Smartphones add both simplicity and stress

The world of cell phones is constantly changing, whether it’s to increase mobility or convenience for the consumer. In recent years, cell phones have even come to take over house phones.  
Some say they can’t survive in today’s society without a cell phone, smartphone or otherwise.

Here is the real question: How sophisticated does your cell phone need to be?
It may depend on your job, as Stylus employees Cassie Negley and Carly Vair attest to.

It is clear when laying eyes on a cell phone whether it is a smartphone or not. Old traditional cell phones are bulky and usually flip open to a small screen and a keypad.

Most smartphones have a sleek design with a large clear screen. The small percentage of people left without a smartphone have similar reasons for not owning one.

“I cannot afford it,” said junior Carly Vair, a copy editor at The Stylus.

“I’ve resisted it for a really long time because I hate touch screens,” she said. I didn’t feel like I needed to check my email while I was away from my computer. Now, with work, I feel like I need it all the time and I feel very insecure when I’m running to computers every chance I get.”

Running back and forth from computer to computer can be frustrating and exhausting.

“There is no way I could have functioned to my potential without a smartphone,” said  senior Cassie Negley, who is the Editor-in-chief for The Stylus.

Almost every college student struggles with the aspect of money and affording everyday things. Some students spend money on things such as smartphones to make their everyday life less stressful.

As a student who also runs an organization, Negley said it was “absolutely worth the money.”

Students have different occupations and roles in college and some simply could not go a day without their smartphone. Negley says she is one of those people.

“It would be a lot harder, a lot more difficult and a lot more stressful,” she said.

Smartphones are all about convenience and making communication easier on several different mediums.

“With me being a journalist, I feel it takes away the stress in that I can look up things on my phone,” said Negley. “I can check my Twitter page, Facebook, Instagram even.”

However, having email and many different social networks at your disposal 24-7 can also be difficult.

“It also adds stress because people know I have a smartphone,” she said. “I can’t just put the phone away. If I get an email I have to check it and if it’s important, I have to deal with it.”

This argument can go either way. People without smartphones find it stressful that they don’t have email and other forms of communication on their cell phone.

“It’s extremely frustrating, especially to not have texting at work when a mass text gets sent out, or the other day when my professor said ‘text me and let me know when you’re available to meet,’” Vair said.

“When I have to go to friends and ask them to text someone for me, it’s annoying.”

Shortly after the initial interview, Vair purchased a smartphone.

“I just couldn’t deal with being so out of the loop anymore,” she said. “And once it started interfering with work, I knew it would be worthwhile to spend the money.”

Both ends of this argument have their positives and negatives. Each phone type could cause stress or simplify life for a particular person. Are you happy with your current cellular device or do you think it’s time to take a step forward and spend the money on a smartphone?