Page 56 - Grundtvig International Secondary School Yearbook 2019

YOU AND YOUR SMARTPHONE ARTICLE

Nowadays, there is a common
misconception that the
smartphone is perhaps one of
the most destructive tools
invented in the modern world
and placed almost on the level
with the nuclear bombs and
other weapons of mass
destruction.

ook into your pocket and you will see one of the
most – if not the most – important things in your
Ldaily life – your Smartphone. This can be found in all classes of society: the young, the adult
and even the elderly. This is a tool that many people use for various purposes such as connecting with
relatives and coworkers, accessing the various facets of information on the internet, writing articles,
staying up to date with global news and trends and even beating boredom on uneventful days by using
the unlimited access to books, music, videos and other entertainment services.

The more advanced a society, the more integrated the smartphone is in people's lives. As such, in these
very advanced societies, it is no longer used for such simple tasks like communication and the like but
rather for much more important activities such as e-banking, e-commerce, project management,
design, et cetera. With the advent of Digital Assistants in the late 2000s, people can now simply ask
their smartphones to do tasks such as setting reminders for important meetings and events, providing
traffic information about their work route, and, in some cases, turn appliances in their smart homes on
and off, all without lifting a finger.

Nowadays, there is a common misconception that the smartphone is perhaps one of the most
destructive tools invented in the modern world and placed almost on the level with the nuclear
bombs and other weapons of mass destruction. Some people believe that it is nothing but a source
of distraction for the youth and with its overuse leading to laziness and all what not. I do agree, to some
extent. But I would like to point out the fact that those who say this tend to overlook one very
important term used in the previous sentence – “the overuse,” and this has led to many people writing
of smartphones as bad without even considering the benefits.

Consider a child without access to a smartphone. This child has next to no
means of obtaining global information thereby making projects, assignments,
essays impossible to complete. He cannot do much research, especially if he
lives in an area with no nearby libraries or bookstores. This child has no access
to friends and classmates who do not live close by, so he is effectively cut off
from his peers. Then in the event that a teacher decides to give an assignment
during the holidays, this child will be completely left in the dark.

In short, the various advantages of the smartphone are way too numerous to be
listed in an article like this one. People should take time to see just how their
smartphones really are to them. Thank you.

ANYANWU NNAMDI

054 Grundtvig Interna onal Secondary School