Mobile Phones and Social and Ethical Issues

Ever sat in a café and watched other people? Have you ever seen a couple together but not really together, both in their own worlds not talking to each other but texting on their phones. What impact are mobile phones really having on our society.

1. From the list of Social and Ethical Issues 1 – 13 consider which of them is an issue due to the use of mobile phones. Below, write each heading and make notes about each one, explaining the issue and giving specific examples.

2. Then consider the social impact under each of the following headings – economic, political, cultural, legal, environmental, ergonomic/health and psychological effects on human life. Describe in your own words and give examples.

  1. Now consider each of the Areas of Impact (Arts Entertainment & Leisure, Business & Employment, Science, Health, Education, Politics & Govt, and describe how mobile phones have been used in this area, again giving specific examples.
  2. For each of the specific examples above can you find one supporting article and reference this correctly?

The Impact of mobile phones can be both positive and negative. Complete the table below with as many examples as you can:

Positive Impact
Negative Impact

Parents can be alerted immediately if their child has not arrived at school by SMS
Mobile Phones have a short life span and are then thrown away causing e-waste

Mobile Phones – Developments and Trends


Mobile Phone Trends
Research a recent statistic on mobile phones – this may be on usage, ownership or theft?
Statistics or charts
paste your chart in your work
Analysis
write a short analysis about what the chart or statistic shows you/means

Mobile Phone Developments
There have been significant developments in mobile phone designs and uses. These can be summarized below:

Powering of Mobile phones
Batteries for mobile phones are becoming slimmer and smaller as well as providing more talk time.
Mobiles are being designed to use biodiesel fuel – see BBC News, Mobiles switch on with biofuels
Or from human power - Backpack designed to generate power from walking, Reuters.

Recognition of the owner
With mobile phone thefts an all time high, face recognition software is now built into mobile phones, Face Recognition security now in mobiles, The Borneo Post, 30/10/05
Or phones know how an owner walks – Stealing Mobile Phones, Laptops to get tougher, Borneo Bulletin, 16/10/05

As Tracking devices
It is becoming the norm, for new phones to have built in GPS devices. This will allow the mobile phone to become a tracking device e.g. www.bcgi.net – allows parents to take control of a childs mobile; www.world-tracker.com allows you to track the location of registered phones; Disney Offers teen-tracker Mobile, BBC News; as well as the latest Apple 3G phone which will allow you to find your phone. Along with tracking comes the ease of navigation with ready made maps easy to install on your device.

Use your Mobile to remotely access your PC, SoonR (www.soonr.com) and Avvenu (www.avvenu.com) provide no cost solutions for this sharing anything with your PC and mobile phone. Load software on your PC but not on your phone.

Use your Mobile to access the Internet. More websites are now being created specifically for mobile phone access as Smartphones are being developed, Mobile web shake-up gets started, BBC News, 25/09/06

Use your Phone as a Credit card. Over recent years, developments have been made to allow people to use their phone to pay for goods and services e.g. train & bus journeys, read Cellphones as Credit Cards? Americans Must Wait from New York Times, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/25proto.html to find out how soon it will be coming to us.

Research these stories and write descriptions in your own words.
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