Cell Phone and Electronic Uses, Research Paper Example

Abstract

The use of electronic devices has become a common phenomenon in the world today. It has become ingrained in society at an exceedingly high level. Many people have been identified to use their electronic devices more frequently in public places.  The use of cell phones does not consider the race or ethnicity of a person. Cell Phones have been found to dominate among other devices. Also, research has shown that females are the ones who use their phones more frequently and in public places. However, the use of electronic devices is the leading cause of disruption of interaction among people. This is because many people tend to focus on their devices instead of interacting with people in their group. This research addresses the use of cell phones and other electronic devices and their impacts on society. The research focuses on thirty participants who are between eighteen to fifty years and the data collection method that has been used is through a survey where participants were issued with structured questions to answer,

Cell Phone and Electronic Uses and The Effects They Have on Society

The use of electronic devices has become a common phenomenon in the world today. It has become ingrained in society at an extremely high level. Today, it is common for people to turn to electronic devices and cell phones for stimulation. This happens because the amount of information is available at a person’s fingertips (Gao. Bluegolf .com, 2021).

The positive aspect of using electronic devices is that the consumer can make the best deals in purchases since information is readily available.  There is the availability of online coupons and customer reviews which enable a person to get quality products. Also, electronic devices such as cellphones can positively affect our physical and mental health, and it is also possible to track chronic illnesses using health apps and communicate the information to the doctors. People can have virtual doctor visits as well as accessing online medical records and can fill prescriptions. Also, electronic devices have made it easy to access online education and carry out research (Pietrangelo, 2019).

However, the use of these devices has highly affected human interactions. People have been identified to walk together in real life, but there is no interaction with each other. Many choose to look at their devices instead of interacting with their group members, which makes them feel that they have been ignored (Wardynsk, 2019). Therefore, this study shall explore the use of Cellphone and Electronic devices and their effects on society.

In today’s society, cell phones and electronic devices have occupied the minds of many individuals. People use text messaging, WhatsApp, and calling as the main methods of using the phone. Notably, it is not all people in society who choose to interact with other people. They can choose to listen to music, play games, and watch movies instead of interacting with other people. This has been identified to interfere with the relationships of many people with their close friends and families.

The use of cell phones in public places displays a lack of discipline from the individual. For example, some people may be hooked to their phones in a bank, forgetting that the cashier is waiting on them, thus causing inconveniences to other people. People also find it convenient to use cellphones in public places due to Wi-Fi availability and places to charge their phones.

The use of electronic devices has become prevalent in society today. Whenever you come across a person, they are either using their phones to call, text message, waiting to snap a photo, or use the internet. It has been identified that the lovely designs and the new features installed in these phones currently have caused them to become extremely popular. Society today is entertained by iPads, tablets, and iPods, among others, thus affecting the community in a significant way.

Literature Review

Technology is a concept applied to advanced tools and systems in businesses or their daily lives. This shapes the behavior of the people as well as the way society grows and evolves. Development in technology has led to crucial changes in human beings and the interactions in the world today. For example, the use of the internet and mobile devices such as smartphones, computers, and tablets has changed the interaction of people in society. This has impacted the communication systems significantly in terms of networking and telecommunications. Mobile devices have brought about significant interaction among human beings since many people prefer to be connected to the digital world instead of connecting with other people (Wardynsk, 2019).

There has been the identification of addiction issue among college students through a study performed by Roberts et al. (2015) in the article “I need my smartphone: A hierarchical model of personality and cell phone addiction.” They identified various traits of agreeability, including extraversion, need for arousal, emotional instability, neuroticism, materialism, and conscientiousness. Also, the study suggested that many students who scored higher on the scale abuse drugs.

