Most iPhone, BlackBerry or Droid owners would be the first to tell you about the endless advantages their smart phones provide. From e-mail access and internet capabilities, to intriguing niche applications like the HTC Incredible’s “constellation tracker,” which geographically maps and names constellations when owners hold their phone up to a starry night sky. Regardless of these programs and their relative usefulness, it’s undeniable that smart phones are shifting the way our society communicates.
One of the most significant changes smart phones have encouraged can be seen in the workplace. In fields such as business, communications, law and medicine, more young professionals are using their smart phones as a workplace tool every day, and while more experienced employees are certainly picking up the trend as well, recent grads have definitely boosted smart phones to prominence in job-based environments.
While staying connected to your job through quick-fire e-mailing will certainly give you a leg up, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the drawbacks of owning a smart phone. On one hand, it’s great to know what’s going on at your office 24/7, but an added degree of pressure must also be expected. Owning a smart phone welcomes your coworkers and superiors to message you at any point during the day, expecting an immediate response. Failing to meet these expectations can result in a loss of respect at work, and keep you from being promoted or generally well regarded.
However, the setbacks of owning a smart phone generally don’t outweigh the positives. More importantly, the need to adapt in modern-day society is growing at a rapid pace, and while our parents’ generation may be quicker to join Facebook than us twenty-somethings, we definitely owe it to ourselves to get in the game, fear aside, and open our lives to constant connectivity.
The development (and consequential purchases) of these smart phones as well as most other technology is largely fueled by our constant need to know as much information as possible about basically everything. While it is extremely convenient to have a GPS tracking system or instant email access in the palm of your hand whenever you need it, I feel that having too much accessible information can also be detrimental to our lifestyles. When our phones break or when they’re out of battery, it seems as if the world is coming to an end – it’s crazy how much we depend on these. However, in the business world, I don’t think there’s much of a choice. Smart phones are becoming almost a standard for everybody to have, and 24/7 connectivity seems to be inevitable.