Smartphones indeed are helpful gadgets when it comes to communication and business applications. But is it really true that man has become too dependent on these?
We see a lot of people using their smartphones everywhere they go. You see them use these on restaurants, in their homes, at school, offices and even on walkways. Yes, smartphones’ popularity is on the rise. People are hooked and they can’t stop toggling on these playing the latest games, connecting to the Internet, making business calls and so forth. It seems that they have traded their dogs and this powerful gadget has become their real best friend.
Are smartphones really so smart that you just got to have one or has man become too much dependent on these gadgets that it may already be not considered healthy at all? Let’s weigh if the benefits are more than enough to validate the use smartphones compared to the downsides of owning one.
The Benefits:
- Smartphones are great for communication. Do you know how people communicated ages ago? If they wanted to communicate with someone living in another country, they would get a quill, get a piece of paper, then write painstakingly in calligraphy on a paper. The letter would be carried by a carriage. It would take days or even weeks for your letter to arrive to the recipient and if this was an emergency about your father turning ill, many things already transpired before your message would be read. Thank God you now live in a world full of technology. With your smartphones, you can send emails, make calls, and use VoIP like RingCentral services or Skype with data being sent in a matter of seconds.
- Smartphones are great for business. When you are an entrepreneur or an employee, smartphones can help you get organized. Many say that they cannot live without their smartphones not because they can’t help but need to be connected to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter but there are just some applications downloaded in it that helps them do their work better. An example of this would be Evernote, Dropbox and Outlook. It can be difficult to manage personal and work life at the same time and a smartphone offers a way to manage schedules, perfect when there are so many things that need to be done.
The Downsides:
1. You might forget basic skills. There used to be a time when math subjects were done by hand. It’s not that there is something wrong with the use of calculator, but what if your smartphone suddenly runs out of battery? See this. You went to the mall and you needed to buy certain items but you needed to stick to a certain budget. What if you went to a small grocery and they do not make use of barcode scanners? It would be really embarrassing to have some of the items returned especially if the person next in line is someone you know. While smartphones offer convenience, these might be crippling you from performing basic math skills like addition.
2. Smartphones may diminish social skills. There is a great difference between being able to talk over the phone and having a conversation through social media site with face-to-face interaction. Many people now just communicate with the use of their smartphones. They no longer see the value of visiting their parents on weekends or getting together with friends over dinner because they could just communicate with this gadget. While mobile communication is important to get in touch with family and friends, you should also not forget that you are a social being that needs to get out of your house once in a while. Building relationships online and through mobile phones may take the essence out of good old family gatherings and friendly dinner dates.
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Author : Michelle Simpson is a full-time professional editor that focuses on online writing services, specialized in the field of technology like RingCentral IP PBX, business and current trends in the industry.
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