To good to be true..?

Jaymel dural

The information age is upon us, untold amounts of data being sent and received millions of times a second, spanning colossal lengths; unimaginable distances only to arrive at the requesting user’s fingertips in just a matter of seconds. Looking up a fact or checking the weather, even finding research for a paper used to be a chore,though these things are trivial in this day and age thanks to the modern marvel we have come to know as mobile phones. The archives of a million libraries at our disposal at any time in any place, feats this extraordinary probably have our ancestors rolling in their graves. Play a video game or watch a movie, read a book while making a phone call, look up a recipe while checking out the sports highlights; the ways in which these devices can entertain and distract you are seemingly endless and the list grows as technology continues to advance with no stopping point in sight. As glamorous as this all seems there is a con to every pro out there, unfortunately in the case of mobile phone usage there is no exception to this rule. From tons of toxic waste to drastic shifts in social behavior, mobile phones have had just as big a negative Impact on our world as much as a beneficial one.

The objective of this thesis is to persuade readers, mainly for public awareness and to realize that we need to do something about it. That increased mobile phone usage adds to more toxic waste, adding to the rapid succession of global warming effects and can lead to unhealthy well-being(psychologically and physically). After considering multiple readings and researches, this thesis can make the public aware and be concerned to help preserve environmental communities and live a better and healthier life if mobile phone usage is controlled and properly executed.

What are the cons if there is an excessive usage of mobile phones? Research findings indicate that excessive use of mobile phones lead to a number of symptoms, like impaired concentration and memory, headache which is a common symptom for always being on the phone and also fatigue, which all lead to unproductive day. Part of our population nowadays which is found to be more in excessive mobile phone usage are the teens. It is no big secret that teenagers have this complex relationship with technology. As a matter of fact, parents have reason to worry because results of a 2016 Common Sense Media report found that 50% of teens admitted that they “feel addicted” to mobile devices. On the other hand, 59% of parents surveyed believe that kids are addicted to their devices like smart phones or mobile phones (Hurley).

There have been multiple studies and tests which were done with high-school and college students on how excessive use of mobile phones affect them. Some tests were focused on psychological effects and done by comparing and examining mental states of students through questionnaires, it was like a simple gathering of data and collection based on the questions on how and how the frequency of mobile phone usage is for these students (Jayanti, 2010). Other studies focused on the lifestyle effects. Based on these several studies and tests, it was figured out that excessive usage of cellular phones among student found behavioral correlates such as anxiety, lack of emotion and social skills, and depression (Jenaro). Use of mobile phones can be really beneficial especially nowadays for teens. They use mobile phones to communicate with peers and family, to seek help on homework and school assignments, as well as with the use of apps to help them get organized. As glamorous as this all seems there is a con to every pro out there, unfortunately in the case of mobile phone usage there is no exception to this rule.

Excessive mobile phone use is not only amongst teens now, it applies to even adult individuals nowadays. There is a wide range of smartphone or mobile phone addiction happening. To better understand and figure out if one is into excessive use of cell phone, take note of the potential symptoms which might include the following (Hurley):

Conscious use in prohibited contexts or potentially dangerous situations (e.g. texting while driving)
Excessive use that causes conflicts with family; withdrawing from family or shared events in favor of mobile phone use
Negative effects on school, family, social, or emotional functioning of an individual
Continued excessive use despite negative effects
Checking mobile devices frequently, almost impulsively, even in short bursts
Sleep disturbances or insomniadue to increased urges to use a mobile device
Elevated anxiety and/or irritability if phone is not accessible
Feelings of dread when unable to use a mobile device

Putting all of these symptoms into consideration, you or another person could be suffering from mobile phone addiction. If you have a teen or someone you know who is into excessive use of mobile phones, ask yourself these questions:

Does my teen get mad, irritable, anxious and even gets violent when the phone is taken away or unable to be used?
Does my teen avoid social events or family gatherings to use mobile phone instead?
Is my teen’s hygiene, social relationships with friends and family being affected by his or her use of mobile phone?
Is my teen’s normal sleep routine affected?
Are there major changes in the mood and eating habits that are hard to explain?

Again, these symptoms and questions that would help us to recognize addiction or excessive use of mobile phone is not mainly intended for teens but are applicable to everyone to at least help figure out if they are into it. If so, then it will help if you should practice mindfulness to curb urges. And if you suspect that anyone you know is addicted or into excessive usage of mobile phones, get help. Cognitive behavior therapy or the psychotherapy that focuses on identifying and restricting negative patterns of thought and behavior will be of big help. Individual process therapy as well can help who is into this problem recognize and work through experiences and as well as feelings that contribute to problematic use. Also, adaptive coping strategies like exercise, relaxing like deep breathings and progressive muscle relaxation will do good to deviate and stop those curb urges that can lead into problematic or excessive use of mobile phones. This huge sociological issue that is inherent with mobile phone use is not the only major impact these devices have on our everyday lives.