A psychology study conducted by Benjamin (2016) using a humanistic approach in combating cell phones in classes showed there is social media addiction and the pervasive problem in the use of cell phones. He uses a three-step process where the actions necessary were taken in eliminating phone usage in classes; students were engaged in the personal and academic discussions among small groups in class and a discussion on excessive use of mobile phones and social media in classes. The members of these groups were required to write whatever they identify in a paper to demonstrate their awareness of the effects of mobile devices (Benjamin, 2016).

Furthermore, there has been an increase in accidents related to pedestrians since most of them are on their phones while crossing the roads. Researchers have identified that mobile phones while walking has a very significant impact on a person. There have been adjustments in strolling stride when people are messaging, reading, or chatting with others on their mobile phones. People tend to walk slower when using their phones, making them go astray from the path they are walking on (Timmis et al., 2017). Therefore, people end up strolling along with the given level territory since they encounter different terrains such as gravel while walking. The social impact of cell phones and electronics is continuously changing. Resultantly there are several impacts cellphone and electronics have on society, and it is continuing to grow and play a major part in everyday lives; the proposed research will explore that. People also use cell phones to communicate with their friends and family members and for social networking (Drago, 2015).

Research Questions

• How do cell phones and electronic use affect society?
• How have electronic devices created anxiety among the members of society?
• Amount of time spent using cellphones/electronics.

Hypothesis

H1: The use of electronic devices and cell phones has negative effects on society.

H2: Electronic devices create anxiety among the members of society.

Methodology

Participants

The researchers will focus on the random sample in which 30 participants will be targeted. These individuals will have diverse ages, particularly 18-50 years. The age groups will demonstrate the significant age group that relies on smartphones. The researcher will expect the participants to encompass young adults who prefer using smartphones and cell phones to support their communication and the young working adults relying on similar gadgets to connect with others socially. On the other hand, the older people targeted will be in their baby boomer ages but still use smartphones for some activities. The responses will be grouped into generation groups.

Research Design

The study will be designed to fit the use of a qualitative, correlational survey. Notably, the research design will include a survey approach founded on a series of questions covering different areas, especially demographic characteristics and participants’ attitudes and perceptions of using digital devices. The Likert-type scale statements will also be considered to determine the level of agreement about the use of cell phones. There will also be open-ended questions where the participants can explain their attitudes and perceptions regarding using digital devices and share information on how they affect their social lives (Roberts et al., 2014). The survey will give the participants an optional opportunity to share their views and opinions openly. The open-ended questions will allow the participants to express their opinions on the essential experiences encountered while using smartphones.

Research Materials

This study will make use of a 13-question survey as the research instrument. The development of the tool will be through the Qualtrics online platform. The data expected from these questions will include the participants’ demographic data, smartphone use, and the reliance on these devices for social media usage. Subsequently, the attitudes and perceptions of the participants for the use of these devices will be examined and linked to these participants. Most of these questions will be personally provided that the outlook will be based on the smartphones’ perceptions.

Similarly, the questions will also cover how the participants communicated using smartphones and further seek participants’ perceptions regarding their confidence. These questions will also highlight the preferred texting individuals over physical communication. Other questions in the survey will be exploring the participants’ communication using smartphones and the feelings and experience of these participants because of the continued use of smartphones. In the other section, the researcher will use open-ended questions so that the participants can respond to the answers. These will cover the description of the participant’s personal experiences with the devices.

Research Procedures

The study will be conducted online. This survey will be based on the respondents because all the survey questions will be available online on the Qualtrics website. With this survey, the participants will find an opportunity to allow an equal chance to express their views about the effect and use of smartphones and explain how these electronic devices influence their social and personal experiences. Finally, the researcher will examine the surveys to establish tables displaying the findings.

Results

After performing the research, the data will be analyzed to provide meaningful insight. The results of the study will be identified after performing the data analysis. In this case, the demographics of the participants will be identified. Such will help in providing information on the number of respondents that participated in the study. For instance, the research methodology showed that 30 participants would be engaged in the study. However, some will be female among the participants engaged in the study, while others will be male. The responses of participants may differ from the participant’s age. Therefore, the result sections will show these differences and identify the causes of the diversities.

