3 How cellphones are affecting our everyday lives and social skills

Introduction: Did you know people use their phones for about four hours and 37 minutes daily? We spend eight hours sleeping and about 7-8 other hours working a job or in school, leaving about four hours in our free time because we are too busy on our phones. The same could be said with scrolling on social media and playing video games; all we are starting to do is stare at a screen all day without human interaction. Therefore, cell phones and instant technology are consuming all our time in our daily lives and affecting human interactions.

Information About Topic:

The first touchscreen phone was invented in 1992 by IBM Simon, and it featured a calculator, a touch screen, email, and the ability to work on networks. This was when our world changed forever. People saw this invention and started to get ideas of the phone’s capabilities, which paved the way for what was to come, which was the iPhone. The iPhone was made in 2007 by Steve Jobs and Apple. Now, people can check their emails, message people, call people, play games, and do whatever they want with the touch of their phone. The older generations did not grasp this new concept as quickly as the rising younger generations were amazed by the latest technology. As the years passed, apps and social media were introduced onto the iPhone. In 2008, apps were created, and you could now have Facebook on your phone. Individuals can now look at your emails and all the other basic stuff you did on your phone, plus posting/checking various social media sites. Most people were now starting to bring their phones everywhere because if they needed to contact someone, they could, or if they needed to pass the time, they could go on their phones to check or post on several sites. However, things started to heat up when social media apps were invented in 2010. Twitter was rising, Instagram had just been created, and Snapchat was just being introduced. Mobile games like Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride, Candy Crush, and many more were also on the rise. Everyone was starting to buy an iPhone, and then they started making smaller iPads and laptops to go along with these items to get even more distractions.

Now, everyone was getting phones and staring at their screens all day, affecting time spent and interactions with people. Overall, cell phones have made communication more readily available; you can pick up your phone and instantly text or call someone almost anywhere in the world. It’s possible that cell phones have negatively affected speaking and listening communication skills as well. It’s not likely to wholly replicate these important visual cues during spoken conversations on mobile phones. People can use video conferencing apps on their phones. However, the small screens make it impossible to experience all body language, gestures, and other cues. As such, the listener may miss out on valuable, unspoken information(1).

Story: When I was 13 years old, I got my first iPhone; now, kids are getting iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks at 8 years old! When I got home from school, I would go on my phone or iPad for hours without interacting with my friends or family.  I do not spend this amount of time on my phone now, but other friends do, especially now that this generation is experiencing the invention of  TikTok. I will be walking to class, and most people I walk by are on their phones, not even looking where they are going. Another example is when I go to dinner with my cousin, he will bring his phone and iPad and barely talk when we try to have a family dinner. Cell phones may enable anti-social behaviors because people get buried in their phones. Therefore, A lot of people have an addiction to their cell phones and can’t function without them(2). Everyone could improve their lives by eliminating looking at their phones 24/7. Try running, working out, and hanging out with your friends, but don’t just spend as much time scrolling on your phones; there are always solutions to a bad problem. We have to be innovative and choose the best solution for us.

Connection to STS: 

Technology has been evolving rapidly. When computers were first introduced, they were so big they had to be housed in massive rooms. Now, we all have handheld computers in our cell phones. Individuals can communicate constantly with anyone worldwide and access all information systems. Data can be accessed and obtained in real-time. Navigation and calculation systems are additional combinations that allow complex operations. Medical collaborations such as monitoring vital signs and emergency connections are other technological capabilities and improvements in the cell phone. Cell phones have transformed into pocket computers for many individuals. The effects of always having a laptop available are numerous. This effect of the phone was so massive that little kids now have one, bring them to school, and if you do not have your phone, it feels like a part of you is missing.

Conclusion: The emergence of the cell phone and all the various options and ways to use the telephone have impacted social interactions between individuals. People have seen the phone merge from a convenient way to connect with people or research data into a traveling computer loaded with all gaming systems, calculating, data collection, and all types of applications and social media. All these options have made people spend a lot of time searching for and surfing for information. The time spent interacting with the phone has impacted the time individuals interact with one another.  This has affected people’s social skills and ability to interact with many individuals. Hopefully, we learn to use this technology positively so that improved phone capabilities do not negatively affect individuals’ social interactions.

References

Experience, G. (2022). How cell phones affect communication skills. Retrieved from https://www.gcu.edu/blog/gcu-experience/how-cellphones-affect-communication-skills

UoPeople, W. of. (2024). How have cell phones changed us socially? Retrieved from https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/how-have-cell-phones-changed-us-socially/

Tanil, C. T., & Yong, M. H. (2020). Mobile phones: The effect of their presence on learning and memory. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7425970/

Author links open overlay panelHenry Gleitman, Adler, N., Agranoff, B. W., Arora, H. L., Baerends, G. P., Bull, H. O., … Dücker, G. (2008). Learning and memory. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1546509808601491

Turkle, S. (2015). Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. United States: Penguin Publishing Group.