Impact of Smartphone Technology on Peoples Relation to One Another - Article Example

?Impact of Smartphone Technology on People’s Relation to One Another Introduction Phones have undergone great transformation over the many years of use. From simple tools for only making calls, phones nowadays come with various capabilities to serve various other purposes. Smartphones, the latest entrant into the telephone technology, has been described by Ismael et al. as mobile technology devices that have advanced features such as computer processing capabilities and Internet access. They bridge communication and personal computing to wireless networks, putting together the capabilities of a computer and a mobile phone in a single device. Together with the portability of these devices, the computational capability of smartphones have made the devices increasingly become popular with 42% of all mobile subscribers in the US using smartphones, where 37% and 60% of adults and teens respectively acknowledge their addiction to the devices (Sarwar and Soomro 218). In fact, Boulos, Wheeler, and Jones observe that the devices have offered immense competition to personal computers in their market and have impacted “not only on the manner in which we communicate, but also on our sense of culture, community, identity and relationships” (2). Thus, this paper articulates the positive and negative effects of smartphone technology with regard to how it has transformed people’s way of communication, conducting and transacting in business and entertainment. Smartphone technology has changed the way people communicate, making it even more convenient. Other than its portability, a smartphone offers Internet connectivity capabilities which open up the device to various ways through which communication, whether formal or informal could be undertaken. One of the weaknesses that e-mail communication had before the advent of smartphones according to Derks and Bakker was accessibility. E-mails would only be accessed in the presence of a computer. But smartphones offer wireless Internet connectivity such that users receive and respond to e-mail communications whenever, wherever. This makes people available whenever needed, hence more appreciation of e-mails as communication tools. Other than instant communication, smartphones provide various options through which people communicate. The devices have transformed people from using the traditional modes of communication, particularly e-mails and phone calls, to other modes such as WhatsApp, an application that allows for instant messaging. Such applications have transformed group communications such that people no longer have to meet physically to communicate. Rather, through group communication platforms, such as applications like WhatsApp and social media platforms, groups interact conveniently. If need be, these people could see each other as they communicate through the web cameras on the devices which bridges the distance (Boulos, Wheeler, and Jones 4). This has greatly reduced on the time that was initially spent to make decisions, thus people not only enjoy the convenience of the technology but also the promptness with which it allows for decisions to be made. The portability and greater functionality of smartphone technology have transformed the way entrepreneurs conduct businesses and execute their transactions, hence giving business greater capabilities, which in turn generate more business opportunities. In a study conducted in Malaysia, Osam et al. (274) acknowledge the advancement in computing power and connectivity of smartphones compared to contemporary mobile phones. Businesspeople appreciate this capacity and use smartphones to conveniently and promptly access the required information, be it on stocks, market prices of commodities or foreign exchange rates among others. This enables them to make prompt and informed business decisions whenever needed, regardless of their location. Moreover, marketing being an important component of business has greatly transformed with the introduction of smartphones to the market. Marketers use the various communication capabilities provided by smartphones to broadcast their messages through social media and instant messaging platforms. This way, they reach a greater market more conveniently. These marketers also use these smartphones to meet their customers’ needs by responding to their demands instantaneously through the relevant platforms, be they through social media or communication applications. Additionally, the ability to instantly send photos as documented by Ismail et al. enables them to share with their customers pictures of their merchandise, understand their customers’ needs better and meet such needs. Smartphones have thus transformed the way businesses are conducted, opening up greater business opportunities. Entertainment has greatly advanced with the introduction of the smartphone technology. The various application stores give access to a myriad of games from which users select their preferred games to play during their leisure. Radio entertainment no longer depends on the frequencies accessible by radio devices as smartphones provide the capability to tune into various radio stations around the globe through the Internet. Internet radio, as referred to as by Sarwar and Soomro (219), provides smartphone users with a variety of options of what radio station would entertain them. It would thus be a common scene to see young people today walk around with headphones and earphones, each of them tuned into their own radio station of choice if not playing games from the apps store. It would, therefore, be critical to appreciate that smartphones have transformed entertainment from a choice from limited options to giving unlimited options. Even with this culture change, smartphones have caused people to behave in some ways that negatively impact the society. The transformation in the way people communicate has slowly eroded the culture of spending time as a family unit. Smartphones have propagated working away from the office through use of the devices, referred to as tele-working by Derks and Bakker. Thus, instead of workers relaxing and spending time with their families after work, they engage themselves in work activities, a trend that could break the culture of family bonding. Because of the various fascinating communication platforms that come with graphics, smartphones have greatly contributed to dangerous driving cultures. Further compounded by people’s addiction to their smartphones, drivers would always want to engage in communication with their friends even when driving, a culture that could cause road accidents. Another culture that has been largely been attributed to smartphones is the solitude culture exhibited by people who get more glued to their smartphones at the expense of the people around them. In homes, parents and children alike would be busy on their smartphones, locking the other people in the home out. With the trend where Sarwar and Soomro (218) record 23% and 43% of adults and teens using their smartphones during mealtimes, there would be little time left to catch up with whoever the meal could be shared with. Gradually, such people resort to solitude lives where they spend most of their time with their smartphones and not physically with their friends and family. This antisocial and solitude culture hampers the relationship that smartphone users have with their friends and families, hence a negative attribute to the smartphone technology. Conclusion Indeed, smartphones have impacted on various aspects of the way people express themselves, do business, get entertained and generally live. The technology has brought about cultures that have made humans lead a convenient life, with information being available whenever and wherever needed due to the portability of smartphones and the advanced computation capabilities that come with them. Hence, individuals and organizations have adopted better ways to communicate instantly and conveniently; entrepreneurs have adopted convenient business practices that enable them access information when needed and market effectively, thus more business opportunities; and entertainment has transformed into a culture of many options. The associated negative communication mannerisms and the antisocial way of life are a result of poor phone etiquette that result from improper usage or abuse of the functional capabilities provided by the technology. Hence, to reap maximum gains from this emerging and increasingly popular technology, guidance on proper usage of the technological devices would be critical. Works Cited Boulos, M. N. K., Steve Wheeler, and Ray Jones. “How Smartphones are Changing the Face of Mobile and Participatory Healthcare: An Overview, with Example from eCAALYX.” BioMedical Engineering OnLine 10.24 (2011): 1 – 14. Derks, D., and Arnold B. Bakker. “The Impact of E-Mail Communication on Organizational Life.” Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace 4.1 (2010). Web. 24 October 2013. http://cyberpsychology.eu/view.php?cisloclanku=2010052401 Ismail, W. K. W., et al. “Acceptance of Smartphone in Enhancing Patient-Caregivers Relationship.” Journal of Technology Management & Innovation 17.3 (2012). Web. 5 Oct. 2013. http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0718-27242012000300007&script=sci_arttext Osman, M. A. et al. “A Study of the Trend of Smartphone and its Usage Behavior in Malaysia.” International Journal on New Computer Architectures and their Applications 2.1 (2012): 274 – 285. Sarwar, Muhammad, and Tariq R. Soomro. “Impact of Smartphone’s on Society.” European Journal of Scientific Research 98.2 (2013): 216 – 226. Read More