2. What is a smartphone? A Smartphone, according to Wikipedia, is a sophisticated handheld mobile phone which has functions good enough to be a handheld computer. It has advanced functions which include connections to the internet and has the ability to receive application software for example Microsoft office.
3. My view on smartphones A smartphone is a very innovative and advanced piece of technology and its advantages come second to none. However we can not deny that they have negative effects on certain aspects of our lives for example productivity, communication, social engagement and education.
4. Arguments in support of smartphones Smartphones allow a person to always be aware of what is going on anywhere at anytime. The advantage of being able to get connected to the internet makes it easier to work out of the office for the working class. It supposedly increases productivity due to the fact that workers are more connected to changes in the business enviroment.
5. Arguments against smartphones Smartphones are addictive and according to research by a Rutgers University team the same treatment used to cure drug addicts is the same to cure smartphone addiction. They lower the rate of productivity, according to a survey in the Dynamic Business Magazine(2010). According to Dickinson, A (2010) 70% of workers spend time purchasing items on line instead of working.
6. Continuation..... They distract students in fact that they get notified of any e-mail or message waiting to be read, igniting the curiosity to read it. A shift from concentrating at school or work to other distractions on a smartphone has negative results. Targets are never met at school and work therefore reducing productivity and pass rates in school.
7. Negative effects on society So many time we have heard of case were certain videos are passed around of other people and they wont really be the most friendly either. This affects the people involved, brings them a bad reputation too.
8. An example of a distraction The video below is an example of the ‘funny’ things people can store on their phones. If one finds it hilarious they will want to show their friend or Bluetooth it around causing people to focus less on school work or work and get entertained by such things.
10. Research that has been undertaken. Dickinson, A (2010) researched on the effect of smartphones on productivity. MIT Sloan School of Management (2007) researched on why people fail to meet targets in businesses. Rutgers University (n.d) reseached on the treatment for smartphone addicted people. University of Florida (2006) researched on the impact of smartphones on families.
11. Findings…… A study by a research team, MIT Sloan School of management in 2007 proved that the use the blackberry causes divided attention between socialising and work therefore reducing productivity. Research by a Rutgers University team shows that the same treatment for drug addicts is used on smartphone addicts. Dickinson, A. (2010) discovered that 70% of workers are online purchasing items instead of working.
12. Findings continued University of Florida found that phones bring a negative impact on families due to the fact that more time is spend on smartphones than with family members.
13. Statistics The graph below shows a research done in the U.S.A showing the use of mobile phones. These are statistics over a period of 3 months from October 2009 to January 2010. It looked at the top mobile producers, main activities of users and top application software used.
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15. Findings 42.7 million out of 234 million American mobile phone users own smartphones. Its an 18% increase over 3 months. The 1st most done activity is texting the 2nd being browsing the web according to the findings. Users of smartphone that can connect to the internet increased by 18% in three months.
16. Conclusion I believe that the intension of smartphones was for development sake from sub-standards technology to more advanced means of communicating. However due to the lack of self control that people have in working with these improvements they are proving to be a nuisance in places such work places and in school.
