What is Dependence?
Dependence (Merriam-Webster) - : the quality or state of being dependent; especially : the quality or state of being influenced or determined by or subject to another 2 : reliance, trust 3 : one that is relied on
Dependent (Merriam-Webster) - 2 a : determined or conditioned by another : contingent <plans that are dependent on the weather> b (1) : relying on another for support <dependent children> (2) : affected with a drug dependence c : subject to another's jurisdiction <a dependent territory>
Specifically defining dependence on smartphones. Dependence is the state of smart phones as primary sources of various tasks. People rely on them for navigation, communication, email, phone, internet, games, banking, health, finding restaurants, etc. People use them for a plethora of things, so often that smart phones have become transparent.
Transparency, as defined by Rodney H. Jones and Christoph A. Hafner in the book Understanding Digital Literacies, occurs when media "encourage[s] us to regard the kinds of actions that they make possible as 'natural' or desirable and the kinds of actions that they constrain as unnatural or undesirable. Technologies tend to become more transparent to us the more we use them."
Dependent (Merriam-Webster) - 2 a : determined or conditioned by another : contingent <plans that are dependent on the weather> b (1) : relying on another for support <dependent children> (2) : affected with a drug dependence c : subject to another's jurisdiction <a dependent territory>
Specifically defining dependence on smartphones. Dependence is the state of smart phones as primary sources of various tasks. People rely on them for navigation, communication, email, phone, internet, games, banking, health, finding restaurants, etc. People use them for a plethora of things, so often that smart phones have become transparent.
Transparency, as defined by Rodney H. Jones and Christoph A. Hafner in the book Understanding Digital Literacies, occurs when media "encourage[s] us to regard the kinds of actions that they make possible as 'natural' or desirable and the kinds of actions that they constrain as unnatural or undesirable. Technologies tend to become more transparent to us the more we use them."
Intro
Given that smart phones are a huge part of American culture and that they are becoming more and more popular, there is a plethora of studies and articles about the subject. The following pages will feature excerpts from various sites that contain study results as well as researcher opinions. They will be followed up by a page containing analysis of the state of smart phone dependence in America.