 It’s a warm, sunny Wednesday morning. The University of South Carolina campus is alive, full of sluggish students dragging their tired bodies to their “early” classes. I am one of many among the sea of fish, mentally preparing for a long day of mildly interesting classes. As I am walking, I like to observe those around me: some people taking their breakfast to-go while entertaining themselves with apps as they walk, other people are getting their mid-morning runs in, tightly gripping their smartphones in hopes of not dropping them, and then there’s the average students who are carrying their smartphones to class with the assumption that they will be entertaining themselves with the device for the class-time allotted. I look at all of these people and think to myself, “What happened to enjoying the peaceful tranquility of the mornings?” and “Why is it that even in the early stages of the morning my fellow peers are unable to separate themselves from their “precious” smartphones.” A college campus is like a coral reef: you have many types of eccentric fish that gather together under one shelter, one institution; however, over time, new factors are introduced to the environment, elements like smartphones, that change the dynamic of the reef, or campus. Thus, the environment is subject to change and so begins the degrading.

Smartphones are everywhere. Billions of people own the latest technologies, obsessing over the latest ideas in cellular connectivity. It is natural for humans to want progress. That is how society has made it thus far; however, I fear that these new advancements in technology are not as good as they originally seem. More specifically when it comes to the smartphone. I remember the first time I received a smartphone. I was in sixth grade, and I felt on top of the world. I had the new toy that everyone wanted, and that made me cool. I could play games on it wherever I went (which of course was my focus as I was only eleven years old), but more importantly I had a trophy of sorts- Broadcasting to the world that my parents gave me this smartphone; however, soon after I received this gift, others did too, and the initial appeal of the smartphone wore off. Then, company’s came out with newer versions of smartphones, and although every device provides the same services, people rushed to throw out their old smartphones and purchase the latest version. I know that I did. I begged my parents for the latest Apple IPhone, receiving new smartphones on multiple birthdays, as I grew older. Smartphones are technology, and like all technology, people become obsessed with them.

My social generation, the millennial generation, has grown up with smartphones. We are the first generation to have grown up with the ability to constantly connect with the online world. The new mentality is, “Why call when she is one text away?” or, “Why read when I can Google the answer?” Now, we are all college students, yet we do not know how to communicate with our elders. College students are the first group to try new smartphones. We are obsessed with our smartphones, loosing sight of what is around us. One common situation that I always notice is when I am eating dinner with my friends and some girls are on their phones. It is mind-boggling to me that some of my friends cannot live a mere hour without having to check their phone for text messages or social media purposes. We spend all of our time texting on our phones instead of talking in person. College students’ obsessions with smartphones is negatively impacting college students, distracting them in the classroom, hindering their communicative skills, having them mis-prioritize goals, and leading to a plethora of mental health illnesses.

Smartphones are a relatively new development, gaining popularity within the last ten years. The whole idea behind the smartphone, according to Adam Pothitos of the Mobile History Review, is, “… a mobile phone could offer similar functionality to a computer” (Pothitos 1). The smartphone is designed to have the intelligence of a computer but be more easily accessible. This is the ultimate intelligence tool. While the first basic smartphone was developed in 1992, the first touchscreen smartphone, used in updated form today, was released in 2007 by Apple (Pothitos 1). A smartphone that used only touch screen to perform tasks was revolutionary for its time. After seeing how popular the IPhone became, companies like Android and Google also released similar touch screen devices. From there, the smartphone became the device that everyone wanted. According do a survey conducted by the Pew Internet Project, “96% of those ages 18-29 are Internet users, 84% use social networking sites, and 97% have cell phones” (Anderson and Lee 9). A vast majority of the United States student population owns smartphones. In a time where the cost of living is rising, people still consider a smartphones worth the monthly payment.  More than 85% of college students own smartphones (Trub et. All 663). That means that over 85% of college students subject themselves to potential distractions in the classroom. Even worse, over 50% of drivers admit to texting and driving (Archer). Smartphones are prompting a disregard for life, as people are willing to sacrifice their safety to see messages; furthermore, over one-third of college students suffer from depression developed during their in-school semesters (Novotney). Between school work and the pressures of making friends, no college student should have a way to continuously watch everything they are missing out on.  They don’t need any more stress than what they already have. It leads to anxiety and depression. This constant access to smartphones is leading to a plethora of communicational and mental problems among college students.

