Smartphones: Benefits and Side-Effects

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Table of Contents

Abstract
Introduction
Benefits of Smartphones
Side-effects of Smartphones
Conclusion
References

Abstract

The smartphone has become pervasive in everyday life. Today, it is no more a matter of what these technologies are capable of but instead of the connected ramifications of using them. In recent years, studies have concentrated on smartphone-related effects on cognitive functioning. The present publication intends to offer an overview of past findings and emphasize existing gaps in the smartphone-related effects on attention, inhibition, and working memo. It also addresses the links between attention, working memory, and inhibition, which have been widely investigated. The model below recommends quantifying smartphone usage based on multiple quantitative aspects, such as usage time, usage frequency, used applications, and received notifications (Liebherr, 2020). However, until the potential backsides are clarified, and despite a growing literature on harmful effects, it should be recorded that general smartphone use may significantly accompany favorable benefits on specific processes of attention, inhibition, and working memory.

Introduction

The current experimental psychology study demonstrates that utilizing a smartphone device helps with the retention and memory of critical information. As a result, individual memory is freed up to recall other, less significant things. Neuroscientists have previously expressed concern that excessive technology usage might contribute to cognitive deterioration and “digital dementia” (Liebherr, 2020). However, the current study shows that using a smartphone as an external memory aids individuals in recalling knowledge recorded in the device and unsaved information.

Benefits of Smartphones

Improvement In The Memory

Smartphones improve a person’s memory skills instead of making them lazy or forgetful. Using smartphone video games leads to improvements in cognitive abilities, such as improvements in the memory capacity of human beings. The effects of smartphone usage on working memory are based solely on rare literature which states somehow adverse effects. Findings on inhibition show that low inhibitory control leads to increased responses to messages. While behavioral findings identified no effects of smartphone usage on inhibitory control, neurophysiological studies report differences between excessive smartphone users and regular users (Liebherr, 2020). However, there are no previous findings regarding the long-term effects of smartphone usage on inhibitory control. The findings have led to a greater understanding of smartphones’ influence on young people of school age, which lays the framework for minimizing the harmful effects of smartphone usage in children and adolescents. The usage of digital gadgets may assist users rather than make them sluggish.

Smartphone Self-Efficacy

According to Li (2021), in the growing literature, school-age children with higher smartphone self-efficacy reported more positive effects of smartphone usage, which should be considered in future digital literacy education. Self-control is needed to cope with complex smartphone technologies. Thus, based on existing research on ICT self-efficacy, this study proposes a new variable of “smartphone self-efficacy” and identifies its association with smartphone dependence for the first time (Li et al., 2021). School children with higher smartphone self-efficacy were found to make better use of smartphones in general. Smartphones provide users instantaneous entry to a vast and constantly expanding trove of human knowledge.

Equally, smartphones, as opposed to home phones, enable people to connect from anywhere globally. People worldwide may communicate with one another and exchange photos using social media applications on their cell phones. Consequently, they make it easier for people to communicate with their relatives and friends no matter where they are on the globe. People with this access can look for, find, and learn about anything they want (Liebherr, 2020). Before the Internet, the closest thing to this kind of resource was a multi-volume encyclopedia, which was too expensive and bulky to be used by the masses. Google, Bing, Yahoo, and every other search engine out there provide instant and free access to an infinite trove of knowledge to anyone with an internet connection and a device. In addition, thanks to advances in smartphone technology, people can now access this data whenever and wherever they like, in a matter of seconds.

Side-effects of Smartphones

Smartphone and Attentiveness

The attention problem caused by cell phones is increasing, especially among young adults. Much work has been put into adding to the literature by suggesting that cognitive emotion preoccupation is the fundamental mechanism through which mobile phone distraction leads to a decline in psychological well-being. According to Li (2021), the distraction-conflict theory lends credence to the suggested paradigm by showing that users with superior attention management are more resilient to the unfavorable effects of mobile phone distraction. This study used statistical methods to examine data from 914 Chinese college students. According to the findings, a positive correlation exists between mobile phone use and cognitive-emotional preoccupation, negatively impacting users’ mental health. Our research also shows that the relationship between mobile phone distraction and psychological health is tempered by the ability to pay attention to what is happening around users. As well as discussing the results and their potential applications, the authors acknowledge the study’s shortcomings and suggest directions for future studies.

