According to data collected by Apple, iPhone users pull out their phones around 80 times a day. This is approximately 30,000 times over a year period. Our minds are becoming addicted to these devices and are dependent on them. One study that I found exceptionally interesting included 41 iPhone users that showed signs of high blood pressure, increased pulse, and decline in problem solving skills whenever their phone buzzed or beeped. These results were quite shocking and show that this type of technology has some sort of an impact on our brains. Another study went on to show how just the presence of smartphones can cause our intellect to decline rapidly. In this particular study, they divided 520 undergraduate students and tested their intellectual acuity with two separate tests. One group was placed in a room with their phones on the table, another group was told to put their phones in their pocket or bags, and the last group was told to place their phones in a separate room. The results of the study concluded that just the presence of smartphones had a decent effect on our intelligence. Those that had the phones on the tables did the worst followed by those that had them in their pocket or bag. Those that placed the devices in a separate room scored the highest.
Based on these studies, one can surmise that smartphones have the potential to do more harm than good to cause obstacles in daily life. While we have a lot of technology in these smartphones, the real question here is if we would be better off without them. If we are constantly faced with anxiety and endless distractions, are we reaching our potential as human beings?
Please write your opinions below.
Taylor, this seems to be a common discussion these days. It is insane how many times I have personally picked up my phone seconds after I already checked social media and texts. I agree that it has a negative affect on us and it has creeped into later generations. That study you mentioned is very interesting and I'm curious to know what kind of questions/tasks were involved. I think we have become so dependent on our cell phones that even if the negative statistics were right in front of us, we would continue using them just as much.
ReplyDeleteTaylor,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post regarding social media and the harm that it has on our lives. It is crazy to see individuals especially millennials ALWAYS on their phones and other technological devices. It seems to be only getting worse as time goes on. Another point I would like to add is how phones are presenting great harm for our social skills. People these days are solely communicating through phones and online platforms making them resistant to physical interactions. With all this being said, smartphones and technology also have many beneficial aspects to them. For example, they can save lives when people are in danger and also allow us to communicate and receive news in a way that could never be possible without them.