Time to Dumb It Down?

The pros and cons of owning a smartphone.

If you’re still toting around a flip phone or anything else that isn’t up to smartphone standards, you probably feel like the minority. With a smartphone, a world of information is at your finger tips and is only as far as your pocket. What could be so bad about that?

A lot of folks think there’s nothing wrong with it and applaud the various things a smartphone makes possible. But before you become another smartphone owner, you may want to weigh out the pros and cons to determine if a smartphone is right for you.

Professional and Personal Pros

Many people truly benefit from owning a Smartphone. For some, the ability to access the Internet 24/7 at any place is necessary and desired. Thanks to smartphones, you no longer have to be at the office or at home in front of a computer all day long. You can check your email in the middle of nowhere, deposit your paycheck while on an airplane, or update your Facebook status as you walk down the road. Any information you want to know can be found in a matter of seconds.

On top of the Internet, you have the capability of downloading an incredible number of apps. With thousands to choose from, they range in usefulness from weather to news to music to games to determining where constellations are located overhead. The options are virtually limitless, and with so many free or low-cost apps, getting your life in order with the help of phone apps doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Don’t want to carry a camera around and later have to upload your digital pictures to the computer? Today’s smartphone cameras take great pictures, and you can post and share them with ease. No more need for memory cards, lens caps, or camera bag.

Another reason many people get a smartphone is because everyone else seems to have one. Folks who want to feel current with the times and don’t want to be left behind are given little option but to upgrade to a smartphone.

Counting the Cons

If you’re trying to decide if you should upgrade to a smartphone, ask whether you would really use or need the special features and data capabilities it offers. In the event you’re near a computer all day already, you don’t like the idea of limitless information in your pocket, or you’re content with the phone you have, then a smartphone may not be necessary.

Need more reasons to deny the urge to go smartphone? Look around and what do you see? People looking at their phones. In restaurants, at the park, at schools. What happened to living in the present? What happened to talking to people face-to-face? Does work have to follow everyone home? A huge downside to being connected constantly is that you’re connected constantly to the outside world and disconnected to the world around you.

On top of that, smartphones aren’t cheap. This may be a deterrent for many people. Because they not only cost hundreds of dollars up front, but they’re also expensive to maintain the proper plan each month.

And don’t forget that upgrading your phone each year may hurt the environment. Scientists are concerned the increase in cell phone use may be killing bees necessary for pollination. The end result of this development could be catastrophic. Many cell phones, especially those made before 2010, contain toxic chemicals. While many used phones are shipped overseas to be recycled or taken apart for resources, this work is often performed by children, exposing them and the environment to toxic chemicals.

Last but not least, Smartphones pose a risk to your own safety and those around you. Texting or surfing the web while driving is illegal in many places. In addition, it can also be dangerous to text or surf while walking. When you’re oblivious to your surroundings, you may not see an oncoming car or the crack in the sidewalk.