Brittney Brunson

Professor Sipin
4/14/2015
Paper 4

Interpersonal Relationships:
Smartphones are having Negative Affects to the Way We Communicate.

The Smartphone evolution have undoubtedly changed the way we live our day to
day lives specifically the way we communicate. Now that smartphones are equipped with
applications that allows for its users to communicate with others from across the room to across
the world either through instant messaging(IM) like texting or video chat like Skype or Face
Time. With so much we can do with our smartphones, is the need to communicate face to face
necessary? Text messages are becoming substitutes for spoken words and original thoughts. Our
hand held devices are having major negative effects on our social life by changing the way we
interact face to face.
Smartphones do play a vital role in society now a days being both beneficial in many
aspects especially in the need to communicate for emergencies. However smartphones are
contributing to psychological damage to our values of our relationships with others and even
ourselves with such contributors like social media and texting. This constant need to feel
validated or involved leads us to develop addictions and somewhat obsessions to our devices.
This impacts our state of mind which leads one to feel low self-esteem and even open doors to
cyber bullying. The questions stem what do the experts believe? What can be done to fix this
problem that users are relying more on phones than people?

Smartphones are negatively

affecting our lives so much so we cant even talk to each other face to face without being

interrupted. We need to rethink our relationship with our devices. Smartphones are changing
more than how we do everyday things thus impacting how we live but ultimately it is changing
our relationships, our communication, and ourselves.
Benefits: Emergency and Convenience
In addition to smartphones many capabilities in the event of an emergency smartphones
are able to save lives. It is true that if your phone is charged whether on or off service wise it is
still capable to call 911 dispatch for assistance. Also the Public Alert and Warning System law
mandated FEMA to modernize the antiquated broadcast-based national emergency alert system
(EAS) and implement an integrated approach. Send alerts to the American people through as
many communication pathways as practicable, Bush wrote in the 2006 order. Most
smartphones, some tablets and IPads sold in the past few years roughly more 320 million
currently active devices can now receive the location-based alerts, which are transmitted on
an exclusive frequency not subject to traffic delays. These alert systems may send of alarming
notifications but the purpose is to warn and alert the user that someone has been kidnapped,
intruders, deadly weather evacuations which increases awareness and rescue at a faster rate than
just television broadcasting alone( CTIA,2013).
Our Smartphones are something to marvel about in everyday living. The capability to
communicate with others at any moment is essential in todays mobilized society. As well now
smartphones are far more than just communication devices they are making tasks quicker and
easier to accomplish. Now smartphones offer different features that are equipped to replace other
devices we used to have to carry manually such as: USB, camera, map, calculator, notebook,
books, music player, phone book, calendar, clock and alarm as well as Wi-Fi converter. It is nice
that tasks that once required us to leave the house we are able to do from virtually everywhere.

The Problem that Impact our Relationship:

1. Social Media:
With this generation, it is no secret that we have often have technology at the tips of our
fingers. This can be distracting, entertaining, and if used properly informing. But most often
smartphones are used for entertainment which can take our minds out of the real world. When it
comes to social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, these mediums allow us to track
friends, followers, celebrities and the one we have eyes in class (Docktermon, 2015). Now you
dont have to get up and go to that person or arrange to meet instead we can message them, post
on their wall, or slide in their DM. Even though our smartphone and social media are great
innovations that can give any and all information at the flick of the wrist or simple key stroke on
a screen, its a common leisure (Docktermon, 2015).With this vast access to technology and
social media affects the value of real relationships of its user.
Now that smartphones have the capability to download social media apps we can
communicate with friends and people that are all over the net world, which is great when
connected to family members, special friends, and friends, we dont see every day. In this age
people have more opportunities to be interconnected across the word at a faster rate through
technologically aided communication than during any other period in history, the modern
individual in the Western society is ironically feeling increasingly isolated (Willson, 2006), the
need to always stay connected will derail us from what is real. The Access to knowing is
instantaneous, with Smartphones able to alert you when someone posts a picture or status on
Facebook, when someone re-tweets your tweet, or if you were tag in a picture on Instagram will
cause one to experience fluctuating levels of anxiety. Sadly this diminishes the surprise as well
as becoming a pain later.

