FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES

MAY 2013

OUMM3203

ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

STUDENT NAME MATRIC NO. IC NO TELEPHONE NO E-MAIL LECTURER NAME LEARNING CENTER

: : : : : : :

ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL RAZAK 801128016061001 801128016061 0197585450 abzanfar@yahoo.com RAFIAH BT ABDUL RAHMAN OUM BATU PAHAT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Mobile Phone Problems On Our Social Life And Health Conclusion References

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INTRODUCTION To From Date Subject : : : : Director of Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Abdullah bin Abdul Razak, Manager of Institute of Occupational Safety and Health 10 June 2013 Recommendations in overcoming the problems of mobile phone

Mobile phones are an integral part of daily life for many people in the world today. In both public and as well as in private many people in todays society interact with their mobile phones constantly to some degree; whether it is checking messages or emails, playing games, or talking. However these are not regular mobile phones but the new age smart phone. The first generation mobile phone had one function, making and receiving calls. As mobile phones progressed the number of functions they could do increased dramatically. The mobilephone of today also called the smart phone is in essence a handheld computer as well as a mobile device. Smartphones are different than the previously used mobile phones because of their vast range of abilities as well as their operating systems. The mobile phones of the past are barely a memory for the new generation of mobile phone users. Basic smartphones now come with at the least short message service (SMS) or text messaging, games, and most are equipped with a camera. Mobile phones seem like a beneficial progression into the future because it allows people to be on the go but still be accessible. Business can now be done on the go, and things that you previously had to do on the computer can now be done in the palm of your hand. However all these advances come with a price and negative aspects are beginning to arise such as the dependence on mobile phones and the social problems that come with these smart phones. Although many of the aspects of the smartphone are advantageous there are many problems that have arisen from it. The objectives of this report were to examine the disadvantages of mobile phones especially on our social life and medical. I hope you will give your full cooperation to the recommendations I have put forward in this report, in finding solutions to the existing disadvantages of mobile phone usage. This is important because mobile phones do have an effect on productivity, communication in the workplace, social engagement and education. There is a need for Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to presented some solutions regarding mobile phone issues while formulating such guidelines.

MOBILE PHONE PROBLEMS ON OUR SOCIAL LIFE AND HEALTH 1. Sexting

Theres a new trend among teenagers and maybe adults too. Its called sexting. It is similar to text messaging (SMS) but sexting is sending of nude or semi-nude pictures of the senders via mobile phones to their partners or even friends. SMS or text messaging is widely used among teenagers in particular due to its cheap rates. Sexting is a new trend and still in its infancy here in Malaysia. Our teenagers may think it is safe to send sexy or nude photos of themselves to their partners. But think again! One private exchange of photos between you and a loved one could end up being viewed by thousands of mobile and Internet users if it falls into the wrong hands. This could create great stress and humiliation with disastrous consequences, including suicide attempts. Sex offenders may also use the photos to blackmail the sender into victimisation. Solutions As a parent, I wish to be educated on the negative aspects of any new technology to ensure that I put in place some measures to monitor and manage these issues. The Government must make it mandatory for organisations that promote these gadgets and services to be ethical and responsible in educating the consumers on the pros and cons of the gadgets or services they are promoting. The Government must be firm in managing these issues so that we are aware of them, rather than acting only after the damage is done. Malaysia has a known culture of not being proactive but more reactive.

2.

Work distraction

Using our phones to do such things as watch TV, stay updated on news and social media and play video games affects our production level. With all the applications and entertainment options, it would be really easy for users to get distracted at work. Research has suggested that an employee now receives an interruption to his/her work either a phone call, text message, email or personal visit on average about every four minutes. Such frequent interruptions are more likely to harm than assist productivity, because they make concentration and focusing on a single complex or important task much more difficult.

