Stay Connected

People are able to stay connected through smartphones.

One of the greatest features of the smartphone is the ability for people to stay connected. Whether someone is in a long distance relationship, traveling, or just has friends in many other places, this is one reason that he or she may choose to buy a smartphone.

Smartphones offer not just regular phone calls to stay connected, but so much more. These features include texting, email, and apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Foursquare, and Google +. While not all smartphone owners choose to download or use all of these apps, they are common ways to stay connected.

According to a Commscope, "In 2012, consumers around the world are expected to take possesion of more than 450 million new smartphones." This shows how many people are going to be connected through social networking and other features that can be found on smartphones within the next year. Simply sending a picture to let another person know you are thinking about them when you are away can help the two of you stay connected. 

I use my smartphone for texting and phone calls to stay in touch with my friends and family, email to take care of school and work, and Facebook and Twitter to update friends far away on my life (and to keep track of their lives). I also use Facebook to keep in contact with my friend who is serving overseas. Being able to send a message wherever I am to let him know I care or get a message from him to let me know he is okay is one of the bonuses of having a smartphone. Many of my friends have used their smartphones to maintain long-distance relationships with their significant other when they can't see each other often. 

Not only have smartphones been used for personal relationships, but they are also being adopted by company executives and employees. They have become tools in order to get work done without having to be in the office. According to an article from the New York Times, "Employees are using their smartphones and other devices to connect with corporate e-mail, applications and data wherever they happen to be — whether at home, on the go or even on vacation." By being able to connect to work, smartphone owners are able to be at home at a decent time but take care of the things that need to be done at work. 

Mothers are also using the smartphone in order to maintain their household and family. A March 2011 study done by BabyCenter shows that moms are more likely to use smartphones than the average population. Almost 60% of  moms use smartphones, compared to 35% of the US population as mentioned in my last post. They often use them to keep track of their children, as well as track the plans for the day. My mom uses her phone to contact my brothers and me while we are away at school. 


There are many different people who use smartphones, for many different reasons. Whether people are keeping in touch with a loved one or using it for business interactions, smartphones allow them to stay connected to those around them. 


How do you use your smartphone to stay connected to your loved ones?

Unglue

UCLA graduates couldn't put down their phones.

That horrible moment: as you are heading to class you realize that you left your smartphone in your room and think: Oh crap. What do I do now? Do you risk being late for class in order to retrieve your phone? Do you continue on without it and risk going through withdrawal?

Odds are this has happened to you. But what do you do? Your answer to this may be influenced by your dependence on your phone. Some people may not be able to last a day without it, while others may enjoy the peace and quiet of ungluing themselves for the day.

A 2011 study found that 35% of American adults own a smartphone; that's over one-third. This is a rather large increase from the 21% found in a study done just two years earlier. Times are changing as more people (myself included) find themselves glued to their smartphones day and night. 

However, this dependence may actually lead to distractions in your everyday life. An article from the Herald Sun states "The psychologists found that some users become obsessive and upset when they do not receive notifications, such as Facebook or Twitter alerts, and email." They may repeatedly check their Facebook, Twitter, Email, and text messages in hopes to find something new, which just adds to their distractions. 

With so many apps available to download to your phone, it is easy to become distracted and lose track of the real world. An app even exists to help you see where you are walking while texting. This shows that many people don't want to put down their phones long enough to walk to their destination. Microsoft Corporation made fun of this fact with a series of commercials for their Windows Phone.

With so many apps available on your smartphone, you may feel that you have everything you need in the palm of your hand. It may be convenient, but think of the things you are losing out on: quality face-to-face conversations, going outside instead of checking the weather on your phone, or being at an event rather than hearing about it in text messages and Facebook statuses. Think of all of the memories you are losing out on by being permanently glued to your phone.

So how could unglue and become independent from your smartphone? Next time you find yourself:

• holding a phone conversation with someone while using the restroom,
• forgetting where you parked only to be reminded by your phone, 
• running into a door you didn't see while texting, 
• losing your phone and having an instant panic attack,
• realizing that your whole life is stored on that one small device 

Put down the phone; shut it off for the night. Interact with people. Trust me, people can be more fun to spend time with than your smartphone. And once you learn to let go, forgetting your phone might not be that bad of a thing after all. Who knows, you might even end up paying attention in class.