The Disadvantages and Advantages of Using Mobile Phone

Content Topic 1.0 Introduction Page 3

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Disadvantage of Using Mobile Phone 2.1 Distraction or Driver 2.2 Harmful to Our Health 3 5

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Advantage of Using Mobile Phone 3.1 Providing Fast Information 3.2 Various Features in Connecting People 3.3 Mobile Banking Service 3.4 Spreading Health Information 5 6 7 8

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Conclusion

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Reference

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1.0

Introduction

People nowadays live in fast pacing and hectic life. Jobs, assignments, travelling and spending time with family are some of the task that this modern world provide us to. In order to help mankind to tackling the entire daily task, technology has been invented. Technology has already brought life to a whole new level. Camera, computer, internet are some of the technologies that are important in this modern world. While these technologies brought convenience and entertainment to us, mobile phone is a necessary for everyone. Mobile phone helps us connecting to people whenever they are. When the time of no mobile phone, people are connecting to telephone and it is hard to contact the person you want to contact with when they are away from home. So, mobile phone actually has improved our way of life and at the same time providing entertainment in a whole new level. As the manager of the Institute Occupational Safety and Health, I would like to present a report about the good and bad of mobile phone. From the finding, I found out that the disadvantage of mobile phone is it gives danger when we use mobile phone while driving and the second disadvantage of mobile phone is the emitting of radiofrequency radiation that can cause health problem. The advantage mobile phone that I get throughout this report is that mobile phone provides instant information, connecting people in a various way, mobile internet banking system and providing health information to mankind. At the end of this report a conclusion is made based on findings and evidences regarding mobile phone.

2.0 2.1

Disadvantages of Using Mobile Phone Distraction for Driver

While people are so excited with what mobile phone has give us, this tiny device actually can bring us so many harmful. Mobile phone causes distraction for driver and it can put driver in a hazardous situation and this is worse to the victim, which is the passenger. With great convenience comes the possibility of great distraction. Mobile phones will alert you to new emails, text messages or comments on your various social networking sites, the urge to check these notifications can sometimes be too strong a pull. Accidents and injuries can happen due to these distractions. According to research, drivers who talk on mobile or cell phones are as impaired as drunken drivers. Drivers who use a handheld device are four times more likely to get into a crash serious enough to cause injury. The risk to the public is serious. At any given

moment during the daylight hours, over 800,000 vehicles in the U.S. are being driven by someone using a handheld cell phone, according to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The National Safety Council estimates that in a recent year, 21% of vehicular crashes, which are about 1,100,000 people involved talking on either a hand-held or hands-free cell phone. Both hand-held and hands-free mobile phones impair driving, with no significant difference in the degree of impairment. Researchers have asserted that this well established scientific fact calls into question driving regulations that prohibited handheld cell phones and permit hands-free cell phones. The distraction of mobile phone is not primarily to calling while driving. Some of drivers are worse that they even texting while driving. A simulation study at the Monash University Accident Research Centre has provided strong evidence that both retrieving and, in particular, sending text messages has a detrimental effect on a number of critical driving tasks. In detail, negative effects were seen in detecting and responding correctly to road signs, detecting hazards, time spent with eyes off the road, and lateral position. Surprisingly, mean speed, speed variability, lateral position when receiving text messages and following distance showed no difference. A separate, yet unreleased simulation study at the University of Utah found a six fold increase in distractionrelated accidents when texting. Texting while driving received greater attention in the late 2000s, corresponding to a rise in the number of text messages being sent. Over a year approximately 2,000 teens die from texting while driving. Texting while driving attracted interest in the media after several highly publicized car crashes were caused by texting drivers, including a May 2009 incident involving a Boston trolley car driver who crashed while texting his girlfriend. Texting was blamed in the 2008 Chatsworth train collision which killed 25 passengers. This problem also has attracted the most powerful woman on earth, Oprah Winfrey. In her show called The Oprah Winfrey Show, she strongly disagrees with using mobile phone while driving. She invited most celebrity to have a pledge to not to use mobile phone while driving. Many of countries in the world had a law stated that you will be punished if you get caught using your mobile phone while driving, including our own country, Malaysia. The individuals and organizations are not completely helpless in states that fail to have laws prohibiting mobile phone use while driving. Individuals can improve their personal safety by choosing not to use phones while driving. Employers can establish and enforce policies that prohibit employees from using cell phones while driving vehicles owned by the organization or company. This not only contributes to safety but may also

