Nowadays, the majority of people depend on the use of smartphones for various reasons. The smartphone has substituted our camera, alarm clock, calendar, mail, newspaper, and many other gadgets that have a single and particular use. With the apps available on the phone, we connect and interact with other people in many different ways, which has become an everyday habit, or better to say, an hourly habit. Our need for constant information updates seems to enlarge with the frequent use of smartphones and it seems that the majority of people have become addicted to them. Can we imagine our life today without smartphones and all the features it comes with? Will life become more complicated or simpler? There was interesting social research to answer these questions.
Who Did It Include?
The research included graduate students from the University Bologna in Italy and the University of Bordeaux in France. The research was conducted between 2015 and 2017, and 153 participants agreed to disconnect from all social media and smartphones, as well as to keep the journal of their experience. Some students would simply choose the day without a phone, and others needed to announce their potential online absence publicly just before they cut off from their phone.
What Were Their Journal Entries Like?
Their journal entries were fascinating and some of them showed the following observations: the day seemed longer than usual without a phone; many students were not distracted while doing their everyday tasks and they finished them more easily; some were frustrated and scared that they would miss some important call, message, or news; certain students found out they couldn’t do anything during a day without a phone; luckily, some students became more active, went for a walk more and explored new parts of the city; some of them seemed to have more meaningful conversations with their mates and felt more connected and close to them. It is certain that these days off provoked mixed feelings and the participants had different experiences.
Conclusion
The conclusion the majority of participants have come to is that technology has both its advantages and disadvantages. In the same manner, they have become more aware of their technology habits and whether they are addicted to technology or not. It is interesting to point out that certain students thought they had developed a certain degree of addiction, yet they discovered they could live perfectly well without a phone. On their days off, they happen to regard other people in the cafes, restaurants, gyms, and public transport, and they realized that constant use of phones in front of other people can be described as a lack of respect. It is possible to live without smartphones, just like we lead our lives completely normally before their appearance. Yet, smartphones do have some advantages that can alleviate the challenges of everyday life.
