Earlier this week, I was sitting in class when I noticed that one of my classmates was using a classic flip-phone, rather than a smartphone. That sight made me think—how in the world would I survive if I had to give up my smartphone?
My smartphone is my real-time connection to the world. At the touch of a button, I can communicate instantly with my friends, see what crazy weather is coming, view a list of everything I’m doing for the rest of the day, and share my lunch choice with my Facebook friends.
Without my smartphone, I wouldn’t be able to do so many things critical to my day-to-day life. Is that really a bad thing, though?
I remember the days before June 29, 2007 when I toted a physical calendar and actually called people on the phone to schedule meetings. I remember the days of using pre-printed Google Maps to navigate to unfamiliar places, hoping that the limited descriptions would get me to my destination and back. Those days of clutter, disorganization, and disconnection are no more, thanks to a pile of circuit boards, plastic, and software that come together to form smartphones.
There’s no doubt that smartphones have revolutionized how the average person lives his day-to-day life. The one device that has everything and the kitchen sink will go down in history as one of the most life-changing inventions along with sliced bread, cars, and the internet.
Some, though, disagree and claim that the smartphone is ruining the world as we know it. I could not disagree more. The smartphone has completely changed how I live my life.
My smartphone keeps me organized. Back in the days of polyphonic ringtones, we didn’t have a more efficient option for rapid communication than a phone call or a quick text message and squeezing information on a cramped paper calendar.
Now you can send a Facebook message, add it to your calendar app, and get automatically reminded on the day of. I personally live by my calendar app—I have anything that I have scheduled in my calendar, from classes to group meetings, test dates, even when the milk in the fridge expires. There’s never a time where I don’t know where I’m supposed to be.
My smartphone keeps me from getting lost. I remember the days of printing pages and pages of maps before going anywhere to make sure I could get there and back.
Now my smartphone has maps of the entire world at my fingertips, accompanied by a automated voice guiding my every turn in real time. No more shuffling paper maps to find my destination.
These are just a few of the ways that my smartphone has completely changed how I live my life. Without my smartphone, I would be hopelessly disorganized, lost, and clueless.
I know, at least for me, the smartphone has completely changed how I live my life for the better and will impact me for the duration of my natural life.