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The Smartphone Addiction

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A quote commonly but has been mistakenly attributed to Albert Einstein, “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” This is a very interesting statement and in so many ways it’s true too. Nowadays, it is easy to see people sitting around each other but only staring at their cell phones without any conversation. The conversation between me and my family or friends decreases when we are using cell phones. Many people take their phones everywhere like classrooms, the workplace, restaurants and bathrooms. Undoubtedly, we always have to be prepared for emergency contacts or important messages, but there are too many unnecessary uses. This phenomenon became more severe after smartphones appeared. Smartphones made life very convenient, but at the same time, it is destroying human interaction. Before we become the “idiot generation,” we have to realize the seriousness and break our addiction to smartphones. Despite of all the facts and opinion the question remains, is smartphone addition a problem? Or are we even addicted to smartphone? Here are some questions to think about: Do you reach for your smartphone first thing in the morning? Do you check your smartphone last thing at night? Do you take your smartphone to the bathroom with you? Undoubtedly, people have different opinion regarding the Smartphone addiction. Many people think Smartphone addiction is a problem whereas many think it’s not a big deal.I personally believe Smartphone addiction is a major problem that needs to be addressed. On this paper, along with providing the background of smartphones, I will be presenting several facts to argue that the Smartphone addiction is an issue that deserves attention from every individual. In addition, I will also be discussing different ways to tackle this addiction problem. Conversely, I will also be sharing the views that deny the Smartphone addiction to be a major problem. The first smartphone was invented by IBM in 1992. It was nicknamed “Simon” and had a plethora of features including a calendar, address book, calculator, email service, and even a touch screen. At $899.00, though, most people could not afford it (Ozgur). The iPhone was introduced in 2007. Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple, said it is "a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone." Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer called it "the most expensive phone in the world" (Arthur). Since then, smartphones became popular and many other smartphones such as Samsung, HTC, Blackberry, appeared in the market. Everyone was so amazed by a small device that made our lives so much easier. However, before they were aware of it, people started to get addicted to this clever device. Out of the 5 billion mobile phones in the world, 1.08 billion are smartphones. There are 91.4 million smartphones in the United States alone (Alexander). Psychologists are increasingly worried by a growing smartphone addiction in the U.S. Many adults confess to sleeping with their device due to separation anxiety. Two-thirds of U.S smartphone owners say they keep their phone next to them at night after using the devices to surf the web or check emails and other messages to help them wind down before sleeping. Also the research of 1,000 smartphone and tablet owners in the United States says they have become less patient because of smartphone usage. Thirty percent of respondents say they will wait only 8 seconds for websites to load on their phones (Mielach). Now we can see that cell phone addiction is a major issue. Smartphone addiction is not a problem that exists only in United States. A new study from British telecom regulator Ofcom is warning of "a nation addicted to smartphones." Studies show 37 percent of adult smartphone users and 60 percent of teenage users surveyed admitted to having succumbed to the ostensibly enslaving effects of being able to check emails and tweet one's thoughts from just about anywhere, the report said. U.K also shows the problems like people use handsets first thing upon waking up, breaking up relationships via text message, and talking on the phone or thumbing away during meals. Nearl

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