From "Ari Shaffir: Why I ditched my smart phone", Ari Shaffi, US comedian, has been without a smartphone for 20 months. He said that he was spending using his iPhone - especially on social media. He was considering abandoning his data plan so that he could only access the internet via wi-fi. He gave up his smartphone and thought it was as difficult as giving up smoking (2016).
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My Yes/No question is:
Is a smart phone really
necessary thing?
My answer is:
Yes, but don't use a smart phone as it is your boss. You are not its slave.
Support
For me, smart phone is really useful devise because it can help me when come cross with bad situation, One day in summer and really hot in Bangkok, I went out for shopping, but not yet, I found I forgot my wallet. That's really horrible things happened suddenly. I can’t go home and I was really hungry. Surprisingly, I had my smart phone, I had Starbuck application which I can buy some food or drink at Starbuck coffee shop by my smart phone.
Do you know smart phone is not only a phone, but also it is truly smart. It has smart system with mobile services and application system. First of all, you can use your phone for working such as send email, chat to your colleagues or conferences to your counterpart in business way though using video camera on your phone. Moreover, it is capable of accessing and downloading email over either a Wi-Fi network or a cellular data connection. Next, GPS system can help you when you want to know where you are now or when you are driving in your car and don’t know how to go to your destination, your smart phone can help you as efficiently as possible. One of the most common uses for a smart phone is as a camera or video camera. Even if smart phone is not better camera than a DSLR or SLR camera, but it is simply thing and convenience to take out with you if you would like to take pictures of your family or your friend in anytime. In Bangkok, we can report situation of traffic in the morning and share to everyone or we can report to police if you meet or saw the car accident in somewhere, they could come and help you or help somebody in time. This is partly advantages of your smart phone.
In the other hands, if you can’t deal with your smart phone, you will addict it same as Ari Shaffir , according to “Ari Shaffir: Why I ditched my smart phone”, said that he see himself as a sober alcoholic and he can't handle it. He use it too much especially social network (2016). From his interview, clearly, smart phone is useful if you can use it in the creative ways, don’t use it in every time and everywhere and don’t use unnecessary. It is not you part of your body. The smart phone is only one device. If you use as positive thing, your life will be more convenience. Remember that everything has two sides- good and bad side,same as using smart phone, but you can choose that you want to use them like you are its boss or it is your boss.
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Reference
Ari Shaffir: Why I ditched my smartphone. (2016, August 10). BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-37012071
It's a nice article and I do agree with you. For me, I see no difference between a smart phone and another tools such as computer, car, TV, etc., in which we use in daily life. Its features are useful and convenience in many ways and it is developed to help our life easier just like what you have written. However, it's our own responsibility and consideration to use it wisely, similarly to the others equipment. If you have a car, you cannot just know how to drive but also the regulations so that you won't violate them and cause any danger to other people. It's as simple as that. I think it's quite necessary for having the smart phone these days. It has become the main medium for communication. It also save time and other resources; for example, you will need 3-4 different tools such as a dictionary for a translation of your English textbook, a GPS device or a map for navigation or a camera for taking picture. But you can find them all in one little smart phone. To live in the fast-paced globalization, the one who can adjust themselves better will be the one who survives.
ReplyDeleteSmartphones seem to be so necessary these days. Most people have become addicted to them. We cannot live without this hi-tech device which includes dictionary, map, ways to contact friends, ways to pay bills and so on in one small piece of appliance. I used to question myself how many hours per days that I spend on this device. I think it almost 4-5 hours per day. Actually 4-6 hours can be effectively spent doing something useful such as working, reading books and meeting friends and family.
ReplyDeleteWhat if we can turn back time and live in the era that phones function only calling?
Haha, I think so, it is all because of the advancement of technology. When there is the way to spend your life more comfortable, why do not you choose to grab that way? Since resetting technology to zero is impossible, I am agree with Pat that we should use a smart phone wisely. But, how are we able to limit our usage of a smart phone?
DeleteIf there was the phone application which could deny your access to your popular applications (such as Facebook, Instagram) when you use them over the time limit set by yourself, would you be interested to use it?
Actually, in my view, the cause of smartphone addiction may not come from its complex functions, but it is because of the lack of ability in controlling ourselves to use it in proper level.
DeleteI was visiting my family in Australia a couple of weeks ago and discovered I had a hidden passion for social networking. I also learned very quickly that I was addicted to permanent connection via my phone.
