Smartphones Are Not Smart

Smartphones are not smart. They are dumb. All they are, are portable phones with various applications built-in, most of which we don't need. There is nothing smart about them at all. They have to be programmed to provide the services to us that we use them for. The actual definition of smart is: “having or showing a quick-witted intelligence”.

Have you ever heard of a smartphone having actual intelligence? Or creating something? Like a piece of music or some software? No. As I said, they are dumb. And we humans have been suckered into lugging these demanding little pieces of electronic junk around with us as they hog our attention twenty-four seven.

I remember when I bought my first mobile phone. It was the size of a brick and all it did was allow me to make phone calls. I thought this was great. It did not demand my attention, had no apps, and could not be hacked.

The great plus to this phone was it freed up time from the office. It allowed me just to make and receive phone calls from anywhere there was coverage which back then, was not great.

Then the next generation appeared. Quite a lot smaller and called a flip phone. Again, no apps, no bullshit. Just a phone and it now fitted in my pocket.

The next generation was slimmer and came with a handy, dandy little pouch that attached to my belt. But, not only could I make and receive phone calls, I could send and receive text messages. This, in my opinion, was a major step forward in personal communications.

But it didn't stop there. Apps began appearing in the new generation of phones. And the name “smart” phone came into being. The first true smartphone actually made its debut in 1992. It was created by IBM more than 15 years before Apple released the iPhone but the term “smartphone” did not come into common usage until 1995.

The direct forerunner of today’s internet was introduced in 1987 when the National Science Foundation launched a nationwide digital network known as the NSFNET. Ten years later, the first true social media platform was launched. And things have gone downhill from there. My personal opinion, for what it is worth is that social media is the basis of many evils. Online bullying, sexual harassment, the spread of conspiracy theories, outright lying by certain politicians (Donald Trump), inadequacy about life or appearance, fear of missing out (FOMO), isolation, depression and anxiety, self-absorption, and use of social media as a “security blanket”.

The amount of time spent on social sites is very disquieting. One report indicates the average teen between the ages of 13 and 18 spends between eight and nine hours a day on social media. What is more disturbing is the number of hours that tweens, between the ages of 8 and12, are active on social media. An astounding six hours a day.

It is not uncommon to see groups of teens in my local area sitting around in the park or at the beach, all twiddling away on their devices. I fear for the future of intelligent conversation and wonder if due to the proliferation of mobile devices we are losing the ability to communicate meaningfully. Are we developing generations of twiddlers and fiddlers and compulsives who feel the cyber-world of a smartphone is more interesting than real life and meaningful relationships?

I remember the battles my wife and I had with our three children many years ago over television time. We had a strict rule; no television from Monday to Thursday. Of course, the response from our kids was NO FAIR. They attempted to claim all the other kids at school had unlimited access to TV which we knew to be nonsense as we knew and socialized with many of the parents of our kid's friends. I really sympathize with today’s parents. It must be an ongoing battle now with the proliferation of tablets, phones, laptops, and so-called smart devices.

But back to the “smart” phones. Research shows that there are now 80+ apps installed on the average smartphone. Are all those apps being used? The answer is a resounding no as it seems the average phone owner uses only 9 mobile apps per day. The apps most used by teens are Snapchat, Instagram and Tik Tok. Adults users lean more to Facebook and Twitter.

Personally, I regard a “smartphone” as a personal communication device using such apps as Viber, Signal, and Whatsapp to communicate with family members who live out of town. I use Google as my portable encyclopedia. I have a pedometer app thoughtfully provided by Samsung as part of the Samsung package. I occasionally use the clock as an alarm and I have a tide chart app and of course a “pay by phone” parking app. None of these apps are smart by any means. They all require me to do the heavy lifting.

One of the worst aspects of smartphones is cameras. In the “good old days”, people used real cameras. In the pre-good old days, people used cameras with film. But now, the digital age has been thrust upon us. Phones with cameras and along with these came the most damnable invention, the camera selfie stick. This is creating a generation or generations of narcissistic selfie addicts. Vacations in popular tourist places have become less enjoyable due to selfie stick forests. Do people actually go home and watch endless photos of themselves taken with smartphones on selfie sticks? If so I wonder about their mental health.

One of the most teeth-grinding aspects of smartphones is people walking along having video conversations with FaceTime or some other such video app and speaking as if they were talking in their living room at home. I for one do NOT want to hear people talking out loud during MY walk. And do you really need to see the person you are talking to? Or are you more focused on the little screen inside a screen that shows your face, If so, you are a true, blue narcissist.

You will most likely die an early death walking across a street, oblivious to oncoming traffic or you will fall through an uncovered manhole.

To end this gripe on smartphones, let me bring your attention to the number of nitwits who still drive and text. May you not kill anyone other than yourself. And that goes ditto for cyclists and motorcyclists who ride and text.

I am not a fan of big government but surely a handbook of smartphone use rules could be implemented with punishment for infringements being an electronic device strapped to your ankle that blocks transmissions.

There you go big electronics companies. There’s a new money-making idea for you.

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