According to Qumu findings of its June 2011 survey of 2,510 Americans aged 18 and older, conducted online by Harris Interactive. The survey found that a majority of online Americans (64%) are watching online videos, Men are significantly more likely than women to say they have ever watched any kind of online video while at work (53% vs. 34%, respectively) . But while 17% of all online Americans have watched online company videos at their work, thats not all they admit to watching. The most popular choice was news clips (25%) followed by viral videos (15%), videos posted on social networking sites (12%), sports events/sports clips (11%), television shows (9%), full length feature films (4%) and other online videos (3%). (Qumu, 2011). Solutions Mobile phones have many settings beyond on and off.

Phones can be set to vibrate rather than ring in the workplace. Call settings can be adjusted to only ring for certain (vital) calls but remain silent for others.

Many instant messaging and texting carriers allow the user to set their status as busy so others do not expect an immediate reply.

Social networks such as Facebook allow users to turn off notifications under the account settings without stopping the updates.

Company e-mail can be set to receive less often to control work interruptions.

3.

Liability For Hacking And Identity Fraud.

Almost two-thirds of Malaysians who use smartphones are at a risk of having their personal information stolen, according to an international survey. The Unisys Security Index showed that only a third knew how to keep their personal data safe when using apps on the devices. Most times it was the users who unwittingly agreed to share their personal information when they skipped reading the full terms and conditions before downloading an app. Smartphone apps have access to a lot of our personal information, from date of birth to geo-locations and business transactions. The information collected by these apps can be sold by the app

developer, and may be abused for purposes such as identity theft. Such information could also be obtained by criminals to access bank accounts or steal sensitive corporate data. Solutions Get a password on your smartphone. Preferably use one consisting of both numbers and letters - not just a swipe pattern which can be easy to see from greasy smear marks. Read reviews and comments before downloading an app. If it has none then stay away. Read the terms and conditions carefully before you approve and start downloading an app. Look at what it wants permission to do. For instance, there should be no need for a puzzle game to get access to your messages and location. Consider whether you would benefit from an antivirus program that can track your phone, block it and make back-ups if you lose it. Beware of public Wi-Fi hotspots. Free airport Wi-Fi might be tempting, but make sure you don't use it for any transactions where your personal information could be sent. Be careful with apps from unauthorised app stores, as they can easily contain malware. The same applies to adverts in free apps. 4. Isolation from family and friends

Mobile phone can have access to social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and people would be able to chat in real time with their friend who are a thousand miles away. According to Norni Mahadi (2013), statistics in May shows that some 13.3 million or 45. 5 per cent of the total population in the country are Facebook users. This puts Malaysia on the 8th spot in Asia and 21st place in the world. From the total figure, those aged between 18 and 24 were the highest users, contributing 34.5 per cent followed by those aged 25-34 years (29.5 per cent) and 13-17 years (16.3 per cent). This statistic tells us that todays teenagers are being exposed to Facebook. The usage of such social media has indirectly affected their (teenagers) way of communicating and lifestyle.The negative effects of being this plugged in is beginning to take enormous effect on kids. Because social interaction comes overwhelmingly online rather than face to face, Malaysian youth are showing severe lack of

social skills. They are often more comfortable with technology than they are with talking to people. They have not learned the proper communication and conversation skills, how to deal with interpersonal situations and how to date and get to know other people behind the screen. Researchers have found that the middle-school, high school and college students who used Facebook at least once during a 15 minute period get lower grades overall. Many teens usually spend sleepless nights on social media without the knowledge of their parents. The disruption of sleep has had adverse effects on the teens. It has led to cases of insomnia, mood swings, attention deficits at school and increased obesity just to mention a few. These are some of the serious negative effects of social media on teenagers and issues that are arising with kids often addicted to Facebook. Solutions

Limit Your Memberships There is no need for memberships to 15 different networks. In fact, there is no need for even 2 memberships of sites which do the same thing. Choose Facebook or Myspace, but not both. Digg, or StumbleUpon. This will probably cut your memberships in half, and hopefully cut the time spent on them down also.

Prioritize - Use these tools only when your work has been done, or during down time. Dont spend time updating your profile or changing your pic when there is work to be done. This will not only save you time and increase productivity, but will build self discipline as well.

Stop Procrastinating Many times we get on Facebook or twitter when we have real work that we just dont want to do. Stop that! Get the work done. Once you finish youll have all the time in the world to spend making friends on Facebook.

