Hunter Phipps

Adam Padgett
ENGL 1102
10 April 2014
The Age of the Smartphone
One of the biggest arguments made by older generations is that the technology we are
presented with today has created the dumbest generation yet, and that kids today are becoming
more and more lazy as times pass along. That is a very strong statement, and is it actually true? If
you walk into any public setting, what are the odds that you will see someone on a smartphone?
As I pondered this question, I ran through the quick check I do before I leave to go somewhere;
"Wallet, keys, iPhone, okay we're good to go". It is scary to think that I would be lost without
that little piece of technology that gets me through the day in so many various ways. Whether I
am stuck in a situation when I need information at that moment, a quick math check from a
calculator, or need mindless entertainment waiting at the doctor's office, my phone is there for
me. With that being said, is it truly negatively impacting society so much that we could be
considered the "dumbest generation yet"? Absolutely not. I firmly believe that we are actually
smarter than ever before. I picture it this way; if I need to go somewhere, would I walk because
if I drive that makes me lazy and walking would be great exercise? Absolutely not. I am going to
get in my Mustang and go without thinking twice. If I need to ask someone a quick question,
would I go to their house? No, I would simply shoot them a text message. It is the same concept.
It is only sensible to use the tools we have available to us today. Jarice Hanson states in her
article 24/7: How Cell Phones and Internet Change the Way We Live, Work, and Play "It would
Comment [AP1]: This sounds like
dependency to me. how are you different
from others?
Comment [AP2]: Wow, interesting counter-
position.
Comment [AP3]: Okay, fair point, but I
dont see how this makes your generation
smarter than the last.
seem logical that we could use these technologies to make our lives easier, so why do we
continue to feel so much stress?"(Hanson ix)
Advantages
The technology of smartphones provide quick and easy solutions to everyday problems to
a broad range of people. Anybody from a teacher to an engineer can use them to play significant
roles in their lives. Looking from an engineer's standpoint, and in my case, motorsports
engineering, it is very convenient to have at the track. Crew chiefs like myself have won races
thanks to them. I use mine every time I roll into the track to set up our cars, using the stopwatch
to get lap times, the level app when configuring the geometry of the cars, and the always handy
calculator to find weight percentages and gear ratios. In the past, crew chiefs would need three
different tools for each situation that would add up to cost about the same as my smartphone, but
that isn't all that it provides. Teachers are becoming more and more fond of the technology.
Communication is one of the biggest keys to being a successful teacher. A smartphone makes
communication easier than ever with apps for emailing and the evermore popular Twitter for
delivering messages to large quantities of students at once.
Just as smartphones are great tools that teachers take advantage of, many are even
starting to incorporate them into the classroom for positive results. Anthony Williams describes
in his article, " Cell phones are clearly ubiquitous in the hands of students, and smart phone`s...
are becoming increasingly common." He states that the devices have great potential in the world
of education(William 1). Smartphones have huge potential in the way students learn now and
could help in many different ways. For example, textbooks. Most college textbooks are more
than likely in the triple digit range of prices. They are very inconvenient to haul around, and do
Comment [AP4]: Im not sure why youre
quoting this. Seems to be in the realm of
common knowledge, and doesnt need an
authority to back it up.
not have much use after the class is over. Smartphones now have the capability to download
online copies of the book in the palm of your hand, and are significantly cheaper than hardback
paper books. Also, calculators that are also very pricey can be downloaded for extremely cheap
if not for free. Other applications such as notepads are applicable in the classroom setting and be
very useful to students.
Disadvantages
Smartphones are appealing and almost everyone I know owns one, which makes life easy
when tasks like these are presented, however they also have their disadvantages. Overuse of
smartphones brings about many problems. With most epidemics and rises of technology, people
tend to overdo and surpass expectations of use with the devises. Smartphones have the potential
to be distracting and bring about a sense of laziness. Going back to the students example, how
would a teacher know that the student is just using a calculator on a math test and not just finding
the answer on the internet. It is very easy to type a math equation into your phone and let it give
you the answer, or looking up the spark notes for the book you were supposed to read. This has
appealing short term victories when you see the passing grades for homework. However, come
test time when cell phones are not allowed and the only way you know how to solve that
equation is with that app on your phone, the results put a dent in your grades. The College
Student Journal, facts are presented showing that students were expected and in fact did lose
almost 30% on quiz grades when cell phones were allowed in the classroom.(College Student
Journal).
