ARTICLE REVIEW

HPY 570 (Research Methodology)

Institute Technology Mara University (UiTM)

How Smartphone Affects the Society

Smartphone have become the must-have gadget in society. Along with its
diversity of functions, however Smartphone also have its own pros and cons. Hence, the
objective for this literature review are to measure the affect of Smartphone upon attitude,
social influence, transforming social life from divers aspect, and the pros and cons of
Smartphone usage. Although the literature presents these themes in a variety of context,
this paper will primarily focused on their application focus on how Smartphone affects
the society.
Based on Yu-kang Lee (2014) research studies on negative effects of using
Smartphone included overdependence on Smartphone which leads to user stress and
also compulsive usage internet dependency (Chak & Leung, 2004; Iskander & Akin,
2010). Moreover, on materialism side most people use expensive and prestigious
phones simply to show off (Caronia & Caron, 2004). The influence of social interaction
anxiety, an introvert society relies on their phones to reduce feelings of discomfort during
social contacts (Peck & Childers, 2003). This study was performed in Taiwan which is
one of the countries that leading the world in smart phone penetration. It is measure and
assessed using questionnaires based on 7-point Likert scale from strongly disagree and
strongly agree. This study was conducted using an adult sample in Kaohsiung second
largest city in Taiwan. Another study conducted by Emily Sayrs (2013) found that the
level of stress and boredom was significantly higher in Smartphone users compared to
non-Smartphone user. However, this study only has ten participants and conducted
through email that the participants has tendency to cheat.
However according to Tran (2013), the positive effect of Smartphones is when
the drastic growth in the broadband and internet services has created new dimensions
for business. As in education, use of internet has become part of student life to search
for intonations and this type of education makes Smartphones a perfect devices for
distance learning. Next, in health the positive impact is when the Smartphone is being
use to search for heath information and facilities (Sarwar & Soomro, 2013). Besides that,
Smartphone enable users to interact with friends and family so they can stay up-to-date
and socializing thus reducing stress.
In a nutshell, it is true that the Smartphone has a huge impact on society and
other aspects of life. Clearly, the compulsive usage of the devices by consumers
demonstrates the volume of this effect. So it is important to concentrate on how to stop
and avoid the misuse of Smartphone rather than trying to stop or avoid it use.

References
Lee, Y. K., Chang, C. T., Lin, Y., & Cheng, Z. H. (2014). The dark side of smartphone
usage: Psychological traits, compulsive behavior and technostress. Computers in Human
Behavior, 31, 373-383.
Sarwar, M., & Soomro, T. R. (2013). Impact of Smartphone's on Society. European
Journal of Scientific Research, 98(2), 216-226.
Sayrs, E. (2013). The Effects of Smartphone Use on Cognitive and Social Functions:
TAM Capstone Thesis Paper. Retrieved from http://www.emilysayrs.com/smartphonestudy.pdf
Tran, T. D. (2012). The Social Influence of Smartphone Usage: A Qualitative Research
on a Segment of Copenhagen Citizens. Retrieved from http://www.itu.dk/~thdu/thesis.pdf
World Health Organization. (2011). Mobile Phone Use: A Growing Problem of Driver
Distraction. WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.