In many instances, the evolution of the smartphone has been tremendous. However, many argue that although your smartphone keeps you connected – it is disconnecting you from the real world.
In many instances, the evolution of the smartphone has been tremendous. Each time a new version of phone is introduced, it can do one more thing to make your life that little bit easier. From asking Siri to schedule your calendar to using your iPhone as a torch and allowing you to stay connected to the world by keeping up with the news and snapchatting your friends. Many could argue that although your smartphone keeps you connected – it is disconnecting you from the real world. 20 years ago, walking down the street would consist of looking in shop windows and appreciating the weather. Now more and more people are being hit by cars because they dare to look up from their smart phone for a few moments to cross the road.
Today's younger generation are arguably addicted to their smartphones and social media. The way children have grown up since 2010 is completely different from those who were brought up in the 90’s. More and more children are getting iPhones or tablets on their birthdays and spending time indoors surfing the internet, playing games and connecting with social media. This shows a great difference between those who were brought up outdoors on their bikes and actually connecting with real people and not just screens. The latter is arguably the best way to have grown up which shows just how much technology has changed our lives.
Imagine how much we would achieve in a day without obsessively checking our smartphones. Trying to revise for exams or get any sort of coursework done can be hard when your trusty smartphone is beside you, helping you to procrastinate. It has even begun to affect many peoples sleeping patterns. For many, looking at your smart phone is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do before going to sleep, but studies have shown that using your phone before going to sleep can actually prevent your brain from realising its nighttime. The blue and white light which is given off by our smart phones prevents the hormone melatonin from being released. This is the hormone used for our brain to know that it is night. This means it takes longer for us to fall asleep. Although, Apple have introduced a ‘night shift’ feature which tries to counteract this by changing the colour of the screen to more warm toned colours, so that your brain isn’t confused as to what time of day it is.
Another way these life-saving-must-have-cant-live-without gadgets are taking over our lives is that they are also taking over our bank accounts. Apple introduce a new phone almost every year, along with other popular brands such as Samsung. With the newest iPhone prices starting at £999, it's almost impossible to condone spending so much on a mobile phone – especially for students. Even if you're not buying the phone outright – contracts soon rack up – although it seems almost impossible to deny yourself a smart phone even if you struggle to afford it.
Social media is also a massive contributor as to why we are so obsessed with our smart phones. Scrolling through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram can take up hours of our time and for some reason, becomes addicting to many of us. We begin to validate how good we are as a person by how many likes we get on our latest Instagram post or how many retweets we get. It is a very unhealthy outlook which can make people feel worthless. Hate coming from absolute strangers can change peoples mentality which really shows how social media has made a great impact on our lives.
Although, there is some great aspects to the smartphone. They allow us to stay in connection with people all over the world who otherwise you may not have been able to ever connect with again. They allow us to take and share photographs so that you will be able to treasure your memories, they allow us to speak our mind, support and raise awareness for a cause and even allow us to send a simple text asking how a friend is doing.