Smartphones offer a plethora of hindrances towards college students. Everyday, college students are faced with the temptations their smartphones offer. The easy accessibility of smartphones prompts students to continually use their devices in the classroom. This results in college students overall underdevelopment of cognitive skills; furthermore, these students will be drastically unprepared when they enter the workforce with a lack of face-to-face communicative skills and deep thinking capabilities. Along with these negative outcomes come other psychological effects. College students are being diagnosed more now with anxiety and depression than ever before. This drastic increase is the result of nomophobia: the fear of missing out. Students are mentally distressed because they see everyone doing activities that they are not invited to. All of these negative aspects of these irresistible smartphones are hurting our college community. While smartphones do allow easy access to beneficial information and offer mediums for students to meet others, these benefits are overshadowed by a constant overuse that diminishes their potential returns.

One problem that smartphones offer is that they are a constant distraction both in and outside of the classroom. Everyday, I walk into my classes and see at least fifty percent of student on their phones or on their laptops. One of my personal favorite in-class pastimes is looking over fellow students shoulders to see what they are doing on their computers and smartphones. Whether it is shopping, doing other classes’ homework, or on social media, most students are doing something unrelated to the classes we are attending. According to a study conducted by Alabama State University, “the vast majority (95%) of students reported that they always bring their phones to class, and … 97% of students admitted to sending or receiving text messages while waiting for class to begin” (Emanuel 293). This means that 95% of students are giving themselves the opportunity to use their phones in class, potentially preventing them from learning what is taught. These devices are too tempting and college students are unable to avoid the temptation. According to a study done by Bernard McCoy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, “ the average respondent used a digital device for non-class purposes 10.93 times during a typical school day for activities including texting, social networking, and emailing” (McCoy 2). Not only did almost every student admit that he or she used his or he phone during class, but every student also admitted to repeated use during class time.  A year long longitudinal study conducted by the United States Air force Research Laboratory found that students, “used their device more during the academic year versus the summer and winter holiday breaks” (Tossell 717). Students are using their smartphones during class to occupy themselves. Not only is this disrespectful to the teacher, but it also hurts the students’ educations. They are so enthralled by their smartphones that they are unable to learn important information that they will be using when they enter the workforce. In turn, if they never care to put away their phones then they will enter the workforce unprepared, and the overall business economy will suffer in the long run.

Due to students’ inabilities to remain attentive during class, college students’ cognitive thinking skills are thus under developed. Class is meant for students to learn skills necessary for a job when they graduate. If students are too distracted by their smartphones in class, how are they going to survive in the workforce? A study done by Pew Research Center brought up concerns that students who have grown dependent on their technologies like smartphones, “… do not retain information; they spend most of their energy sharing short social messages, being entertained, and being distracted away from deep engagement with people and knowledge. They lack deep-thinking face-to-face social skills; they depend in unhealthy ways on the Internet and mobile devices to function” (Anderson et. All 8). As an only child who has grown up the only child at a dinner table full of adults, I pride myself in my ability to have intelligent conversations with my elders and peers; however, this positive attribute has been eliminated from many students’ lives because they spend time on their phones instead of developing face-to-face conversational skills. On top of this, college students have grown accustom to automatically having answers. Since their smartphones can give them quick answers, they have no need for deep thinking and problem-solving capabilities. One former English teacher in Kentucky, Terry Heick, recalls asking a question to his students and how he, “had intended for students to take a moment to think, figure out what type of information they needed … He did not intend for them to immediately Google the question, word by word – eliminating the process of critical thinking” (Tan 1). Students are looking for an easy solution, a simple search, rather than taking the time to think about a question and produce their own conclusions. Students do not have to develop their own conclusions; they can simply read someone else’s inferences on different topics. Thus, smartphones are reducing student’s abilities to think critically on their own.

