Selwin George
Roll.no – 32
Mobile technology & family and society.
I've been passionately following mobile technology for decades. In the beginning, the
mobile devices weren't very mobile and a strong back and arms were required to lug
them around. They always had to be next to a power outlet, as there was no such
thing as batteries.
The technology that drives mobile devices has improved a lot since those days, and
especially in the last ten years. Mobile gadgets have gotten smaller, more powerful,
and very useful. They are everywhere and play increasingly greater roles in the lives
of most everyone. Availability of mobile devices is rapidly spreading throughout the
world and making significant improvements in many lives.
It's worth taking a break from our obsession with how thin, light, and adaptable the
hardware of mobile gadgets might be. While wondering what the next great phone or
tablet may be is fun, it's not everything. What is important is how profoundly it's
improving our lives, and the major roles these gadgets are assuming.
Mobile technology, in the form of phones, tablets, and notebooks, is making our lives
better than ever before. It does this in many ways, not the least of which is making
communications routine. We can be in touch with those we need to reach, whether
work-related or personal in nature.
We can send important files almost anywhere in the world in seconds so business is
addressed when it is critical. We can collaborate with co-workers in real-time no
matter how spread out they may be. We can get confirmation or approval of vital
decisions on the spot. Mobile technology has changed the way we do business for
the better.
Communication is wonderfully impacting our ability to stay close to friends and
family. We can talk to them anytime to find out how they are doing. We can have
video chats to not only stay in touch, but to reach out and touch with a nearly
physical presence. Loved ones can share in special occasions from great distances
as if they are in the same room. We can make funny faces for our kids when we can't
be there with them, which is far more important than it sounds.
Brave soldiers who are valiantly serving our country in distant lands can see their
new born child thousands of miles away.
Never have we been able to share so much with friends and family than we can
today, and that is in great part due to mobile technology. Without mobile devices and
the technology behind them, participation in social networking would never have
grown as much as it has. Sharing seemingly trivial information like where we are,
what we are doing, and what that looks like significantly impacts our relationships
with friends and loved ones.
Mobile technology has given a voice to those otherwise cut off from the world during
cataclysmic events. That voice can reach out for help when local tragedy strikes, and
for the first time these people are not alone. They can share their plight using mobile
communication through text, voice, and, most importantly, images, and bring about
real change.
On a less profound note, we can do simple things like pay for parking at meters with
our phones. We can find out which bus we need to take and where to find it. We can
accurately find places we need to be even when we have no idea where they are.
We can explore new places and find new things that interest us with little effort.
We have more information in our hand than at any time in history. It has become
second nature to quickly look up helpful resources for whatever activity we need to
do. Our gadgets can even anticipate what information we need and present it to us
when it is most useful.
These daily uses of mobile technology, frivolous though they might seem, have
transformed us into a society more tightly connected with each other. We have true
friends through such connections even though we may have never met them in
person. We can converse with like-minded individuals all over the globe, and debate
those with different views just as easily. This stimulates conversations never before
possible, and the resultant friendships are just as strong as those in "real life." They
have become real life, as a matter of fact.
While mobile technology has improved our daily lives on many levels, it has
profoundly raised the quality of life for many. Healthcare is an area that has
embraced mobile technology, and while it's still in the infancy of adoption of this
technology, it is already making profound improvements for many.
Healthcare providers can review home medical tests from anywhere and make
crucial changes to the patient's care. Medical staff members can receive pacemaker
tests remotely using a phone and change the programming of the device to address
changes in the patient's condition. Doctors can see intricate diagnostic images on
phones and find conditions that need immediate treatment, all while the patient is
comfortable at home.
Villagers in third world countries who have no local healthcare can be diagnosed and
have treatment prescribed by distant healthcare providers. Patients in areas
experiencing significant problems with counterfeit medications can use a phone at
the point of purchase to confirm if a medication is legitimate. This is saving lives and
improving healthcare every day for those affected.
Children with ailments such as autism are using tablets to help them focus and
communicate with those around them. Patients recovering from strokes and brain
injuries are using tablets to great effect in their recoveries. Patients of all ages are
using mobile devices to communicate with healthcare providers and loved ones as
they never could before.
People born without hearing are having implants that can be programmed by
wireless technology that allows them to hear their children speak for the very first
time. Text messaging on phones has made a tremendous impact on communication
for the deaf.