ReplyDeleteI did not switch to flight mode on the plane until the last minute. I had thought that I could by with the excellent wifi service in Australian cities and at my families homes. I was wrong. About an hour after arriving in Sydney, I ran to a shop and bought a local SIM that gave me phone and 4G access. That was a such a relief. Most of central Sydney is covered by excellent free wifi, but not all. And in the country were my family live, wifi is only at their homes - it just wasn't good enough! My five-day visit made me realise how dependent I am on my devices being connected 24/7.
And then there is the social networking story ... but that passion can wait for my next coffee.
I like your topic because many people are now its slaves and they can't leave it. In the past people could live without smartphones or even telephones to communicate to other people easily but it was slower and less effective to talk or connect other people than today. Advanced telecommunication, especially smartphones, can eliminate the telegrams because these things are rapidly developed. So I think smartphones are necessary for everyone today and I totally agree with you that they have both advantages and disadvantages which is based on how we use.
ReplyDeleteI love one motto appeared on one small coffee shop; actually, it sounds like a small restaurant. It posted on the a board in front of the shop saying, " There is no Wifi here, but we promise you will have a better connection." This restaurant does not allow customers carry in their smart phones into the shop; however, there is a place to keep your smart phone for you. I think this is a lovely idea. At present, a lot of people are addicted to this smart device. I often saw people selfie themselves with their meal restaurants and send to their friends. I wonder that do people need to have time to make a genuine connection to their love ones or to themselves? O-Oh I am quite hungry now and I need to go out having dinner. With a sharp thought, I will take my smart phone with me not for chatting purpose but just in case something happens and I need to record. It's quite difficult to leave your house without a smart phone. The important thing is that we should try not to be addicted to it.
ReplyDeleteKitt's comment reminds me of some cafes I often walk past. There is a very popular one near the BTS entrance to Silom Complex. Most tables are full of young people or family groups eating very sweet looking desserts. And almost all of the well-off members of every group are staring not at each other but at their smartphones.
DeleteI see the same on the BTS, where often 50% or more of the people are staring at their screen. On the BTS, it seems sensible, and I often read a bit or whatever: it's not as though I'm ignoring anyone I actually know.
I used to think that the seeming anti-social behaviour at the cafe and so on must be bad for relationships, but now I'm not so sure. First, I would want to see some evidence that such behaviour is actually harmful. I'm also reminded of family breakfasts when I was a child. It was normal for all of us to read the daily newspapers while we ate. Is that so different to using a smartphone? And we did interact: we talked about what was in the news, so perhaps today people talk about the news coming in on their phone, or the latest Pokemon they've captured, or whatever. I'm not sure that this is so very different in principle to the behaviour of decades past.
That said, I would not want people staring at their phones in a situation where I would not have read the newspaper before, for example at family dinner. On the other hand, I did whip out my phone in the restaurant to take a few quick snaps of my mum pigging out on garlic prawns, a large rib-eye steak and a second bottle of red wine (we were sharing those) when I was visiting a couple of weeks ago.
One of nieces said something when she thought I was snapping her, but relaxed when I explained it was the weirdly dressed young guy with red shorts over his shapely leggings that had caught my eye. Again, the smartphone prompted some healthy family interaction. And the shots of my mum proving that at 85 years her digestive system is in excellent working order were a nice addition to share on my personal FB page.
And that's my third bit of response writing for this morning. Time to get ready for my 8:00 AM writing class at AUA.
Before I have got an iPhone several months ago, I used 2G phone. I found it suitable for me because I "NEVER" lose it even I leave it in the rest room. Every time people will give it back to me which was totally different from my expensive phone I lost it and never get it back, I found it convenience since it has long life battery so I don't have to charge it so often, It look unique among everyone who use smartphone which I also like it. However,I use iPhone now because I really need to access the internet for works but I still miss my 2G phone.
ReplyDeleteI have the similar experience. The phone that I'm using now is my second phone. I just changed it three years ago because my old phone's vibration stop working. I used the old phone since I was eight. That indicates how old my phone is. It is a phone that can barely do anything. The camera is blurry and horrible, the screen is small and pixelated, but I like it more than my current phone. It is less distracting and the battery is far more efficient. Nobody was trying to steal it and I felt more safe in deserted places. However it really is necessary to change the phone. New version of mobile phone is convenient and can help me with my daily tasks.
Delete