Author: Guest

How does cellphones affects social communications and lingos, are there any negative effects?

| Guest

Cell phones have become a major part of our lives and changed the way we communicate. The technology allows us to connect instantly to anyone around the world and provides an unprecedented level of convenience. However, cellphones also have the potential to have negative effects on our social communication and vernacular.

We have grown accustomed to the speed with which cell phones provide information. We can have near real-time conversations, download information, send emails, and remain always online. On the other hand, our attention span has likely decreased as a result of these technologies. We often have to edit our conversations to fit the requirements of a quick cell phone response. Moreover, reliance on machines to help us communicate can create an artificial and impersonal atmosphere. When receiving an email or text message, it is often difficult to interpret the true intention of the sender.

The language we use in our conversations has also been affected by cell phones. Texting, a common form of communication amongst adolescents, uses its own form of language with an extensive list of abbreviations. Simplified texting language has even filtered its way into face-to-face interactions, making up a form of teenage slang. This can be a problem as adults and adolescents may not share the same understanding of texting shorthand and acronyms, leading to potential miscommunication.

A further issue with cell phones is social isolation. Often we become so wrapped up in our phones that we become isolated, not engaging with friends and family when together in the same room. Additionally, many young adults have become so dependent on digital communication that they lack or have poor social skills which cause them to struggle in face-to-face conversations.

Cellphones can also be a disruptive force in face-to-face conversations. The sound of beeping notifications and the desire to check incoming text messages can be an interruption that is hard to ignore.

In conclusion, cell phones certainly have their advantages and are proving to be invaluable tools for communication. However, they also have the potential to affect our communication in various ways. For example, our attention spans and language can be disrupted as a result of cell phone use Additionally, cell phones can be a source of social alienation and distraction. It is essential that we remain conscious of how devices can affect our daily lives.

How to Regain Control and Live a Fuller Life

| Guest

Do you ever feel like your life is controlled by your cellphone? Ever spent hours stuck in your phone’s virtual world, unaware if the sun went down or a new day has started? If that’s the case, you’re most likely addicted to your phone, and you’re not alone.

Phone addiction is a serious problem that affects millions of people around the world. It affects our ability to focus, creates feelings of anxiety and depression. In some cases, it can even lead to physical problems like eye strain, neck pain, and circulation issues.

So, how do you break away from cellphone addiction and gain back control of your life? Here are some steps you can take to begin the journey to reclaiming your life:

1. Identify when and why you use your phone

Thefirst step towards breaking out of your phone addiction is understanding when and why you use it. Make a conscious effort to observe your behavior and ask yourself the following questions: Do you automatically reach for your phone when you’re bored? Do you find yourself checking it immediately when you wake up? Are there certain times of the day when you find yourself glued to its screen? When you figure out the answers to these questions, it will help you become more aware of your addiction and take steps towards fixing it.

2. Put a limit on your phone usage

Once you identify when and why you use your phone, start implementing a specific time limitation on its use. For example, set a timer on it or set a reminder that prevents you from browsing the internet or app when you should be doing something else. Having a schedule (such as “I’m only going to spend 30 minutes on my phone”) will help you control your addiction.

3. Schedule specific “phone free” times

Scheduling “phone free” times can go a long way in helping you break away from cellphone addiction. For instance, you can designate a specific hour of the day as “phone-free time”, or you can have phone-free days or even weeks. During this time, avoid using your phone as much as possible.

4. Make other activities your priority

It’s important to find a healthier way to fill the time you’d usually be spending on your phone. Take up a hobby like reading, journaling, or blogging. Invest your time in building up relationships with your family and friends. Dedicate some me-time to take care of yourself through exercise, yoga, or self-care. All of these activities can fill the void that cellphone addiction leaves and give you a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction.

5. Seek help if needed

Sometimes it isn’t enough to just follow the above steps. If you find yourself struggling to take control of your cellphone addiction, then it’s important to seek professional help. You can find support and guidance from trusted friends and family members, or you can talk to a therapist who specializes in treating addictions.

Escaping cellphone addiction can be an overwhelming journey, but one that is worth undertaking. The above tips can help you regain control of your life and enjoy the freedom of living without being constantly glued to your phone. Good luck on your journey!