Generally, mobile phones come pre-loaded with various entertainment options ready to be downloaded. Whether it is movies, TV series, or music, all of this is available with a few smartphone taps (Liebherr, 2020). Today, individuals cause accidents due to the instant Netflix or YouTube videos on their smartphones. Smartphones may be utilized to play the most recently downloaded games from any place, but this merit is often overlooked even when mobile phones, like driving or walking, should not be used. Furthermore, certain cell phones can connect to gaming consoles and be a joystick to play games.

Elimination of Parts of Brain Function

The more we rely on machines, the less we need to use certain portions of our brains. Electronic gadgets cause health problems, such as adjustment disorder, acute stress reactions, social anxiety, and even agoraphobia (the fear of open areas). The likelihood of becoming dependent on mobile devices like cell phones grew. According to Liebherr’s (2021) survey, 71% of respondents from the Middle East reported increased usage, and 95% said they planned to maintain the same level of engagement once the pandemic passed. One could argue that by transferring data from our phones to external storage, we are “creating space” in our 2.5-petabyte brains for more important information. According to Li (2021), the research has demonstrated that one of the mental effects of having information at one’s fingertips is a greater propensity to remember where that information was located rather than what it is. Scientists have dubbed this phenomenon “cognitive miserliness,” whereby people forego analytical thought in favor of their smartphones. Some argue that this leads to impaired learning, memory loss, and attention deficits.

The most commonly reported parameters within the current model are usage duration, usage frequency, programs used, and the number of notifications received. Notably, these factors and their interaction term best predict user behavior. The connection between attentional processes and working memory and inhibition will be touched on briefly, but not extensively, in this review. Instead, the emphasis is placed on the prior literature, which has established a link between selective attention and working memory.

Smartphones and Switching Attention

Adverse effects on several brain functioning may result from excessive internet use. Liebherr (2020) said the endless stream of cues and messages from the Internet might reduce people’s ability to focus on a single job. Using split attention for multitasking has always struck many as foolish. “The attempts at multitasking have led me to believe it is doable so long as you are willing to perform each task poorly” (Liebherr, 2020). The daily average of 49.05 screens shows the potential for disruption for the average smartphone (Liebherr, 2020). Dual-task theories can explain interferences since smartphone interactions are typically linked with the execution of another activity, such as texting while standing on the train or posting comments while sitting in a pub with friends. Traditional working memory accounts characterize it as an essential part of higher cognitive capabilities, able to actively control and regulate cognitive processes to temporarily retain information while paying attention elsewhere.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it has been argued that it is essential to understand how smartphone technology affects us to take the steps necessary to reduce the potentially harmful implications. However, there needs to be more research on how smartphone use affects attention, inhibition, and working memory. Even more so, numerous concerns still need to be answered concerning smartphone use’s impact on various types of attention. However, until these are established, it is essential to remember that regular smartphone use may have some positive benefits on specific attentional processes. In recent years, Smartphones have been incredibly popular, with the majority of people possessing one worldwide. Phones have drastically transformed the way people live today. Typically, smartphones have evolved into a vital asset in their everyday lives, making it simpler for them to perform their jobs. Notably, smartphones have become quite useful in people’s lives for research, entertainment, communication, or social media relevance, and no one can envisage life without them.

References

Liebherr, M., Schubert, P., Antons, S., Montag, C., & Brand, M. (2020). Smartphones and attention, curse or blessing? – a review of the effects of smartphone usage on attention, inhibition, and working memory. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 1, 100005. Web.

Li, X., Fu, S., Fu, Q., & Zhong, B. (2021). Youths’ habitual use of smartphones alters sleep quality and memory: Insights from a national sample of Chinese students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5), 2254. Web.

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