Smartphones and Our Daily Lives (Post 6)

Mobile technology has not only affected how we relate to others and how we receive news, it has permeated every aspect of our daily lives, from the way we work to the way we play. Gone are the days of standing in lines mindlessly staring at the walls or even (gasp) striking up a conversation with a stranger. Doug Gross (2011) says now you can “Chat with a friend. Surf the Web. Check your stocks. Fling birds at pigs. Smartphones, or tablet computers, put an amount of computing power in your pocket that would have taken up an entire room a generation ago. If you can't find something to entertain you for a few minutes of down time, you just haven't downloaded the right app” (para. 13).

Shopping is also a different experience. While people may still visit the brick and mortar store, they use their phone to be their guide in the store. Pulling up mobile coupons and price comparing is a common practice. “There are apps like SnapTell, which gives you the price of books online when you snap a picture of the cover, and Hipmunk for airfares. Going to price comparison sites is nothing new, but having them available in the store is” (Darlin, 2011, para. 16).

References

Darlin, D. (2011, June 08). How I learned to stop worrying by loving the smartphone. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/technology/personaltech/09PHONES.html?_r=1

Gross, D. (2011, October 7). 10 ways mobile gadgets have changed our lives. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/07/tech/mobile/smartphones-change-lives/