This is a peer review I did for Javonne Barret.
What Makes Me Addicted to My Cell Phone & How to Minimize My Usage?
Ever since I was a little kid, cell phones have always intrigued me. Looking back, I remember asking my dad if I could have his old Nokia phone when he finally decided to use his upgrade. At the time, it was similar to the phones nowadays in, which it didn’t flip but it was thicker than current phones. Though the phone was not in service, I would play the game Snake on it every day.[UU1] Every time someone in my family bought a new phone, I would ask to have it and I almost seemed to have started a collection. As I matured, my eyesight started to decline due to heavy usage of computers. I now have a stigmatism in my left eye, which results to me wearing glasses. My eyes used to be 20/20 and when my doctor recommended I wear glasses he told me my vision was 7/20. All those years I had been straining my left eye to see, whether I was in school or in public places. My doctor also told me that it came from being on computers too much. This was a moment when I noticed I started drifting to using cell phones more. [UU2]
Now I[UU3] have my own phone, and if I thought that little addiction to phones as a child without service existed,[UU4] you will enjoy reading about how bad it gets when service became involved. When I am not as active on my phone because of busy days, I tend to make up for it at night before I go to bed. I will check social networks, review the news feeds, or re-read message threads I was not very focused on earlier that day. When completing homework in high school, I tried to refrain from using my phone. When I used it, I tended to go to social networks such as Instagram and before I know it, I will have looked up to see an hour had passed[UU5] . This resulted to me [UU6] staying up later to complete my work just because I let this distraction take its toll on me. In the end, I would be sleepy the next day in class because I spent more time on my homework than I planned[UU7] . Through my I-Search project I hope to discover what makes me addicted to my cell phone and how I can minimize the distraction so it does not affect me in college.
Cell [UU8] phones are very important to our world today. It has made a way for people to communicate without being directly in a person’s presence. It has made our economy more modernized. Cell phones are one of the main sources of communication. We use cell phones to the listen to the latest music and to download apps. Cell phones continue to become advanced each day and creators are constantly thinking of new ways to make it even better. But are the creators considerate to the health of our world. [UU9] Cell phones have become a way for people to hide their true colors, especially through text messaging. When text messaging, it is easy for a person to put up a [UU10] façade. You cannot understand where a person may be coming from through texts. You cannot hear the tone or voice of people through text messaging. Text messaging has also made a way for people to become lazy. Most phones in today’s society will finish your words for you. I know on my iPhone it will correct my words if I spell them wrong to what it thinks I was trying to say. Cell phones are not all bad, but they are not all good. Cell phones text messaging has made the number of calls decline. Most people text nowadays more than talk. I, myself, would rather text than call most times[UU11] .
Having my question answered means I will be able to take the necessary precautions in order to avoid my phone being a distraction. It means that I can realize what intrigues me so much about them[UU12] . About my topic, [UU13] I already know that I use my phone for a lot of communication. I know some people who constantly are on their phones and feel incomplete without them. It has even come to a point where I have seen people charging their phones in public places. In order to answer my question, I need to research reasons why people may be addicted to cell phones[UU14] . I also need to know ways in which I can decrease my cell phone as being a distraction. I plan to go about finding what I need by interviews and a personal experiment[UU15] . I plan to go about finding more information about this through research. I will conduct surveys asking people how they feel about cell phones in general i.e. in what ways do you feel cell phones are beneficial. I will ask them how they would feel if they had to go without a phone with two months[UU16] . I will ask what they do most on their phone. I hope to expose new perspectives about cell phones that I have not thought about. I want to raise questions and concerns about cell phones[UU17] . What I want most out of this paper is a better understanding of my addiction to mine.[UU18]
Cell phones have become so advanced that people cannot seem to resist them. If a person goes out to eat, most people wouldn’t expect to see others on their phones while at the table. Now, there is almost a guarantee you will see someone on his or her phone. Cell phone text messaging has even made way for people to be unable to hold a conversation in person but they can text you all day. Weird right? I thought so too[UU19] [UU20] .
I started my research on Truthout, which discussed some pros and cons of the cell phone. Some pros of cell phones it listed were that of GPS, availability of apps, and the innovation. It stated how convenient they were because they basically are like computers[UU21] . The cons to cell phones are that people hate to turn them off and they panic when they leave them at home[UU22] . It also mentioned how people are more nervous on the phone but is able to communicate all day through text. Truthout also stated how people are obsessed with uploading images on Instagram and tweeting about what a food time they are having instead of actually having a good time.
