Voices

@ Pan Nanyang:
Because of cell phones, we have no time to communicate; because we don’t communicate, we use cell phones to entertain ourselves. It’s a self-propagating problem.
@ Beijing Hyundai Luohe Runzhong 4s Shop:
I’ve been working for three years and I still haven’t bought myself an iPhone. What’s wrong with children nowadays? I do think that parents should take some responsibility for how spoilt their children are. `
@ U - Lin:
My dad hates seeing me on my phone all the time.
@ Zheng Caixing:
The topics at family dinners are always about my relationship status, house, and car. I’d rather play with my cell phone.
@ Pisces Underwater:
I feel ignored every time my daughter is glued to her cell phone when we are supposed to be spending time together. Please don’t do this to your loved ones. Put away your cell phone.
@ Three Crosses One Wood:
Actually, people can survive without their cell phones. In the old days, we wrote to our family and friends and thought carefully about which words we should use. This is something that has disappeared.
Dong Yan,an assistant professor at Renmin University of China's psychology department
Communicating or problem-solving via apps is quite different from contacting real people to tackle difficulties. To take an extreme example, say one day your map app fails, and you have to ask a real person for directions. You might not know how to approach them to broach the question politely and may inadvertently come across as rude or offensive. That could happen because all this time you’ve been used to the informality of cell phone communication and have never developed interpersonal skills.”
@ Hou:
The most obvious downside to cell phones is that they make people lazy and help them find excuses if they don't want to socialize or go out. Many of my friends feel the same way.
Li Weiwei, 26, a government employee in Wuhai in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
"My interest in apps is almost morbid. I have tried to wean myself off it, but failed. On several occasions, I've accidentally left my phone at home and felt nervous and uncomfortable the whole day. Take Sina Weibo (one of China's most popular micro-blogging websites) for example. I feel the impulse to log on and keep updating even when I go to the restroom. If I don't, I feel lonely.”
Guan Jian, an associate professor of the Psychology Department of Nankai University in Tianjin
"Those born in the 1980s and 1990s were raised in single-child families and many lack proper social skills. Most of them have led sheltered lives and are unprepared to face real-world problems. That's why some of them shrink from real-life contact."

Conclusion

It is time that young people realize that it is far more important to have people-to-people conversation than people-to-machine fun. While cell phones are great for convenient and quick communication, they can also impact negatively on our quality of life.

Students who are obsessed with cell phone apps tend to do poorly in school and even some adults can become so addicted to their phones that they become estranged from friends and family, just as in Zhang’s case.

We need to remember that modern technology exists to serve us, and not the other way around. While cell phones make communicating more convenient, nothing can replace the emotional satisfaction of a real-life, heart-to-heart talk with those we love.

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