Ease of communication
Today, mobile phones are utilised for a wide range of features and have evolved to become both user-friendly and effective. Having access to a plethora of social networking sites, SMS and video call services from one device, allows users to interact with whoever they’d like around the globe at any given moment. Because of their convenience, mobile phones have effectively become a more preferred method of social interaction over face-to-face communication. This is not necessarily a negative impact of mobile phone technology, however. Many people lead busy daily lives where they may be constantly travelling or away from home and mobile phones are the best way for them to stay in touch with friends and family.
Social impact
A large majority of mobile phone owners use their devices to access social media and this, however, has its advantages and disadvantages. A key aspect of social media is the anonymity that can come with having an online presence. This is often helpful to people who find it difficult to express themselves in real life, as their online identity is detached from a physical identity, allowing them to appear as their ideal self and erase the “imperfections” they are ashamed of in real life. Because the actions of their online persona are not attributed to the owner’s physical identity, this anonymity allows people to have the confidence and self-acceptance they need to interact with others (Toma, C. 2010). On the other hand, people use their online identity with malicious intent to harass or manipulate people. Social networking sites and applications allow users to easily make multiple accounts on many different platforms, making it very difficult for victims of harassment to entirely block or avoid whoever is bothering them, as their identity is kept hidden Gefen, D., & Ridings, C. (2004). This can be said to be a major disadvantage to face-to-face communication, where someone is fully aware of who they are talking to.
The impact on humans
The large amount of time mobile phone users spend in front of their device’s screen can cause digital eyestrain syndrome and chance of permanent eye damage due to prolonged exposure to blue light. Along with vision-related impairments, an over-reliance on mobile phones as a sole method of communication can cause an individual to have difficulties interacting with others in face-to-face communication. However, overall the impact of mobile phone technology has brought upon many benefits to enrich our daily lives, unrelated to communication. Such as GPS navigation, internet connection, cameras, and a wide range of applications for entertainment as well as productivity. While these features are not exclusive to mobile phones, having one portable device to perform all of them is what makes mobile phones so popular and impactful.