Another article I found was on Oregon Live LLC. The article gave me statistics on cell phone usage. A study [UU23] by the Pew Research Center found that 78 percent of Americans around age 12 to 17 has cell phones. This shows that cell phones are becoming popular to have at younger ages and this may start an early addiction[UU24] . I found that phrase to be so ironic because I do it all the time and it is the truth[UU25] . I think people get so caught up in the fun that they just want to tell the whole world and cell phones have made that option available and easy[UU26] . With the improvements being made to cell phones, desktops are not that much needed so the use of them is starting to decline.[UU27]
The Huffington Post defined cell phone addiction as existing because of materialism and impulsiveness. Experts say that this addiction is used to feel good and constantly checking of it. A study from college students showed that there was a relationship between levels of impulsivity and materialism, and how likely students expressed dependence on cell-phone use or instant messaging. Another recent study showed that Americans check their phones once an hour, at least, and nearly three out of four said that losing their phone would make them feel “panicked,” according to the Huffington Post. “A TIME magazine poll released earlier this year of people around the world showed that 84 percent of people don’t think they could be separated from their phones for just one day” (Chan). A conclusion I have drawn from this research is that many articles state people are addicted to phones for the same reasons.[UU28]
My research developed because I started with just technology but when I focused only on cell phones I was able to find more detailed information[UU29] . The information I got from articles provided me with new outlets for research and raised new questions. I started to question whether it was just teens that were addicted to phones or adults as well. I looked up statistics on young adult’s addiction and found reasons for why people are addicted[UU30] . Other great research paths were developed from Josh and Shelley, who helped me focus more on what I needed to look up. Josh also gave me the idea of pursuing a personal experiment. My research also started with surveys for young adults to receive more insight and interviews with educators. Small articles allowed me to process the information better and I was able to take away a new search idea from some of them.
Many ways of reducing cell phone usage has been found through research. One source in particular, the Chicago Tribune, informed me of the “digital diet.” The “digital diet” consists of 15 exercises that help you stay off of your phone. The [CN31] article said that you should experience something first, then post about it later. Holding off until later will not take away from your enjoyment and distract you from what is going on[CN32] . It becomes even worse when a person starts to continuously check the post to see if others have commented on it. The article also stated that you should leave your phone behind when you are going to the gym or taking a lunch break because you really don’t need it and that people should realize the phone will still be there when they get back. Nancy Baym, author of “Personal Connections in the Digital Age,” suggests that you log out of your page every time you close it out because that one step of logging back in every time you want to get back on may make your reconsider the action. Other methods of minimizing cell phone usage was only look at your phone when you are not involved in another task and don’t automatically take your phone out when you find yourself along. Instead, take in the scenery around you or strike up a conversation with a stranger, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The researching aspect of this paper has been the most difficult. A lot of times I thought my resources were relevant and one-on-one with Shelley and Josh told me otherwise[CN33] . They would ask me, “Okay, so how does this relate to your question?” It would hit me that it does not when I gave them a blank stare. I found out that it was easy to find research but it was hard to connect it to your topic. A tool that helped make my question easier was refining my question. I was able to get more detailed in my search online. I have learned the differences between primary sources and secondary sources. I have also learned how to use rhetorical reading strategies when reading through content. I have discovered hidden truths about my cell phone addiction that lied within me.[CN34]
Cell phone addiction matters to me because I find myself on it constantly everyday but I don’t understand what makes it occur. I don’t want the distraction of a cell phone harming my grade and fatigue the way it did in high school. College will be a bigger challenge for me and I want to make sure I succeed at the University of Michigan. With the knowledge, I am able to understand my addiction clearly and know how to use it in a more positive way. Many challenges presented themselves through this project. Keeping the topic focused on myself was hard at time because it was easy to get sidetracked and start rambling about other people. Contacting people to interview for my project was a challenge also because I was unclear on what to ask of them in order to receive information.
