The Societal Impact of Smartphones: Benefits, Risks, and Moderation

This essay delves into the multifaceted impacts of smartphones on contemporary society. It examines how smartphones, as mobile technologies, have revolutionized communication, information access, and social interaction, leading to unprecedented connectivity. The essay explores the positive aspects, such as instant access to information and business applications, and the negative consequences, including smartphone addiction (nomophobia), physical health issues, and the impact on teenagers' social lives. It references studies on employee smartphone usage, social media's influence on teenagers, and the psychological effects of smartphone dependence. The paper emphasizes the need for moderation and discipline in smartphone usage, suggesting strategies for individuals and parents to manage smartphone use and mitigate its potential downsides while harnessing its benefits for culture, education, and business.

Running Head: EXPLORING THE IMPACTS OF SMART PHONES
Exploring the Impacts of Smart phones
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Exploring the Impacts of Smart phones
The proliferation of smart phones in the modern era into the society has steered in an age
of unparalleled connection. People in the society prefer to have a mobile device that fulfills their
wants to remain connected plus be accessible at any hour. Smartphone is among mobile
technologies that permit people to converse in addition to pass more easily information, like text,
photo, and document via the mobile networks. People around the world are currently linked to
distance associates, never-ending entertainment, as well as practically unrestricted access to
information (Severin et al., 2015). With smart phones in hand, people can be able to confirm the
weather, buy and sell stocks whilst fixed in traffic jam, surf the prospective passionate associates
amid appointments , purchase products through online whilst footing in-store along with live-
stream each others’ encounters, in an instantaneous, from opposed side of the world (Klauer et
al., 2014). However, regardless of whether the smart phones have resulted in addiction, there is
an effortless actuality that everything may be misused where moderation is crucial. This
explanatory paper will examine the impact of smart phone to the society and the need for
moderation (Bowman, Laura, Bradley & Gendron, 2010).
Studies have established that 62% of employees use smart phone to attend business
matters during a meal and they are more relaxed to converse, as well as access to the mobile
internet through utilizing smart phones rather than any other technology device whilst absent
from the office (Davey & Davey, 2014). In addition, the current generation of smartphones has
offered more immense social apps plus more influential entertaining purpose to anybody who
adore social network. Teenagers are the most affected by the use of smart phones that is
becoming a social necessity that they cannot do without. Cavanagh (2017) investigates both the

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positive and negative effects of smart phones. The author believes that the smart phones allows
teens to find other teenagers interested in similar social media connections, connect with
teenagers in the world on interests such as fashion, as well as music plus feel embedded in a
social network filled with meaning. The mainstream of teenagers views their smart phone as the
essential to their social life (Gavanagh, 2017). Furthermore, business experts may more
effortlessly access their business communications, more rapidly react to critical wants, as well as
do more with less time. In addition for upcoming businesses, smart phones may offer faster
access to banking obligations along with permit people to supervise their social media accounts
once (Wilska, 2003).. According Twenge (2017), teens use their smart phones to connect with
friends where they are able to share photos and videos with friends using social media platforms,
such as Snapchat. The author says that the generation born between 1995 and 2012 are growing
up with smart phones, where they have a social medial account such as Instagram ebefore they
start schooling and they do not recall a time without the internet. It has been found in 2017
survey that over 5,000 teenagers in America where three out of four had an iPhone (Twenge,
2017).
Smart phones tap into a deep, primal craving amongst people in the society to know
everything that happening around them. The expression nomophobia has been developed to
explain this trend: “No mobile phone phobia”. Nomophobia is a novel diagnosable disorder
where the individuals have an illogical terror of losing or being with no the smart phone. Price
(2018) underscores the fact that the use of smart phones has challenges while people take more
time on smart phones that damages their abilities to focus plus reason deeply, and create new
memories.

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Additionally, as individuals become more reliant on the smart phones their capacity to
cope with these devices decreases significantly. It has been established in the SecurEnvoy survey
that 77 percent of teenagers had anxiety regarding spending their day without their smart phones.
The signs are easily identifiable: the inability to put off portable devices; consistently checking
for emails, updates from Facebook, plus phone texts; fanatically recharging their smart phones;
as well as taking the smart phones all over. In addition, the number of troubled individuals is
growing, with those aged between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most affected. Also, in severe
instances, work, family, as well as social life may suffer because of the addiction of the
individuals to smart phones. Furthermore, there are physical consequences of overusing smart
phones among individuals. Neck and eye pain are the most widespread consequences of using
smart phones; however, there may be as well dangers from using these mobile device whilst
driving or walking-texting whilst driving has been found to be six times more risk than driving
whilst drunk (Cheever, Larry, Carrier & Amber, 2014). Price (2018) argues that smart phones
and their applications are been made to be addictive. However, the author claims that people can
make customized changes in the settings, applications, environment along with mindset that will
allow them to control their lives whilst using their smart phones. This strategy is designed to
promote moderation of using smart phones (Price, 2018).
In conclusion, whilst the reliance on smart phones can result in social, as well as
emotional problems as they become accustomed to this novel society, in which these matters
may be alleviated through a healthy stability. Gavanagh (2017) believes that there is the need for
moderation in all things among children in the digital lives by putting down the smart phones and
carry more research. Overindulgence in the smart phones may result in some challenges;

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however, their benefits to the culture, education, as well as business hugely overshadow the cost.
Managing usage of smartphones in the society needs discipline, strong will and a strategy among
the users to ensure that the society benefits from this mobile technology. The society should
teach children through limiting when and where smart phones may be used (Lin et al., 2015).
However, it is via individual moderation that the most excellent model may be set. Parents
should set examples to their children on the use of smart phones through creating a culture of
moderation.

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References
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Cavanagh, S. R. (2017). No, smartphones are not destroying a generation. PsychologyToday.
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Cheever, N.A., Larry, D. R., Carrier, M.L. & Amber, C. (2014). Out of Sight Is Not Out of
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Davey, S. & Davey, A. (2014). Assessment of smartphone addiction in Indian adolescents: A
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Severin, H., Raquel P.C., Min, K., Filler, A., Kowatsch, T. & Schaub, M.P. (2015). Smartphone
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