TREMENDOUS DEVELOPMENT IN GADGETS AND SMARTPHONE TECHNOLOGY

ISSUE

In this millennium era, technology has virtually changed every aspect of our society, from the
way we work, to the way we socialize and everything in between (Dhruvin Patel). According
to Merriam-Webster (America’s online dictionary for English word definitions, meanings, and
pronunciation), technology can be defined as “an application of knowledge to practical aims
of human life or to changing and manipulating the human environment. Technology includes
the use of materials, tool, techniques, and sources of power to make life easier or more
pleasant and work more productive”. In an easy word, technology helps us in so many ways
and make our life more manageable. However, have we ever notice what happened when we
let gadgets and smartphone technology be a part of our life?

Sure that everything in the world has it own pro and cons, so does gadgets and smartphone
technology. In a positive way, gadgets help people in need and elderly age. Nearly 15% of the
current population have some form of disability and the percentage of elderly citizens in the
population is increasing rapidly (S. Verstockt et.al, 2009). Smartphones will play an important
role in guiding people with special needs and elderly age so that they could live more
independently. Smartphones features such as GPS, and social websites help this group of
people to remain associate with other people (Muhammad Sarwar and Tariq Rahim Soomro,
2013). I do agree with this statement because the target group of people could easily
communicate their needs, seek assistance from others and catch up with their old friends. In
a psychology aspect, this helps them to not feel left out from ordinary people and live their life
perfectly. Next, Gadgets also helps people to stay connected with family and friends. Parents
nowadays intentionally give gadget to their children since early age in order to monitor them
when they are far from home and they will not worrying their children when they work outside
(Mildayani Suhana, 2017). The Smartphone’s utilizing and providing additional capabilities to
communicate with children and know their children whereabouts anytime (Muhammad Sarwar
and Tariq Rahim Soomro, 2013). I could say that parents could also put CCTV at their home
to monitor their children from afar.

The smartphones has also given people an opportunity to act as a journalist at any time
(Muhammad Sarwar and Tariq Rahim Soomro, 2013). They could use the camera to make a
video and also use an app such as Inshot, Quik and many more to edit them. There are also
several apps they could use to write a journal online. These tech devices and services are
better sources for learning for the youth and these are the sources of fun and entertainment
which help them distract from daily stresses of life (Jyoti Ranjan Muduli, 2014). The
smartphones enable people to capture good times and share it with family and friends and
helps people to overcome stress. Even though the quality of the video or image might be not
good, as long as the memories could remain, it will always look beautiful.

Despite all of the positive impact of gadget and smartphone, we also need to know the
negative impact of these issue. One of the effect that always happened to us without we
realized is, they disturb our sleep (Muhammad Sarwar and Tariq Rahim Soomro, 2013). Why?
In what way? Well, let me ask you some question first. Did you realized that you always
checking your phone before you sleep even though you know that there is nothing important
in it? Have you ever feel uneasy when your phone is not situated near you before you sleep?
Are both of this question answer you? Without we realized, these two action do interrupt our
sleep since we always sleep late at night just to play games in phone. Light from these devices
supresses melatonin that in turns delay sleep, especially teens (Amber Moore, 2012). Besides,
it can also effect people with digital eye strain and computer vision. These condition is because
of the focusing up close which is difficult and tiring to the eyes and causing dryness and
headaches and eventually may lead to more nearsightedness (Yasser Alghamdi, 2016).

The usage of gadgets and smartphones also effect the children development. In an interview
with Dr. Mary Lewis, professor of psychology at Oakland University, she talked about the
negative impact of technology to children. She indicated that children who are preoccupied
with technology are less socially interactive with other people (Yasser Alghamdi, 2016). On
the other hand, the writers of the article “Influence of Gadget Usage on Children’s Social-
Emotional Development” shared their view about this issue. They stated that ‘the effect of
electronic media is children less participate with real world’. I agree as children nowadays tend
to ignore their social life which cause them to lack of interaction and communication with
environment, parents and peers. Giving you child a smartphone is like giving them a gram of
cocaine, says a top addiction therapist (Rachael Pells, 2017). They become less interactive
and prefer to be alone with their comfort zone, which is with gadget. This could also lead to
children suffering anxiety experience nervousness, shyness and fear (Sundus M, 2018) and
they would try to avoid people, places and activities. They will find it difficult to communicate
with surrounding community and at the end of the day, they will be isolated by others and have
no friends.

Plus, gadgets and smartphones also create frictions between families. Many smartphones
users engage in continuous monitoring their work related emails, which creates compulsive
routines of chronic checking and in the long run it is responsible for increased stress
(Muhammad Sarwar and Tariq Rahim Soomro, 2013). The employees also had to take the
work to home which lead to a worsened work-family balance. For the children, they will grow
up without their parents’ love. This might lead for the children to be a troubled student at school
or search for happiness through playing their gadgets. Younger children can be molded easily
which cause them to easily pick up wrong traits from television such as stealing, doing drugs,
smoking, etc (Yasser Alghamdi, 2016). Children would also show traits of higher aggression
when they are exposed to violence on television or computer. The indulgence in violent games
may create more violence in their mind (Jyoti Ranjan Muduli, 2016).

Lastly, the misuse of gadgets and smartphone technology lead to cyber bullying. It enables
student to access irrelevant content while at schools, enables working community to access
social websites and other irrelevant content while at work, and enables youth to access the
internet for inappropriate contents (Muhammad Sarwar and Tariq Rahim Soomro, 2013).
Smartphone also has camera and video technology which can be used to record and
photograph bullying and hazing in schools and colleges. Many students put information into
their mobile phones to cheat on tests (Nile Nickel) and they can hide their cheating by using
other devices to view the information. Not only for test, who knows, maybe they could cheat
their assignments too. Surprisingly, there is a website called ‘Essay Click’ which helps student
to complete their work. They just need to pay them and boom! The assignment finished safe
and sound.
There is also a smartwatch that could help students in exam too!

Youth Nowadays want everything faster, easier and cheaper (Jyoti Ranjan Muduli, 2016). We
could say that this helps student to do their task easily. But once you cheat, you tend to pursue
that path for the rest of your life (assignmentbay.co). maybe you could say that you are
success by cheating but actually you are not. You will never learn anything since all you do is
cheating.

The writer for the article ‘Negative effect of technology on Children’ showed their worries by
stating ‘there are a large number of chat rooms where predators could try to lure children and
take advantage of them. They continued, a US Attorney present that “Pedophiles are finding
new ways and new opportunities to network with each other on how to exploit children”.
Pedophiles go online to seek tips for getting near children – at camps, through foster care, at
community gatherings and at countless other events (Kurt Eichenwald, 2006).This could harm
many children. Sometimes, children doesn’t even know that they were chatting a phedophiles
until they become the victim.

As a conclusion, gadgets and smartphones technology could give both positive and negative
impact on society. Parents need to play a big role in educating their children. Parents need
and should introduce technology to their young children because it would be disadvantageous
educationally to them if they don’t (Yasser Alghamdi, 2016) but parents also need to monitor
the use of technology by their children. Sundus. M, 2016 shared some tips for parents to
monitor their children using gadgets so they can keep track of the amount of time kids are
spending on using gadgets. Parents could set time for using screens, make children play
outside, keep them occupied with other creative toys and ensure adequate sleep.