Heaven Forbid I Don't Have a Smartphone

Claim of Reality: People are obsessed over social media and it causes relationship problems and many missed opportunities.

           My parents give me many things in life- a warm home, plenty of food, gas money, a car, a cell phone(not a smartphone- I would just like to point that out right away), entertainment (cable, movies, shopping, etc.), medical and dental help, moral support, love, and many other countless things that I am very grateful for. As our society becomes more modern and technology changes (as it always will), new gadgets continue to be released. They instantly become the next “cool” thing to have. What it comes down to is this: if you don’t have this coveted item, you instantly have “less opportunity” and are ridiculed for not knowing something that only someone with an iPhone would have per say.

            I would like to explain what I mean when I say “people are obsessed with social media." Social media is available on a regular computer, yes, but I want to focus on social media that occurs with smartphones. The iPhone (or any other Smartphone) is the perfect example. During this school year (2012-2013), I have increasingly noticed how many people have some sort of smartphone, compared to others who just have your “Plain Jane” cell phone. My friend and I were joking about this reality the other day. We are the only two left in our group of friends that doesn’t have a smartphone. Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to the day when everyone had a flip-phone?

Remember this bad boy?                                                            That used to be cool five years ago.

....... I often find myself out of the loop or one step behind everyone else during the school day. Everyone is always scrolling Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook in the hallways, any free moment they have in class, and especially during lunch and school assemblies, events, and sporting events.  I know people don’t mean to do this, but sometimes it’s hurtful and simply rude to be on their smartphone while I’m trying to have a conversation with them. One last thing: smartphones now act as a social status just like social media does. It is believed that if someone doesn’t have a smartphone, they must not be able to afford one. People need to stop assuming so much.

           I personally do not understand why you need one. It’s terrible to become so dependent on something; it’s definitely not healthy. Why pay $200 a month for a phone contract, when you can wait a couple hours and check your social media sites on a computer with internet rates starting at $9.95 a year (Mediacom).

            As mentioned in the article titled Put the Smartphone Down. Now., a lady was too obsessed with her smartphone and updating her status, and because of this, missed an opportunity for romance or a relationship. Anyone will become antisocial in the slightest sense when all they do is update their online persona.

            What bothers me the most is when you are in public place and you watch people surf the web on their phones that are clearly glued to them. Imagine what it would be like if you didn’t have your phone with you. You would actually have to make eye contact, have social skills, and smile at someone. Say what?!?!?

            Plain and simple: people wouldn’t know what to do without their smartphone. I would like to see what would happen if someone didn’t have their phone for like two. whole. days. woah. Perhaps you do stay in contact with people, but I believe that it hinders relationships and opportunities more than help them. For this reason people should stray from smartphones and forms of social media if possible.  (626)

Sources/Online Articles Used:
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/30/has-facebook-ruined-love/social-media-is-a-romance-contraceptive
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/30/has-facebook-ruined-love/facebook-is-a-gift-and-a-curse