To bring my research more to life[CN35] , I decided to do a survey on my peers. In my research I asked five questions to five males and five females. The first question I asked was do you think you is addicted to your cell phone. Seven out of the ten young adults said yes and more females said no than males. The second question I asked was what you do most on your cell phone. Nine out of the ten people surveyed said text and two of those said use Instagram as well. The one person who said call was a male. When the question came up of the way you would feel if you had to go without your phone for three months there were mixed feelings. Four people said they would be sad, three people said they would be okay, one said happy, another said they would go insane, and the last person said she would feel like she lost her social life. The female who said she would be sad because she would feel like she lost her social life could be looked at as too dependent on her cell phone. Next, I asked them if they think their cell phone has a more positive effect on your life or negative. Six of the ten people said a negative effect and some of them did not fail to mention it was negative because it is either a distraction or they would be much more productive without it. The other four people just stated that their cell phone had a positive effect on their life. In my last question I asked them if they prefer texting or voice calling. Eight of the people said they would rather text. Some reasons they gave for texting was because of unlimited texting, it depending on the person, and calls getting boring. Another female said that either or was fine with her while another female stated that she would rather call because she is able to her the tone of a person’s voice.
Interesting results from the survey I found was that I am not the only person who is willing to admit being addicted to their cell phone. I also found it weird that most people said they text. Thinking more on it, I would have probably said the same thing but since I have research I have realized that there are functions on the cell phone that I am addicted to and not so much the cell phone itself. The responses to going without their phone for three months were unexpected because I thought majority of the people would not be comfortable with the idea. I was relieved when I found out most people realized that their phone had a negative effect on their life, but what were they doing about it to make it more positive? The last question answers to preferring to text or call was not surprising to me because I had already gathered the assumption that more young adults today would rather text than call. This research is connected to my project because it relates closer to home. The research I found online was conducted in other parts in the U.S. so I can honestly say that it occurs where I am also.[CN36]
A [CN37] personal experiment I conducted on gave me insight to the research I found online. The things I tested in my experiment were how much I pulled out my cell phone daily and what I did on it. I noted that I pulled out my phone 65 times over the course of two days, twenty-seven on the first day and 38 on the second. However, I did notice that I was busier the first day more than the second. I think that is one reason that the counts are off. One thing I conclude from that test is that I tend to use my phone more when I am bored or idled. Most of my pulling out of the phone occurred during the night when the day seemed to slow down or when the homework process started. [CN38] Evaluating the results from my experiment showed that when I pull out my phone I mostly text or use Instagram. This relates to my research because it shows that my addiction could occur through the millions of apps phones are now equipped with. From the experiment, I did notice I only made about 3 or 4 calls those two days. My results have helped me understand my addiction more clearly and accurately.
All of my [UU39] findings have played major parts in my whole I-search process. The finding that meant the most to me was the one concentrating on the “digital diet.” This project will affect the way I think about my question of interest in the future because I am now equipped with ways in which I can eliminate my phone being a distraction and not look at my addiction as being more negative than positive. I developed as a researcher during this process because I learned rhetorical reading strategies that helped me understand content from different points of view. This work influence the way I think about research in the future because I have always enjoyed researching for topics but now I know how to better determine if it relates to my focus. This work will influence the way I think about writing in the future because I will be more willing to start papers without hesitation. I will start to focus on getting my thoughts onto paper then later organizing and revising it. I have learned that it is important to write when you think you are not ready because everything will eventually come together.
Annotated Bibliographies
Buczynski, Beth. “The Cell Phone Turns 40: Pros and Cons of a Cordless Life.” Truthout. Truthout, 2013. Web. 11 July 2013. The article focused on the pros and cons of cell phone. Some pros it listed were that of GPS, availability of apps, and the innovation. With just the use of a cell phone you can search the web to use media sites such as Twitter and Instagram. The cons explore different paths saying that there is an addiction. The article says how “the idea of turning them off or leaving them at home gives heavy users instant anxiety.” In other words people hate to go places without their phones because they feel they will miss out on something. It also states how people are more nervous on the phone but is able to communicate all day through text. This article will assist me with my search in finding what makes me addicted. I find all of these pros and cons to be true.
Hammond, Betsy. “1 Comments Nearly 80 Percent of Teens Have Cell Phones; More Likely than Adults to Use Mobile Internet.” The Ian. Oregon Live LLC, 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 July 2013. The article elaborated on statistical information related to teen’s cell phone usage. A study by the Pew Research Center found that 78 percent of Americans around age 12 to 17 has cell phones. The desktop used to be more common but now the use of them is starting to decline. The study showed that teens represent the increase use of cell phones. I can use this information to show how I am a part of this percentage and to back up my statement that cell phones are addicting. I can also use this information to further my research to see what teens do most while on their phones. I think it isn’t so much that I use my phone to call and text people all day but to also go on applications and stay even more connected to my friends.
