Over the summer I went to go visit my friend in Florida for the weekend and hang out by the water. One of the days we decided to go on her boat and explore more of the coast, not taking into account the insane downpours of rain that come from hurricane season in Florida. About 20 minutes into our drive a torrential rainstorm began. We immediately turned around and started to head back to the dock, hiding ourselves under our towels. Unlucky for me my towel was not enough, and my phone got soaked with water, damaging and eventually breaking it. I tend to be very easygoing so I was not bothered at first knowing I would get it fixed at some point and could get it fixed at some point later on after the trip. My eased mind quickly went away when the time came to go to the airport and get back to New York. I realized how difficult everything became without a phone (and a wallet which I had left at my friend’s house). My confirmation code for my flight was written on my hand and luckily after making it on the flight I was sitting outside JFK on my computer texting my family for help ordering an Uber to help get me home.
After that excursion, I realized how dependent we have become to our cell phones and technology and how hard simple or daily tasks become without a phone. Cell phones were created in order to make life easier and more efficient, but has it gone overboard and ended up negatively affecting our way of life? With a few simple swipes people can pay their bills, book appointments, contact others, and what seems to be an infinite number of other accessibilities. Cell phones are no longer just an exciting indulgence but a part and necessity of everyday life. Phone calls, text messages, and emails are key and prominent ways of communication and if you aren’t on your device for a long period of time you could easily miss a very important message say from your boss or a loved one. While I was in the airport asking people for help explaining my situation people would look at me like I had two heads when I said I didn’t have a phone with me. I realized that so much of my life was on my phone I had my apple wallet, all my passwords, my way of communicating with others, and so much more on my phone. We put so much reliance on our phones that without them it becomes a lot harder to be a part of and keep up with the society we live in. To be involved in our social structure a cell phone now seems to be a necessity. Cell phones have completely changed the way we communicate with one another because it has allowed us to communicate with others from a distance with a simple text instead of a call or in-person conversation.
Most people are becoming too dependent on cell phones and letting them be integrated too much into their life. I can say I fall victim to this too but for most cell phones are the first thing people look at in the morning and the last thing before going to sleep. A study by Asurion found that the average American checks their phone about 80 times a day. Phone addiction has become so common because these companies’ goal is to keep people’s attention on their phones for as long as possible. Social media, texting, and many other applications make it easier for individuals to stare at their phones for hours (Fee, 2020).
Although the purpose of cell phones is to help make connecting with others easier and more constant, I find that they are really making us less connected with one another. Cell phones make it possible for us to keep up with others without actually seeing them. Instead of interacting with others or being a part of the real world, it is easy for people to spend hours isolated on their phones. Multiple studies have found sleep deficit, anxiety, stress,
depression, and other harmful effects associated with mobile addiction (Shoukat, 2019). Younger generations are most affected by this because they grew up in the era of the growth of cell phones. The need and reliance on cell phones are continuing to grow because tech companies are finding more ways for phones to be used for more tasks and other companies are adjusting themselves to be a part of mobile use.
It is important to advance and develop as a society but the continuous growth of reliance on cell phones can be harmful. It does not feel right to me that it feels almost impossible to operate and be a part of our society without a phone. When everything is connected to our phones, we disconnect more from the rest of the world because of all the time spent on our phones. All the excessive time spent on our phones is detrimental to both our physical and psychological health. We should continue to innovate and find new ways to live more efficiently but not to the point where we can’t function in day-to-day life without a black square.
Work Cited
Shoukat S. Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents. EXCLI J. 2019 Feb 4;18:47-50. PMID: 30956638; PMCID: PMC6449671.
Fee, Megan. Loquitur, 19 Feb. 2019, https://theloquitur.com/how-your-phone-dependency-affects-your-daily-life/.
I think it is ok to depend on some technology like phones but now we are attached to our phones for the wrong reason. We do need phones to send message to friends or call a uber, just like we need airplanes to travel. However, apps like TikTok are designed to be addictive to absorb our attention, making them harmful for our mind. I guess we need to keep in mind when we are using technologies for necessities and when we are using them because we are addicted.
I agree with your arguments and points of discussion and truly think that this age of technology is highly correlated with the increase in mental health rates. The concept of a phone has been so integrated into every niche of our lives, that it is extracting this human connection to do things virtually rather than in real life. This even goes into smaller tasks like going to the bank to deposit money or even meeting with a professor at in person office hours rather than over zoom. I specifically wonder how one's college experience can shift if it was tech-free? Most of our education has been hyper-focused on the computer: zoom lectures and conference rooms, google teams internship interviews, digital…