Before the advent of the internet, phones were primarily used for communication. However, with the introduction of answering machines to supplement the traditional landlines in the 1980s, the reliance on phones started to wane. The subsequent development of fax machines and computers have also changed the media. However, none of these has been a game changer compared to smartphones. With the introduction of these gadgets, communication has been made easier. however, the social impact of the phones cannot be overlooked. The advent of smartphones, together with the emergence of social networks, have impacted the dissemination of information among people.
Today, over one billion people use these gadgets. Despite the way the phones have revolutionized communication, they have disrupted the role of conventional types of media as platforms for information dissemination. With the introduction of smartphones, the number of people who spend their time on the internet has significantly increased. Through these gadgets, accessing the internet has become easier. Even though conventional forms of media such as televisions, radios, and newspaper still dominate, many more people rely on phones to access information. Added to the fact that they portable, mobile phones have become an important way of accessing social media platforms.
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Today, it has become much easier to capture and share information over social media platforms via smartphones compared to traditional media. In fact, many more people are moving towards accepting their phones as credible sources of information. In the near future, many more will rely on phones for various reasons. The likely scenario, in this case, is that traditional forms of media will have fewer people interested in them. Even at present, many large organizations will gladly place their advertisements on social media platforms because they provide a wider audience. All these have been made possible through the advent of smartphone. The implication, from this is that smartphones have disrupted traditional media through the emergence of social networks. The effects of the gadgets transcend people’s social lives; they include economic and cultural influences.
The level of use of social media among the younger generation is very high. Teenagers are the most addicted to their smartphones because it exposes them to a reality without limits on freedom. Their level of engagement on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has been made possible through smartphones. Before the introduction of the phones, such engagements were not that high. However, the freedom comes with the challenge of protecting the young and vulnerable from accessing harmful information. Besides, the exposure to social media may lead to unsuspecting users falling victims to sexual perverts. Therefore, mobile telephony has impacted social media in positive and negative ways.
Smartphones have interfered with normal social interactions. Today, it is common to see a group of friends sitting in a room ignoring each other while interacting with other people elsewhere through social media platforms. The situation best summarizes the benefits and shortcomings of smartphones. Arguably, the gadgets have made communication easier but not better. With the phones, people can communicate with those far away from them easily at the expense of developing strong ties with those around them.
Studies have suggested that smartphones can affect face-to-face communication. When a phone disrupts a normal conversation through an incoming mail, call, chat, or any notification, such a conversation is deemed less fulfilling. In such a case, the parties involved in a talk are likely to be distracted from holding candid face-to-face communication. Although the gadgets have made communication faster and easier, they are ruining immediate social interactions.
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- Snickars, Pelle and Patrick Vonderau. Moving Data: The IPhone and the Future of Media. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012. Print.
