I challenge you on any given day to walk outside and find
that most people you see are not actively using their cell phone to take
pictures, text, surf apps or the web. Years ago when cell phones were first
released on the market, the primary group of individuals obtaining these
devices were professionals or adults. As cell phones advanced, younger adults
were more commonly seen with them, rapidly enforcing the need for extended social
groups such as friends and colleagues to own them as well, in order to stay in
contact as quickly and efficiently as possible. The rise of technology in the
past generation has enforced a new form of socialization and social norm to
those who are growing up in American society- that owning and communicating
with a cell phone is a normal part of daily average life.
As we know, the sociological term "social norm"
describes the standards of behavior that most societies abide by; most are
learned informally through interaction with other people, passing from
generation to generation. Social norms are rules that are generally developed
by a group of people that specify how people must, should, may, should not, and
must not behave in various situations. I think it’s interesting to explore how
the first generations that used cell phones (minimally in the beginning) have
influenced frequent cell phone usage and communication through technology on
younger generations today as a type of regular socialization. Calling someone’s
house phone on their land line to have a verbal conversation is no longer as
socially accepted as it once was, most young children avoid talking over the
phone and prefer texting or using other interactive apps.
In the past decade, cell phone usage, or more specifically,
smart phone usage, has skyrocketed among the average daily American. Children
as young as elementary school age are not only given cell phones, but smart
phones with internet access. This topic was interesting to me because growing
up as the first generation introduced to common smart phone usage, I think
retail companies and social institutions are going a little too far allowing,
and in some cases, pushing young children to integrate smart phone usage as
such as huge part of their lives.
In an interview done by CBS news, it was found that some cell
phone companies are advertising cell phones to children as young as five. It's
further reiterated that children as young as two and three are comfortable
using touch tablets and devices, so they are ready and able to handle mobile
devices by six and seven. The questions circulated around one main concern- are
young children responsible enough to have phones when they are at such a young
age in development? On one side, cell phones enforce safety with an individual,
by connecting them with anyone they need at any given time in most situations.
However, the classic argument against frequent cell phone usage is that
cellular technology is pulling children away from face-to-face interaction that
is vital for healthy development and socialization. My question is- is
technological communication the modern wave of socialization to the newest
generations? Adults are found glued to their phones as well, yet it is clear
that younger generations are more efficient and aware of technology's fullest
capabilities right off the bat when being handed a new device. It’s been
reported that the newest generations of parents (most of those who grew up with
cell phones) are appreciating their child's communication with their smart
phone, having a small computer in arms' reach can often be beneficial when
information is needed on-demand or events should be documented as quickly as
possible.
Personally, I believe that smart phones begin to become a
problem when people become dependent on them. When children begin to show
problems with normal socialization, and having a smart-phone has become
disturbingly normalized, it seems like an issue. In addition, when young
children heavily rely on technology in order to feel comfortable interacting,
the damage is hard to reverse. For those families and children who cannot
afford smart phones (its a multi-billion dollar market), they might face social
repercussions. For those families and children who heavily rely on smart
phones, they might face developmental issues within their intimate social
structure as a family in terms of healthy communication.
Sources: (These have some really interesting statistics!)
Sources: (These have some really interesting statistics!)
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kids-with-cell-phones-how-young-is-too-young/
The topic of cellphones and increased communication in our world is really peculiar for the reasons you stated: increased communication can lead to safety or ease but at the loss of face-to-face communication. As a young adult with parents who are adamantly against technology of all sorts (they have a cell phone, but only as it is required for my father's work) I find the topic to be ironically played out in my own life.
ReplyDeleteMany times when we are watching television my parents will ask me to complete tasks like "Look up who sang that song." prompting me to open the "Shazam" app or "Was Bruce Springsteen married to Julianne Moore or Julianne Phillips?" which answer can be easily found with a quick Wikipedia search. Additionally, on the topic of safety my parents are never afraid to ask for a phone call when I complete the drive back to college to ensure that I made it back safely.
At the same time I constantly hear my own parents and members of the older generation in general harp on the increased time that our generation spends glued to our technology. I think the issue truly lies in whether or not people are able to see how positively engrained our lives are in technology. Whether it is comparing airline ticket prices in an instant or checking in with a loved one, technology unarguably promotes some form of communication to better our lives. However, if ones chooses to focus on the negative aspects of technology it can be easy to forget about how critical it has become to our central lives and daily actions that ease our ways of living. Why do we experience this bias? Is technology a scapegoat for generational divides, or is it something else?
I agree with Jackson's comment. Cell phones, smart phones, and advanced technology in general have almost irrefutably helped to make our society and our day to day tasks more efficient. Indeed, they offer productivity as much as they offer recreation and entertainment. Even as someone who might be considered a technological luddite by her peers, I consider myself guilty of indulging in the luxuries that these devices have to offer. That said, the part of this phenomenon that I struggle with the most is, as Kimia notes, younger generations extreme dependence upon them. I find myself right on the cusp of the age group that is totally dependent and knows nothing different, and the generation ahead of me that has learned to engage in such technology. Admittedly, I find it disheartening when smart phones or similar devices are used as a crutch to navigate social settings. Perhaps my opinions are overly nostalgic, and I do recognize the usefulness of my own smartphone and its apps, but I do resent how central, as Jackson says, it has become in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think looking at how consumers are using their cellphones and how they are connecting to information and friends through them is a great way of understanding what a cellphone means for its users. Another interesting way of thinking about cellphones is to see what are the larger structural changes that have to happen to make this possible. How are cellphone companies going about having so many users? What new regulations would there be in this new way of looking at cellphone usage?
ReplyDeleteBig data is also a large part of the effects of widespread cellphone usage. What can we understand that we previously couldn't with this new tool?