Diabetics can monitor their glucose level and have it wirelessly transferred to a small
insulin pump that injects just the right amount to keep them where they need to be.
Blind individuals can use smartphones to not only improve their lives but also help
achieve an incredible level of independence. Not only do these phones speak to the
blind so they know what is displayed on the screen, they have software that can
safely guide them out in busy cities. Mobile technology can help the blind pick out
clothes for the day that match. The technology on smartphones can scan change
received from a purchase and tell them how much was given.
This article just scratches the surface describing the benefits that mobile technology
provides today. The technology is rapidly evolving and will help even more as time
passes. We are in a fantastic era of mobile technology, and it is positively exciting to
watch it unfold. When I stop and think of all the amazing benefits we are getting from
this technology, I get goose bumps.
It's fun to wonder what the next tablet or phone might be like and what capabilities it
might have, but that's just the little stuff. The improvements that are appearing in our
daily lives, and society in general, is what really matters.
Mobile technology is enriching our lives. It is giving a voice to those without, either
due to circumstance or medical conditions. It is making communication possible for
those who live in a void. It is keeping distant loved ones close, and building
friendships no matter the location of those involved. It is saving lives, and making
healthcare possible for those otherwise without. It is bringing the world closer
together — a truly amazing situation.
Mobile technology’s Impact on Family
There is now widespread concern about the amount of time children spend staring at
screens – with many people worried about the negative impacts mobile devices
might have on health and well-being.
Concerns have also been raised about the influence of technological change on
relationships and face-to-face interactions. Sherry Turkle, a professor of the social
studies of science, came up with the famous term “alone together” – which is also
the name of her book. “Alone together” captures this idea of spending time on
devices to the neglect of interacting with those who are physically nearby.
Many people believe that technological changes have had a detrimental impact on
the time family members spend together – with “alone together” time colonising
family life. Yet, to date, very few studies have actually been done in this area.
Our new research looks to change this, by providing the first real insight into how
technology has impacted the way families spend their time in the UK. To do this, we
analysed time diaries collected by parents and children aged eight to 16 years-old in
2000 and then again in 2015 – a period that has witnessed rapid technological
change.
More time at home and alone
Contrary to expectations, we found that children spent more time around their
parents in 2015 than in 2000. This equates to just over half an hour extra a day (347
minutes per day in 2000 and 379 minutes in 2015). Notably, all of this additional time
near parents was spent at home.
This was a surprising finding. But looking closer, we found that children reported they
were “alone” during all of this additional time at home with their parents. In this sense
then, “alone together” time has increased.
Our analysis also showed some relatively small changes in time for shared family
activities, with contemporary families spending less time watching TV and more time
on leisure activities and family meals. But the overall time spent in shared activities
has remained the same.
Our data shows that mobile device use cuts across all aspects of family time. We
found that children and parents both spent approximately the same amount of time
(around 90 minutes) using mobile devices when together.
We found all these patterns to be particularly pronounced among young people aged
14 to 16. Young people in this group spent around one hour more at home “alone”
with their parents in 2015 than in 2000. Mobile device use when near their parents
was also more frequent and heavily concentrated.
Lack of quality time?
Academics have long noted the capacity for technology to bring families together at
home. And while our research does seem to indicate this could be the case, this
increase in time at home may also be associated with other issues such as
the parent’s concerns for their children’s safety. Research in the US finds similar
patterns of change – with teens spending less time outside the home away from their
parents.
There is increasing evidence that the mere presence of a phone negatively affects
face-to-face interactions. This may go some way then to explain parents’
perceptions of decreasing family cohesion and time together with their children,
reported in earlier studies.
Indeed, we found that both children and parents were using mobile devices during
family meals, television viewing, and other activities. So even though this was for a
relatively small amount of time, it may have a disproportionate impact on the quality
of this time for family members.
Of course, in some cases, it is possible that mobile devices are in fact
complementing family interactions. If, for example, family members use them for
video streaming, to play group games or to contact other relatives. And further
research on mobile device use and content is now necessary to help ascertain their
full impact on daily life and move beyond commonly held negative assumptions.
IS TECHNOLOGY CREATING A FAMILY DIVIDE?
Nowhere is the impact of popular culture and technology on children’s relationships
more noticeable than in families. Both influences have contributed to a growing
divide between the traditional roles that children and their parents play while, at the
same time, blurring those same lines between parents and children.