Because of these smartphones, college students expect that they always need to be entertained. This generation of college students has grown up privileged, with easy access to advanced technology. College students think that they are privileged and should always be entertained; however, life does not work that way. Good things don’t always come easy. They require work. One study determined that college students made a variety of excuses for not paying attention in class, such as “texting, checking the time, email, social networking, web-surfing, and games” (McCoy 6). Students become addicted to their smartphones and feel as if they are missing out on something, so they always check their smartphones. I find that the Netflix Original television show Black Mirror powerfully depicts this obsession with smartphones. The episode “Nosedive,” takes smartphone dependence to an extreme level. The character’s lives revolve around the points they receive from the people around them. Everyone is constantly absorbed in their smartphones and lacks true emotions because of this. This episode reflects what life can become like if we do not take the time to find meaning in other aspects of life that do not require cellphones.

Excessive smartphone use among college students and the incessant need to have their smartphones at all times proves that extreme use of smartphones is an addiction. In a study done by the Stanford University of California, Davis, addiction is defined as, “an “easy and familiar trope” that “positions new technologies as devilish and teenagers as constitutionally incapable of having agency in response to the temptations that surround them” (Cohn 83). Smartphones to college students mimic stuffed animals to children- they are comforting toys that the owners grow attached to. Smartphones are familiar, a comforting device in the midst of uncertainty. It is easy for students to pick up their phones to avert their focus when in uncomfortable situations, or to browse their social media and other apps when they are momentarily bored. One study conducted by Pace University found that students attachment to phones stems from, “first in which phone offers a sense of refuge and a second in which the phone is experienced as a burden, from which people seek relief” (Trub et. All 669). While smartphones are always reliable, they also induce anxiety in students. Students face the dilemma of always wanting to know what is going on and simultaneously feeling anxiety from knowing this information.

This fear of missing out is a common feeling among college students and even has a medical term: nomophobia. Smartphones allow college students to see what their peers are doing at anytime everyday. Defined in a study performed by Carglar Yildirim and Ana-Paula Correia of the Computer Interaction Program at Iowa State University, Nomophobia is, “a modern age phobia introduced to our lives as a byproduct of the interaction between people and mobile information and communication technologies, especially smartphones” (Yildirim and Correia 130). When I go out to dinner with a group of friends, at least half of them fall victim to nomophobia, ignoring us in fear of missing out on some other event. This fear is a problem that alienates its victims and hurts the subjects’ friends. While I am offended by the fact that some of my friends cannot manage an hour long phone-free dinner, I do realize that nomophobia effects over 77% of students (Lytle). College students have this need to be constantly on their phones and know what everyone else is doing. These messages and post seen on smartphones using social media depict the best moments of everyone’s lives. Social media is all about presenting one’s life as perfectly as possible. I know that when I post a picture on Instagram, or a story on Snapchat, I make sure I look pretty and am laughing. Having a big group of people helps to- it makes me look like I have a lot of friends, that I am popular. I, just like every other college student, want to present myself as cool and having fun all the time. Seeing other people’s stories and pictures all the time puts pressure on us to feel like we need to always be doing fun activities and post about them. 

Nomophobia presents itself in multiple ways to college students. According to an Iowa State Universtiy study, the different components of nomophobia are, “(1) not being able to communicate, (2) losing connectedness, (3) not being able to access information, and (4) giving up convenience” (Yildirim and Correia 133). These dimensions of nomophobia all stem from the fact that smartphones are so easily accessible. If college students weren’t obsessed with their smartphones and able to bring and use them everywhere all the time, then this would not be a problem. Students are feeling that they are, “losing the ubiquitous connectivity smartphones provide, and being disconnected from one’s online identity, especially on social media” (Yildirim and Correia 131). Smartphones allow constant access to the Internet, allowing students to always see what their friends are doing. They think that even when they are in class, they are missing out on more exciting things outside of the classroom. Also, smartphones also allow users to see notifications when they are texted or something is posted on social media. We college students feel the need to always check if we are receiving notifications, to know that people want to be friends with us (Yildirim and Correia 132). Our whole social life is based on the facts that people want to text us and post pictures with us.

