Within the last decade, our society has seen a tremendous increase in consumption of information technology. New innovations and improvements in the products that we purchase have much value to us as consumers. Technological advancements add convenience to our lives and make difficult tasks easier to accomplish.

A significant component of our increased technology consumption, especially recently, is the development of smartphones. These devices have multiple capabilities and are able to download thousands of applications that increase their functionality. Smartphones allow users to access endless amounts of information from their pocket at any time. Whether it is email, social media or surfing the Web, it is all accessible within seconds.

Recent progress of smartphone apps has led to apps that assist people with disabilities live their lives more fully. One example of this is an app that helps blind people shop by taking a picture of the product and then reading the product’s name to the user. Clearly, this kind of innovation is very helpful for people with disabilities and leads to a more inclusive society.

However, consumers are checking their smartphones so often throughout the day that technology might actually be consuming us. Users of smartphone technology feel a need to constantly be connected to the world around them, and be immediately notified of digital communication. Consider this quote from John Dyer in his blog “Don’t Eat the Fruit”:

“Specifically, one area that I often struggle in properly disciplining is avoiding unnecessary email and social media checks when I’m home with my family. Sometimes when I pull out my phone ‘just to check the time,’ I find myself wanting to check various apps and clear out unread items.”

Smartphones offer many capabilities to the consumer, and like any other technology, they add convenience to our lives. However, smartphones could actually be a detractor from living a more enjoyable life.