This divide has grown due to the increased use of technology among children in
several ways. First, children’s absorption in technology, from texting to playing video
games, does by their very nature limit their availability to communicate with their
parents. One study found that when the working parent arrived home after work, his
or her children were so immersed in technology that the parent was greeted only 30
percent of the time and was totally ignored 50 percent of the time.
Another study reported that family time was not affected when technology was used
for school but did hurt family communications when used for social reasons.
Interestingly, children who spent considerable time on a popular social
networking site indicated that they felt less supported by their parents.
Second, as digital immigrants, parents can struggle to gain proficiency and comfort
with the new technology that their digital-native children have already mastered. This
divergence in competence in such an important area of children’s lives makes it
more difficult for parents to assume the role of teacher and guide in their children’s
use of technology. Because of the lack of technological acumen on the part of many
parents, they lack the authority, at least in the eyes of their children, to regulate its
use.
Due to parents’ anxiety or apprehension about the use of technology, they may be
unwilling to assert themselves in their children’s technological lives. Because of their
children’s sense of superiority and lack of respect for parents’ authority in these
matters, children may be unwilling to listen to their parents’ attempts to guide or limit
their use of technology.
Third, computer and mobile technology have provided children with an
independence in their communications with friends and others. Consider this. In
previous generations, if children wanted to be in touch with a friend, they had to call
them on the home phone which might be answered by a parent. Thus, parents had
the opportunity to monitor and act as gatekeepers for their children’s social lives.
Times have changed. New technology offers children independence from their
parents’ involvement in their social lives, with the use of mobile phones, instant
messaging, and social networking sites. Of course, children see this technological
divide between themselves and their parents as freedom from over-involvement and
intrusion on the part of their parents in their lives. Parents, in turn, see it as a loss of
connection to their children and an inability to maintain reasonable oversight, for the
sake of safety and overall health, of their children’s lives.
At the same time, perhaps a bit cynically, children’s time-consuming immersion in
technology may also mean that parents don’t have to bother with entertaining their
children, leaving them more time to themselves.
There is little doubt that technology is affecting family relationships on a day-to-day
level. Children are instant messaging constantly, checking their social media,
listening to music, surfing their favourite web sites, and watching television or
movies. Because of the emergence of mobile technology, these practices are no
longer limited to the home, but rather can occur in cars, at restaurants, in fact,
anywhere there’s a mobile phone signal.
It’s not only the children who are responsible for the growing divide between parents
and their offspring. Parents can be equally guilty of contributing to the distance that
appears to be increasing in families. They are often wrapped up in their own
technology, for example, talking on their mobile phones, checking email, or watching
TV, when they could be talking to, playing with, or generally connecting with their
children.
Interestingly, parents have attempted to counteract this growing divide not with
actual face-to-face communication with their children, but by joining their children in
cyberspace. A phenomenon that has caused considerable debate
involves parents “friending” their children on Facebook (about 50 percent). Some
parents use Facebook to keep track of their children’s coming and goings. Other
parents’ friend their children as a means of feeling closer to them. What is their
children’s reaction to being “friends” with their parents? An informal survey I
conducted with dozens of teenagers found that the dominant reaction can best be
characterized as “never!” Most children don’t want their parents to be their “friends”
or their friends, for that matter.
IMPACT ON SOCIETY
The emergence of communication and computing for mobile consumer devices is on
the evolutionary course to bring interoperability and leverage the services and
functions of every industry. As a marketing strategy, Smartphone term was
introduced, referring to a new class of mobile phones with integrated services like
communication, mobile sectors including voice communication, messaging, personal
information management and wireless communication capability. Initially,
Smartphone’s were only perceived for business use due to higher cost, but not
today, today we are in a frenetic impact of Smartphone on the society. The latest
surveys show that the popularity of Smartphone is increasing in general public with a
much higher pace than it is increasing in any corporate sector. Earlier Smartphones
were used as enterprise devices and were predominantly meant for corporate users.
Smartphones have been around since 1993, but in reality, it reached the general
public when Apple introduced this in the mass consumer market.
