Photo Credit: Joi Ito (Flickr)[/caption]Helpful:
By Meghan O'Shaughnessy
Cell phones—these days, it’s almost impossible to go out in public without seeing them everywhere, in the hands of both teenagers and adults alike. In fact, even some children are currently being given cell phones--and current studies show that over 166 million people in the United States own a smartphone. Advanced cellular technology means only good things for the modern age society now resides in, connecting us with information within seconds and shrinking communication barriers down to size.
Rather than making users antisocial, as is a common stereotype, cell phone users are now able to communicate with people from across the globe, making international friendships a reality for millions of people. Cell phones help to bridge the gap of communication with people here at home as well—text messaging opens up new opportunities to those who prefer textual communication as well as those who require it, such as the deaf.
Modern-day smartphones have made perhaps the largest strides in personal technological advancement in the last decade alone, developing ever faster to include yet more features that an individual can access with the touch of a screen. Most smartphones come built in with wireless internet access, allowing users to access information in seconds, wherever they are--not to mention update social media. Thanks to new developments in technology, smartphone users now have access to the weather, advanced camera and photo storage settings, large music libraries to store tunes, GPS systems to plot driving routes—even an intelligent personal assistant program to aid users (more commonly known as Siri). Smartphones allow users access to all the information they could ever dream of- all accessible within seconds.
Smartphones and cellular technology have advanced society significantly, making communication easier and information more accessible. Thanks to smartphone technology, the digital age is one of connection and conversation and has created a generation of informed, social youth. Teenagers—and even adults—who use their phones often should not be shamed; instead, the age of cellular technology as a major part of global communication should be accepted and even embraced.
Harmful:
By Sami Dickerson
Cellphone use in America is like the ultimate television screen. You get hooked onto it, enthralled by all the information it has to offer. Not only can you communicate with it, but many people find themselves putting their whole lives into one mobile device. Homework is completed on it, our health is recorded on it, all of our secrets captured by it. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “How is the essence of another human captured through this device?” How can a cellphone user substitute honest human interaction with a small screen and codes? Can we trust ourselves to not overuse this technology?
A recent survey at the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC found that over 91 percent of adults have cell phones in the United States. This is an exponential growth rate from 2005, when they were a mere 60 percent. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the same research center concluded that 78 percent of children ages 12 to 17 own and regularly use a cell phone. These numbers are at first startling, but then you can truly see that the root of the problem is the rate at which cell phone ownership has grown.
This exponential growth has been linked to social anxiety and depression in the last 10 years. In a 2008 study by leaders in social anxiety research at the University of Florida, out of 136 social anxiety patients, 36 percent of these being students, almost half linked their social anxiety causes to the ability to avoid human interaction through cell phone use.
People that own cell phones also have the availability to access the internet off of many of the phones that are sold; even the most basic models offer this feature. Over 24 percent of teens are addicted to internet use. Surprisingly enough, parents of teens have higher ratings than their teens do. During the time that these families are spending on their jobs, school, and basic necessities, how much time do they spend on their cell phones instead of interacting? One of the most viewed and discussed problems of cell phone use is the loss of honest, human-to-human interactions.
In a Gallup Poll from 2003, only 28 percent of families, including kids and parents, eat together seven nights a week. This number has drastically dropped since that study. People may ask, “Why is it so important to eat within a family unit?” Eating in any type of family unit produces higher self confidence, the ability to speak to large crowds, and the ability to form precise and intellectual reasoning, which are all attributes of skilled leaders.
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