Disadvantages such as these give reasoning for antagonists to put negative connotations
upon smartphones. The arguments do have validation, however not everyone abuses the
technology available. Those who do have smartphones do use them for what they were meant to
be used for, communication. The world is now connected more than it has ever been with the
upcoming of social media.
The Fuel for the Fire
Possibly the biggest asset to having a smartphone is having the instant access to social
media anywhere you go. I think that anyone with a social media account can agree that it has
impacted their life, but whether or not that impact has been positive or negative is the question.
With the rise of social media, many state that it is harming the person to person interaction skills
that many people believe is so important. I partially agree with that argument, however it is a
skill that is becoming less important. Much of the time now, business owners, peers, and even
professors are communicating through social media and transforming the relationships for the
good, due to the easy access to communication. Michael Mandiberg makes this argument in his
article The Social Media Reader.(Mandiberg)
As many see social media as just a pass-time, I view it as more of tool. Even though I do
like to scroll through my twitter feed, or see what is going on back in my hometown on
Ffacebook, I also use these things as tools to my advantage. Going back to racing, I am part of
many pages on Ffacebook where classifieds are posted for racing related parts and cars. Many of
the parts for our cars have coame from people I had never met before except through Ffacebook.
I also have sold many parts on theirs as well. I recently sold a motor to a guy from Alabama, and
since then we have talked on several occasions lending each other advice on racing. Also, it is a
major asset for advertising our race team, gaining fans as well as sponsors. They like to see our
victory lane pictures with their company on the side of the car with hundreds of 'likes". It is a
Comment [AP5]: Im not sure how social
media is a pastime.
different way of looking at social media, showing that good lies within it. Erik Qualman
describes in his article that due to the mass percent of users in social media, it describes how
successful it can be for advertising tools and reach consumers directly. (Qualman)
In Closing
Looking forward to the future, many theorist find it hard to judge what will come about.
As of now, smart phones can cause many problems that spread like a contagious epidemic.
Smart-phones have taken control of many of lives, exponentially growing in popularity.
However in the future, it will be hard to follow the path that smart phones are on now; many
people already have smart-phones so the number of new ones will be impossible to compete with
current numbers. Usage will drop down once it becomes extremely common, but many wonder if
society will depend upon smart phones to make it through everyday life.
The world has seen many struggles in all parts, battling through because of natural
instinct and natural selection. The history behind society when it has been threatened majorly
support society breaking through. With the smart minds of the world today, society will
persevere and battle through the problems and make people working with smart-phones well-
oiled machines. Even though society depends upon smart-phones now, society will eventually
evolve and will not depend so much on smart-phones. Those people who do depend upon a
smart-phone will be irrelevant to society, and new technology will be out making smart-phones
old news.
With all the advantages behind smart-phones, to want to carry around that bright piece of
technology is almost irresistible. Smart-phones have became something that even the brightest
Comment [AP6]: Im not sure what you
mean here.
engineers would have never dreamed of. Even though they have caused a problem, society will
eventually battle through to make smart phones successful tools of life.
Hunter,
I really like how youve infused your personal experience with your research and discussing the
various points you bring up. I find your discussing interesting and compelling, but Im not sure
what your thesis is here. it seems to me that you are making the case for smart phones, but I
dont quite know who you are arguing against here. You apply this pro-smart phone argument in
several disparate contexts, but I think you apply it in so many different contexts, I get lost in the
palaver. I think in revision you should really try to sharpen your thesis and make it as clear as
possible. Who is your ideal audience? What do you want to convince them of? Just try for a
greater, clearer sense of purpose here.








Works Cited
College Student Journal, . "EFFECTS OF CLASSROOM CELL PHONE USE ON EXPECTED
AND ACTUAL LEARNING." . College Student Journal, n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2013.
<http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=77294be6-77e4-4c8a-9428-
13b966a8a420@sessionmgr14&vid=12&hid=105>.
Hanson, Jarice. 24/7: How Cell Phones and the Internet Change the Way We Live, Work, and
Play. Westport, Conn: Praeger, 2007. Print.
Mandiberg, Michael. The Social Media Reader. New York: New York University Press, 2012.
Internet resource.
Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business.
Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley & Sons, 2013. Internet resource.
William, Anthony. "Smart Phones, a Powerful Tool in the Chemistry Classroom." . Dept. of
Chemistry and Biochemistry, College at Oneonta, n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2013.
<http://ejournals.ebsco.com/Direct.asp?AccessToken=6LVLML289OHCKIFHMO2XC2
FJIHIV8HCX22&Show=Object>.