With the feeling to constantly check is manipulating our mind state which affects our
emotions toward ourselves and others that corresponds to the speed of the response. We are more
connected than ever before. Our hand smartphones lure us into a world of super-connectivity,
where we feel connected to multiple people at one time. The world at our fingertips-instantly
(Weinschenk, 2012). Yet, the dimmer side of all to the magic of electronic connectivity is the
reality that we, as a human race, are for less connected to face to face bias than we have ever
been in the history of civilization. We expect more from Technology and less from each other
(Turkle, 2012).
2. Texting
Text messaging allows us to communicate at the earliest convenience when the event of
calling is not appropriate. Designed as short messaging service (SMS), texting enables us the
ability to respond faster and shorter (Shannon, 2007). This system limits how many words can
be sent before they are converted to multimedia messages to fulfill its initial purpose. Thats
when owners use abbreviations and acronyms to save word count. But our vocabulary is limited.
When texting, we dont use long, sophisticated words like comprehend. We type ok, gotcha,
or k because its easier. Expressing Human emotions used to difficult. We had to look for just
the right combinations of words to express how we felt. Now we have emojis and our
vocabulary is reduced to a handful of little cute yellow faces. Texting places power of voice into
the hands of the individual. William Power With such fast communication are we living off the
buzz of a text message? Constantly have the erg to check as soon as possible? Is Texting a
utility?
The Problem Impacting our Minds:
1. Addiction or Obsession

How anxiety and curiosity one gets when our phone vibrates in our pocket or in close
proximity so much so that the body neurons near the surface of the skin emulates the same
vibrating sensation with or without the phone receiving the text or being present, phantom
pocket vibrations(Rosen,2014). Rosen observes the people who surround him young and old
and notices how they all carry their phone in their hand later to discover that these same people
want to know immediately when they receive a text and later adds this feeling as FOMO:
Fear Of Missing Out , as an excuse to check and keep monitor of their phone. Rosen
acknowledges the benefits that cell phones offers to the worlds but pleads that this fad for
constant communication or this something new passes so our relationships with real people
will no longer be interrupted.

This psychological attachment owners have with technology that is becoming an

obsession. According Psychology Todays article Cell Phones are Changing Social Interaction.
How anxiety and curiosity one gets when our phone vibrates in our pocket or in close proximity
so much so that the body neurons near the surface of the skin emulates the same vibrating
sensation with or without the phone receiving the text or being present, phantom pocket
vibrations. Rosen observes the people who surround him young and old and notices how they
all carry their phone in their hand, all are involved in the texting sensation. Later to discover that
these same people want to know immediately when they receive a text and later adds this
feeling as FOMO: Fear of Missing Out, as an excuse to check and keep monitor of their phone.
This fear of missing out, FOMO is changing more than what we do but how we think and feel.
The experience of emotions that occur after the message is sent is different as well as the
patients level between age groups.

For instance, Younger adults tend to be impatient, requiring a more immediate response
compared to older age groups.

But a response regardless of age group is still required.

Psychology Today discovers younger age groups are more attached and use their phones via
text as social interaction, which later affects drastically at their expectations for conversation.
Texting in young adults is becoming the primary form of communication when its not needed
but they have grown up using cell phones and the internet. So the young adults are able to to
effectively maintain and enhance (and sometimes end) social relationships through their phones.
The use or over use of smartphones can lead to addictions which users only see as a
means to communicate. We are convenience. becoming unsociable and lazy when we start
texting the person right beside us rather than actually talking. Nobody wants to talk for the fear
of looking insane. It becoming easier to scroll down our contact list than to coexist. Rosen
acknowledges the benefits that cell phones offers to the worlds but pleads that this fad for
constant communication or this something new passes so our relationships with real people
will no longer be interrupted.

2. Cyber bullying
Our Smartphones have and started developing new aps and social media networks that
are contributing to the current issue of cyberbullying. Specifically Yik Yak, the newest app that
allows users to contact, connect or yak anonymously through a live messaging system. Apps
like Yik Yak offers cyber bullies a new stage since it is anonymous (Patchin, 2014). Of course
this app was not designed for that purpose but to allow people who are socially awkward to share
their thoughts freely but being that this app has no filter it can be used to degrade users.
EducationNews.org states that this app has been blocked from 85% of high schools across the
country.

