Blog Post #5

Smartphones, a device that society has adapted into our daily lives and has become a necessity for many things. Smartphones originated from the camera phone, which was first invented in 2000. Camera phones were invented so that sharing photos with friends and family was more convenient than ever. Though the camera phone was the start of a generation of new technology, it also came with its concerns and disadvantages by creating a decline in social interaction and an increase in depression. 

The first camera phone was invented in Japan in 2000 by Sharp. This camera phone was the first released of its kind, and because of this, it lacked a good quality camera and the ability to share photos with others. This camera phone did start the generation of smartphone imaging and inspired many companies to create their own version. One year later, the Nokia 7650 was released in the U.S. featuring a VGA camera and a slider design keyboard. This phone had dramatically improved from the last with a higher quality camera and the newest feature being the ability to share photos with family and friends across the world. 

From here, technology advanced quickly. New camera phones were coming out yearly packed with all types of new features. These features varied from autofocus, and LED flash, and finally in 2006 touch screen came to the market with the first Apple iPhone. Though many of the camera phones were better quality than the iPhone, the people at the time were more fascinated by the touchscreen than the quality of the camera. 

From here smartphones took over the camera phone industry and the cellphone industry in general. The first iPhone had similar capabilities to the camera phone by texting, calling, and taking photos. Since then the iPhone and other smartphones can pay bills, navigate, hold your calendar, use face-to-face communication, and even watch TV. With all the technological improvements communication around the world has become easier than ever. People can communicate with family and friends from anywhere and they can also get news from not only their country but other countries right on their smartphone, in real-time. Also, because of the endless “apps” you can download to the smartphone, you can stay very organized with all appointments, reminders, or notes and access them at any time. 

With all the new technology brought by smartphones, many concerns and problems have come along with it. The younger generations have struggled with social interactions because they spend so much time on their smartphones. This new generation would rather sit and scroll through the internet, social media, or text each other rather than meet up in person. Social media content nowadays had also been proven to increase numbers of depression and anxiety. Many young adults and teenagers find themselves scrolling through pictures of “ideal lives” or “ideal bodies” which makes them look at themselves and compare. 

https://community.thriveglobal.com/how-smartphones-are-affecting-our-lives/ 

The camera phone has evolved significantly over the years. This technology has grown to change the world of innovation and will continue to seek new ways to better smartphones. With all technological advances comes the good and bad, but at this point, it might be time to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and the mental health of this younger generation. But that’s a whole other story.