Smartphones Revolutionized Society in Less Than a Decade
With more than 1 billion users worldwide and 2.5 million apps – available across
Google and Apple’s digital marketplaces, smartphones are impacting day-to-day life
in some surprising ways. The adoption of Smartphone has been tremendous all over
the world. Surveys show that 80% of the world population use mobile devices and
42% of mobile subscribers in the US use Smartphone. According to a survey by
Compete, a web analytics firm, a large number of people almost up to 65% is using
their Smartphones to read news feeds, post status updates, read & reply to
messages and post photos. This shows that now people are leaving PCs and
moving towards Smartphones. According to analysts, the long-dominated giants are
experiencing bad times due to the rise of Smartphone and tablets, and the pressure
to gain market share in the mobile device market is causing fractures in long
partnerships. It is true that still millions of PCs will continue to sell, but the
Smartphones and tablets will see more considerable growth in the future.
Smartphone Growth /Usage
Below figure shows the growth of Smartphones compared to PCs.
In another survey, it is estimated that Apple will sell 250 MILLION iPhone
Smartphone units at an average expected price $575, generating nearly $144
BILLION in revenue, $77 BILLION as gross profit, and $47 BILLION as net income.
Smartphones are popular among people for the applications they offer to users.
Smartphones make communications with people quite easier. People enjoy a lot of
benefits in various forms of their daily work. Some advantages smartphones provide
– better means of communication, learning options to users, great exposure to the
latest things, ways to personality development, simple ways to access applications,
ideas to succeed in business, platforms to grow their applications and more.
1. Impact on Business Smartphones create new dimensions for business. It is
not only the smartphone vendors enjoying business but also created a new
domain for app developing companies, Internet service providers, and other
related sectors.
2. Health Impact According to surveys, more than 10 million users in the USA
use Smartphone to search for health information and facilities. 27% of the
users use smartphones for online activities. Today there are several apps to
manage prescriptions, promote alternative treatment options, provide price
comparison, and validate prescriptions. Today several apps are available to
track exercise, diet and blood pressure – enabling smartphones to play a key
role in the health sector.
3. Psychological Impact Smartphones are said to reduce stress in busy work life.
I today’s busy schedules mobile phones provide a means to interact with
friends and families as an when they get time. The smart use of Smartphone
increases your brain’s functioning helping to stay active. Instead of using
Smartphone only for entertainment it could be used to access useful
information, for example, access the news headlines, latest technology
updates, and more.
4. Social Impact Social life has been drastically changed with the introduction of
smartphones and this domain has encountered most of the impact from the
use of smartphones. Smartphones play an important role in the integration
process of people with special needs, elderly age and with some sort of
disabilities.
We are living in the era of smartphones, communication has never been so easy,
with social media we’re always connected to our friends and millions of other people,
no matter where we are, at a very low cost we can easily exchange messages, get
all sorts of notifications and share information like texts, pictures and videos, all we
need is a smartphone with internet connection.
Besides communication we have available a vast variety of apps that can make your
daily life a lot easier, with only our mobile devices we can read books, listen to
music, take pictures, watch videos, play games, create documents, store data and
much more.
But this technology also has a downside, a recent study from the digital analytics firm
Flurry show that we surprisingly spend on average almost 3 hours a day staring at
our cell phones, totalizing nearly one day every week! No wonder that people keep
complaining that they don’t have time for anything.
Another study, this time from Florida State University (FSU), says that smartphones
notifications can impair our concentration, even being short in duration they cause
enough of a distraction to affect your ability to focus on a given task, decreasing your
performance by prompting task-irrelevant thoughts and mind-wandering. This can be
very dangerous in some specific situations, like driving for instance, a simple
notification can cause really serious accidents and even take lives.
These two studies are only the tip of the iceberg, they just give us an idea of the
mobile technology’s impact on our lives, and unfortunately this impact is mostly
negative. I know that there are great apps that can be really helpful in some specific
situations, but for each one of them there will be thousands of useless ones that will
just serve you as a distraction, consuming your time and making you a less
productive person.
Besides the problems mentioned above, it also has a huge impact in people’s social
lives, people are getting more disconnected to the real world, they put their phones
ahead of human interaction, it’s getting harder to see people talking to each other in
public places, they’re always too busy with their mobile devices, checking
notifications, sending messages or just sharing a new video. It’s like an addiction,
and it is kind of turning people into zombies.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. https://theconversation.com/alone-together-how-mobile-devices-have-changed-
family-time-111478 , accessed Monday March 15th
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-prime/201303/is-
technology-creating-family-divide , accessed on Monday March 15th 2021
3. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/effects-mobile-technology-our-society-
leonardo-jines , accessed on Monday March 15, 2021