A possible reason for this ban was found in a school in Charlotte, North Carolina when
the staff and students were being targeted with degrading and derogatory messages with the app
updates. The messages on Yik Yak can be a simple and innocent to profane and destructive in an
instant. This freedom to call a criticize another still anonymously is harmful to ones self-esteem
and even views towards people since you dont know who it is that is harassing you. It could be
someone close. Insults stir on this feed, bomb threats and even harmful act to others appear on
this app among the everyday little thoughts. This app like many others is very simple and very
addictive.

3. Experts views
Lior Frenkel is an entrepreneur, cell phone owner, an application designer who advocates
smartphone users about how our smartphones are the most interesting yet silent addiction in his
Tedtalk Why Should We Rethink Our Relationship with our Smartphones? Being an
application developer he was able to see and experience the motives behind the app making
process which all revolved around playing and manipulating the emotions and mind state of its
users so that the app will be successful although it is at the expense of the users self -worth,
emotions and mindset that causes them to question themselves and be consumed by an addiction
they dont believe they dont even have.
Frenkel acknowledges it is just use however we experience the same kinds of emotions
like a drug addict without drugs if our phone is dead, lost or broken. Also building his argument
for we usually experience high levels of anxiety that comes from No Phone which is now a
phobia. The same pleasures triggers in our mind when we receive new information and the fear

of missing out what seems to be going on in the world contributes to our addiction. That children
as well as adults are being so enchanted by our phones that we are missing out on life. Frenkel is
not redefining communication or disproving smartphones but giving the original form of
communication back its meaning and instilling in his audience the wisdom to develop a digital
diet.
Although Frenkels points were true but Sherry Turkle explains in her Tedtalk
Connected but alone that Mobile communication allows us the opportunity to affirm our
values and our direction as well as the right focus technology can lead us back to our real
lives... Smartphones are not at fault for this addiction rather the intense desire to be given
everything information wise at the time we want or need it seems. This mindset to believe that
smartphones will lead us back to our selves through deep analysis.

4. Probable solution
. Are people still people if there expressed solely by text messages, status updates and
tweets? Are the things we experience on our phone real life? Smartphones have no boundaries
and limits; rather its the job of the user to place them such as powering down, placing it on silent
or putting it away. Mobile communications is the fastest growing communications technologies
in history but will over time affect our everyday living. Smart Phones are destroying the quality
of human interactions: conversations are becoming shorter, awkward, and interrupted by the
smartphones in their hands. We are giving human qualities to our phones and content to treat
each other as things (Turkle, 2011). We are less bored and more connected (Radin, 2009) but in

reality we are diminishing into digital fragments of ourselves. Communicating now is faster,
shorter, travels to distances near and far but since we cant edit or control time when responding
in person we will no longer be able to hold conversations or desire to have them. This ideal of
considering our phone usage to that of a diet is very essential in this mobilized society. With us
no living real lives rather cyber lives we are missing out on life, wasting time and draining our
subconscious.

Overall our lives are being invaded by our phones hindering us from or maintaining our
connections to our families, books and even our own thoughts. Throughout his book Power,
Hamlets BlackBerry, references Socrates with the value of our words when he emphasizes
writing wouldnt allow ideas to flow freely. The way they would during oral exchange.
Theres something intangibly real and valuable about talking with someone face to face.
This is significant for loved ones, close friends, partners, potential employers and other regular
people that make up our everyday world. That person becomes an important living human
connection, not just someone whose disembodied text voice pops up on our phone. Steadily,
smartphone technology seems to be subtly destroying the meaningfulness of interactions we have
with others, disconnecting us from the world around us (Rosen, 2014), leading to an immediate
sense of isolation in todays existence. Instead of spending time in person, we just call, text or
instant message them. Simpler it seems, but we ultimately end up seeing people and loved ones
a lot less.

Work Cited
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2015. <http://www.ctia.org/your-wireless-life/consumer-tips/wireless-emergency-alerts/amberalerts-via-wea>.
Dockterman, Eliana. "Kim Stolz: How Social Media Is Ruining Our Relationships."
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Hyman, Irayn. Cell Phones are Changing Social Interaction .Psychology Todays. 2014.
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Lin, Helen. "How Your Cell Phone Hurts Your Relationships." Scientific American. 2012.
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Patchin, Justin. "Yik Yak - Cyberbullying Research Center." Cyberbullying Research
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Rosen, Dr. "Our Obsessive Relationship with Technology." The Huffington Post.
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