The
Hidden Dangers of Mobile Phone Addiction
Cell phones have come a very long way from the basic,
heavy brick like design they once were. Advances in technology have made mobile
phones smaller, lighter, and more efficient. You can access the internet,
email, send text messages, make phone calls, play games, do social networking,
and access a variety of other applications all through your smartphone. Today,
almost everyone owns a smartphone and whether we realize it or not, our lives
revolve around them. While these smartphones are quite amazing and handy, they
are proving to have some serious negative side effects. While the internet,
social media, video gaming, and online gambling can all prove to be serious
addictions, I feel mobile phones are the most dangerous since we can access so
much through them. Our addiction to our mobile phones has resulted in a lack of
real, tangible social interaction, a false sense of relation and connection
with others, and a reliance and inability to function without them.
With the majority of society owning and actively using a
cell phone on a highly regular basis, many are blinded with the sensationalized
perks of being “plugged in.” Those who do not merit the negatives of cell
phones often say that they allow us to form relationships without having to
actually meet or interact in person. They feel that cell phones help us stay
connected to those that we do not see regularly, and help people stay in
touch. Finally, they stress the
accessibility and versatility of cell phones, and benefits of doing everything
from one easy to use device. In theory these reasons are valid and appealing.
However, the human race has a tendency to abuse that which can be used for
good. Moderation is important in all things, and moderation is the last word I
would use to describe society’s use of cell phones.
While cell phones definitely do offer an element of
sociality through various forms of communication, they have become a substitute
for in person socialization, rather than a useful addition. Most people today
would rather use a variety of intangible modes of communication, such as
calling, texting, instant messaging, tweeting, liking, and favoriting. While
these all offer some form of communication on both a verbal and nonverbal
level, none of them compare with actually talking and socializing face to face
with another human being. Face to face interaction provides a deeper, more
complete form of communication that forms a more intimate and meaningful
relationship. This phenomenon has escalated to almost laughable extremes in
today’s world. Often I see two people sitting right next to each other,
completely silent, on their cell phones. Even when people are face to face,
they are distracted by their cell phone. In Britney Fitzgerald’s article
“Americans Addicted to Checking Smartphones, Would ‘Panic’ if Lost Device” she
discusses recently discovered facts about smartphone use in the United States
and says, “What once were considered bad behaviors have now become social
norms” (Fitzgerald). These bad behaviors include acts such as texting at the
dinner table, or scrolling on your phone when on a date. This shows that as a
society, we are devolving in our social skills, and are relying on our cell
phones to avoid conversation and interaction that is necessary to developing
social skills with other human beings.
Some say that cell phones, and social media especially,
allow us to stay connected with people we may not see regularly. While if used
responsibly this can be true, the use of cell phones and social media more
often than not leads to a false sense of connection with other human beings.
This false sense may satisfy our natural longing for social interaction and connection,
but it is actually distancing us from real interaction, and only making us lonelier.
If people were only using cell phones to occasionally text or call a friend
they had not heard from in a while, there wouldn’t be much of a problem.
However, when we obsessively scroll through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
even old text messages, we see the posts of people we know (or claim to know)
and we automatically make a connection with that person and that post. Whether
it is positive or negative, significant or insignificant, a connection is made.
We could be seeing posts every day from someone we haven’t talked to in months,
or even people we barely ever knew and create a false sense of relation and
connection with that person. In reality, they may not even notice that you
follow their posts, yet you can feel a relatively strong sense of connection. A
human interaction provides reciprocal communication, and involves both sides, creating
a deeper and more realistic connection. The International Center for Media and the
Public Agenda wrote an article called “Students Addicted to Social Media” that
follows the study and results of depriving students from their phones and
social media for 24 hours: “But what they spoke out about in the strongest
terms was how their lack of access to text messaging, phone calling, instant
messaging, e-mail, and Facebook, meant that they couldn’t connect with friends
who lived close by, much less those far away” (484). This shows that people are
becoming dependent on the connection they feel through digital communication
mediums, and are relatively alone without them. If this continues, society may
become less social, and more disconnected from one another.
Lastly, many seem to think that the ability to do
everything from your phone is more convenient, and makes life easier. This is
true, but what happens when you lose your phone. One student in the
International Center for Media and the Public Agenda study stated, “I clearly
am addicted and the dependence is sickening. I feel like most people these days
are in a similar situation” (483). This student was only asked to go for one
day without their phone. What if it was longer? Fitzgerald says “ If in some catastrophic
event they were to lose their device, 73 percent of people admit they would
feel ‘panicked’ while another 14 percent would feel ‘desperate’ ” (Fitzgerald).
While at first this may sound a bit high, in reality it is not surprising at
all. Cell phones really are quite amazing, and you can do just about anything
from them. Many people’s whole lives are run through their cell phones. The
problem with having such a great dependency on one item is that it can be
easily lost, stolen, or broken. People need to lessen their dependency by
reducing the frequency and time spent on their phone. The fact that we feel great
anxiety or distress when we don’t have our phone for a few hours is enough
cause for concern. People need to use their phone less, and not put complete
reliance on them for so many aspects of their life.
While cell phones are quite amazing and can do just about
everything, they have become an often unhealthy accessory in the lives of many
people. This reliance on cell phones has blossomed into a very serious addiction
that is relatively overlooked by most of society. Our judgement has been
clouded by changing social norms, media hype, and the overwhelming popularity
of cell phones and mobile devices. Our addiction to our mobile phones has
resulted in a lack of real, tangible social interaction, a false sense of
relation and connection with others, and a reliance and inability to function
without them. If you are failing to see this, try it for yourself. See how long
you can go without your phone, and what kind of reactions you have. I bet the
excuses are filling your mind already as to why you are an exception, and why
you just cannot go without it. The
proof is in the pudding.
Works
Cited
Fitzgerald, Britney.
“Americans Addicted to Checking SmartPhones, Would ‘Panic’ if Lost
Device.” Huffingtonpost.com.
Huffington Post, 21 June 2012. Web. 28 May 2015.
International Center
for Media and the Public Agenda. “Students Addicted to Social Media.”
Signs of Life in
the USA. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. 2015. Print
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