Smartphone Usage

Times change, technology along with it. You can't walk down a main street without seeing at least 50% of citizens with smartphones in hand. Is this an epidemic? What happened to memory or thinking?

Smartphones? Dumbphones

I've been going to a string of interviews lately, which has given me the pleasure of seeing all the cities and populations therein. As I drive the streets looking for addresses, buildings, street signs, I notice that 1 out of every 2 people have a touch screen wifi capable device in their hand. Then I notice on my lap sits an Android with GPS on-screen. It dawns on me, what is the impact this little device is having on our society as a whole?

Think about these few things, because I know regardless of age, if you have one you'll smile and say I do do that.

-Thinking of an actors name from a movie? It's killing you as you're raking information from that noodle of yours then after about 2 minutes, out comes old iPhone to save the day. What effect does that have on the deep processing functions of your brain?

-Want to go to eat at a place but right before it you pull out the phone and google reviews, decide it's not a good place and moveon. What does this do to business, and how does this effect the economy?

You find yourself stuck in transit on a bus or train or waiting in a lobby or office, you pull out the smart little guy and start mindlessly tapping away at your apps. What does this do to the vital time your brain can rest and think about secondary things like what errands you needed to run or if you forgot to take your pills?

What I am getting at here is simple; are smartphones making us as a society far less capable of tasks without the assistance of technology in your hands. I believe it is, and as the tech field is vastly growing in an array of directions you're left to wonder what other things a normal human brain or body would do that a little datachip or device can't replace or won't replace? It's midboggling and something to chew on.

Message being? Try putting that sucker down until a call or text is needed, try a swap to a flip or slide phone week to week, try anything to ween yourself off the much used wolf in sheep's clothing. You'll find your brain breathing a bit more deeply and some functions that are much needed by our great thinkers returning to their stock value, or even increasing. With an iPhone as addictive as nicotine, there may be a real crisis on our hands. Wake up, but don't use an app to do it.

Author's Note

Let's hear it. First piece.