eliminate employee liability associated with crashes associated with using a phone in a vehicle. So don't respond to your smart phone's alerts like Pavlov's dogs. Resist the urge to check your smart phone the second it sounds, and when you do check, do so responsibly and only when it's safe. 2.2 Harmful to Our Health Mobile phone does not give harmful that only our naked eyes can see. Moreover, mobile phone can lead to internal health problem. Although this problem is not been in the main article, many of scientific research has been done that prove mobile phone do really give bad influence to our body. Researches have shown that radiation emitted by cell phones cause headaches, confusion, and sleep deprivation. The combination of these problems in kids creates mood swings and broken concentration, this leads to depression. Although many of the electrical appliances for example, television, home phones, radio, laptop, and other palmsized devices emitted the same radiation as mobile phone do which is radiofrequency radiation, The radiation emitted by a cell phone can penetrate 4 - 6 cm into the human brain. This is extremely harmful that can cause brain cancer. On July 24, 2008, a warning was issued by the Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute to faculty and staff to decrease cell phone exposure due to a possible connection between cell phone radiation and brain tumours. The warning prompted a congressional hearing on cell phone use and tumours. The amount of RF absorbed into the head can be reduced by using a wired ear-piece (not a Bluetooth) rather than placing the phone against the ear. 3.0 3.1 Advantage of Using Mobile Phone Providing Fast Information

Although we see that mobile phone provides hazardous to us, actually, mobile phone has provided us information in easier and convenient way. The mobile phone is doing more than revolutionizing communication especially in helping mankind to cope with modern. It has the potential to improve many aspects of life in poor countries for example in commerce, health, agriculture and education. There are a lot of great new products that poor people can use to improve their lives. The problem is that it is very difficult to get those out to people who need them. Its there, but people cant get it, because they lack internet service and electricity and the electronics that require them to get information. Now we have the mobile phone, a pathway that can be used to bring information to everyone in the world and not just

information, but any product that can be cramped up in a tiny device. In such a modern world, mobile phone is simultaneously evolved with our face pacing world. The evolution of the typical mobile phone to a so called smart phone is helping us in catching information in just a second. Application such as Google Chrome, internet explorer and even local news application help mankind to access information whenever and wherever they are. People need not to go for a computer or even television to know the latest news that happened, all we need is a small-palmed size device that called mobile phone. Besides, information regarding to studies are easier to access with the help of smart phone. Before smart phone where invented, for student to gain information, they need to go to the library, taking a lot of time by looking the information they need. Even, they have to look and search for the right book to obtain information they need. For now, students do not need lot of time to obtain information. All they have to do is just by searching the information they need in their smart phone. The information is just a tip of their finger. So, mobile phone do helps mankind in accessing information in the most convenient way. 3.2 Various Features in Connecting People Providing information is not just the one of the special features that mobile phone has, mobile phone has helped us in connecting people in various ways. As we have known, mobile phones have evolved drastically throughout the years. The function of mobile phone has been added and now, calling and texting someone is not just the way to keep in touch with people using mobile phone. The application that they provide such as camera, video call and so many more giving us a new kind of experience. Most camera phone is simpler than the normal digital camera. Their usual fixed focus lenses and smaller sensors limit their performance in poor lighting. Lacking a physical shutter, most have a long shutter lag. Flash, where present, is usually weak. Camera phones can share pictures almost instantly and automatically via a sharing infrastructure integrated with the carrier network. Early developers including Philippe Kahn envisioned a technology that would enable service providers to "collect a fee every time anyone snaps a photo." The resulting technologies, Multimedia Messaging Service (SMS) were developed parallel to and in competition to open internet based mobile communication provided by GPRS and later 3G networks. For now, system like MMS, GPRS and 3G have been evolved into more practical and costless way, for example, the use of Instagram, Skype, Facebook and more. The rising of these applications get positive feedback. Instead of sending MMS toward someone, we can now send pictures or video calls through these applications. It is convenient

for us and people like to use this because it does not need to use money to send pictures. All you need is internet connection and the application. This is same goes to SMS, people with smart phones and a mobile data connection will seldom use SMS. Application such as Whatsapp, Wechat, Line, Viber and so many more help us connecting people in a various way. Without any cost, we can chat unlimitedly and the special thing about smart phone is that you can send pictures like Instagram do. The application Viber also provides free calls to anyone by just using their application. In the future, more application will be invented and it will be very exciting. 3.3 Mobile Banking Service