Chan, Amanda L. “Cell Phone Addiction Driven By Impulsivity, Materialism: Study.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 11 July 2013. This article uses it research to talk on cell phone addiction existing because of materialism and impulsiveness. Experts say that this addiction is used to feel good and constantly checking of it. They tested college students using a questionnaire, which I can relate to being a college student. The study leads to a conclusion that students are dependent on their phones. This article will be of great importance to my topic because it’s the cream of the crop. It proves all my assumptions with its facts. It explores new attitudes towards my phone I haven’t thought of, such as the idea that I may not be addicted to the phone itself, but to a function that the phone has. I agree with majority of this information and I hope I can find the appropriate place to incorporate it.
Elejalde-Ruiz, Alexia. “Put the Cell Phone down.” Chicago Tribune. Tribune Newspapers, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 July 2013. The article focused on ways of minimizing usage on cell phones. It made the point that you should not let technology control you, but instead you should control it. It listed 15 exercises a person could practice in order to “digital diet.” “Digital Diet” is a book about a plan to break an addiction to technology in order to become a proactive person again. A few of the exercises the article revealed were leaving your phone behind when going to lunch or for a walk, experiencing something first and telling about it later, and lastly only looking at your phone when you are not completing another task. These steps were only a few steps to key survival of your tech addiction. This article assists me in my search because I have found new techniques for turning my addiction into a positive one and making sure I can eliminate it as much as possible during college.
Barrett, Javonne. “Addiction to Cell Phones.” Survey. 26 July 2013.
Barrett, Javonne. Case study. My Personal Addiction. 2008. Print.
[UU2]I like this paragraph because there are a lot true telling
[UU3]That
[UU4]What point are you trying to make about addiction to cell phone with services?
[UU5]I think you need some sort of transition to this because the ideas from checking on cell on busy day to from homework
[UU6]To me? Is this suppose to be “ in me”
[UU7]Why is this matter? What impact does it place on you?
[UU8]I like the way you describing the phone.
[UU9]R there suppose to be question mark here?
[UU10]I think you need a transition here some how
[UU11]What are you trying to point out with this paragraph? Why are you having this paragraph. It is that texting is one of the reason why you are addicted to the phone? Well if it is, it not very clear
[UU12]Why figuring out what intrigues you is important? How will it affect your life?
[UU14]The two sentences does not seem to flow. Transition?
[UU15]What? By interviews who? I think you could state the subject like students, college, high school..
“and doing a personal experiment”
[UU16]I felt you can combine these two sentence in to one since they pretty related
[UU17]How doing this survey will expose you to new perspectives about cell phones?
[UU18]I like this is very straight forward
[UU19]Narrative
[UU20]This paragraph and the 3 paragraph is the same thing, Why are you separating the two ideas when I think you can make them into one? I wish you could express your feeling on why is this weird to you?
[UU21]I think you should further this ideas, why having a phone like computer attractive?
[UU22]Why is this a con? What are the disadvantage about this? I think is a perfect part to express your opinion. At the end of this paragraph, tell reader was this useful, and what are you getting out of this source
[UU23]Source was integrate in paper great 😀
[UU24]Why having cell phone at early age according to the source will lead to early addiction?
[UU25]Do what all the time? I think you should expand your thoughts and have little more narrative stuff
[UU26]What fun are they having? And what are they telling the whole word about?
You should incorporate the emotion of the people who is telling. What make them so excited and hype to yell to the world about this thing.
[UU27]What are you trying to make with the desktop ideas?
[UU28]What are you thought when you found out this facts? How did you react?
[UU29]Details how you came to change from technology to cell phones
[UU30]I like this sentence, very you, keep. But expand on what you find
But the sentence followed does not connect you went from looking up statistic to talking to josh and shelly. I see that you trying to say “I did this, then I when to do this” You should come up with new way to transt
[CN31]Is this an example? If so, I recommend you should have like “for example, include such as
[CN32]I think you should combine this two sentences because it is related to each other
[CN34]I like this paragraph bc it is your true telling moment
[CN35]I love this transit!
[CN36]The paragraph have nice detail and very narrative: D
[CN37]Need transition? Like in addition, furthermore…
[CN38]Good analyzing yourself J
[UU39]True telling 😀 sort and sweet conclusion
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” 