Giovanni Otero

One of the major bi-products of rampant mobile phone usage is the inherent waste associated with them. Each one of these devices relies on a power supply consisting of rechargeable lithium battery packs. This technology makes it very convenient for the user to travel and replenish power to their device simply and easily as long as a sustainable AC voltage source is present. The mobile phone market is advancing so quickly that these devices are often short lived with users constantly yearning for a newer model with more features. Older models are seldom kept; instead they are thrown away with their lithium battery packs rarely recycled properly. These batteries are comprised of a slew of highly toxic chemicals and heavy metals; ending up in landfills these lithium batteries can wreak havoc on the environment as well as the ozone layer.

Lithium battery contents are a combination of many different types of elements including heavy metals and plastics. The majority of the chemical elements inside of lithium batteries are classified as toxic by the United States Environmental protection agency. Land filling and improper disposal of lithium batteries can cause detrimental effects to the environment as well as pose potential health risks to humans and animals that come into contact with them. The highly toxic materials contained in the batteries often do not mix well with each other and cause additional pollutants to the environment when undergoing recycling treatment. These factors pose a great challenge to recycling manufacturers when processing these volatile materials due to risks of exposure in the work place as well as the potential to spontaneously combust, ultimately causing violent explosions and fires in recycling facilities.

This chart expresses the vast amount of toxic elements that are contained in lithium batteries (Kang, Daniel Hsing Po). According to The International Agency for Research on Cancer, many of these chemical compounds are considered carcinogenic and can cause severe impacts to overall health when exposed to in the work place. Not only are the chemicals found in lithium batteries toxic in their own state, it becomes an even greater issue when these chemicals undergo recycling treatments which ultimately release carbon emissions further damaging the atmosphere. Environmental damage is an unfortunate result in the current forms of lithium battery recycling process that exist today. This begs the question; are mobile phones really the saving grace of our generationor are there impacts causing more harm than good?

Lithium batteries often do not have its chemical elements listed on them, which makes the recycling process more difficult when transporting lithium batteries to a recycling plant. Explosive reactions can result if these chemicals become exposed to air or mix with other chemicals, again adding to the complexity involved in recycling these batteries. Sorting electronics from trash after they are disposed of is an arduous as well as costly task, forcing companies to lean toward stock piling or land filling over recycling of lithium batteries. A staggering 95% of lithium-ion batteries end up being land filled or stock piled at the end of their life cycle (ColdFusion). This poses a hazard to the environment due to the heavy metals leaking toxic particles into the soil causing higher global warming potentials from CO2 emissions released from the decaying materials. Even the recycling process releases carbon emissions because of such a large amount of plastics that make up many types of lithium batteries. The intense heat from pyrometallurical processes in recycling causes out gassing of plastics, increasing global warming potentials and inadvertently harming the atmosphere.

The overall focus of lithium battery waste due to mobile phone usage should not be whether or not to recycle them, but instead precisely when to recycle them. Lithium batteries inside electronics and specifically mobile phones still have a large percentage of usability even after being deemed unusable for their respective applications. Studies find that Lithium batteries still obtain 70% of their state of health remaining before disposal and recycling (Amrit Chandan). This is a tremendous waste as these batteries have usage potential for other types of energy storage applications. Further use of these batteries in other applications until an entire depletion of the battery packs energy occurs could mitigate harmful CO2 emissions that are a direct result of the wasted lithium batteries that are dumped when mobile phones are discarded. If waste batteries could be used for a longer period of time, even the unavoidable pollution caused by the recycling processes could be reduced by a large amount. Battery and electronics manufacturers are starting to catch on to this idea and implementing creative ways to extend the use of waste lithium batteries. The media has done much to inform people of the negative impacts of mobile phone usage. A good combative measure to keep these negative by products associated with mobile phone use down is a more informed society. Mobile phone use is here to stay, safer ways to recycle these devices and manage time consumption when indulging in there usage is dependent on societies ability to educate each other on the inherent dangers encompassing their use and consumption. There is no doubt that excessive mobile phone use can do harm not only physically and psychologically but also environmentally. The damages it can cause can lead to many dangerous and unhealthy situations to occur. Just like what were stated on the many researches and studies made, it can lead to anxiety and depression as well as severe headaches and unhealthy way of living. On top of that, they are also a huge threats to our environment. For these reasons, using mobile phones is not bad at all but excessive usage do more harm than good.

Mobile Phone Addiction

To good to be true..?

Electronic Waste Lands