How Your Smartphone Is Changing Your Behavior
With the emergence of mobile phones, or better known as smartphones, in the 21st century, these can also be a modern constituent in an individual’s personal and behavioral development. The article “How Your Smartphone Is Changing Your Behavior” by Bentley University (2015), argued that smartphones have a negative feedback in terms of an individual’s health and behavior. The institute discussed about a behavior called FOMO, abbreviated for Fear of missing out. It is defined by the institution as when an individual suddenly feels an absent vibration of his or her device which urges them to check on a notification on their smartphone. It develops the condition stated above, and it also develops anxiety as these users always want to be on par with their acquaintances. Moving on, the article also discussed that smartphones tend to shorten attention spans as well as degrade the memory of its users. There are two effects that are discussed in the article.
First, people who often surf the web tend to have a hard time paying attention. This is due to the fact that they are distracted by the notifications of their smartphones, thus making them lose focus in the activity that they are currently engaged in; and also, smartphones tend to drain the productivity time of its users because of the addiction to different social media applications.
The second would be the reduction of a user’s memory. Studies have shown that an individual’s brain gets tired due to the presence of an overwhelming amount of information when an individual is engaged in social media activities and applications. In another article that discusses the effects of smartphones to an individual’s development, Dr. Pirnia, N. (n. d.), discussed that mobile devices impact a child’s mental development. She explained that mobile devices release electromagnetic fields that are very harmful to the brain. In studies conducted about the effects of low-intensity radio frequency radiation shows that the stated wave is capable of interrupting and disconnect brain cells; it also causes several conditions such as fatigue, headache, and sometimes causes an individual to become indolent.
The article also discussed that such waves can also increase the probability of a child to develop ADD, ADHD, and Trisomy 21; moreover, it can also affect an individual’s memory and attention spans. In an article by Salamon, M. (2017), she discussed the effects of smartphone usage on a child’s behavior. She reported about the term technoference, coined by Brandon McDaniel. Technoference is defined as “The interference of technology in couple relationships and implications for women's personal and relational well-being because of everyday intrusions and interruptions due to technology devices,” as written is Collins Dictionary. This also pertains to the relation between the frequency of tantrums and the involvement of mobile phones in an individual’s daily life.
In the study conducted by McDaniel, B. (2016), Salamon, M. (2017) reported that mobile phone use greatly affected the relation between parents and their children. The subjects of the study stated that their device often interrupts them during their bonding time with their family, specifically their children. However, the effects of technoference are not only limited to the parents, it also impacted their children. The study stated that the children of the participants exhibited behaviors such as being sulk, frustration, numerous tantrums, and evidences of hyperactivity. In a different article titled “The Effects of Smartphones on the Brain,” Cherry, K. (2018), explained that smartphone use can impair an individual’s social-emotional skills. A research conducted by the Boston University School of Medicine stated that “hands-on activities and those involving direct human interaction are superior to interactive screen games”.
Mobile devices are not capable of developing an individual’s visual-motor and sensorimotor skills; in addition, the problem-solving skills of an individual is also jeopardized. Therefore, the primary effects of smartphones towards an individual would be regarding his cognitive ability, social and emotional skills, as well as the development of several mental and physical conditions such as anxiety, ADHD, and brain tumor.
