So you finally caved, bought a smartphone and joined this cyber space completely. Welcome to the real world. But not so fast...With every perk, there’s a price to pay. With every pro, there’s a con. In some ways, what is propelling us into the future, may be holding us back. One study has shown that some people whip out their smartphones nearly 200 times a day. It’s not uncommon for a 17-year-old to log as many as 22,000 text messages per month. Technology is a beautiful thing. Let’s face it, we all feel like big cheeses when we pull out a sleek device.
No one is about to give up their link to the social world, but don't find yourself trapped by the apps. You may want to weigh the following pros and cons in order to be smart with your smartphone:
+ You love your smartphone because it makes your life easier. You've got everything you need at your fingertips.
- Not so much...It makes life more difficult. The screen can crack. The battery dies. It drops an important call. What do you do when all the information you need is sleeping until further notice? You're screwed.
+ You love your smartphone because you can retrieve and send email messages.
- Not so much...You can never leave your work at the office. It follows you everywhere. You can be contacted day and night. The dividing line between work and home life suddenly blurs. Can you ever detach yourself fully?
+You love your smartphone because it entertains you. Maybe you're in class, in a waiting room, or feeling awkward while dining party of one.
- Not so much...It distracts you from important tasks and realities, and offends people in restaurants and other public settings.
+You love your smartphone because it takes pictures.
-Not so much...Photos are no substitute for being fully present in the moment that you wish to remember.
+You love your smartphone because it gives you directions with a built-in GPS.
-Not so much...You miss out on the joy of getting lost and stumbling upon the unexpected. Live a little!
+You love your smartphone because it acts as an iPod.
-Not so much...The music masks the sounds of real life. Sirens, birds chirping, children laughing and people going about their business.
+You love your smartphone because it enables and sustains relationships.
-Not so much...It can break relationships. Did you really want your friend to hear you say she's a gold-digging diva when you accidentally pocket dialed her?
+You love your smartphone because it connects you to everyone and everything. You can blab into oblivion.
-Not so much...It actually can disconnect you from overall communication because words can get lost in translation without gestures, facial expressions and nuances of back and forth conversation.
+You love your smartphone because it saves you time.
-Not so much...It wastes an eternity of time.
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In case you live under a rock and need some guidance to steer you away from smartphone faux paws, here's some food for thought, courtesy of cellphones.org:
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