Technology is defined as “a scientific or industrial process, invention, method, or the like” (“Technology”). The original point of technology was to make life easier. But now could we be at the point where we made life too easy? With the amount of technology we have in the world, communication is easy, entertainment is easy, anything you want can pretty much be done via technology. Even if you do it yourself now, there will be something made later so you don’t have to. Good? Obviously. Bad? Potentially. But what I am going to focus on specifically is the phone. The revolutionary invention made by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. The device connected people around the globe and are still upgrading the original invention. But what happens if we get addicted to our phones like we have today?

The first question worth asking is what has the phone done to our social skills? Well, according to the Radiology Society of North America, “46 percent of people said they couldn’t live without their smartphone” (Radiology). This is not meant to be taken in a literal sense, however there is truth to it. Many people, mostly including past generations, say due to the rise of cell phones, people no longer have the ability to make conversation face to face. Sherry Turkle in an interview said to Jill Suttie, “Eighty-nine percent of Americans say that during their last social interaction, they took out a phone, and 82 percent said that it deteriorated the conversation they were in. Basically, we’re doing something that we know is hurting our interactions” (Suttie). We are aware that we are hurting out own conversations, yet our addictions can’t help it. Another big issue with cell phones is the amount of new medical cases we are dealing with. “More recently, researchers who study the relationship of mobile phone use and mental health have also found that excessive or ‘maladaptive’ use of our phones may be leading to greater incidences of depression and anxiety among users” (“Is”). One thing that may not be thought of is that people are a lot more willing to post things online and speak their mind. In an open question, someone brought up this very topic. Perhaps one of the best answers came from Ri Hathout, saying, “Talking online and in person is different because 90% of our communication is non-verbal...written words can also tell you a lot about a person, but they can’t replace things like eye contact, or lack thereof, the nuances of facial expressions, body posture, tone, volume, pitch, and hue of voice, hand gestures, and so on” (“Why”). This is a lot to process, but is exactly what needs to be said. You can’t learn much about a person through a phone, there can be more learned through face to face conversation. 

One of the most important things that simply can’t be ignored is the increase in suicide rates. Ever since the invention of social media, there have been massive spikes in suicide rates. Time magazine writes in one of their articles, “Between 2009 and 2017, rates of depression among kids ages 14 to 17 by more than 60% the study found” (Heid). Suicide is the worst way to go, as the person who committs it doesn’t think things through, no matter how much they say they do. They think the only way to get out of their situation is to kill themselves. So one may wonder what the cause of such suicide spikes are. According to Pediatric EHR Solutions, it is social media. They write, “Between 2007 and 2015, technology emerged as a much more prevalent aspect of society. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other ‘social media’ related apps became a large part of life, particularly the life of a teenager. While these tools were created with positive ideas, unfortunately it is easy for teenagers to get mixed up in cyberbullying and indulge in bad behavior when behind a screen. It is much easier to send someone a hateful message while sitting at home in your room than to say it to their face. Looking someone in the eye while hurting them is the part that stops people from doing so, but with technology we have completely eliminated the need for that, making it that much easier for people to be indecent to each other” (Admin). Again, a lot to process. Basically, to break it down, social media had good intent, but a negative outcome. And bullying has increased because it is easier to send a message than say to someone, which is a big contributor of suicide rates. We have to find something else to do with our free time than use our phones. 

I know for myself personally, I look forward to going home on a Friday and playing some Xbox, and staying up until 11 at night watching YouTube, but aside from that, that’s all I really use. My average screen time tends to be 3 to 4 hours a week. According to Melanie Curtain, “the average person spends over four hours a day on their device” (Curtin). 3 to 4 hours a day, that’s about 12 hours a week! That’s almost a quarter of the walking hours! Now this statistic tends to depend on gender, as guys tend to play more video games, while girls tend to be on their phones keeping up with friends and family.

Technology makes many aspects of life better. Farmers no longer have to pick everything individually, and workers no longer have to hand make everything. Another thing is that it does make learning languages a lot easier with various applications. But perhaps the biggest advantage of all is instant communication. The ability to text or call is highly underrated, and opens so many doors for so many opportunities. But we as people take this too far. One can have 15,000 followers, but be lonely and have no friends. They are so lonely because they can’t carry a conversation face to face. Everyone knows a person that is in a similar situation. But we must go back to the way it was, where instant communication is just as a backup, and face to face is the preferred.

Pain, care, brutality, kindness. All things that can be portrayed through cell phones, and not all of it is wanted. Things would be so much better if we focus on people and not showing off what we do over the weekend, or over break or whatnot. Our only hope of survival as a species is to rely on each other, and while instant communication is useful, it should not be a go to. Face to face shows more emotion, and when it comes down to it, is not hard to master conversation.  

Works Cited

Admin. “Social Media, Self-Esteem, and Teen Suicide.” PCC Blog: Focusing on Timely Issues Affecting Independent Pediatric Practices, blog.pcc.com/social-media-self-esteem-and-teen-suicide.

Curtin, Melanie. “Are You On Your Phone Too Much? The Average Person Spends This Many Hours On It Every Day.” Inc.com, Inc., 30 Oct. 2018, www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/are-you-on-your-phone-too-much-average-person-spends-this-many-hours-on-it-every-day.html.

Heid, Markham. “Depression and Suicide Rates Are Sharply Rising in Young Americans, New Report Says.” Time, Time, 14 Mar. 2019, time.com/5550803/depression-suicide-rates-youth/.

History.com Editors. “Alexander Graham Bell.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/inventions/alexander-graham-bell.

“Is Your Mobile Phone Use Bad for Your Mental Health?” Mental Floss, 13 June 2017, mentalfloss.com/article/501676/your-mobile-phone-use-bad-your-mental-health.

Radiological Society of North America. "Smartphone addiction creates imbalance in brain, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 November 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171130090041.htm>.

Suttie, Jill. “How Smartphones Are Killing Conversation.” Greater Good, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_smartphones_are_killing_conversation.

“Technology.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/technology.

“Why Is Talking in Person and Online ‘Different’?” Quora.com, 8 July 2016, www.quora.com/Why-is-talking-in-person-and-online-different.