The article “Smartphone and self-extension: Functionally, anthropomorphically, and ontologically extending self via the smartphone” written by Chang Sup Park and Barbara K. Kaye dives into the dependency that the smartphone has instilled into people.
The smartphone has become the greatest tool that this world has seen. The versatility to a smartphone is truly unbelievable. It is a telephone, a GPS, a camera, a dictionary, a gaming platform, and so many more things. The smartphone really is whatever you want it to be.
The device is spectacular, but the addiction is terrifying. Checking your screen time is a really sad thing. We have all been there. You check your screen time on your iPhone and realize that you are spending half of your day on your phone. I had to turn screen time off on my phone because it was haunting me so much. The numbers are terrifying. Hours and hours are being spent on a daily basis just scrolling.
It is mindless content that is designed to keep you around. The Tik Tok algorithm knows more about us then we do. The content that pops up on your for you page is so dialed down to your interests that it feels like it is reading your mind.
The evolution of the smartphone has created a dependency equivalent to sleep and water. When was the last time you voluntarily left your house without your smart phone? You probably do not remember and I cannot remember either.
This article discusses the self-extension of the smartphone that allows us to be ourselves. Think about what our phone does for us. It shows exactly who you are. It shows who you communicate with, what your photos are of, what music you listen to, what websites you read, what games you play and so much more.
Your smartphone is you and that is why we are dependent. Not having your phone feels naked. It is uncomfortable. You feel like an hour without your phone and something so crazy will happen and you are going to miss it.
Although there are so many things are phones have that are fun and entertaining, but this article also touches on how much work is done through your phone. It allows you to work from anywhere and to always be ready in case you are needed.
Smart phones define us to some degree and learning how to change that is a problem very few have figured out.
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