Impact of Smartphones on the Society

Part 1
1. Introduction
The smartphones that we see today were introduced almost a decade back by Apple in the
mass consumer market. In UAE, the recent years have witnessed a drastic increase in internet
and broadband service providers due to the increasing use of smartphones, resulting in a
drastic effect on the society. The main impacts on the society are a single device having all
the features needed causing addiction to the phone, always being connected, educational
features that are convenient, business edge, apps for entertainment and new technology,
privacy related issues and distractions at educational institutions and offices (Science Direct,
2006).

2. Culture
Culture can be considered a framework that comprises beliefs, values and expressive symbols
that are used by humans for defining their feelings and also for making their judgments.
Culture has been selected as it provides ways of relating to people, interpreting the world and
the environment that are diverse. In case of the impact of the smartphones on the society also,
the use of smartphones is leading to a better interaction of the people across cultures.

Characteristics
1. The people of different cultures may be connected by the use of smartphones. For example
a person from UAE who is connected to his smartphone can go online and interact with
people from another culture through the social media and the two can develop a better
understanding of each others culture.

2. The smartphones can be used for gaining distance education. For example, the course that
is selected may be from another country which has a culture that is totally different but this
education will definitely help to have an understanding of the other culture.

Part 2
The positive impact on the Emiratis is witnessed in the change from the traditional education
system to a system that is more oriented towards the use of technology as learning and
collaboration with teachers can be maintained online.

The negative impact on the Emiratis can be that a number of other activities that can be
accessed using the smartphones can cause distractions for the students and the concentration
on studies may be lost.
A similar positive as well as negative impact can also be observed in case of the wider UAE
society that comprises many nationalities.

Recommendation
The people should be educated and guided so that they understand both the positive and
negative impacts and get awareness about the smart usage of the smartphones. Positive
aspects have o be emphasised and negative aspects highlighted for correct usage.
Bibliography

Science Direct. (2006). Smart Phone and Next Generation Mobile Computing. Retrieved April 28,
2016, from Elsevier Inc.: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780120885602500034