How Cell Phone Addiction Came to Be

| Guest

cell phone addiction originsCell phones are deeply ingrained into North American culture in the present time. Children learn how to operate cell phones while they are still in diapers. It is likely that nothing will slow down the pervasiveness of cell phones save for an apocalypse. Millennials are the final generation to live in a cell phone free world. But how did this obsession with cell phones begin? The answer is, with painstaking effort.

Motorola engineer Martin Cooper has the distinct honor of being the first man ever to place a cell phone call in 1973. He was in a public race with a rival to be the first to invent one. Since then, the concept of a cell phone has taken on a number of new shapes.

Cell phones were not available for purchase until the mid 1980’s when the United States Federal Communications Commission approved mobile phones for public use, and when they did become available, their price tag was overwhelmingly high. Their technology was cutting edge for the time, but laughable by today’s standards. Mobile phones weighed almost an entire kilogram and had a battery life of eight hours.

These monolithic cell phones were used until the early 1990’s, becoming more portable in size and weight, but retaining the same basic features. In 1993, the world’s first smart phone was introduced, complete with features such as a keypad, e-mail and a pager. In 2002, camera features were introduced into cell phone technology, shortly followed by cell phone internet capabilities in 2003.

At this point, cell phones were already beginning to replace land-lines for voice communication technology. As people embraced more and more the ease of having a communications device on them at all times, the traditional home phone became outdated. The moment when the world was overtaken by smart phone technology was in 2007 when Apple introduced its first iPhone. No one had ever seen a phone, wireless communication device and digital music storage unit combined into one piece of technology. Owning a smart phone became a status symbol, and then became commonplace. Thus began the phenomenon that would lead to cell phone addiction.

What is Cell Phone Addiction?

| Guest

cell phone addiction definitionCell phone addiction is one of the more modern addictions to be discussed presently. Because cell phones are only twenty years old, cell phone addiction has not had much time to be examined, so we are still growing to understand its attributes. There are some characteristics of cell phone addiction that psychologists have identified, however, such as your state of mind when separated from your phone, the social situations you bring your phone into, how close you keep it to your person at all times, how quickly you go to it in the morning and how late you go to it at night.

One tell-tale sign of cell phone addiction is how you feel when you do not have your cell phone on you. Everyone becomes separated from their cell phone eventually, whether it is due to theft or accidental misplacement. Your personal reaction when this happens to you says a lot about how in control you are of your cell phone needs. If you are calm and know that the situation can be remedied, chances are you are not addicted. If you experience stress, anxiety or panic, this is a sign of addiction.

There are appropriate times and places for cell phone use. In-person social occasions are not one of them. This does not include brief cell phone use that is for the good of the group, such as calling to confirm a restaurant reservation. But if you are in the midst of a social situation and you still feel the need to be “connected” to your digital world through your cell phone, you may have a problem.

You should feel able to part with your cell phone from time to time, especially at minute levels such as going to the bathroom. It may seem unbelievable to some, but there are people who get anxiety going to the bathroom without their cell phones. If you are unable to go to the bathroom, get the mail or in general leave the room without your cell phone, you may be addicted.

And lastly, if your phone is the first thing you want when you wake up in the morning and the last thing you see before going to bed, you are engaging in unhealthy behavior. Your need for this particular piece of technology has become too intimate at this point, and you must draw boundaries between yourself and your cell phone.

How to End Cell Phone Addiction

| Guest

end cell phone addictionCell phone addiction is a recent phenomenon, and one that our culture does not know quite what to do with yet. Arguably, our culture as a whole is in complete denial of cell phone addiction. The average person spends too much time on their cell phone, making cell phone addiction so widespread that it is flying under the radar. However, in time, it will be recognized as a detrimental addiction and will need to be dealt with. So exactly how do we ween an entire society off of an addiction? The same way we do with every other type of addiction.

Being addicted to a cell phone is not dangerous in the way a substance addiction is dangerous. We can not overdose on cell phone usage at the cost of our own mortality. However, some attributes of a cell phone addiction can be compared to a substance addiction, particularly the threat they pose when operating heavy machinery. Driving and using a cell phone is certainly the most urgent risk a cell phone addiction proposes and is solely worth eradicating cell phone addiction for. Being addicted to a cell phone poses other threats, albeit less obvious ones, such as fragmentation of society, loss of in-person social skills and deterioration of conversation ability. Cell phone addiction is decidedly destructive and needs to be stopped.