Remove the Cellphone Apps You dont really need Facebook or Twitter on your phone. Nothing on there can be that important. Save your social networking for when you are behind the desk and limit the distractions throughout the day.

Spend More Time With Close Friends and Family You arent the only one who suffers when you spend countless hours on MySpace. Your family and friends dont see you, because you are too busy learning how to customize your backgrounds and take crazy pictures from all different angles for your profile pic. Cut out the cancer and get back to friends and family.

5.

Mobile Phone Radiation

According to Sue Kovach (2007), EMR from cellular phonesboth the radiation from the handsets and from the tower-based antennas carrying the signalswhich studies have linked to development of brain tumors, genetic damage, and other exposure-related conditions. Yet the government and a well-funded cell phone industry media machine continue to mislead the unwary public about the dangers of a product used by billions of people. Most recently, a Danish epidemiological study announced to great fanfare the inaccurate conclusion that cell phone use is completely safe. Today there are more than two billion cell phone users being exposed every day to the dangers of electromagnetic radiation (EMR)dangers government regulators and the cell phone industry refuse to admit exist. Included are: genetic damage, brain dysfunction, brain tumors, and other conditions such as sleep disorders and headaches. The cell phone industry is fully aware of the dangers. In fact, enough scientific evidence exists that some companies service contracts prohibit suing the cell phone manufacturer or service provider, or joining a class action lawsuit. Still, the public is largely ignorant of the dangers, while the media regularly trumpets new studies showing cell phones are completely safe to use. Solutions to the Problems In January 2009, the Finnish government stated that childrens mobile phone use should be restricted, for example, by sending text messages instead of talking, making shorter calls, using a hands-free device, and avoiding the use of mobile phones when connection is weak. According to the Finnish report, although research to date has not demonstrated health effects from mobile phones radiation, precaution is recommended for children as all of the effects are not know. Since it takes years to develop a cancer and mobile phones have been in common use only for about ten years, the possibility, that a link between mobile phone use and cancer might be found in later population studies, cannot be ruled out. It is required that the information that a mobile phone is a source of RF EMF is clearly shown on the phones body (or any other telecommunication device).

It is required that the Users Guide contains information that a mobile phone (personal wireless communication tool using electromagnetic communication method, etc.) is a source of harmful RF EMFexposure. Usage of a mobile phone by children and adolescents under 18 years old is not recommended. Mobile phone use by pregnant women is not recommended in order to prevent risk for a fetus.

The easiest way to reduce RF EMF exposure is to move the mobile phone away from ones head during the phone call which may be achieved by using the hands-free sets (protection by distance). Shortening the call duration is another way to reduce the exposure (protection by time). Environmental Health Trust (2011).

CONCLUSION The benefits of mobile phone convenience are undeniable, but there are a number of disadvantages that mobile phoneusers should be aware of such as sexting, identity fraud, isolation, radiation exposion and many more. While there are advantages of having a smart phone, there could be disadvantages too that can come along with it with increasing usage and whether smart phones stand the test of time does not only depend on the smartness of the technology used inside your smartphone but also in your wisdom in using it too can make a huge difference. Reported By : Abdullah bin Abdul Razak Post Date Words (2455) : Manager of Institute of Occupational Safety and Health : 10 June 2013

REFERENCES Environmental Health Trust (2011). Worldwide Cell Phone Safety Recommendations and Policies. Noroni Mahadi (2013). 13.3 million Msians are Facebook users (Online). http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/06/16/13-3-million-msians-arefacebook-users/#ixzz2Z5ulb6L5. (accessed 15 June 2013). Qumu (2011). Qumu Survey: Mobile Video in the Workplace Leads to Employees Gone Wild!.(Online) http://www.qumu.com/news/news-releases/419-qumu-harrissurvey.html. (accessed 15 June 2013). Sue Kovach 92007)The Hidden Dangers of Cell Phone Radiation. Life Extension Magazine. (Online)http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/aug2007_report_cellphone_radiation_ 01.htm. (accessed 15 June 2013).