I have found and read this page from the NHS website, which goes in to a fair amount of detail about the links which researchers have found between depression and frequent use of smartphones and whether or not using smartphones actually causes depression.
It has been found by researchers that people who have had reported depressive symptoms used their phone more often and visited fewer locations other than their home compared to people who do not have these symptoms.
However, in regards to these results, there were many factors not included in the research such as the employment of the people or whether they have children or not - which would impact on how often they use a phone and how often they are going out of the house.
The research conducted was an observational study and therefore can only show an association, not prove cause and effect.
It was done through a questionnaire on a present on a smartphone app, and this can give an indication whether a person is likely to be depressed based on the answers given.
In the conclusion the page states that this particular study should not be taken too seriously as it does not prove that mobile phone use causes depression, it only suggests that people who report higher levels of depression use a mobile phone more and go out less.
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2015/07July/Pages/Weak-link-between-depression-and-frequent-smartphone-use.aspx
After meeting with my supervisor Miriam for the first time last week, I took her comments on board and have now decided that I will focus my whole project on to smartphones, as whilst researching the topic of addiction to technology and changes in human behaviour due to technology, I was finding most informative and interesting research to be about smartphones.
In order to develop my idea and make it more specific I have looked at particular relevant issues in our society to base my project around. These ideas include:
- How are smartphones damaging and having a negative impact on the younger generation? Mainly children and teenagers.
- How smartphones affect the social society and how they impact and transform social aspects of modern society / how and why they are making us anti-social.
- The effects of smartphones in particular on human's behaviour - what changes users make due to using a smartphone and how it is affecting people.
- Understanding the positive and negative aspects of smartphones on society, and comparing both of these, ending up with whether they are more positive on users or more negative.
These 4 points all relate to smartphones - all of which I believe could be an interesting case study and a project to work with because they are specific to just the one type of advanced technology and it is a very current topic. I have made each point more specific to one issue and not so vague.
Today was the first time meeting my supervisor for this project. Her name is Miriam Sorrentino, a Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design, Branding & Advertising.
At this point I have a vague idea of what I would like to do for my project - which is how advanced technology, specifically smartphones affect human behaviour, interaction and socialisation. I will be constructing a multi-media campaign to raise awareness of this topic after completing creative research and practice based research.
I have submitted my second proposal form a couple of weeks ago, however I do believe my idea will now change slightly from this after I have finalised a more specific topic. Although, it will remain definitely to be about smartphones or tablets negatively affecting human behaviour.
After my meeting with Miriam today, she guided me on the things I need to think about to specify my topic. I took notes of the things we discussed and in particular the things I need to do to get my project moving.
We decided that my topic is not specific enough and there are many things I need to think about to make my project successful.
We spoke about how I need to define the point of view of my research, which means who I am speaking on behalf of when using research, and what I want to achieve with my research.
Miriam also provided me with books which will help me to develop a strategy and decide on a specific topic. Once I have done this I will need to think about what research I need to do and the sort of people I will need to talk to for this.
This was a successful first meeting and I feel confident that before our next meeting I will have precise topic to move forward with which I will begin to research in depth.
19th October 2013
is an article written by Anna Scantlin. Within this article, she covers how smartphones have progressed and whether or not people including herself have become addicted to them.
This article stood out to me because she has written it from her own point of view of how smartphones can make life easier and how she personally uses a smartphone, which affects the social aspects of her life.
Throughout this article Scantlin goes in to detail about how it is much more convenient to use a smartphone to contact other people, when you are sitting in your house in pyjamas for example, and how leaving the house for communication is no longer necessary.
Things such as applications on smartphones are also brought up in this article - how you can use online banking from a phone instead of going out to the bank or how you can order food from a phone instead of going out and buying it or actually talking to someone over phone to order it.
Whilst these things are extremely handy, it seems as though we may be heading towards lives and a society which are very anti-social.
http://www.phonedog.com/2013/10/19/smartphones-may-make-life-easier-but-how-are-they-affecting-us-socially
