According to the latest figures, around 95% of adults in the UK own or use a mobile phone, and that figure doesn’t account for under-18s, where the percentage is probably higher.
‘Smartphones’ – mini mobile computers able to do much more than just make a call or send a text – are now owned by 79% of UK adults – that figure rising rapidly in the past decade.
You’ll often hear people ask: “How did we ever manage without mobile phones?” But the fact is, we did manage, perfectly well. There’s even an argument that the world was a better place without mobile phones, which begs the question: “Is progress always a good thing?”
Whether you love them or loathe them, mobile phones are everywhere, so let’s take a closer look at some of their pros and cons, starting with the positives:
- Mobile phones save lives. They truly come into their own in an emergency, allowing people to call for help almost anywhere in the developed world, whether it’s up a mountain or on a deserted country road. When getting medical help quickly can mean the difference between life and death, a mobile phone is a must-have tool.
- They’re an aid to independence. Parents feel happier letting their children out into the big wide world if they know they’re just a phone call away. Similarly, older people, who might feel vulnerable through health issues or limited mobility, enjoy the reassurance of knowing they can call a loved one wherever they are.
- They keep you in touch with the wider world. Smartphones allow people to access the internet on the move, use satnav to avoid getting lost, access social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, or use a multitude of ‘apps’ to help with all manner of everyday tasks, everything from managing your finances to online shopping.
- Smartphones are a world of entertainment in the palm of your hand. You can store thousands of music tracks to listen to whenever and wherever you like. You can play games on them to pass the time whenever you’re bored. You can tune into your favourite radio station or even stream TV and movies to the colour screen on your mobile phone.
- Having a phone in your pocket means you also have a camera to capture those spontaneous special moments. Even basic models incorporate cameras, while some smartphones can capture high definition video. It’s not just for ‘happy snaps’ – mobile phone images and footage are regularly used by news media and even as evidence in criminal cases. Millions more of us are photographers thanks to our phones.
So those are some of the pros, but what about the cons? Here are a few mobile phone negatives:
- They cost lives. People using their phones when driving is a growing epidemic. Even though it’s illegal, it is widespread and extremely dangerous. Not just at the wheel, but in other potentially precarious situations people have lost their lives through having their attention diverted by their mobile phones. People have even died trying to take photos of themselves in dangerous places, known as ‘extreme selfies’!
- Mobile phones are highly addictive. Some people are obsessed with their phones, constantly checking them, leaving them switched on at their bedside overnight and thrown into a state of panic if they ever become separated from them. There’s even a recognised medical term for it – ‘nomophobia’ – the fear of having no mobile!
- They encourage rudeness, arrogance and bad manners. In shops, on trains and buses, restaurants and even in cinemas and theatres you’ll find people on their phones, either holding loud conversations or pushing buttons on their illuminated screens. It displays a selfish lack of respect for those around them.
- Mobile phone crime is a huge problem. The phones themselves are expensive but easy to steal items, leading to millions of thefts or even muggings, bogging down police who have bigger issues to deal with. Pay-and-go mobiles known as ‘burner phones’ are used by criminal gangs and drug dealers, while smartphones can also be hacked, causing real security and privacy issues.
- They’re breeding a generation of ‘plugged in people’, disconnected from the real world around them. Try to talk to your children and grandchildren and chances are they will give you a blank look. They haven’t even heard you because they have earphones in, fastened to their mobile phone which connects them to a virtual world of entertainment and social interaction, but isolates them from the real world.
These are just a few of the pros and cons; there are doubtless many more on either side. On balance though, mobile phones are a good thing. Most of the ‘cons’ listed above are not a result of using mobile phones, but of misusing or overusing them. It’s no use blaming the phones for the negative ways some people use them, and whatever happens…. they’re here to stay!