Mobile phone is not just about entertainment, it is also can help us in banking services. Most people, of course, use basic handsets, not smart phones, but smart phones have plenty useful. Money can be chopped up into electronic bits, and with mobile banking services like Maybank2u, Cimb Clicks and much more in Malaysia, millions of people who have no time to go to bank, post office or even paying bills in certain places can now send and receive payments through their mobile phones. 2011 was a watershed year for mobile banking trends, and its safe to say that the trendsetters among us are ready to make it serious. As we all know, banking transfer is one of the major task that we need to tackle on. Necessity bills, phone bills, internet bills and even our credit card bills are some of the task that we need to do in bank. Going to the bank, waiting for the queue and filling up forms and sometimes we need to going back and forth to the bank just to settle on a task. Since mobile phone is revolutionized, mobile banking transaction is seems easy. All you need to have is a smart phone with the access of internet. Download the application such as Maybank2u and you can make your own transaction, paying bills and even open up a business in your mobile phone. Besides, Banking transactions via smart phone led the way with such services as contextaware capability such as locating the nearest ATM, mobile remote check deposit, and payment due reminders. Everyone is prefer to use mobile banking services because mobile phone banking is instant, safe and trusted, it has also opened the door to other services. Banking is getting social, too. Financial institutions are using social media to handle customer service issues, pump up their brand loyalty and build relationships. For example, Twitter is the channel of choice for banks like Wachovia and Bank of America; the platform is suits the immediacy of customer care issues and feedback. Citibank members can use the micro-blogging site to make transactions. Before getting hot and heavy with mobile banking, you need to ask yourself, "What about security?" Sure, you find its handiness irresistible, but

mobile banking safety trumps convenience every time when you consider the implications of opening your financial data to hackers. A specific sequence of short messages system will enable the system to verify if the client has sufficient funds in his or her wallet and authorize a deposit or withdrawal transaction at the agent. When depositing money, the merchant receives cash and the system credits the client's bank account or mobile wallet. In the same way the client can also withdraw money at the merchant: through exchanging short messages system to provide authorization, the merchant hands the client cash and debits the merchant's account. 3.4 Spreading Health Information One way to spread information easily is thru mobile phone. Since a lot of health revolves around information, public health experts had high expectations for the mobile phone. Hundreds of projects throughout Africa and South Asia are testing the various ways phones might make people healthier: by texting advice or sending voice messages to pregnant women, texting reminders to AIDS patients to take their meds, tracking the spread of diseases, allowing community health workers to keep records electronically and variations on all these themes. We had this techno-utopian optimism, said Gustav Praekelt, a South African software developer who runs a foundation aimed at making technology to solve the problems of the poor. The moment someones got a mobile phone we can make all this information available and we will just magically see all the behaviour change we want to see. But roughly a decade after the start of mHealth, as the mobile health field has come to be known, these expectations are far from being met. The delivery system is there. But we dont yet know what to deliver. In the vast majority of cases, if mHealth projects have been evaluated at all, theyve been evaluated for feasibility does this system work? Wil l people use it? Rather than impact on health. Sometimes it turns out that people wont use it. What we saw as an enormous opportunity to improve impact and sustainability, the agents saw as more work, The saleswomen had to share their phones with family members, so they didnt always have them. And most didnt know how to use their phones for anything but making and receiving calls. In a nutshell, spreading information about health using mobile phone has helps a lot especially in a country which disease is a major problem. Spreading out information using mobile phone as a medium is such a brilliant idea, but we never taking this steps seriously. I believe, most of the information that we received from anonymous we did not read. Worse, such information will just be discarded without being reading. So, it is up to

us to change our attitude towards if what has other wanted to help us. Take time to read the information, spread, at least. 4.0 Conclusion

To wrap up things up, there are many advantages to having a cell-phone. The disadvantages are also staggering. Overall, the decision to have one or not is yours, the consumers. Dependant on your needs, you may want a cell-phone. Many risks may ensue. In fact, maybe the reason you got into a car crash is because you were on a cell-phone. In the end, choices stems from one's own self needs. And thus, which side do you pick? (2769 words)

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Reference

Contarello, A. and Fortunati, L. (2007) Social Thinking and the Mobile Phone: A Study of Social Change with the Diffusion of Mobile Phones, Using a Social Representations Framework, Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, Vol.21, No.2, June, pp.149-63. http://news.softpedia.com/news/Technology-that-changed-our-lives-172.shtml http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/mobile/10/22/gahran.mobile.phone.lives/index.html?_s=P M:TECH http://www.ehow.com/about_5444497_cell-phones-changed-world.html