Smartphones: Balancing Innovation with Responsibility

By G. Maranhão

Have you ever seen a phone book in your life? I am sure most of you have not, since they began dwindling out before the oldest of the current students in St. Paul’s started learning how to read. The telephone book, first used in the 19th century and greatly valued as a source of information, was deemed useless and 'wasteful' just years after the modern smartphone was released. After all, when you have a super advanced, touch-screen mobile phone in your pocket, with access to the internet and capability of remembering all those phone numbers, why would you need a thick book full of names and numbers? Not only that, but why would people need GPS, wristwatches, MP3 players, calculators, flashlights, digital cameras, or many others important gadgets? Suddenly, in 2007, the world was turned upside down by a device that was smaller than a postcard.


However, the concept of a smartphone began more than a decade before the iPhone’s release. Professionals first started idealizing the smartphone in 1994, when IBM’s Simon, the first mobile device combining a phone with touchscreen features like email and a calendar, was released. Inspired by this, brands like Nokia, BlackBerry, and Palm advanced mobile technology by adding email, basic web browsing, and keyboards for messaging throughout the 1990s to early 2000s. Even so, phones were a rarity then and not useful for much other than messaging and making calls. Subsequently, as we all know, came the true breakthrough when Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, equipped with a touch-focused design and app ecosystem that redefined the industry.


Have you ever considered how drastically things changed in such a short time following the iPhone’s release? This tiny device, developed in secrecy for years, sparked a transformation in the world that no one could ever have anticipated. Smartphones could provide a wide range of functions that mobile phones at the time simply couldn't, like internet access, GPS navigation, high-quality photography and videography, mobile payment options, and so much more. According to Statista, in 2015, 8 years after the iPhone’s release, the global median for smartphone ownership was 43%. As of 2024, it is estimated to be more than 4.9 billion people, around 60% of the population. Considering that only 74% of people in the world have access to safe drinking water, that statistic does seem astronomically high, does it not?


And yes, I understand that many people today only discuss smartphones to lament how they’ve allegedly ruined humanity and robbed younger generations of their childhood. There’s certainly some truth to this; for instance, the average screen time in Brazil is 5 hours and 17 minutes — ranking second highest in the world — which adds up to about 80 days a year. Nevertheless, as someone who has sat through countless assemblies about how phones are supposedly degrading our brains, I prefer to take a more balanced view.


Dr. Amy Orben, a psychologist at the University of Cambridge, provides valuable insight into this debate. She notes that “it’s a very human trait to worry about new technologies,” and that this apprehension is part of a broader, consistent pattern. Orben argues that the fears surrounding smartphones as a singular entity are “overblown,” asserting that “phones are tools.” Ultimately, she highlights that “like all other technologies, their impact really depends on who uses them and how.


I am very much inclined to believe that. Civilisation has shown its constant anxiety about novelty for centuries now, be it when trains were first invented, the printing press began, or even the new artificial intelligence surge. It appears that humanity is influenced to believe that it is under perpetual threat in any circumstance and that anything new will doom us entirely. The smartphone was created as nothing more than a tool: a tool for entertainment, utility, and everyday use. It is undeniable how much smartphones have helped humanity. Their impact can vary significantly, depending on the user — whether positively or negatively. Discussions about this topic should not focus on criticizing the smartphone and categorizing it as the worst thing to ever happen to humanity, but on how to efficiently and appropriately engage with smartphones.


In conclusion, instead of shunning this powerful tool, we should embrace the responsibility that comes with it. Everybody knows that the smartphone is a double-edged sword; while it presents challenges, it also opens up endless opportunities. Rather than viewing it solely as a detriment to society, we should aim to understand its complexities and impact, honoring the original purpose that was intended by those developers decades ago. By encouraging responsible usage, we can appropriately utilize the power of smartphones without wasting away our lives, ultimately paving the way for a better society.


Bibliography

• https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-october-global-statshot?rq=phone
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/10/smartphone-screentime-good-bad-expert-advice
• https://prioridata.com/data/smartphone-usage-statistics/#:~:text=Key%20Smartphone%20Usage%20Statistics,65%20and%20older%20own%20smartphones.
• https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/world-water-day-two-billion-people-still-lack-access-safely-managed-water#:~:text=74%25%20of%20people%20in%20the,to%20safely%20managed%20drinking%20water&text=Although%20we%20see%20progress%2C%20there,safely%20managed%20drinking%20water%20services.
• https://www.statista.com/statistics/330695/number-of-smartphone-users-worldwide/