Does Your Smartphone Rule Your Life?

Your mobile is getting increasingly smarter; it now knows when you’re bored, and what to do to stop that.

It’s official: we live in a world where we spend more time on our portable devices than we spend sleeping. As our devices become seemingly smarter, their integration with our everyday lives has become paramount. In fact, there’s a strong possibility that you’re reading this article on your mobile right now.

And now our phones are getting even smarter. Pretty soon they could be converting even the most casual of smartphone users into addicts. Heightened ‘intelligence’ levels are soon due to be able to understand when you’re bored and provide you with a distraction, according to Telefonica Research. The study found that those of us who are bored are more likely to click a link when presented with it, for example to an article from the UK2 Blog!

This advancement in smartphone intelligence will do nothing to slow down the onset of smartphone dependence in today’s generation. We’re all so plugged into our devices now that it seems natural for them to know more about us, including what content we would like to see and when.

Is it a good thing that our smartphones are so central to our lives?

Unsurprisingly, there’s much debate surrounding the benefits and detriment a smartphone dependence can lead to. There have been an abundance of studies, debates and even a short film highlighting the negative effects of mobile dependence. Last year an article published in Business Insider called for an end to what it calls ‘smartphone shaming’, citing the wonders that our handheld computers bring to everyday life. Discussing his view on smartphones, Rhys Southan wrote: “I have introvert tendencies and don’t easily connect with people in large groups, so the possibility of escaping to the Internet when I felt alienated from people or my surroundings seemed incredibly appealing.”.

Certainly, for those who feel less comfortable in social situations the smartphone revolution has provided an escape from potentially daunting social experiences, although not everyone is so sure about the smartphone’s place at the dinner table. Indeed, according to some studies our increased dependence on technology has caused a breakdown of friendships and relationships.

So what does the future of smartphones look like?

Despite the abundance of complaints about smartphone dependence, we’re unlikely to see a dropoff in ownership figures, especially considering they’re about to get smarter. Nay-sayers are simply going to have to lump it. For those among our readership who crave the escape to a simpler time, ironically technology may have the answer for you too. So-called ‘dumbphones‘ are the backlash technology aimed at relieving us from our devices. Dumbphones have one single function: to make calls. However, these phones are designed for momentary breaks from our more robust multi-function smartphones; they are an accessory which links with your mobile, allowing you to leave it at home during periods of downtime.

It’s unlikely that backlash technology will make a great impact on the smartphone industry, as for many of us our smartphones are central to our lives. As of this year Google penalises websites that aren’t mobile-optimised in their search engine ranking algorithm, and as such a large number of webizens are accessing the internet and shopping from their handheld devices.

But is there really anything so wrong about our smartphone habits? That much remains to be seen, but for businesses who hope to reach today’s online customer, websites have to be flawless across desktop, mobile and tablet. If you’re thinking of setting up a website, the easy-to-use Website Builder tool from UK2 will take care of mobile optimisation: your site will look great on all platforms. Have a look around and get started today over on our website.