Mobile apps have taken over. These little handheld devices have everything you would ever need. The other day, I was not home or by a computer ALL day and had to write on my blog, so I did so via cellphone. Nowadays people don't even need computers. What used to be buying a cellphone is now so much more than that. Being able to check the weather to checking movie times and gas prices to gps and so much more, cell phones have advanced into phone, internet, music, gps, and any information of game we could possibly think of. Smart phones have literally made the need for computers less valuable. The only reason I use my computer is for homework purposes because it's much faster to type on the computer than on my phone. But even ipads nowadays, are basically a smaller version of a PC that allows you to download any kind of app you can think of. I remember having to look in the newspaper as a child for movie times, now I have a movie app on my phone.
I have mixed emotions about all this technology being compacted into one device. First of all, having information at our fingertips doesn't allow us to research or exercise our brains because we've become so reliant on these apps. Second of all, I think it's sad that when we lose our phones or they break, we feel "lost," and are perhaps more upset than failing a class. Where have our priorities gone? It's frightening to think that so much of our life and personal information is compacted into a little thing called a smartphone.
You know what I find odd about cell phone apps? It's how I can't justify the purchase of one. If it says it's anything but free, it's not for me. Usually they're .99 and I think, I would never pay that much for a phone app, but I will stop off at dunkin donuts everyday for a tea. For about two dollars each morning the people at dunkin donuts heat up water and put a tea bag in it for me, and I think it's a fine use of my money, but for half that I could have something that I could use every day and not just digest and get rid of, and yet, I can't justify the expense. That is odd to me.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you! A nice comparison to the dependence of apps and loss of thinking ability is the calculator. The popularization of calculator use has caused people to be dependent on them and lose their ability to.... calculate (internally).
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, at 6 AM this morning I was called by my Major (Army National Guard) to get out of bed, rush to the building we are currently working out of, and download a phone app for the "Army Values" for an instructional class. Even in the military phone apps are taking over! I was shocked....
I agree with you! I would be totally "paralyzed" if I lost my phone. I depend on it so much for everything, from making phone calls, to the internet, and all the apps on it. It really is crazy how dependent we've become on our devices. Like you said, we are losing our ability to do things on our own because of the convenience and things our devices provide us with.
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