Moreover, the people targeted in the research are those aged between 18-50 years. It is important to note that without coding the data on statistics software such as SPSS and analyzing the data, it will not be possible to acquire results about the age group that mainly utilizes social media. Therefore, to acquire reliable and relevant results, the data collected from participants will be coded on SPSS software version 20. After coding the data, the researcher will use the tools of the software to analyze the data. Later, the researcher will use both SPSS and Excel software to create tables and graphs for the data analyzed. After obtaining the tables and excel from software, the researcher will acquire the results of the studies. The results will be interpreted comprehensively to provide an in-depth meaning of the research.

The variables will include participants’ age, the use of cell phones, and the impacts of cell phones on society. The questionnaires provided to participants will contain various questions that will help in providing comprehensive data about the topic. Therefore, an analysis of the data obtained will help significantly in portraying the study results.

Discussion

In the current study, the research findings will help understand the effects of cellphone and electronic use on society. Due to the increased use of cell phones, this research will help advance research conducted in this area. Current research findings portray that people have positive attitudes towards using mobile phones. Older adults have also used social media accounts through their mobile phones (Jung et al., 2016). People may reason that cell phones may not have adverse effects on society; however, various adverse effects are associated with using cell phones and other electronics. The current research will provide data and results about the effects of using electronic gadgets in society. After conducting the research and analyzing the data, the results obtained will show that cell phones and electronics have significant effects on society. The study will thus contribute significantly to the existing literature on the effects of cell phones, and it will be applicable for learning and research.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the procedures and methods preferred for this study will be meant to find diverse data. The design, participants, population sample, and data analysis were all described. Using Qualtrics, the 13-question surveys developed captured the significant areas of concern while the distribution will only be achieved through emails. With the targeted 30 participants, the surveys will be done. The survey will entail relevant questions regarding demographic features and a Likert-type scale to determine the agreement levels of these new devices. Further, the participants’ perceptions regarding using these cell phones will be measured using questions and analysis done using the descriptive qualitative method.

References

Drago, E. (2015). “The effect of technology on face-to-face  communication.” Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 6(1). http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1137

Elliot Benjamin (2016). Humanistic antidotes to social media/cell phone addiction in the College Classroom. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 5, 8, 1-11.

Gao.Blue golf .com (2021).Use of electronic devices. https://gao.bluegolf.com/bluegolfw/gao/mo/electronicdevices.htm

Han, C. (2017). The effectiveness of the application of writing strategies in writing instruction. Journal Of Language Teaching And Research, 8(2), 355. doi: 10.17507/jltr.0802.19

Jung, P., Shin, J., & McMaster, K. (2016). The application of data-based instruction to writing instruction: A case example of a student at risk for writing difficulties. Special Education Research, 15(4), 61. doi: 10.18541/ser.2016.11.15.4.61

Pietrangelo A. (2019). how does technology affect your health? The good, the bad, and tips for use. https://www.healthline.com/health/negative-effects-of-technology

Roberts, J. A., Petnji Yaya, L. H., & Manolis, C. (2014). The invisible addiction: Cellphone activities and addiction among male and female college students. Journal Of Behavioral Addictions, 3(4), 254-265. https://doi.org/10.1556/JBA.3.2014.015.

Roberts, J. A., Pullig, C., & Manolis, C. (2015). I need my smartphone: A hierarchical model of personality and cellphone addiction. Personality and Individual Differences, 79, 13-19.

Timmis, M. A., Bijl, H., Turner, K., Basevitch, I., Taylor, M. D., & van Paridon, K. N. (2017). Mobile phone use on where we look and how we walk when negotiating floor-based obstacles. Plos ONE, 12(6)

Wardynsk D. (2019). What are the effects of technology on human interaction? https://www.brainspire.com/blog/what-are-the-effects-of-technology-on-human-interaction.