Post #8: Hui Lin Zheng

A technology that has changed me in the most drastic way are smartphones. I got an iPhone when I was thirteen years old and at that time I was one of the few kids with a smartphone. Switching from a traditional flip phone to a smart phone was a major life style change. I could go online, take incredibly good pictures and even play games with my phone. Then, as iPhone technology became more advanced, you could use it as a credit or debit card, use voice commands, and use it to control home systems. My iPhone is my all in one device and probably the only thing I need to have with me to carry out my everyday life. I organize my schedule and lists on there, listen to music, do my schoolwork, do my shopping, and communicate with others on all kinds of platforms. A big drawback to the convenience of my phone is how dependent on it I have become. I actually get anxiety when I don't always have my phone with me. I don't even have to be doing something on my phone, I just need it within my view. This kind of psychological dependence convinces me that phone addiction is a real thing. In addition, having smartphones has changed how I interact with people, and not in a good way. When I am spending time with someone, I always end up staring at my phone rather than paying more attention to them and talking to them. As wonderful as smartphones are, they have changed me in not so good ways too and yet I don't know if I care enough to be willing to give up my smartphone. I have been using smartphones for less than a decade of my life, but I have become so dependent on it, not having a smartphone would cripple me in so many ways; body and soul.