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Benjamin Rose
Erin Rogers
Writing 2010
27 February 2016
The Use of Smartphones and Their Potential Drawbacks and Benefits
Especially within the last decade, smartphones have become frequented information
windows and have arguably improved lives. However, many argue that there can be
problems with their explosive growth and usage. Some state that their widespread presence
can lead to problems in security and social media has become a nigh-addictive habit, though
it has been used to spread positive word about events like natural disasters as well.
Smartphones are a major distraction for pedestrians and attempts to solve the problem have
proven difficult or futile. Even so, others talk about how their spread has helped expand
services like Uber, a growing alternative to traditional taxis; and NFC, a wireless
technology that allows smartphones to replace credit and debit cards.
Neal Leavitt argues that the widespread use of smartphones presents some major
security risks. Users are generally more cautious with sensitive computing on smartphones
than on more conventional computers like desktops, but aren't consistent with this caution
(Leavitt 1-3). Many tasks are started on smartphones, but are usually completed on more
traditional computers. One such task is online shopping; Although half of U.S. adults own
smartphones [5], mobile online shopping is only 3% of overall shopping revenues (Chin et
al 1-2). This is partly due to people browsing for items on the phone, but only completing

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the transaction once a computer is available due to a belief in more robust security
measures. At the same time, Levitt argues, many users install apps without paying much
attention to security vulnerabilities they could introduce, allowing hackers to easily gain
information about the user. This is because official app marketplaces such as the Apple App
Store and Google Play assume that users take responsibility for their security, but because
of their official status, users place more trust in them and thus don't take those assumed
precautions. As most smartphone apps are obtained from centralized distributors such as
these, hackers have a wide platform from which to gain and use personal and financial
information (Mylonas et al 1-2).
This concern for security and privacy extends to the growing world of social media.
Teens are using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram more than ever, and
they are sharing much more personal information than in the past (Madden et al 2). Social
media and its ease of access through smartphones can also be habit forming, with its focus
on brevity and speed allowing a user to quickly get information or stimulation they may not
otherwise have (Oulasvirta et al 1-2). However, this can also be beneficial when info needs
to be quickly spread, such as in a natural disaster; social media websites are a high priority
for accessing emergency information, and have been used to tell families that certain people
are safe, to spread word about raising funds after a disaster, or even during the event itself to
warn people to evacuate while there's still time (Lindsay 2). Social media has also been
used to understand the demographics and culture of cities; thanks to the development of
location-based apps and services as well as the spread of smartphones capable of using

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those services, studies are able to use social media to find patterns and study dynamics of a
city's residents (Cranshaw et al 1).
Alongside these new avenues for information, and even with their potential
problems, smartphones have paved the way for new services, such as that of the Uber
driver. Uber is a smartphone app that lets a user request a ride to a specified location, after
which a driver will show up and take them to where they want to go. Its growing
prevalence, ease of use, and reduced expense have convinced people that smartphones can
change industry into becoming more immediate, demanding, and personalized. It's also
helped to slowly phase out the old taxi business, which is becoming less practical and
regulated (Rempel). However, the long-term implications of Uber make researchers
cautious, as its impact on the transportation industry may cause problems for low-wage
workers. Uber itself is willing to bend law around its system and is aggressive towards its
competition in the transportation industry. On top of all that, despite its anti-gun policy,
there have been records of violence related to Uber; one driver in Florida shot a passenger
who was allegedly choking him during an argument (Chasmar). In another incident in
Michigan, an Uber driver killed six people in a seven hour shooting rampage without reason
(Conlon and Valencia). Even so, it remains as a gateway to a reformed idea and system of
getting around. As an example of its impact, users of Uber are much more likely to have a
called ride actually show up, as drivers are explicitly assigned to passengers through the app
and thus don't have the same entitlement as taxi drivers to ignore the call and pick up
somebody else instead. This increase in reliability allows users to feel more consistent and

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trusting in getting to their destination on time, and this finally integrates into the car-hire
industry a traditional supply-demand relationship common with most other areas of
commerce (Rogers 85-88).
Another innovation smartphones have introduced is their ability to replace a
conventional wallet. With the use of Near-Field Communication (NFC), phones can be used
to pay for goods and services without the use of cash, checks, cards, or other conventional
currency items (Jackson 1). This is being implemented in Malaysia as a replacement for a
traditional currency. It is a growing field in both business and technology, but it is another
potential security risk (Chia et al 1-3). With its use of wireless communication, hackers
could use NFC to connect to a smartphone and retrieve sensitive information from it. This
has proven difficult, as NFC is difficult to use from even a moderately long distance, and
many security measures were built into the technology such as isolation from the device's
main hardware, fuses that blow when certain hacking attempts are detected, and standard
encryption techniques that keep any obtained data from being quickly used in the event that
it's eavesdropped (Jackson 1-2).
As smartphones are becoming more commonplace in society, they also are becoming
an increasingly common and problematic distraction in everyday life. Distracted walking is
a major problem; a study on college students found that students using a smartphone to
respond to emails while walking took much greater risks when crossing a street than
students that didn't use a phone while crossing the same street (Byington and Schwebel 1).
Pedestrians using phones take longer to cross streets and take greater risks like ignoring

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lights or failing to look both ways, especially when texting, than pedestrians not using them
(Thompson et al, 1). Many users have hit different objects or other users while walking and
using a smartphone, yet many aren't fully aware of the risky, possibly dangerous behavior of
distracted walking. (Wang, D. 1). Workarounds and solutions are being developed; one
attempt was using motion gestures instead of a touchscreen for more common tasks, but
these gestures weren't very reliable and didn't actually reduce risk in using a smartphone
while walking (Negulescu et al, 1-2). Another proposed solution is using the smartphone
itself to sense approaching cars and inform the use to help them get out of the way, but
limited technology has caused this to be a difficult undertaking (Wang, T. 1-2).
While smartphones are still a relatively new concept in the modern age, their
influence in society has already been firmly established and continues to integrate itself
further as new technologies are discovered and new problems arise. As the digital age
continues, new tools will unfold with the impact that services like Uber and NFC had,
security holes will be patched and torn repeatedly as the balance between privacy and safety
tips back and forth, and smartphones will either become less of a distraction or integrated in
a way that the distraction doesn't pose a problem. It's a delicate process that seeks to further
improve people's lives without giving up what made them great in the first place, a balance
that will continue to fall out of place and rise back up as it carries on through the world of
modern technology.

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Works Cited
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Chin, Erika et al. Measuring User Confidence in Smartphone Security and Privacy. University of
California, Berkley. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Mylonas, Alexios et al. Delegate the Smartphone User? Security Awareness in Smartphone
Platforms. Athens University of Economics and Business. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Madden, Mary et al. Teens, Social Media, and Privacy. Pew Research Center. 21 May 2013. Web.
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Oulasvirta, Antti et al. Habits Make Smartphone Use More Pervasive. Aalto University. 22 Sep.
2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
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Chasmar, Jessica. Uber Driver Breaks Anti-Gun Policy, Shoots Passenger who Allegedly Choked
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Conlon, Kevin and Nick Valencia. Kalamazoo Uber Driver Picked up Fares Between Killings,
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Chia, Lai Chin. When Wallet Fuses Into Smartphone: How do Consumers Respond? Univeriti
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Lindsay, Bruce R. Social Media and Disasters: Current Uses, Future Options, and Policy
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