Sherry Hamby, Sewanee: The University of the South
People in Appalachia are skeptical and cautious around technology – and how they think can be useful and instructive for living in a tech-centric world.
Smart phones are rarely recycled and that’s just one reason tech devices are increasing our carbon footprints. Here Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, is seen in 2016 talking about new iPhones.
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
New research shows the impact of technology, especially smartphones, on carbon emissions. Encouraging consumers to get new phones every couple of years leads to extraordinary and unnecessary waste.
It may seem convenient to think of technology companies as similar, but they’re really not.
The Conversation
When thinking about regulating them, it’s useful to know Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple and Microsoft have some similarities. But generally they’re not competing with each other – or anyone else.
Sound alerts on digital devices are often annoying, so we’ve tended to opt for silence. In future, that could hold us back.
National Day of Unplugging is soon upon us. For the good of your mental and physical health, unplug your smartphone – not just for one day a year, but routinely.
(Shutterstock)
March 9-10 is a National Day of Unplugging, a 24-hour break from technology. Disconnecting from our devices is good for our health and our connections with loved ones and our communities.
Phone calls create an opportunity for genuine exchange that written communication lacks.
Flickr/PhotoAtelier
The internet has revolutionised communication, but voice calls are declining in some demographics. And that means we may be losing out on a powerful part of what connects us to each other.
A smartphone is a digital form of ID for many apps and services.
Iowa Department of Transportation
Teen sexting is on the rise. Boys and girls are equally likely to share sexually explicit imagery but girls report feeling more pressure to sext and more judgement about how they do it.
The average smartphone user checks their device 85 times a day.
Mikaela Shannon
It isn’t cheating, per se. But if you’re in a committed relationship and have multiple ‘back burners’ that you keep in touch with, is your relationship doomed?
Technology is changing how plant diseases are recognised and dealt with by small scale farmers in Africa.
Kids shouldn’t be expected to self-regulate the amount of time they spend on the device. And parents are finding it tougher and tougher to impose limits.
Vitalinka/Shutterstock.com
With studies from the past year exploring the relationship between smartphone use and mental health, sleep, learning and romance, a more nuanced portrait of the device has emerged.