The Influence of the Smartphones on Modern Life

張嘉儀

Nowadays， many youngsters are obsessed with computers and smartphones by the time they are in high schools. As long as they have a smartphone and a fast network speed， they could surf the Internet all day， whether they play games， watch videos or chat with their net friends. Someone would assert that smartphones do provide convenience to us， while the others contend that sometimes being addicted to surfing the web will do harm to our normal interpersonal communication.

The social network has not only changed the way we communicate but also the culture of our country. Lately theres a weird phenomenon that theres a dozen people who sit together around a table for dinner， while therere no exchanges at all for they are all watching their phones with lowering their heads. Its awkward for the coldness between them. Clearly surfing the web has affected the normal face-to-face communication. People tend to focus on their phones and dont pay any attention to their friends or the environment around them. This phenomenon has reflected that people are using too much energy and time on the Internet and neglect people who are close at hand.

Another problem is that online chatting is damaging students social life. In the era of information and technology， more and more children prefer to kill time with computers and smartphones instead of companying with their partners. Compared with previous generations which dont have the condition， students in our generation prefer to stay at home alone. Thats why they are getting fatter because they avoid taking outdoor exercises， moreover， some children are suffering from obesity. In addition， because of being excessively obsessed with the electronic products， most of them have shortsightedness. The narrow space and changeless environment even lead to their autism， and they are not willing to go outside to appreciate the beautiful scenery of nature and refuse to hang out with friends. The most obvious characteristic of students is that their school record will be badly damaged. They have lost the sense of responsibility and the capacity of team work. The time of face-to-face interactions will be wasted， so that they will lose their cognitions of the real world especially they are in the period of developing their social skills and interpersonal circles.

In spite of all the disadvantages we mentioned above， smartphones do have some advantages for modern people. Firstly， it will be convenient to search for some learning materials. Students could look up to standard references easily by using smartphones. They can even take pictures for teachers blackboard-writings if they have no time to take notes. Indeed， its very advisable to study by the help of modern tools. Secondly， the most useful function of smartphones is to help students realize online collaboration. Several students could enjoy one window to chat with others simultaneously. Its not only convenient for teachers to assign homework but also useful for students to join together to discuss their opinions. They can easily work together on a group program by videos without go out to get together. Thirdly， chatting online with smartphones is an effective way for students who stay far away from their hometowns to get in touch with their parents. Its a comfort for them.

From the discussion above， its obvious that smartphones are becoming more and more popular among modern people. Smartphones， as the most famous modern tools， have both disadvantages and advantages. On one hand， they can be useful tools when people prefer to look for some references or keep in touch with friends who live far away. On the other hand， they could be the chief culprit of your bad performance in school and the coldness of modern interpersonal communication. Obviously， we should select the essence of the smartphones and discard the gross of them， which means to do some beneficial behaviors by the help of them and try to avoid being excessively addicted to the meaningless stuff. Only in this way can we make good use of this modern tool.

（作者單位：河北省衡水市至臻中學(xué)）