 2018.

British Chiropractic Association (BCA), Stanford University. “Does Your Smartphone Impact

On Your Health” J Edison - 1007 Times Read, 7 June, 2017.

https://www.dokteronline.com/en/blog/does-your-smartphone-impact-on-your-health. Accessed

18 Feb, 2018.

Dr. Nina Radcliff. “Cellphones and Unhealthy Side Effects.” The Washington Times, 9 June,

2017. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/9/health-cellphones-side-effects/.

Accessed 18 Feb, 2018.

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Leonid Miakotko. “The Impact of smartphones and mobile on human health and life.” New York

University, https://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/waoe/miakotkol.pdf. Accessed 18 Feb, 2018.