Throughout the years smartphones have grown to play an important role within our society today. Currently in our world today most people aren’t able to live without their smartphones. We have been so accustomed to constantly using smartphones to the point where our brains have become dependent on it and we seem to imagine life or ourselves without. It’s the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see at night. In the article called “How Much Do We Depend on Our Smartphones?” written by Jess Bolluyt she states how almost “Fifty-four percent of smartphone owners say that their phone is “not always needed,” while 46% say it’s something they “couldn’t live without.” Nowadays we feel the need to photograph everything just to say it happened without actually living in the moment. Specifically at a concert, everyone is so consumed with getting everything on video that we forget to truly enjoy the moment as well as our surroundings.
Another way in which we have become to dependant on our smart phones is during class. We try to find any way to use our phones causing us to get distracted by social media. There are many different examples that show how we rely immensely on our smartphones specifically at the dinner table when it’s time to reconnect with family after a long day we somehow try to use our phones. A majority of people nowadays have a fear of missing out which is why even at the movie theatre we try to incorporate our phone in some way so that we can say up to date but at the same time enjoy the movie. We get so caught up in texting, calling and social media to the point where we cloud our perspective and we neglect the ones that are right in front of us due to the dependance of our smartphones.
Most of us are constantly using our smartphones on a daily basis- even when we are pulling up directions, checking our email, texting or listening to music we seem to be glued to our smartphones most of the time. In fact, even misplacing our phones can cause an meltdown due to the attachment that we have created with it. Even when it comes to basic communication skills people struggle with that because we depend so much on technology. Phones were invented for us to stay connected to people close and far away from us. We are able to utilize an endless list of outlets such as social media but this has allowed us to lack genuine contact when it comes to communicating in person with one another. I realized that people seem to be finding connections more behind their smart phones rather than in person.
The article also mentions how “Additionally, smartphone owners often reported that their phones made them feel productive or happy, but 57% of smartphone owners reported feeling “distracted” thanks to their phone, while 36% reported that their phone made them feel “frustrated.” In my opinion I feel as if my generation lacks genuine connection and truly cherishing not only our surrounds but valuing face to face communication. We can address this issue of feeling the need to constantly be attached to our smartphones by reducing the number of apps on our phones and uninstalling games that keeps us distracted from reality. It’s important that we detach ourselves from technology especially when it’s affecting our regular communication skills . It’s essential that we let go of the constant need to have our smartphones. Letting go is always difficult because it means allowing yourself to let go of certain aspects that you may of thought you weren’t able to live without.