The unfortunate development of nomophobia in college students is a result of their hyper-connectivity, which , in turn, gives way for anxiety and depression to show among college students.. Hyperconnectivity refers to college students and their, “always-on connection to people and information” (Anderson et. All 2). College students have grown up with these smartphones and have their smartphones on themselves all the time. I know that when I am walking to class, students are always walking with their heads down, staring at smartphone screens. This always-on mentality promotes constant online attention, “connected to the world, but alarmingly disconnected from themselves” (Emanuel 297). Students overlook their surroundings in hopes that they do not miss out on something online. They are unaware of what is around them and loose themselves in their smartphones. Students become anxious because of misperceptions of information and constant social knowledge, and also become depressed because of their lack of in-person relationships with their peers. 

The idea of a society that is always able to communicate is not bad in itself; however, these college students who have grown up hyper-connected lives are now showing the negative symptoms of growing up with these technological advancements. College students are now plagued with, “thirst of instant gratification, settle for quick choices, and lack patience (Anderson et. All 2). College students have grown up being praised, and this presents a threat to our society as this generation enters the workforce. These students prefer to take the easy way out, using their phones to gather information rather than reading books, or finding quick answers rather than taking longer to find a more full-proof solution.

While smartphones have a lot of negative outcomes, some analysts believe that smartphones with bring in a new kind of cognitive ability. Smartphones offer the opportunity for students to access information easily. Some researchers believe that allowing students easy accessibility to smartphones will allow them to have enhanced learning experiences. A journal published by The Reading Teacher concluded that students benefit from smartphones in the classroom. Because they can easily research words they do not know or facts pertaining to discussed topics, smartphones enhance students’ learning experiences (Bromley 342). The purposes of smartphones in classrooms are to, “give students access to websites, newspapers, magazines, and other resources of high interest… and engage those students who are struggling or turned off to reading” (Bromley 343). Teachers want their students to comprehend their readings and topics discussed in class. While Bromley makes a valid point, I am a student and knowing my peers and myself, this is an unfeasible reality. My friends and I have no will power, and the draw to check Instagram or play Candy Crush will overpower my moral objections.  While their intentions are practice, their faith in students’ will power is too high. Even the best students are tempted when the opportunity is presented. I know that I am. As much as I am against using my phone in class, I know that if I am allowed to use my phone then I will see notifications and will check social media out of boredom. It only takes a few touches of the screen and I have access to everything. The accessibility is a hindrance in these situations.

Another common counterargument is that smartphones allow students a smoother adjustment to college life. The students that have smartphones will have or can easily download social media. One theory is that social media, “… has created opportunities to establish peer-support networks prior to students arriving on campus” (DeAndrea et. All 16). The days leading up to college are scary. As a college freshman, I came in to a completely unfamiliar city knowing know one. Many students are just like me, coming to college knowing no one and can meet people on social media sites. This has potential to benefit many incoming students; however, it subjects students to Internet fraud. These college students do not know who they are talking to unless they having an in-person conversation and are vulmerable; therefore, they could be led into potentially unsafe situations. Another rebuttal is that not every student will feel as though they are included. Some people may join the social media group; people may not want to talk to that person. This makes the student susceptible to feelings of exclusion, leading to depression.

Smartphones are controlling college students’ lives, and this needs to end. As a fellow college student, I understand that the temptation to use your phone during class is strong and walking to class is a lonely time if you are alone; however, I challenge you to resist the temptation of the smartphone in your pocket. Be stronger than the draw of the ring of your smartphone. Listen to the serenity of the outdoors as you are walking to class, and give your teachers the respect of listening to their lectures- It will benefit you in the long-run when you are given a real world problem the Internet cannot answer. We may be only a few of the fish in the sea, but even the smallest change will help save our reef.
