Advances in digital devices bring convenience to our lives, but how can we address smartphone addiction and health issues?

Smartphones have revolutionized our lives by driving the development of a wide range of digital devices, but they can also lead to addiction and health problems. To overcome these dysfunctions and use smartphones properly, it’s important to control screen time, maintain good posture, and pursue a balanced life with face-to-face communication and hobbies.

 

The recent development of smartphones and other digital devices has brought convenience to our lives, and it is no exaggeration to say that software such as social network services (SNS), e-books, and various applications have developed along with them, allowing us to do everything in the palm of our hands.
Smartphones are a new class of portable devices that combine a second-generation cell phone with a computer, and because they have a dedicated OS, they can perform a variety of functions that traditional cell phones cannot, such as web browsing, camera, shopping, and financial services. The key here is that it seamlessly combines many of the functions previously performed by computers with the mobility and ease of use of cell phones. Starting with IBM’s Simon in 1992, the smartphone was born, but by that time, the world hadn’t even fully adopted the second generation of cell phones, which had only the basic functions of calling and texting, and the emergence of the third generation of cell phones, called smartphones, didn’t gain much traction with the public due to their shallow interfaces and prohibitive prices. The emergence and application of touchscreen technology marked the beginning of the smartphone revival. With the emergence of operating systems that provide various interfaces based on touchscreens, such as Google Android and Apple iOS, smartphones have grown rapidly in the mobile phone market by enabling users to combine the functions of cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, and notebook computers. In the process, the size of the market grew as Apple’s iPhone based on iOS and Samsung, LG, and Google based on Android OS began to compete in earnest by introducing devices with different characteristics, and as of 2016, smartphones have become the absolute powerhouse of the mobile phone market with a market share of over 90%.
The biggest advantage of smartphones is the freedom to customize the interface according to the user’s preferences within a wide range of options. The smartphone interface is based on applications (hereinafter referred to as apps) downloaded by users regardless of the OS, and apps are shared through the open market. Therefore, depending on which apps are installed and used, the same device can be used to create different environments, allowing for a variety of uses depending on individual preferences. The biggest attraction of smartphones is that you can create your own personalized world within the fixed framework of a smartphone and communicate with the rest of the world based on it.

 

 

The advent of smartphones has completely changed the way we communicate and live our daily lives. Many tasks that were once only possible through computers are now possible anytime and anywhere through smartphones. For example, people can now access social networks, shop online, process bank transactions, and even monitor their health status in real time through their smartphones. This versatility has maximized the convenience of our daily lives and has revolutionized the way we live.
The emergence and development of smartphones has been a revolution in itself, changing many aspects of our lives. However, not all of the changes have been positive; as much as we’ve gained, we’ve also lost a lot of things behind the scenes. The very nature of the smartphone itself, being both a computer and a cell phone, has made it easier for users to fall into the trap of addiction – the ‘anytime, anywhere’ nature of the smartphone has turned into a powerful dysfunction that is impossible to escape. In 2012, when smartphones began to be widely used in earnest, a report on smartphone addiction published by the Korea Information Society Agency found that the rate of smartphone addiction was 8.4%, and the rate of addiction among teenagers and young adults who are highly dependent on smartphones and have relatively weak self-control was much higher than those in their 30s and older. In addition, many statistics showing a rapid increase in the number of neck and back discs and other diseases since 2011, when smartphones were introduced in earnest, are extreme examples of how the poor posture that naturally appears when using devices puts pressure on the cervical, spine, and lumbar spine, causing health problems such as various disc diseases. The cervical vertebra, which connects the skull and spine to support the head and serves as a neurotransmission channel and protection for nerve bundles from the brain to the rest of the body, has a curved structure that can absorb physical impacts, and discs exist between the vertebrae to protect the entire central nervous system, so if it is subjected to a severe impact or pressed against the vertebrae and becomes abnormal due to increased pressure, it can cause serious disorders throughout the body.
As you can see, smartphone addiction is not a problem to be taken lightly and can lead to a number of mental and physical disorders in the modern world, so it requires good judgment on the part of the user to avoid suffering from multiple dysfunctions. Some of the best ways to use your smartphone properly are to develop the habit of controlling your screen time, get regular exercise and maintain good posture to prevent health problems that can be caused by smartphone use. It’s also a good idea to refrain from excessive use of your smartphone, increase face-to-face communication with family and friends, and take a break from digital devices by reading or engaging in hobbies.
Smartphones are already a part of our lives, and their influence is only growing. The great scientist Albert Einstein once said, “I fear the day when science and technology will surpass human communication. The world will become a generation of idiots’, expressing his concern about the coexistence of science and technology and human beings. The most urgent challenge for modern people is to move away from passive adaptation to convenience and become active users of smartphones through active exploration and effort, rather than ‘smart idiots’.