12 Ways How Mobile Has Changed Our Life
“Mobile is no longer about what you can do on your cell phone. Mobile is all about doing more, all of the time”.
— Mitch Joel
Mobile Phones have now become a ‘part and parcel’ of our life. We can’t even think about our life without the presence of mobile phones.
It’s been seen so far that the concept of ‘mobile’ has evolved with the passing time, especially in the last 10 years, and from simple hand-held mobile phones it has now become a multi-featured gadget, a necessity for all.
How/when Mobile was invented:
On April 3, 1973, Martin cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive, made the first mobile telephone call from hand-held subscriber equipment. Motorola was the first company to produce hand held mobile phones.
Initially, those phones were referred to as OG mobile phones (Zero Generation Mobile Phones) which now-a-days has turned into 3G or 4G mobiles with lots of new, unique features making it an invisible part of human lives.
In this Article we are going to discuss how mobile has affected our lifestyle both in positive and negative ways.
Mobile phones have now become an important tool of our lives and its functioning goes way beyond the capacity of making or receiving calls.
6-Positive Influences of Mobile Phones on our lives:
- Stay connected:
The main purpose of mobile phones is to keep us connected with our loved ones regardless of the distance. It helps us to stay connected with our family, friends, loved ones and society as well in variety of ways including: Calling, Text/Messages, E-mail, Video calling, Public or Social media. Therefore, Mobile phones play a key role to get in touch with each affecting the health of the aged people in a positive way. As per Doctors, adults who stay in touch with others, whether in person over the phone, via email. Or just through text messaging are happier and healthier.
- Storehouse of knowledge:
A mobile phone can be considered as an important learning tool. With the help of the internet, we can find a suitable solution to each problem, satisfactory answers to each question and clarification of every doubt immediately. Mobile phones with several learning apps prove beneficial for the students also to carry on their learning in an effective and interesting way to sharpen their skill and to upgrade their knowledge as well. Mobile phone, in a way is a gift for all offering access to ‘World’s biggest Library whenever required as said by Ray Kurzweil –
“Mobile phones are misnamed. They should be called gateways to human knowledge.”
- Multiple utility devices:
One factor which makes mobiles so important in our daily lives is its multi utility functionary. Besides calling or staying in touch with others, one can easily use mobile for making calculations, setting reminders for some occasion, birthday, meetings or activities. It can be easily used as a torch whenever required. The latest featured phones are designed to work in more than one GSM network. With the help of ‘WhatsApp’, ‘Emails’, ‘Bluetooth’ files and documents can be transferred from one device to another (For long and short distances respectively).
- Sense of Security:
Mobile phones are important tools for emergency services also. It’s a safety gadget which helps us to track exact locations through GPRS (General Packet Radio Services, a continuous connection to the internet for mobile phone and computer users). In emergency situations like accidents, car breakdown, physical illness or medical emergencies, you can always call for rescue or help. As per record, 40% of cell owners said that they found themselves in an emergency situation in which having their phone with them helped.
- Entertainment:
Mobile phones, now-a-days, has become a source of entertainment for all its users by providing
— Videos for meditation/ different exercises
— Access to internet
— Apps for listening music
— Thousands of online and offline games application
— Apps for watching movies or videos
— Opportunity for children to watch videos and cartoon on mobile devices
Even daily soaps are telecasted with the help of some special apps on mobile.
As per records, 42% of cell owners used their phone for entertainment when they were bored.
- Memorable clicks:
Through the help of high definition cameras, mobile helps us to capture our memorable moments throughout our life. This picture can be clicked any time, anywhere to be remembered forever.
“A moment captured is worth so much more than a moment forgotten”.
Mobiles, therefore, help to develop all the areas of human well-being; bringing the entire world at our fingertips within a single second of the day.
“In their phones were antennas and these antennas sniffed out an invisible world, as if by magic, a world that was all around them, and also nowhere, transporting them to places distant and near; and to places that had never been and would never be” — Mohsin Hamid.
6 Negative Influences of Mobile Phones on our lives:
In spite of the usefulness and necessity of mobile phones in our day to day life, there are many downsides of using mobile phones on a regular basis.
“Mobile phones are ubiquitous and indispensable, yet they have also given rise to a curious bundle of safety, security and privacy fears.”
- Unsocial:
One of the major drawbacks of using mobile phones is its ability to weaken social emotions; making people more socially disruptive, rational & introverted; engaged in their own world filled up with self-centered, phrases, like ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘myself’. People now have less conversation with people, face to face. They do prefer to stare at their mobile screen than to talk to each other while in a group meet.
“What is the truth behind Mobile Technology?
Faraway people get connected as nearby people!
Nearby people get disconnected as faraway people!”
- No time for family:
“WE have all become addicted to mobile phones. They have become our family, our friend, our confidant and to even some they have become our lovers.”
― Anthony T. Hincks
Mobiles in a way isolating people from their friends, family and loved ones. It’s an irony how mobiles can connect us with others, but so often make us aloof from the family persons and alienate from the real world as Gayendra Abeywardane said –
“An entire planet pretending to be uncomfortable with the humanitarian crisis while engrossed in distractions on their mobile screens. Humanity ignoring their inevitable existential crisis.”
- Health problems:
There is a lot of speculation that mobile phones are injurious for health. Its radiation is harmful causing life threatening diseases like Cancer, Nervous breakdown/ nerve disease, affecting eyesight, hinders brain development, short temperedness, Insomnia, headaches and many more.
- Accidents:
People get engrossed by their mobile phone while walking on the road. Many times, they don’t even feel the need to look around and carry on listening to music on headphones or talking over the phone while walking around. As a result of which many severe accidents occur and thousands of people lose their lives in a year. Using mobile while driving is also a major reason for car accidents and consecutive deaths.
The National Safety Council reports that-
“Cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving”.
- Effect on child development:
Now-a-days, mobiles have become an addiction for children. They are glued to mobile phones to watch cartoons, videos or play games on it. But excessive use of mobile phones could be vulnerable for children affecting their brain development, nervous system, eyesight, psychology, hearing capacity, reaction times, sleep patterns and many more. Doctor. Nora Volkow, the lead author of the JAMA Study said, modelling studies have shown that “Child’s brain would absorb more radiation than those of Adults”.
- Nomophobia:
Excessive use of cell phones results in an emergency condition ‘Nomophobia’ — a fear of being without a mobile device; or beyond mobile phone contact.
Worldwide many rehabilitation centres appear to deal with this mental, social and physical condition coming as a result of ‘mobile addiction’.
A recent study sponsored by SecurEnvoy has found that since 2008, the amount of people who fear being without a mobile phone has grown from 53 percent to 66 percent.
In spite of the downsides, it’s hard to repudiate the advantages of mobile phones and its imperative assistance in our day to day life. Mobile phones are an outstanding accessory and a need for all. But like everything, “Mobiles” too have their benefits and drawbacks & it’s up to us to decide what impact technology will have in our life.
