It’s no secret that smartphones are everywhere these days. It seems like nearly everyone has one, even if they’re not sporting some fancy new model. That’s why we’ve compiled this definitive list of the main advantages and disadvantages of cell phones.
Whether you’re a current owner nodding your head in agreement or a late adopter looking for the lowdown, we hope this article helps you make some sense out of the mobile phone craze.
Advantages
Communicating with Friends, Family, and Coworkers
This one is pretty obvious but bare with us. Since the first cell phone, we’ve been able to make calls while on the go. But given the fact that almost everyone today owns at least a basic mobile phone and the majority have their phone on hand at all times, you’re able to get in touch with people nearly 24/7.
Add to this the cell phone towers constantly popping up to give us ever-improving reception and even being in a building or outside of the city isn’t the problem it used to be. This comes in handy in so many ways. Let your boss know about last second changes to an important business deal, keep tabs on your kids, hit a friend for an impromptu hangout, or even call for help in an emergency. All these things and more are easier than ever.
Constant Internet Access
It doesn’t take much of an imagination to come up with tons of advantages of having the internet at your fingertips any time you need it. Want to find all the local movie times? No problem.
Need to look up the number for that restaurant you were supposed to make reservations at? Just pull out your phone. Smartphones have also been effectively solving friendly arguments about random trivia for years. Learn to take advantage of everyone’s constant connection to the internet with this amazing course on mobile marketing.
Applications and the All-in-One Device
It’s tough to fit an mp3 player, digital camera, phone, and GPS all in your pockets at the same time – at least comfortably. Fortunately for you, today’s cell phones mean that’s not a problem anymore. It’s been our go-to calculator and flashlight for at least the past decade and a smartphone is probably the only camera many people even own. To learn to create professional-quality shots with your phone’s camera, give this awesome course a try.
If that weren’t enough, there are apps for practically everything. Now your phone is also an E book reader, currency converter, and handheld gaming device. There are even apps that help you learn foreign languages on the go. Check out this helpful course that tells you all about the best apps for productivity and studying.
Disadvantages
Hinder Real Human Interaction
Our phones can do so much these days that some people have trouble tearing themselves away long enough to reconnect with the real world. You’ve likely seen them around town, on public transportation, and in stores with their eyes and fingers glued to their mobile device. Instead of interacting with the people around them, they ignore face-to-face conversation for virtual ones.
Many believe that our younger generation is actually less capable of normal socializing because of this. They’ve gotten so little practice that they’re simply not comfortable with chatting with someone they meet out in public. Since humans are social creatures by nature who need real life connections, this runs the risk of becoming a huge problem for society.
Lead to Some Pretty Serious Accidents
That’s not the only way the inattention to their surrounding caused by cell phones creates problems. It can actually cost lives when drivers focused on texting or social media lose control of their vehicle and have major accidents. Is letting your friend know you’re on the way really worth dying over?
And it’s not safe to do it while you’re walking either. For one, people have stepped into oncoming traffic while staring at the screen of their phone. Less seriously, you can fall down stairs, trip over something on the ground, or bump into a wall or another pedestrian while you’re absorbed with what’s happening on Facebook.
Breaches of Privacy and Security
While having all your information in one handy device can be extremely convenient, it also has the potential to be very dangerous. All it takes is forgetting your phone in some bathroom or movie theater and suddenly, your whole life is exposed to the person who finds it. Your contacts, documents, social media accounts, and even banking information is theirs to do with as they please.
The privacy aspect is less damaging than your compromised bank account but probably a little more embarrassing. Are there any photos on your phone that you’d rather not show to some random stranger? How about those sappy text messages with your boy or girlfriend? We thought so. Just leaving your phone on the couch while you use the bathroom can be enough to give a snooper a peak into your private life.
And even if you never let your phone leave your sight, hackers can still break into your information remotely if the motivation is there. Keep that in mind the next time you’re thinking about putting important or otherwise sensitive stuff on your mobile.
Do the Disadvantages Outweigh the Advantages?
What do you think? Does the bad outweigh the good? I personally don’t think so.
The cons of mobile phones are mostly a case of too much of a good thing. Pull yourself away from your device when you’re out on the town and don’t isolate yourself from the people around you. Don’t even think about touching that thing while you’re driving, walking, riding a bike, or anything else that requires your full attention. And use a course like this one to learn about keeping the information on your phone safe.
Then you’ll be able to enjoin all the helpful things mobile phones bring to the table without the negatives.
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