It is possible that cell phones are addictive in the same way as gambling is, which has been found to alter brain chemicals with its powerful effects. If this is the case, then ending a cell phone addiction should be taken seriously. For a less severe addiction, it may simply require the addict to motivate themselves through self-help methods or personal cognitive behavior alteration. For more severe addictions, such as the ones that cause cell phone use while driving, a person may have to seek counseling, support groups or outpatient rehabilitation. Cell phone addiction inpatient rehabilitation is not yet established due to controversy over the legitimacy of cell phone addiction, but it is very possible that it will be established in the not so distant future.

Culturally Accepted Cell Phone Addiction

| Guest

culture of cell phone addictsWe acknowledge as a society that addiction is not a good thing, however, our ability to collectively identify an addiction is sometimes lacking. We have affirmed that it is possible to become addicted to substances we ingest, such as alcohol and drugs, and we have affirmed that an addiction to sex, food or gambling is plausible, but despite the obvious over-saturation of cell phone usage in North America, we refuse to acknowledge the reality of cell phone addiction that is literally right under our noses.

It would seem that we have this problem whenever something comes along that we really enjoy as a society. Several other things that have gained this addiction-exempt status are consumerism, television, sports, movies and video games. What we perceive as addiction has a lot to do with our culture. For example, North American society is more sensitive to excessive alcohol consumption than the United Kingdom, so we are faster to identify alcoholism. Yet in the Netherlands (the country recently named the healthiest country in the world), residents would consider many North Americans to have a food addiction as we have an overwhelming obesity problem.

Similarly, countries that highly value in person interactions and living in a natural way would certainly consider our cell phone usage to be at the level of addiction. Unfortunately, that mindset has not become popular in North America. Social scientists predict that cell phone addiction will come to be identified and looked down on in North America over time, particularly if heavy cell phone usage proves damaging to our health. Some medical professionals already predict that the radio waves and satellite signals of communication devices such as cell phones will cause us eventual health problems, as will the posture we hold our bodies in to look at our cell phones. But as of right now, select groups of people squabble over whether or not cell phone addiction is real, all the while people continue to die on roads, kindergarten students are distracted through class and in person communication suffers greatly due to cell phones.

 

Obsessed with My Cell Phone

| Guest

cell phone obsessedThe cell phone has been around since the 1980’s and has given us ways of staying connected that past generations could only imagine. Cell phones and pagers were originally used largely for work purposes, and were utilized first by doctors, CEOs and the likes. As cell phone technology advanced and became more accessible, however, our relationship as a society with cell phones changed dramatically. They became a commodity (some would even say a toy) and reached an unprecedented level of demand. A cell phone is now as in demand as transportation vehicles are. They are a necessary part of most working adult’s lives and many people end up in a lifestyle where a cell phone is not optional.

The difference between a cell phone and other utilitarian belongings is its pleasure producing abilities and its pervasiveness. Smart phone technology turned what was once a basic communications device into an entertainment center. Smart phones have all the features of a computer, including internet, games, media and every form of digital communication. They are enjoyable as well as functional. In addition, they are highly portable and can go virtually anywhere on a person. This makes detaching from them unlikely.

Throughout history, anywhere one could find something that is both pleasurable and easily accessible, one can find addiction. Addiction can have many faces – severe or minor, threatening or benign, obvious or subtle – but will still meet the criteria of addiction. In the same way, anything we interact with in life can also be abused, in a way similar to how a substance is abused. In the case of a cell phone, someone may not be addicted, but texting while driving is certainly an abuse of a cell phone because it can have disastrous consequences. But in the case of a spouse who repeatedly does not even speak to their partner during meals because of how engrossed in their phone they are, the term “addiction” can apply.

An addiction is any situation where a person becomes obsessed with a behavior, item or substance to the extent that their lives are negatively affected. While a cell phone addiction may seem minor in comparison to a drug addiction, it is still an unhealthy life choice, and should be remedied. Take whatever steps are necessary to end your cell phone addiction, even if it entails seeking addiction counseling. Balance is the key to a happy, successful life, and nothing will throw off balance faster than addiction.