Smartphone use rising on campus
Smartphones have become one of the most popular technologies in the nation, including amongst college students. These devices can provide people with applications and programs right in the palm of their hands. In addition to texting or calling someone, Internet browsing, shopping, emailing, Facebooking and many other functions come from owning a smartphone.
However, some students have not found the use of smart phones to be a necessity. “I would rather not have one,” said Nan Coon, a sophomore.
Coon said she would rather be able to check her email only once a day instead of the seven or eight times she has grown accustomed to since getting a smartphone.
“I just don’t need everything it has,” Coon said.
Coon said she is happy with simply being able to use her phone for texting and calling, but she would be alright with just calling.
“I have an irrational fear of technology and I’m scared of letting my phone run my life because so many people do that,” Coon said. “The reason I have a smartphone is only because I have to with my family’s plan.”
Other students have a different outlook when it comes to smartphones.
“I wish I had one,” said Matt Ditto, a junior majoring in economics and exercise science. “I can’t afford $40 a month for a couple of emails and to play Angry Birds.”
Ditto said his life would be much simpler with a smartphone but he is not able to invest in it at this point in his college career.
With the rapid increase in smartphone ownership, many students believe almost everyone will have one in the the near future.
“I say that in five to 10 years, for sure,” said Ditto. “It’s just another way of communicating. With Twitter, Instagram and Facetime, people are going to have to have some type of device to communicate in lots of ways.”
“I bet they will stop making regular phones,” said Coon. “Our society is too dependent on them.”
Tori Baggett, a junior majoring in Speech Pathology, said it’s already a time that people everywhere will need smartphones.
“They are kind of taking over,” Baggett said. “Even if it’s not an iPhone, many people have touch screens and Internet on their phone.”
Baggett owns an iPhone and said she loves being able to use it for anything at any time. However, she said she doesn’t believe they are the best tool for her success as a student.
“I think they are awesome,” Baggett said. “You can do anything with them, except you waste a lot of time on them because you can do so much.”
Baggett said they don’t help as much with school as they do hinder it because of the distractions they present.
Other students believe this kind of technology only supplements their experience in college.
Lauren Beck, a junior at BYU, said she knows and believes smartphones are something college students often need for the convenience of communicating about classes, responding to emails and turning in assignments.
“Mine helps me a lot in school because I can get internet in my classes without having to carry my 20-pound laptop around,” Beck said.
“I use mine to get information on the spot, to stay updated on the news, to get the newspaper, to keep track of my calories each day and to keep me preoccupied when I’m in boring situations,” Beck said. “I depend on my iPhone to perform better in my classes and in the world. They are becoming increasingly necessary for success in the fast-paced business world.”
– mandy.m.morgan@aggiemail.usu.edu