Cellular phone usage has become so vital that its applications are made for every area of our lives. What was once for mere entertainment has blossomed to cover practical as well as frivolous pursuits. The primary attraction of smartphones is access to the Internet (Walton & Donner, 2012) and its various applications for such tasks including search, download, watching movies and television, banking, travel services and location-based services/GPS (Preetinder, Ashwini & Tejkaran, 2012).
As this phenomena continues to indelibly embed itself into the fabric of our lives, several safety concerns have arisen. In the health care field especially, there is potential for security and privacy risks (Preetinder, et al, 2012). Just the idea of a phone ringing during a triple-bypass surgery can bring to mind tragic or fatal results. Studies have shown that a ringing phone can be associated with an involuntary orienting response that is characterized by a brief distraction from the task at hand (Shelton, Elliot, Lynn & Exner, 2009). A brief distraction can make a world of difference depending on the task at hand. Shelton, et al (2009) make the point that some people use popular songs as ringtones and the sound of these tunes could result in attention being distracted for even longer.
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Businesses that rely on privacy run the risk of a security breach with the use of smartphones with their attached cameras and scanners; sensitive material can be compromised. Companies that obtain or retain payment information like credit card numbers and bank accounts run serious risk as well. The implications of copying sensitive material through illicit cell phone use can wreak havoc on businesses and have a deleterious global effect; companies are coming to grips with this.
There is an obvious difference in the cell phone usage of older adults and younger adults or children. Older people have adapted to the new technology in large numbers, but for those who don’t remember time before cell phones, the device can be thought of as an extension of their own minds. Smartphone usage can be seen as advantageous for children and teens. Young people learn through play and ever-increasing horizons can be reached through social networking (Walton & Donner, 2012). They suggest that public venues do more to complement smartphone usage to young people’s advantage rather than restrict it.
For older people, navigation through a vast array of applications can help with any facet of life, including work. While this can be true, it can be disconcerting and unsettling for a cell phone to ring during such proceeding as a courtroom trial. Smartphones are seen as a distraction when undivided attention (and respect) are expected. “Cellular phones, including smartphones, are known to be detrimental to cognitive performance. Their use increases reaction time, reduces focus, and lowers performance of tasks needing mental concentration and decision-making” (Preetinder, et al, 2012). The advent of practical applications that deal with banking, job search, background checks, navigational devices and other adult pursuits have the older population as engrossed as the younger counterparts.
Several questions remain in the research of cell phone usage and its effects on our social interaction. Research shows that individuals who are lonely prefer to talk on the phone, while those suffering from anxiety would rather text (Liebert, M.A., 2007). Is today’s loneliness offset by or a cause and effect of the smartphone? While people like to refer to having an active cell phone as being “plugged in” to the world around them, a person using a smartphone is isolated with the device. They are often oblivious to the world and the people around them. In that manner, is the cell phone destroying human interrelationships? As the smartphones grow smarter, are humans getting less intelligent?
Another research question that can be explored is what does all this technology cost the individual? An observation of society shows people using cell phones during times they might be enjoying what is commonly known as ‘downtime’. What of the time for personal introspection, meditation, and/or prayer that is now spent playing Candy Crush? This is a particularly challenging question because although the variable of spirituality is not easily measured, there is an argument for the fact that we remain plugged in more often than we take time out. Can this have detrimental effects on mental health or emotional intelligence? Society as a whole seems less personal and more distant from one another under the guise of being ‘connected’.
The field of smartphone technology and its effects on the individual, commerce, education and society as a whole is full of opportunities for further research. Further guidelines on how to govern usage will surely evolve as more information is produced about smartphone usage and its effects across different venues.
- Liebert, M.A. (2007). Text or talk? Social anxiety, loneliness and divergent
preferences for cell phone use. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 10(3),
doi: 10:1089/cpb.2006.9936 - Preetinder, S.G., Ashwini, K. & Tejkaran, S.G. (2012). Distraction: an
assessment of smartphone usage in health care work settings. Risk
Management and Healthcare Policy, 2012:5: 105-114.
doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S34813. - Shelton, J.T., Elliot, E.M., Lynn, S.D, & Exner, A. (2009). The distracting effects of
a ringing cell phone: An investigation of the laboratory and the classroom
settings. Journal of Environmental Psychology. Dec 2009; 29(4): 513-521.
doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.03.001. - Walton, M. & Donner, J. (2012). Public access, private mobiles: Understanding the
Interplay and impact in Cape Town. Global Impact Study Research Report
Series. Seattle: University of Washington Information School.
