Taylor Kinton

ENG 112

Mrs. Carroll

July 10, 2019

What have smart phones done to society?

Parents are saying will you all put your phones down for a bit please, to their children.

Look around everywhere people go and each person just about has a cell phone on them, even

some kids at a young age. It is absolutely crazy how the world has changed with this pocket size

PC that is called a smart phone. Originally when it came to spending time with family most did

not always have their phones in their hands at all times, but now that is all it is about. When

smart phones came into the world it changed so many things in our life. With how many people

have smart phones the numbers are outrageous, especially at a young age nowadays. Although

most people now work from their phones nonstop, you can do so much on the phones. The U.S.

estimated that a smartphone now sits in about two-thirds of American adults’ pockets (Phillips).

The people today now use their phone from talking to people or watching tv, Facebook,

Instagram and other apps that they use daily. It has changed from us just using this small phone

to make phone calls to having a small computer in our hands. A pocket size piece of technology

can do so much now. DiGiulio stated “our relationship with technology affects how we

communicate. But also affects the deeper ways we interact and connect with people”, according
to Dr. Sherry Turckle (Turckle qtd in DuGiulio). Phones has affected how we do our daily thing

each day.

To see how much a person interacting with their phones and barely with the people

around them. When DuGiulio said “One 2014 study followed 51 kids who spent five days at an

outdoor camp – no phones or laptops allowed. After time spent away from technology, the child

were better able to read facial expressions and identify emotions that they were shown compared

to a group of kids that didn’t attend camp,” while reading this article it caught my eye because it

is so many kids that rather play games and be on the phone then outdoors. With the new smart

phones we have today we can get anywhere that we want to with it, instead of using a map. We

can see what the weather is right there with the device in our hands, look up any clothing item or

shoes, etc. easily; the number of things that we can do with this pocket size computer, the

numbers are blown out of the water. Looking at kids today compared to growing up, it is all

about Xbox, play station, tablet, or phones to play games on, well back then you see kids playing

out in the yard, running around, riding bikes, and always finding something to do outside; it is

ridiculous how much things have changed over time so easily, all because of this small thing we

call a smart phone.

Every teenager with their phones in their hands just about everywhere they are, they are

always on them; even when they are around family; which has killed a lot of relationships these

days. Social impact has changed so much lately since these smart phones has so many different

things on them that you can download from the app store, now most people barley talk in person

they just on the phones and showing each other pictures or some clothing item, or shoes. I just

don’t see how people deal with it at times, especially when it is family around, you need to spend

time with them; because no one is promised tomorrow, spend the time you have with your family
and friends before it is too late. Just seeing how smart phones have changed so much in society is

absolutely crazy, just don’t see how some people are able to go without them when they go do

something when they lose service, you have to give them a break; spend time with family and

friends before you lose those around you. Put it down and enjoy a snack or some food or a drink

with friends or family, don’t just sit there on your phone showing each other stuff on it or taking

pictures; give it a break and be face to face to that person in front of you or the ones around you.

Honestly, communication is not how it used to be when you see people out with family and

friends. So many things have changed how people spend their time nowadays because of this

thing called a “cell phone,” which now you see so many different kinds of them. People use them

for everything and barely puts them down to spend and talk to the people that is around them.

Cell phones have ruined relationships between family, friends and spouses; honestly it is nothing

like it used to be. It seems like that is all people care about today. I feel like that is a reason why

these younger kids have no respect for their elders in today’s world, and that is why some

relationships between people do not work out. I feel like some people realize what phones has

done to people but the younger people just think it is normal because they were grew up around

it. Society is nothing like it used to be at all and it will continue to change as we grow, because

people live for the phones; they use them for everything in today’s world. “80 % of the world’s

population has a mobile device, it is an unreal number but then I thought well most of young kids

have cell phones already as of the parents (Impact of Smartphones on Society - Use of Mobile

Phones). Even some grandparents use smart phones. Social impact of today is totally different

because they are either talking about something on their phone or sharing things on their phone.

This numbers are unreal but are believable because of today’s world. The world has changed

completely with these new phones.

one another now. “The mobile phone has turned into a necessity in their daily life and checking

for text- messages has come to be a daily routine” (Katz and Aakhus 2002). People depend on

this small piece of technology so much, with everything that is going on around them. The age

groups is not really no different now, just about each age groups has a new smart phone to do

their daily thing with the cell phone. Grandparents told many stories of how they used to have a

house phone that was on the wall and you had to turn the whole dial all the way around to just

dial the one number, they always say it is nothing like it used to be for us back then compared to

now. “As we will see, the mobile telephone is more than simply a technical innovation or a

social fab” (Ling). This mobile telephone is everyone’s world now, they use it for everything. A

lot has changed from my grandparents time to what we use them for in today’s world.

Some cell phones are only used for certain things but most of the time they are never put

down. If spending time with family and friends, it should be put away; because there is a time

that it needs to be put it down and talk to the people around you. Always, wonder why some kids

these days, do not see outside because they see their parents all in their phones and that is all the

kids know or maybe a video game that they are playing. Nothing will ever change with how the

phones take over people and kids these days, because that is all most people know; because of

how this world has become.

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tech.co/news/smartphones-really-changing-world-2016-06.

DiGiulio, Sarah. “Your Smartphone Is Changing the Human Race in Surprising Ways.”

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questions/your-smartphone-may-actually-be-changing-human-race-n743866.

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society/.

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www.techrepublic.com/article/10-ways-mobile-devices-are-changing-society/.

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Smartphones-Revolutionized-Society-in-Less-than-a-Decade.html.