Smartphones to many of us today is just another word for limb and life. Without it, we feel like we are missing a part of us, our lives incomplete. They’ve become deeply personal, our emotional extension, to whom we’ve entrusted our digital lives

It’s an everyday routine – the last minute dash out of the door to work. It was just another day, but a niggling thought seemed to pull me back. There was no time to rewind as I rushed on with my mind flooded with the to-do of the day looming ahead. For some reason there seemed to be some sort of madness enveloping my world that day, not managing to get my foot on any public transport I turned to my only reliable soul to once again bail me out – my smartest friend, my smartphone. Hoping to get a cab ride at the flick of a button I reached out into the depths of my trousers to feel its warm assurance. I felt the cold of mere fabric instead. My friend was missing. Nothing in the world seemed more important than to return to the smart one. I turned back and there it was on my desk with that self-assured smug look – you can’t leave me, bro!

Smartphones have drastically changed the way we live

The way we consume and access information today has changed and it is not far when our physical and digital realities will keep merging. Mobile devices have added technology to our daily lives in a big way. From site-to-store purchasing, enabling online customers to buy and pick products in a physical retail location, consume news, enjoy our TV shows or just to socialise, the ubiquitous smartphone has changed our lives way beyond what we comprehend.

A recent study by scientists from Columbia University claims that Internet search engines cause poor memory. The study found that we are very likely to forget information which we know we can easily retrieve with the help of the internet. It further revealed that when we are asked questions, the first thing that crosses our mind is how we can find the answer on the internet rather than using our brains. People are increasingly bypassing discussions with friends and family and staying glued into cyberspace looking for solutions. It’s the Highway to Happiness, the internet super way.

SMARTER WITH SMARTPHONES

The age of information has changed how we interact and appreciate different cultures. It is safe to say that the world is much better because of smartphones.

Information warehouse: They can be used to access the internet and search for information without much difficulty. Smartphones have been significant contributors to the age of information

Various apps: From your cabbie to movies, these are convenient and can be a great source of entertainment as well as convenience. People who love those quiet moments will find such apps significantly useful.

Music: Smartphones can be a medium for your daily music requirement. Download and play is the mantra.Email: Stepped out of office for coffee. Keep your smartphone handy to reply to emails. Dodge your boss about your coordinates when one is out of the office.

Social media networking: These phones have increased interactions among people in different parts of the world through live chats and timeline posts.

Financial Transactions: Mobile money transfer by smartphones is a huge convenience at your fingertips. Other transactions include mobile recharges and bill payment also reduces the pain of running around.

Other benefits include playing games, the ability to backup critical data and information, taking photographs to document memorable events, and learning from the resource-rich internet.

From time immemorial, it has been a constant endeavour of humans to invent devices that make our lives easier and more convenient. The mobile phone industry developed one device that made several others obsolete. Sales dropped for landline phones, desktop computers, digital cameras, mp3 players, GPS devices, etc. Not too long ago, there was a time, when you needed to carry all those things with you. Today the smartphone is all you need to carry. While desktop computers still handle our practical tasks, the smartphone handles the emotional ones. The consequences of having information at our fingertips have reached alarming levels. What’s amazing is that we are becoming particularly adept at remembering where to go to find things. The most common reaction to this adversity is “Why to remember something if I know I can look it up again?” The search engines available today drag us to the solution where we can offload some of our memory demands onto machines.

Research shows that an estimated 100% of all young people use computers with more than 90% regularly using the internet. Much of this internet use is on the smartphone, tied to homework and other project related activities. However, the internet is also the way most kids connect after school using social networks. Kids communicate through chat rooms and emails, while also posting comments on their friends' walls. Internet use of smartphones is so pervasive that many experts, scientists and psychologist have begun to study the effect it has on the lives of young people in general.

There is a constant worry among adults and teachers about kids indulging on gadgets that it is leading to a loss of social skills. In other words, the ability to communicate up close and personal with friends and family is becoming extinct. Young people simply don’t know how to hold a conversation. A kid withdraws and reacts differently if they are kept away from cellphones or tabs. Long hours of engagement with these gadgets are becoming a threat to lifestyle choices kids are forced to make. Obesity among kids is a growing concern across the world. Eyesight, posture and body aches are some of the other side-effects of this new obsession

On the flipside, the internet literally opens up huge possibilities with kids being exposed to world culture, enabling them to understand and appreciate diversity.The internet also allows young people to find answers to questions that they may not feel comfortable discussing with their parents, friends and teachers. Children exposed to the internet are also known to have better reading, spatial and visual skills.

Despite prevailing perceptions, young adults’ smartphone obsession goes beyond Snapchat, games and the like. Serious activity like online banking, job searching and accessing education content are also important activities. Researching a health condition also ranks high among this group. This could be a result of an “information-focused generation” who is inclined to try to self-diagnose before visiting a doctor.

Clearly, a smartphone is a vital tool for helping millions of people connect to resources that enable them to navigate and survive in an increasingly digital world.