Estephanie Martinez Mendez

Ms. Hicks

12 British Lit & Comp. Honors

20 November 2020

Mobile Devices Are Harming Us

Have you ever wondered how mobile devices are affecting our day to day lives? We see the

various factors whether or not our smartphones support or hurt us. It addresses the various points

of view about how smartphones are beneficial and dangerous. I say that smartphones are

dangerous to the environment. There's a debate going on over whether or not our smartphones

are influencing us. Our mobile devices are damaging us. Mobile devices are harming us mentally

and socially because we spend too much time on our phones that we have become addicted to

them.

To begin with, Mobile devices are affecting the way we participate in community life and

social relationships. In the article, “Are mobile devices helping or harming us?” the author states,

“On the downside, I found that using social networks may lead to less participation in real-life

relationships, as well as lower academic achievement, and relationship problems. All of these

may be indicators of pathological use. This may suggest that moderate use of social media may

indeed be advantageous; however, excessive use may lead to problems associated with

addiction.” In this text, the author is spot on and tells us how these social networks on our phones

are making us shy. Also, it is lowering our chances of participation, real-life relationships,

academic achievement, and relationship problems. It answers my argument by telling me how

the addition of our mobile devices are making us addicted and the downsides that come from that

if not controlled. For example, the author states, “I have explored how psychotherapists from
around the world treat individuals who arrive at their practice with the problem of internet

addiction.” The use of all this technology with the internet is making people addicted to it. In a

few words, the more they get, the more they want to be on the internet and mobile devices. This

quote, tells us that some research has been done on one of the clients and he explains how that

person had some negative consequences due to the use of the internet. The patient here is

suffering from internet addiction. We’re seeing the damage it’s doing to people that it’s so much

and so constant that it’s hurting them in a negative way where they are addicted to their phones

like if it were a drug. The author concludes the more we use our mobile devices the more we

become less social within our relationships and involved less in the community life and from

new experiences.

Also, Mobile devices are affecting how alone we are and how shy it makes us. In the article

“Are mobile devices helping or harming us”, it states “The internet paradox describes how it is

natural to think that increased connectivity would improve participation in community life and

social relationships, but it reduces social involvement and increases loneliness.” The author tells

us how with the internet we are open to many things but through it, we lose actual meaningful

relationships and tend to shy away from it since we are so used to speaking to people over text

which is not healthy at the end of the day. With us being constantly on our phones we don’t

practice our social skills enough, which says a lot about how we have become shyer than ever

before. Also, the author states that “At the first international conference on shyness, organized in

Wales in 1997 by the British Psychological Society, Stanford psychology professor Philip

Zimbardo was the keynote speaker. He noted that since he began the Stanford Shyness Survey in

the 1970s, the number of people who said they were shy had risen from 40 percent to 60 percent.

He blamed this on new technology like e-mail, cellphones, and even ATMs, which had loosened
the “social glue” of casual contact. He feared the arrival of “a new ice age” of

non-communication when we would easily be able to go an entire day without talking to

someone.” As the author tells us anxiety isn’t a new thing that came from mobile devices

because that is not true whatsoever. To add, since smartphones have been improving/upgrading

over the years and more people have gotten mobile devices since the 1970s and from that, the

Standford Shyness Survey raised from 40 percent to 60 percent since technology has become an

implementation to everyday life now and not like in the 1970s when there wasn’t a lot of

technology out. I know people who prefer being on their phones all the time and how attached

you can become to it. Why? Because it is making us shyer which leads to no type of social

interaction with others, which is not healthy by all no means and can lead to depression,

loneliness, and many other things that are not good for us. More people are becoming shyer and

shyer as there is an increase in new smartphones and much newer tech coming out every year.

Lastly, it is important to know when to put down our phones and interact with people. In the

article, “Mobile devices are harming or helping us?” the author states “In my experimental

research, my collaborators and I have found consistent evidence that smartphones can also

distract users from the family and friends right in front of them, such as when sharing a meal or

spending time with their children.” However, we can see there was research to prove how it’s

becoming a major distraction when it comes to being with family and friends. It tells us when

coming into contact with the family they are easily distracted by their mobile devices rather than

spending quality family time such as laughing, cooking together, playing board games, watching

a movie/show together. It is affecting the connections we have with our families and friends.

Which could end up turning into a conflict or hurt the family/friends in a certain way which is

not a good thing. Eventually, If it turns into a constant thing which is always occurring, overtime,
or in a short period the relationships with family/friends can be ruined by simply being on the

mobile device all the time and not wanting to interact. Furthermore, it could lead to a

misunderstanding in a lot of situations that others might not take well or appreciate. For example,

as stated in the article “Yet my research suggests that smartphones may be making us less happy

in a much wider range of social situations than we might expect.” also the author tells us, “We

found that people neglect key side effect of relying on their phones for information: They miss

out on chances to boost their sense of social connectedness.” Overall the author shows us the fact

that smartphones are making us less happy rather than happy. This is a concern, It's not helping

our psychological health it’s causing us not to be happy which could probably affect us in the

future. From here, we can see how it’s harming us because we are not enjoying it as we should

be. Many people who tend to be on their phones so often miss out on so many chances in life that

we will end up regretting later on. This also affects us because we lose out on so many social

connections we could have. It helps give u an understanding of our social life and explains the

harm or downsides of it. Smartphones are a big distraction to us and prevent us from many

connections and opportunities in life that may come only once in a lifetime.

Mobile devices are harming us because of how frequently we use them. To summarize, our

smartphones are harming us by the way we participate in socializing and community life, it

affects shy people and people in general and the way we communicate with others is becoming

less and less.“Communication works for those who work at it.”-John Powell.
 Works Cited

Debate Text Set: Are Mobile Devices Helping Or Harming Us? - Actively Learn.
www.activelylearn.com/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2020.