Assalamualaikum, and praise to Allah, the most gracious, most merciful.

Thank you too, to the master of ceremony, the honorable judges, the
trustworthy timekeeper, and not to forget, my dear teachers and
friends. Good morning. I am here before you to deliver a speech
entitled “The Using of Smartphones”.

Dear audience,

It is no secret that smartphones are everywhere these days. It

seems like nearly everyone has one, even if they are not sporting some
fancy new model. Having a smartphone seems to be the trend of the
future of wireless communication. As with all new technology, there
are both advantages and disadvantages to having one. Overall
smartphones seem to have more benefits than risks and this has been
proven by their rise in popularity and increasing saturation of the
consumer market in recent years.
 The first advantage is easy in communicating with friends, family,
and coworkers. This one is pretty obvious but bear with us. Since the
first cell phone, we have been able to make calls while on the go. But
given the fact that almost everyone today owns at least a basic mobile
phone and the majority have their phone on hand at all times, you are
able to get in touch with people nearly 24/7.

Add to this the cell phone towers constantly popping up to give us

ever-improving reception and even being in a building or outside of the
city is not the problem it used to be. This comes in handy in so many
ways. Let your boss know about last second changes to an important
business deal, keep tabs on your kids, hit a friend for an impromptu
hangout, or even call for help in an emergency. All these things and
more are easier than ever.

Members of the floor,

The next advantage is applications and the all-in-one device. It is

tough to fit an mp3 player, digital camera, phone, and GPS all in your
pockets at the same time – at least comfortably. Fortunately for you,
today’s cell phones mean that is not a problem anymore. It is been our
go-to calculator and flashlight for at least the past decade and a
smartphone is probably the only camera many people even own. If that
were not enough, there are apps for practically everything. Now your
phone is also an ebook reader, currency converter, and handheld
gaming device. There are even apps that help you learn foreign
languages on the go.

Dear audience,

Research has continuously proved that smartphones are

benefiting individuals of different ages, but smartphones have some
certain disadvantages associated with them.

The first disadvantage is it hinders real human interaction. Our

phones can do so much these days that some people have trouble
tearing themselves away long enough to reconnect with the real world.
You have likely seen them around town, on public transportation, and
in stores with their eyes and fingers glued to their mobile device.
Instead of interacting with the people around them, they ignore face-
to-face conversation for virtual ones.
 Many believe that our younger generation is actually less capable
of normal socializing because of this. They have gotten so little practice
that they are simply not comfortable with chatting with someone they
meet out in public. Since humans are social creatures by nature who
need real life connections, this runs the risk of becoming a huge
problem for society.

The second disadvantage is it leads to some pretty serious

accidents. That is not the only way the inattention to their surrounding
caused by cell phones creates problems. It can actually cost lives when
drivers focused on texting or social media lose control of their vehicle
and have major accidents. Is letting your friend know you’re on the way
really worth dying over? And it is not safe to do it while you are walking
either. For one, people have stepped into oncoming traffic while staring
at the screen of their phone. Less seriously, you can fall down stairs,
trip over something on the ground, or bump into a wall or another
pedestrian while you are absorbed with what is happening on
Facebook.
Members of the floor,

What do you think? Do the disadvantages outweigh the

advantages? I personally don’t think so. The cons of mobile phones are
mostly a case of too much of a good thing. Pull yourself away from your
device when you are out on the town and do not isolate yourself from
the people around you. Don’t even think about touching that thing
while you are driving, walking, riding a bike, or anything else that
requires your full attention. Then you will be able to enjoin all the
helpful things mobile phones bring to the table without the negatives.

With that, thank you, and good morning/afternoon.